Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Banks ordered to disclose bondholder information to Puerto Rico board

A judge on Thursday ordered banks to comply with a request from Puerto Rico's federally created financial oversight board to disclose customer information related to certain debt issued by the bankrupt U.S. commonwealth. The ruling boosts a potential effort by the board to recover billions of dollars in payments made to bondholders should a federal court hearing Puerto Rico's bankruptcy cases choose to invalidate disputed debt issued by the government and its agencies.

In campaign against gun violence, Columbine students aim to shock with final photos

Last month, Kaylee Tyner and other students at Columbine High School launched a campaign dubbed #MyLastShot, asking students across the country to pledge to publicize images of their deaths if they became victims of a mass shooting. The project asks students to download the pledge from the group’s website and affix it to a driver’s license, school identification card or cell phone to be used as a directive, similar to an organ donor's card, if they become shooting victims.

U.S. court upholds most of California's 'sanctuary' migrant laws

The Trump administration lost a court bid on Thursday aimed at striking down California's "sanctuary" statutes that prevent local law enforcement from helping the U.S. government's crackdown on illegal immigration. (graphic: https://tmsnrt.rs/2XmGDDg)

Judge upholds New York City's mandatory measles vaccination order

A Brooklyn judge on Thursday ruled against a group of parents who challenged New York City's recently imposed mandatory measles vaccination order, rejecting their arguments that the city's public health authority exceeded its authority. In a six-page decision rendered hours after a hearing on the matter, Judge Lawrence Knipel denied the parents' petition seeking to lift the vaccination order, imposed last week to stem the worst measles outbreak to hit the city since 1991.

U.S. launches four-state study to find ways to reduce opioid overdose deaths

U.S. health officials on Thursday said they will spend $350 million in four states to study ways to best deal with the nation's opioid crisis on the local level, with a goal of reducing opioid-related overdose deaths by 40 percent over three years in selected communities in those states. The National Institutes of Health will award grants to research sites in Kentucky, Massachusetts, New York and Ohio, NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins said at a news conference to unveil the plan. They will go to the University of Kentucky, Boston Medical Center, Columbia University and Ohio State University.

Man gets life in prison for stabbing policeman at Michigan airport

A Tunisian man was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday for stabbing a police officer at the airport in Flint, Michigan, a decision a federal judge said was made easier by the defendant's defiant and angry remarks in court. "Do I regret what I did? Never," Amor Ftouhi, 51, told U.S. District Judge Matthew Leitman. "If I had to do it one more time, I would do it. I regret I didn't kill that cop."

In unflattering detail, Mueller report reveals Trump actions to impede inquiry

Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on his inquiry into Russia's role in the 2016 U.S. election described in extensive and sometimes unflattering detail how President Donald Trump tried to impede the probe, raising questions about whether he committed the crime of obstruction of justice. Thursday's release of the 448-page report after a 22-month investigation was a watershed moment in Trump's tumultuous presidency and inflamed partisan passions ahead of his 2020 re-election bid in a deeply divided country.

Man who carried gas cans into NY cathedral charged with attempted arson

A 37-year-old man who entered New York's famed St. Patrick's Cathedral carrying two full gasoline cans, lighter fluid and lighters was charged with attempted arson on Thursday, police said. Wednesday's incident occurred two days after a massive fire severely damaged the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, causing global shock and sorrow. That blaze was most likely the result of an accident though a major investigation is under way.

Ban the bunny: California aims to end post-Easter parade of unwanted rabbits

Californians can eat chocolate bunnies and snuggle plush Peter Cottontail dolls to their heart's content this Easter. But those who want to buy a live bunny as an Easter gift won't find them for sale at pet stores this year after California became the first U.S. state to pass a law aimed at stemming a post-holiday deluge of maturing rabbits being abandoned or euthanized.

Senate leader calls for raising minimum age to buy tobacco products to 21

U.S. Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell said on Thursday he plans to introduce legislation to raise the minimum age for buying tobacco products, including vaping devices, to 21 from 18 to curb their "epidemic" use among teens. McConnell said https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=C7912202-0742-4404-8775-8836F261DDEF the bill would be introduced in May.