Reuters US Domestic News Summary
Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.
Trump turns to Supreme Court in bid to allow DOGE access to Social Security data
President Donald Trump's administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to intervene in its bid to allow the Elon Musk-spearheaded Department of Government Efficiency unfettered access to the U.S. Social Security Administration data of millions of Americans. The Justice Department asked the justices to put on hold a federal judge's order that halted the agency from giving DOGE access after finding the data-sharing arrangement likely violated a federal privacy law.
Measles cases in Texas rise to 683, state health department says
Measles cases in Texas rose 3% to 683 over three days, the state's health department reported on Friday, as nationwide cases of the childhood disease approach the 1,000-mark. As of May 1, a total of 935 confirmed measles cases were reported by 30 jurisdictions, with 12 outbreaks reported this year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website.
Exclusive-US FDA asks some fired pharma user fee negotiation staff to return
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is asking some of its recently fired staff responsible for critically important funding negotiations with drugmakers to return, three sources close to the matter said. The staff being asked back are involved with renewing programs under which drugmakers provide user fees that pay for the agency's drug review system.
Trump proposes $163 billion cut to US budget that slashes domestic spending
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration on Friday proposed a $163 billion cut to the federal budget that would sharply reduce spending on education, housing and medical research next year, while increasing outlays for defense and border security. The administration said the proposed budget would raise homeland security spending by nearly 65% from 2025 enacted levels, as Trump cracks down on illegal immigration.
Trump administration plans to downsize US spy agencies, Washington Post reports
The administration of President Donald Trump is planning significant personnel cuts at the Central Intelligence Agency and other major U.S. spy units, the Washington Post reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the plans. The CIA plans to cut 1,200 positions, along with thousands more from other parts of the U.S. intelligence community, the newspaper reported.
Illinois man, who killed Palestinian child, sentenced to 53 years for hate crime
An Illinois man was sentenced on Friday to 53 years in prison after a jury convicted him in the killing of a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy and the severe wounding of his mother in an October 2023 hate crime stabbing, prosecutors said. Joseph Czuba, 73, stabbed and killed Wadee Alfayoumi and knifed Hanan Shaheen days after U.S. ally Israel began its war on Gaza following an October 7, 2023, attack by Palestinian Hamas militants.
US EPA plans to cut staff to 1980s levels, dissolve research office
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced plans on Friday to slash its budget by $300 million in fiscal year 2026, reduce staffing to 1980s levels and dissolve its research and development office as part of a sweeping overhaul of the agency. The reorganization will consolidate several key offices, reflecting plans to cut regulatory red tape and promote more energy development, as laid out in President Donald Trump's executive orders, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a video message.
US to settle with family of woman killed during 2021 Capitol riot
The U.S. government has reached a settlement with the family of President Donald Trump supporter Ashli Babbitt, who was shot and killed by a police officer during the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, an advocacy group representing the woman's family said on Friday. The Justice Department and Babbitt´s estate reached an agreement in principle to resolve the case. The details are expected to be finalized within the next few weeks, according to Tom Fitton, the president of Judicial Watch, a conservative legal advocacy organization that is representing Babbitt's family in the case.
US judge strikes down Trump order against law firm Perkins Coie
A federal judge on Friday struck down Donald Trump's executive order targeting law firm Perkins Coie as a violation of the U.S. Constitution's protections of free speech and due process and castigated him for "settling personal vendettas." U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell's ruling was a setback for the Republican president's campaign against the legal industry.
Military parade on Trump's birthday could include more than 6,500 troops
The U.S. military is working on plans that could see more than 6,500 troops, about 150 vehicles and 50 aircraft moving to Washington D.C. for twin celebrations of President Donald Trump's birthday and the Army's 250th anniversary, according to officials and documents. U.S. military service branches take pride in their history and anniversary celebrations, called birthdays in military circles, take place across the United States and on bases throughout the world.
Now a trusted ally, 'Little Marco' gets Trump's big jobs
Top diplomat, foreign aid chief, national archivist and now national security adviser. Marco Rubio's expanding resume underscores President Donald Trump's increasing trust in the former Florida senator, officials said. Trump said on Thursday that his national security adviser Mike Waltz would move on to become UN ambassador, weeks after Waltz added a journalist from The Atlantic to a Signal chat where top officials were discussing military strikes against the Houthis in Yemen.
