Reuters US Domestic News Summary
Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.
Judge bans New Mexico militia blamed for protest violence
A New Mexico judge has outlawed a militia group blamed for sparking violence at a 2020 anti-statue demonstration in the southwestern U.S. state where a protester was shot. The ruling came in response to what law experts called the country's first civil lawsuit by a district attorney seeking to protect the public from actions by vigilantes and citizen paramilitary groups.
US basketball star Griner, facing Russian jail term, sends thanks for support
American WNBA basketball star Brittney Griner, whose appeal against a Russian jail term is due to be heard next week, sent her supporters a message of thanks on Tuesday, her 32nd birthday. The two-time Olympic gold medallist was arrested on Feb. 17 at a Moscow airport with vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage, and was sentenced on Aug. 4 to nine years in a penal colony on drug smuggling charges. Her appeal is due to be heard next Tuesday.
Biden pledges law on abortion rights if Democrats keep Congress
U.S. President Joe Biden, under pressure over high inflation, sought to mobilize his left-leaning base on Tuesday by promising to sign a law to codify abortion rights in January if Democrats control the legislature next year. Biden's Democrats could lose control of the House of Representatives, and possibly the Senate too, in the November elections. The president is trying to rally the party and its supporters around abortion rights, which were sharply curtailed by the Supreme Court's decision nearly four months ago to overturn the landmark Roe v Wade ruling.
'Person of interest' in Oklahoma dismemberment case arrested in Florida
A salvage yard owner who authorities consider a "person of interest" in the murder of four men whose dismembered bodies were found in an Oklahoma river has been arrested in Florida on unrelated charges, police said on Tuesday. Joe Kennedy, 67, was taken into custody in Daytona Beach Shores while driving a car that had been reported stolen in Oklahoma, police in the Oklahoma city of Okmulgee said in a statement.
Oath Keeper wanted U.S. Congress to 'be afraid' of certifying Biden win
A Florida member of the far-right Oath Keepers testified on Tuesday that he had been ready to use violence to stop the U.S. Congress from certifying Republican Donald Trump's election defeat, saying he wanted lawmakers to "be afraid." Jason Dolan, a 46-year-old retired Marine, who last year pleaded guilty to taking part in the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol, testified at the criminal trial of the group's founder, Stewart Rhodes, and four associates, who face charges of seditious conspiracy for their role in the violence.
U.S. jury acquits Russian on charges he lied to FBI over 'Steele dossier'
A Russian researcher who contributed explosive details to a document dubbed the "Steele dossier" that alleged ties between former U.S. President Donald Trump's 2016 election campaign and Russia was acquitted by a jury on Tuesday on charges that he lied to the FBI about the sources of his information. Igor Danchenko's acquittal in federal court in Washington dealt another blow to Special Counsel John Durham, who was appointed in 2019 by Trump-era Attorney General William Barr to investigate the FBI's "Crossfire Hurricane" probe into whether members of Trump's campaign had colluded with Russia.
Biden approval stuck at 40%, a dark sign for Democrats in midterms -Reuters/Ipsos
Three weeks from the U.S. midterm elections, President Joe Biden's approval rating stayed close to the lowest level of his presidency as Americans worried about inflation, a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll completed on Tuesday found. The two-day national poll found that 40% of Americans approve of Biden's job performance, unchanged from a week earlier.
Investor group, unions push Hyundai to address child labor at U.S. suppliers
A group that works with union pension funds is pressing Hyundai Motor Co to respond to reports of child labor at U.S. parts suppliers, warning of potential reputational damage to the Korean automaker. SOC Investment Group, which works with union pension funds that have more than $250 billion in assets, sent a sharply worded letter on Wednesday to company chairman Euisun Chung, saying investors were concerned in the wake of a July investigation by Reuters that found child labor at a Hyundai subsidiary in Alabama. In addition, the letter cited a recent federal and state investigation into children working at another Hyundai supplier in the state.
Ex-classmate convicted of murdering long-missing California student Kristin Smart
A former classmate of Kristin Smart, the California college freshman whose 1996 disappearance had long been one of the state's most sensational unsolved crimes, was found guilty on Tuesday of first-degree murder for her death. The guilty verdict against Paul Flores, 45, was returned by a 12-member jury in Monterey County Superior Court at the end of a three-month trial. He was arrested and charged with Smart's death in April last year.
How Utah's Evan McMullin could become a key U.S. Senate power broker
If U.S. Senate candidate Evan McMullin succeeds in unseating Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah, he could occupy a uniquely powerful role as an independent ready to work with either party in the narrowly divided chamber. While maverick Democratic Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema have used their positions in the 50-50 chamber to block parts of President Joe Biden's agenda, an independent McMullin could wield even more influence if Republicans pick up one -- and only one -- other seat in the Nov. 8 midterm election.
