Reuters US Domestic News Summary
Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.
Latino celebrities in U.S. issue plea to 'speak out loudly against hate'
Actresses Eva Longoria, America Ferrara and more than 200 other Latino artists and civil rights leaders on Friday penned a letter of support to the Latino community in the United States after a mass shooting in Texas and immigration raids in Mississippi. Musicians Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin and Lin-Manuel Miranda gave their backing to the letter, which called on those outside the Latino community to "speak out loudly against hate."
Thousands of travelers delayed at U.S. airports by computer outage
Thousands of travelers at U.S. airports faced delays on Friday because of an nationwide outage of U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) processing systems that lasted several hours. In a tweet at 6:37 p.m. EDT (2237 GMT), CBP said "the affected systems are coming back online and travelers are being processed."
Ex-Trump campaign chief Lewandowski says 'happy' to testify before Congress
President Donald Trump's former campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, said on Friday that he was "happy" to testify before the Democratic-led U.S. House Judiciary Committee as part of a congressional investigation of the Trump presidency. The panel, which is considering whether to recommend Trump's impeachment, subpoenaed Lewandowski on Thursday as a witness to an alleged attempt by the president to impede former Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation after the 2016 election.
Police make arrests as right-wing, anti-fascist groups rally in Portland
Police in Portland, Oregon arrested at least 13 people on Saturday as a right-wing group marched to a downtown waterfront park and anti-fascist counterprotesters scuffled with officers who tried to keep the two sides apart. A rally by hundreds of supporters of the right-wing Proud Boys organization was met by a similar number of "antifa" opponents, and isolated clashes broke out between both sides and between antifa and police as the gathering wrapped up.
NASA chief announces Alabama facility as moon spacecraft headquarters
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine on Friday said Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama will serve as headquarters for the U.S. space agency's program to build a spacecraft to put astronauts back on the moon by 2024. Bridenstine made the announcement at the Alabama facility, accompanied by lawmakers from that state. The announcement, which means potential jobs and prestige for Alabama, disappointed lawmakers from Texas who had lobbied for a site in their state.
Suspect in New York City subway scare apprehended by police
A man blamed by New York City police for leaving two kitchen appliances resembling pressure cookers in a subway station, causing chaos for commuters during Friday morning's rush hour, has been apprehended, authorities said on Saturday. Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea wrote on Twitter that the individual, caught on camera leaving the devices inside the Fulton Street station in Lower Manhattan, was located and an investigation continues. No other details were immediately available.
Official autopsy concludes Epstein's death was suicide by hanging
New York City's chief medical examiner determined on Friday that suicide by hanging was the cause of death for financier Jeffrey Epstein, whose body was found six days ago in a Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. The sparely worded official announcement detailing the autopsy conclusions rebutted a host of conspiracy theories - including one promoted by President Donald Trump - that had circulated on social media about the death of the well-connected former money manager.
Democrat Elizabeth Warren floats plan to empower Native Americans
U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren on Friday unveiled her latest policy plan, which aims to empower Native American tribes through land protection and law enforcement reforms and boost financial support for chronically underfunded health and education programs. The Massachusetts senator, who faced criticism before launching her presidential campaign for claiming Native American heritage, said the United States has failed to honor its legal and moral responsibility to protect tribal nations and indigenous people.
Man insulted at New Hampshire rally by Trump because of weight says 'I love the guy'
President Donald Trump called a man overweight who he thought was a protester at his rally in New Hampshire, only to learn later he had ridiculed a supporter. Trump had looked out in the crowd at the Thursday night rally and saw Frank Dawson shaking his fist as protesters were being led out. Dawson was wearing a "Trump 2020" shirt but the president thought he was one of the protesters.
