Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Slow-moving hurricane Dorian pounds Bahamas, inches towards Florida coast

The slow-moving hurricane Dorian, one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes on record, pounded Grand Bahama Island on Tuesday and was forecast to come "dangerously close" to Florida's coast by the day's end. Dorian has been pounding the Bahamas for days, killing at least five people in the Abaco Islands in the northern Bahamas and inundating homes with floodwater ahead of its expected advance on the U.S. coast, where more than a million people have been ordered evacuated.

Facing criticism over deportations, U.S. to look again at some deferral requests

The Trump administration, facing criticism over deportations from lawmakers and civil rights groups, said on Monday it would reopen consideration of some deferral requests for compelling circumstances such as medical conditions. In August, the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) said it was "no longer entertaining" such requests from people outside the U.S. military, but on Monday said it would reopen and complete cases that were pending on Aug. 7, the day the new policy took effect.

Divers search for last bodies in California boat fire, investigations begin

Divers searched for more bodies early on Tuesday around the wreck of a boat destroyed by a blaze off the coast of southern California, as authorities launched an investigation into one of the area's worst maritime disasters. Emergency crews found at least 25 bodies after the fire broke out before dawn on Monday, leaving nine people still missing, the Associated Press reported. The coastguard declined to confirm the figures.

U.S. presidential candidate Booker proposes $3 trillion climate change plan

U.S. presidential hopeful Cory Booker unveiled a $3 trillion plan to address climate change on Tuesday, vowing to reach a 100% clean energy economy by 2045 by sharply curbing fossil fuels while investing heavily in renewable energy sources. The plan also calls for a new White House-coordinated "Environmental Justice Fund" that would focus on defending at-risk communities from environmental threats, including a nationwide lead remediation program to replace all lead water pipes for schools and residences.

Democrats slam Pence for staying at Trump hotel in Ireland

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence drew fire from Democrats on Tuesday when he met with Irish leaders in the capital, Dublin, but stayed at a hotel owned by President Donald Trump almost 300 kilometers (180 miles) away, at Trump's urging. Pence flew to Dublin on Tuesday after spending the night at the Trump International Golf Club in Doonbeg on the west coast of Ireland. The hotel also hosted the Trump family during a brief trip to Ireland by the president in June.

Floridians evacuate and grumble as Hurricane Dorian slowly nears

At a retirement community in central Florida, elderly residents waited for a bus on Monday to take them to a shelter as one of the most monstrous Atlantic hurricanes on record crawled toward the state. Mary McNiff, 92, sat in her wheelchair waiting to board at the Good Samaritan Society in Kissimmee, near Orlando, one of more than a million people under evacuation orders along the U.S. East Coast on the Labor Day holiday.

Texas gunman who killed seven had previously failed background check for firearm

The gunman who killed seven people and wounded 23 others in a rolling rampage across West Texas obtained an assault-style rifle despite failing a background check, state and law enforcement officials said on Monday. The gunman, identified by police as Seth Aaron Ator, 36, carried out the shooting spree in the neighboring cities of Midland and Odessa on Saturday, a short time after he was fired from his trucking job. He called local emergency 911 responders and then an FBI tip line to make rambling statements, officials said.

China says has only 'limited' cooperation with U.S. on fentanyl

China and the United States have only "limited" cooperation in stopping fentanyl smuggling, a Chinese narcotics official was quoted as saying on Tuesday, after complaints China isn't doing enough to help fight an opioid crisis in the United States. U.S. officials say China is the main source of illicit fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances that are trafficked into the United States, much of it through international mail. China denies that most of the illicit fentanyl entering the United States originates in China.

Teenager shoots dead five family members in Alabama: police

A 14-year-old boy shot and killed five family members at their home in Alabama, before throwing away the pistol and calling police, officials said on Tuesday, in the latest high-profile gun crime. The shooting occurred on Monday night in the town of Elkmont, a spokesman for the Limestone County Sheriff's Office told media, including an ABC affiliate.

White House to propose expedited death penalty for perpetrators of mass shootings

U.S. Attorney General William Barr has drafted legislation that would speed the death penalty for people who have committed mass murder, a White House official said on Monday. Marc Short, chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, told reporters on Air Force 2 that the measure would be part of a package of gun legislation that the White House intends to propose to Congress.