Reuters US Domestic News Summary

08/02/2016 19:52

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

California blaze near Big Sur traced to unattended campfire

A blaze that has scorched some 43,000 acres (17,400 hectares) and destroyed dozens of homes near California's famed Big Sur coast was sparked by an illegal, unattended camp fire in a state park, authorities said on Tuesday. The so-called Soberanes Fire, which erupted on July 22, began as a small blaze, 2 feet (60 cm) in diameter, ignited by unknown individuals in a section of Garrapata State Park that was closed to camping and campfires, according to U.S. Forest Service spokesman Don Jaques. No arrests have been made, he added.

Republican tensions rise as Trump withholds support for leading figures

U.S. presidential nominee Donald Trump ratcheted up tensions in his Republican Party on Tuesday, denying leading figures support in their re-election bids, while his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton won her first endorsement from a Republican lawmaker. President Barack Obama blasted Trump as unfit to be president and questioned why any Republican would support the New York businessman seeking his first public office.

U.S. military communications satellite fails to reach intended orbit

A propulsion system problem has left a U.S. military communications satellite short of its intended orbit, leaving a key communications network over the Middle East, Africa and Asia without a spare, officials said on Tuesday. The satellite, known as MUOS-5, is the second spacecraft built by Lockheed Martin Corp that has fallen short of its mission goals within the past two weeks.

Trump loses bid for pretrial win in Trump University lawsuit

A U.S. judge on Tuesday rejected Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's pretrial bid to win a lawsuit brought by students of Trump University who have said they were defrauded by its real-estate seminars. U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel said in a written ruling that there was a "genuine issue of material fact" as to whether Trump knowingly participated in a scheme to defraud Trump University students. Curiel said there was extensive evidence Trump had not personally met, interviewed or selected Trump University instructors, though he represented they had been handpicked.

U.S. police body camera policies put civil rights at risk: study

Police forces in 50 U.S. cities are failing to protect the civil rights and privacy of residents due to the inadequacy of programs that govern how their officers use body-worn cameras, a report by a coalition of rights groups said on Tuesday. Many U.S. cities have approved or expanded the use of body cameras since August 2014, when a white police officer fatally shot an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri. That incident triggered protests and a national debate about police use of force, especially against minorities.

Delaware's top court strikes down state's death penalty statute

Delaware's top court on Tuesday struck down the state's death penalty statute, arguing that it grants judges powers that juries should wield and that it is unconstitutional. The 3-2 Delaware Supreme Court decision came in the case of Benjamin Rauf, who was charged with first-degree murder and robbery and being in possession of a firearm during the crimes. Prosecutors have been seeking the death penalty against Rauf.

U.S. investigation faults Tesoro in worker injuries

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board said on Tuesday workers were injured in incidents between 2010 and 2014 at Tesoro Corp's San Francisco Bay-area refinery in Martinez, California because of a weak safety culture the company permitted to exist. "The safety culture at the Tesoro Martinez refinery created conditions conducive to the occurrence and recurrence of process safety incidents that caused worker injuries at the refinery over several years," the board said in the final report of a case study of incidents in which workers were sprayed by sulfuric acid.

Maryland police kill armed black woman who threatened them

Maryland police fatally shot an armed black woman who espoused anti-government views and threatened to kill officers during a standoff where her 5-year-old son was wounded, authorities said on Tuesday. The shooting of Korryn Gaines, 23, of Randallstown, Maryland, about 17 miles northwest of Baltimore, on Monday prompted outrage on social media, reigniting concerns about police use of force, especially against African-Americans.

Chicago police watchdog inaccurately reported shooting incidents: official

The agency tasked with reviewing all shootings involving Chicago police officers inaccurately reported use of force, the city's inspector general said on Tuesday. Inspector General Joseph Ferguson said in a 13-page report that the Independent Police Review Authority's (IPRA) public reporting of incidents involving officers who fired their weapons was incomplete and inaccurate.

U.S. officials provide stopgap Zika funds, Congress urged to act

Federal health officials, scrambling to fund efforts to combat the spread of the Zika virus in the United States, said on Tuesday they have provided more stopgap money to various locales while calls grew for Congress to cut short its recess and act. Concern is mounting about the threat posed by the mosquito-borne virus after authorities in Florida last week reported the first signs of local transmission of Zika in the continental United States.

08/02/2016 19:52