Reuters US Domestic News Summary
Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.
GM and UAW union to continue talks on new labor deal
General Motors Co and United Auto Workers (UAW) said they will continue talks on a new labor deal on Monday, as a strike by the union's members enters its third week. UAW members went on strike on Sept. 16 seeking higher pay, greater job security, a bigger share of the leading U.S. automaker's profit and protection of their healthcare benefits.
U.S. House impeachment inquiry to intensify; Trump remains defiant
The House of Representatives impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump over his request that a foreign power investigate a domestic political rival is set to intensify this week with testimony due from witnesses concerning allegations made by a whistleblower within the U.S. intelligence community. The whistleblower's complaint cited a July 25 telephone call in which Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate Joe Biden, one of the leading Democratic candidates seeking to challenge him in 2020, and his son Hunter, who sat on the board of a Ukrainian gas company.
Trump contacted foreign officials over probe of Russia inquiry origins -Justice Dept
U.S. President Donald Trump has contacted other countries to introduce Attorney General William Barr and a Justice Department official who is conducting an inquiry into the origins of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe, a Justice Department spokeswoman said on Monday. Spokeswoman Kerri Kupec did not name the countries in her statement. But an Australian government spokesperson was quoted as saying Trump had spoken to Prime Minister Scott Morrison by phone, and the Washington Post reported that Barr had made overtures to British intelligence officials and met with Italian officials to seek their help in the inquiry.
U.S. office vacancy rate rises marginally in third quarter - Reis
The U.S. office vacancy rate rose marginally to 16.8% in the third quarter from a year earlier, according to real estate research firm Reis Inc. Of the 79 metropolitan areas covered by Reis, 29 showed a rise in vacancies in the quarter.
Missouri to execute man convicted of killing ex-girlfriend's boyfriend
A man convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend's boyfriend in 1996 is due to be executed in Missouri on Tuesday, after a court rejected his argument that he faces a cruel and unusual punishment due to a rare medical condition that would make lethal injection severely painful. Russell Bucklew, 51, is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection at 6 p.m. local time at the state's death chamber in Bonne Terre for the murder of Michael Sanders, his ex-girlfriend's lover, in 1996.
Jury considers murder charge against ex-Dallas police officer who killed neighbor
A jury began deliberations on Monday in the murder trial of an ex-Dallas police officer who shot and killed an unarmed neighbor after mistaking his apartment for her own, and prosecutors closed their case by calling her actions "unreasonable." "This case is about what is reasonable and what is absurd," Assistant District Attorney Jason Fine said in a closing statement after a week-long trial.
Factbox: Vaping-related illnesses cause 13 U.S. deaths; Nebraska latest
Nebraska reported one death from a mysterious lung disease associated with the use of e-cigarettes, the state's public health officials said, joining 10 other U.S. states to report fatalities. (https://bit.ly/2oSM9l7) There have been 12 deaths and 805 confirmed and probable cases so far, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) latest data as of Thursday.
U.S. Democrats subpoena Trump lawyer Giuliani in impeachment probe
U.S. House of Representatives Democrats investigating whether to impeach President Donald Trump on Monday issued a subpoena to his lawyer Rudy Giuliani, seeking documents related to dealings with Ukraine by Oct. 15. The Democratic-led House Intelligence Committee issued the subpoena in consultation with two other House panels and said in a statement that Giuliani had acknowledged on television that he asked the government of Ukraine to "target" former Vice President Joe Biden.
AstraZeneca's combo lung disease therapy fails to win FDA approval
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration declined to approve AstraZeneca Plc's combination therapy to treat smoker's lung, the drugmaker said on Tuesday. AstraZeneca said that it will work closely with the FDA regarding next steps, including submitting results from an additional late-stage study, which was not completed at the time the marketing application was submitted to the health regulator.
Vape shop owners sue Massachusetts over product sale ban
Several vape shop owners are suing the state of Massachusetts for implementing a four-month ban on sales of all vaping products and asked the court to deem it "unconstitutional." Massachusetts imposed a ban on sales of all e-cigarettes and supplies, both those used for tobacco and marijuana, which is legal in the state, citing a national public health emergency.
