Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

US on high alert for Iran threat in region after Israeli strike in Syria

The United States is on high alert and preparing for a possible attack by Iran targeting Israeli or American assets in the region in response to Israel’s strike on the Iranian embassy in Syria, a U.S. official said on Friday. “We’re definitely at a high state of vigilance,” the official said in confirming a CNN report that said an attack could come in the next week.

New York City to pay $17.5 million for forcing women to remove hijabs for mug shots

New York City agreed to pay $17.5 million to settle a lawsuit by two Muslim-American women who said the police violated their rights after arresting them by forcing them to remove their hijabs before being photographed. The preliminary class action settlement covers men and women required to remove religious attire before being photographed. It was filed on Friday in Manhattan federal court, and requires approval by U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres.

Two dead, seven wounded in Florida martini bar shooting

Two people were killed and seven were wounded, including a police officer, during a shooting at a martini bar in Doral, Florida, early on Saturday, police said. The shootout followed an argument in which one patron pulled out a weapon and then shot and killed a security guard who responded. Six of the people shot were bystanders and a police officer was shot in the leg, police said.

Trump says $50 million raised from biggest fundraiser yet

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s campaign said a major fundraiser in Florida on Saturday raked in a massive $50.5 million as the former president seeks to replenish diminished coffers in his rematch against Democrat Joe Biden. The event, his biggest fundraiser yet, is a much-needed boost for Trump, who has been routinely outraised by Biden and is in the midst of a financial squeeze due to ballooning lawyer fees and legal payouts from his criminal and civil court cases.

Magnitude 4.8 earthquake hits New York City region

A 4.8-magnitude earthquake struck near New York City on Friday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey said, shaking buildings up and down the East Coast and surprising residents in an area that rarely experiences notable seismic activity. The quake’s epicenter was in Tewksbury in central New Jersey, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) west of New York City. It occurred just after 10:20 a.m. ET (1420 GMT) at a depth of 4.7 kilometers (2.9 miles), the USGS said.

New Mexico mental health first responders are increasingly civilians, not police

Unarmed emergency responders Nevada Sanchez and Sean Martin take a police dispatch call in southeast Albuquerque, New Mexico, a city with high rates of violent crime and police shootings. They have no enforcement powers or protective equipment and say they use their voices and brains to deescalate encounters with people in mental health and substance abuse crises.

Biden surveys collapsed Baltimore bridge, pledges help

President Joe Biden took an aerial tour on Friday of the collapsed Baltimore bridge that is blocking a key East Coast shipping lane, and he pledged federal help in rebuilding the span, an idea some Republican lawmakers in the U.S. Congress have resisted. A cargo ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, sending it splashing into the harbor and killing six people. Work to clear the wreckage and restore traffic through the Mid-Atlantic state’s shipping channel is ongoing.

US court rejects transfer of credit card fees rule case amid focus on ‘judge shopping’

A federal appeals court ruled on Friday that a Texas judge wrongly transferred to another court in Washington, D.C., an industry-backed lawsuit challenging an agency rule on credit card late fees, highlighting the debate over “judge shopping” in the U.S. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit of Appeals on a 2-1 vote sided with business and banking groups who last month filed the lawsuit in Fort Worth, Texas, a city whose federal courthouse has become a favorite venue for litigants challenging President Joe Biden’s administration’s policies.

Biden campaign raises over $90 million in March, $187 million in Q1 2024

U.S. President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign announced Saturday it raised over $187 million in the first quarter 2024, almost double what it took in during the previous quarter. In March alone, when Biden clinched the Democratic Party’s nomination, the campaign raised more than $90 million, up from over $53 million the previous month. The team also reported $192 million in cash on hand, which it said was the highest total amassed by any Democratic candidate in history at this point in the cycle.

Powerball player wins $1.3 billion jackpot

A ticket sold in Oregon has won Powerball jackpot of more than $1.3 billion, the eighth largest in U.S. history. Powerball drew the numbers early on Sunday and the winning numbers were white balls 22, 27, 44, 52, 69 and red Powerball 9. The drawing is the 41st since the last Powerball winner hit the jackpot on New Year’s Day.

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