Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Trump to formally launch 2020 campaign on June 18 in Orlando, Florida

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Friday he will be formally launching his 2020 re-election campaign on June 18 in Florida, beginning what may prove to be a difficult bid for another four years at the White House. In a tweet, Trump said he would hold a rally with his wife, Melania, Vice President Mike Pence and Pence's wife Karen at the 20,000-seat Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. "Join us for this historic rally!" he wrote.

Government watchdog finds 'dangerous overcrowding' at U.S. border facility

The internal watchdog for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has urged officials to take immediate steps to alleviate "dangerous overcrowding" after it found some adult detainees being held in "standing-room-only conditions" for days or weeks at a border patrol facility in Texas. U.S. officials say they have been overwhelmed by tens of thousands of mostly Central Americans crossing into the United States and turning themselves over to border agents. President Donald Trump has threatened Mexico with tariffs to do more to stop the flow.

Judge finds Navy SEAL's fair trial rights violated in war crimes case

The military judge presiding over the court-martial of a U.S. Navy SEAL charged with war crimes said on Friday prosecutors who electronically tracked email communications of defense lawyers without a warrant violated the accused's right to a fair trial. The finding came near the end of a two-day hearing that wrapped up just 10 days before Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher is due to stand trial in a case that has drawn the attention of U.S. President Donald Trump.

'Oh my God, is that Bernie Sanders?' Democrats swarm San Francisco

Fourteen Democratic presidential candidates sparked cheers and applause in the streets of San Francisco on Saturday as they worked the crowds at the California party's state convention, a sign of the state's heft in upcoming nominating contests. Their presence lent star power to a state organizing convention that has become a window into the issues and rivalries at stake as Democrats compete for the nomination to run against Republican President Donald Trump in 2020.

Missouri abortion clinic to stay open for now after court order

Missouri's only abortion clinic will stay open at least a few more days after a judge on Friday granted a request by Planned Parenthood for a temporary restraining order, allowing the facility to keep operating until a hearing on Tuesday. Planned Parenthood sued Missouri this week after state health officials said the license for Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood in St. Louis was in jeopardy, meaning the clinic could have closed at midnight unless the judge granted the request for a temporary restraining order.

Virginia Beach gunman who killed 12 was disgruntled city engineer

The gunman who killed 12 people at a Virginia Beach municipal building before dying in a shootout with police was identified on Saturday as a disgruntled city engineer and co-worker of most of the victims. All but one of the victims from Friday's mass shooting in the coastal resort community were employed by the city, officials said, while the other was a contractor seeking a permit. Four people were wounded.

Attorney General Barr says Mueller 'could've reached a decision' on obstruction

U.S. Attorney General William Barr said Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who led a probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, could have reached a decision on whether President Donald Trump obstructed justice, but chose not to. Mueller said this week that he could not indict Trump because of a Justice Department policy that prohibits indicting a sitting president, and was not even willing to conclude if a crime was committed out of fairness to the president.

Accountant in U.S. college admissions scandal to plead guilty

An accountant who once worked for the mastermind behind the U.S. college admissions cheating and bribery scandal has agreed to plead guilty and cooperate in the ongoing investigation, federal prosecutors said on Friday. Steven Masera, who served as the financial officer for the business operated by California college admissions consultant William "Rick" Singer, will plead guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering, federal prosecutors in Boston said.

U.S. biologists probe deaths of 70 emaciated gray whales

U.S. government biologists have launched a special investigation into the deaths of at least 70 gray whales washed ashore in recent months along the U.S. West Coast, from California to Alaska, many of them emaciated, officials said on Friday. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) declared the whale die-off an "unusual mortality event," a designation that triggers greater scrutiny and allocation of more resources to determine the cause.

Rep. Ocasio-Cortez returns to bartending to promote fair wages

U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took lunch orders, served pizza and rocked the cocktail shaker on Friday to promote increased wages for restaurant servers and other tipped workers. The New York Democrat and media sensation, who famously worked as a bartender before getting elected to Congress last year, brought first-hand experience to the debate over the proposed "Raise the Wage Act," which would raise the U.S. minimum wage to $15 an hour and guarantee that minimum for tipped employees.