Reuters US Domestic News Summary
Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.
Pence, Giuliani will not cooperate in U.S. House impeachment inquiry
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani said on Tuesday they will not cooperate with a U.S. House of Representatives impeachment inquiry into Trump's efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate a political rival. The decision to defy Congress illustrates Republican Trump's determination to stonewall the Democratic-led impeachment effort, which threatens to consume his presidency.
Texas woman killed by officer picked up gun after hearing noises
A Texas woman was shot dead by a Fort Worth police officer in her home after she heard noises outside, picked up a handgun and pointed it at a window, the officer's arrest warrant showed on Tuesday. Atatiana Jefferson, 28, was playing video games with her 8-year-old nephew around 2:30 am on Saturday when she heard sounds in her backyard, according to the warrant for former Fort Worth Police Officer Aaron Dean's arrest for alleged murder.
U.S. appeals court to revisit Trump win in hotel 'emoluments' case
A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday said it would reconsider an earlier ruling that handed victory to U.S. President Donald Trump in a Democratic-backed lawsuit that accuses him of violating anti-corruption provisions of the U.S. Constitution with his Washington hotel. The Richmond, Virginia-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said in an order that it would rehear arguments in the case, which was brought by the Democratic attorneys general of Maryland and the District of Columbia.
Barring a turnout surge, strong economy favors Trump in 2020, researchers say
A strong U.S. economy could help President Donald Trump win re-election next year unless there is a surge in voter turnout, economic research firm Moody's Analytics said on Tuesday. Across American universities and on Wall Street, researchers are honing computer models designed to predict the winner in the November 2020 election in which the Republican Trump will face a Democratic candidate still to be determined.
Missouri appeals court overturns $110 million Johnson & Johnson talc verdict
A Missouri appeals court overturned a $110 million verdict against Johnson & Johnson in a lawsuit by a Virginia woman who says she developed ovarian cancer after decades of using of its talc-based products for feminine hygiene. The ruling, which reverses a 2017 judgment in favor of the plaintiff, said that the Missouri court lacked the authority to judge the case, citing a 2017 Missouri supreme court ruling that limited out-of-state plaintiffs' ability to sue within the state.
Americans divided: Neighbors turn enemies over Trump in swing-vote Michigan suburbs
At first glance, Cavell Street in Livonia, Michigan, looks tranquil enough - until the subject of the Democratic-led impeachment probe of President Donald Trump comes up. A kind of suburban trench warfare is simmering amid the small detached houses and neatly trimmed lawns where diehard Trump lovers live next to Trump haters, and both sides are dug in.
Impeachment inquiry, Warren-Biden matchup highlight U.S. Democratic debate
Twelve top White House contenders will take part on Tuesday in the first Democratic debate since the launch of an impeachment inquiry into Republican President Donald Trump's efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate leading rival Joe Biden. The fourth debate in the race to find a challenger to Trump in the November 2020 election will also match Biden and U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren for the first time since Warren surged into a virtual tie with the former vice president in many Democratic opinion polls.
U.S. House will hold off on vote to authorize impeachment probe: Pelosi
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday said the House of Representatives does not plan at this time to hold a full vote of the body to authorize an impeachment investigation into President Donald Trump. “There is no requirement that we have a vote and so at this time we will not be having a vote," Pelosi said at a press conference.
Michigan judge blocks flavored vape ban as Juul faces wrongful death lawsuit
A Michigan judge on Tuesday blocked the state's ban on flavored e-cigarettes about two weeks after it took effect and hours after a wrongful death lawsuit was filed against Juul Labs Inc in the first such case against an e-cigarette firm. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer had ordered the state ban in September, declaring that teenagers' use of e-cigarettes, known as vaping, was a public health emergency.
Exclusive: Trump lawyer Giuliani was paid $500,000 to consult on indicted associate's firm
President Donald Trump's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, was paid $500,000 for work he did for a company co-founded by the Ukrainian-American businessman arrested last week on campaign finance charges, Giuliani told Reuters on Monday. The businessman, Lev Parnas, is a close associate of Giuliani and was involved in his effort to investigate Trump's political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, who is a leading contender for the 2020 Democratic Party nomination.
