Reuters US Domestic News Summary
Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.
San Jose moves to ban natural gas in new residential buildings
San Jose, the 10th most populous U.S. city and political center of Silicon Valley, on Tuesday moved to ban natural gas in most new residential buildings beginning next year. With a unanimous vote by the 10-member city council and Mayor Sam Liccardo, San Jose became the largest U.S. city so far to seek to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by favoring appliances that run on renewable electricity sources over those powered by natural gas.
Ex-campaign chief defends Trump, defies Democrats at impeachment hearing
President Donald Trump's former campaign manager on Tuesday acknowledged that his former boss enlisted him to try to limit the Russia election interference inquiry but defended Trump and tangled with Democrats during pugnacious testimony to a U.S. congressional panel mulling whether to impeach the president. Corey Lewandowski, a Trump confidant eyeing a run as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in New Hampshire, testified under subpoena to the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee at a contentious hearing that once again exposed America's gaping partisan divisions ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
Trump to bar California from setting vehicle emission rules: sources
The Trump administration will announce as early as Wednesday it is revoking California’s authority to set its own greenhouse gas and vehicle fuel efficiency standards and barring all states from setting such rules, two auto industry officials said on Tuesday. The move is sure to spark legal challenges over issues including states' rights and climate change that administration officials say could ultimately be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Pennsylvania state lawmaker arrested on child pornography charges
A Pennsylvania state senator was arrested on Tuesday over child pornography charges, the state attorney general said. Republican Michael J. Folmer, 63, was charged with possessing child pornography, sexual abuse of children and criminal use of a communications facility, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro in a statement.
Three people injured when car smashes into Trump Plaza lobby in New York suburb
A car plowed into the main hall of a Trump Plaza in suburban New York on Tuesday night, causing minor injuries to two bystanders and the driver, news media reported. The luxury residential property in New Rochelle is not where U.S. President Donald Trump and his family have a residence, but was widely reported by national media nonetheless.
Migrant mothers and children sue U.S. over asylum ban
More than 125 migrant mothers and children have sued the U.S. government, claiming the Trump administration has violated the rights of asylum-seekers through the arbitrary and capricious implementation of a virtual asylum ban at the southern border. The lawsuit, filed late on Monday, was the first to challenge President Donald Trump over asylum since the U.S. Supreme Court decided last week that an anti-asylum rule will be allowed to take effect while a separate lawsuit on its underlying legality is heard.
New York state ban on flavored e-cigarettes given final approval
New York became the second state to ban flavored e-cigarettes on Tuesday after its Democratic governor called for emergency action in response to concerns about their rising use among teens and a nationwide spate of lung illnesses. Governor Andrew Cuomo on Sunday called for an urgent meeting of the state's Public Health and Health Planning Council to consider the proposed ban.
U.S. wants to seize all money Edward Snowden makes from new book
The United States filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who leaked secret documents about U.S. telephone and internet surveillance in 2013, saying his new book violates non-disclosure agreements. The Justice Department said Snowden published his memoir, "Permanent Record," without submitting it to intelligence agencies for review, adding that speeches given by Snowden also violated nondisclosure agreements. In 2013, Snowden wrote "Everything You Know about the Constitution is Wrong."
Tropical storm Jerry form in Central Atlantic: U.S. NHC
Tropical Storm Jerry has formed in the central Atlantic and is likely to move near the northern Leeward Islands by Thursday night or Friday, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest advisory on Wednesday. The tenth named storm of the 2019 season is located about 960 miles (1,545 km) east of the Leeward Islands, packing maximum sustained winds of 45 miles per hour (75 km/h), the NHC said.
U.S. journalist Cokie Roberts, a 'founding mother' of National Public Radio, dead at 75
U.S. journalist Cokie Roberts, regarded by National Public Radio as one of its "founding mothers" and a prominent political commentator on ABC News, died on Tuesday at 75 at her Washington home from complications of breast cancer, her family said. Roberts worked in radio as a foreign correspondent for CBS and a congressional correspondent for NPR in the 1970s. She went on to become ABC's chief congressional analyst.
