Reuters US Domestic News Summary

08/08/2016 19:50

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Burger King launches Whopperrito in U.S. outlets

Burger King's popular Whopper is getting a Tex-Mex twist. The company said on Monday it's rolling out Whopperrito, a mashup of a burrito and the Whopper.

California wildfire forces closure of scenic Highway 1

An epic wildfire that has killed one person and blackened about 60,000 acres along the California coast, forced authorities on Monday to shut down a portion of scenic Highway 1 near Carmel-by-the-Sea. The closure of the highway, which runs along much of the Pacific coastline and is famed for its dramatic ocean views, was prompted by an increase in fire and wind activity in the Big Sur area, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.

Muslim teen sues Texas school district after arrest over homemade clock

The family of a Muslim boy, who was arrested last year after taking a homemade digital clock to a Dallas-area high school, sued the Texas school district and the city where he once lived on Monday, saying they violated the teenager's civil rights. The suit, filed in federal court on behalf of Ahmed Mohamed by his father, claims the Irving Independent School District and the city west of Dallas had discriminated against the teen because of his religion, which it said was a factor in his arrest.

Florida is investigating apparent new case of locally transmitted Zika

Florida health officials are investigating a new case of the Zika virus in Palm Beach County that appears to be a local transmission, Governor Rick Scott said in a statement on Monday. The person recently traveled to Miami-Dade County, though Scott's statement did not specify exactly where.

Colorado anti-fracking initiatives hit signature target

Environmental groups in Colorado on Monday said they collected enough signatures to add proposed anti-fracking initiatives to a state ballot in November, as long as their petitions make it through a validation review by the Secretary of State's office. One of the initiatives would strengthen the state's "setback" rules, requiring new oil and gas development facilities to be located at least 2,500 feet from occupied structures and areas of interest, such as parks. The second would transfer regulatory control of new oil and gas development to local governments.

Power outage at Delta causes flight cancellations, delays

Delta Air Lines Inc canceled hundreds of flights and delayed many others on Monday after an outage hit its computer systems, grounding planes and stranding passengers of one of the world's largest carriers at airports around the globe. Atlanta-based Delta, the second-largest U.S. airline by passenger traffic, said it had canceled 451 flights after a power outage that began around 2:30 a.m. EDT (0630 GMT) in Atlanta. Flights gradually resumed about six hours later.

Harassment case against Roger Ailes will remain in New Jersey court

Former Fox News Channel Chairman Roger Ailes on Monday dropped a bid to move a sexual harassment lawsuit by a former anchor from New Jersey to a federal court in New York. In the lawsuit filed last month in federal court in New Jersey, Gretchen Carlson accused Ailes of repeatedly propositioning her for sex and said he terminated her contract in June after she refused his advances. Ailes, who resigned in the wake of the lawsuit, has denied the allegations.

Kansas park closed as police probe boy's death on water slide

A water park in Kansas was closed on Monday as police investigated the death of a state lawmaker's 10-year-old son on the world's tallest water slide, which sends riders plunging down 17 stories at up to 50 miles an hour (80 km per hour). Police in Kansas City, Kansas, were helping Schlitterbahn park in their probe into the death on Sunday of Caleb Thomas Schwab on the Verrückt water slide, which is more than 168 feet (51.4 meters) tall and whose name means "insane" in German.

Social costs of Flint, Michigan, water crisis total $395 million: study

The social costs stemming from dangerous levels of lead in the drinking water of Flint, Michigan, such as the effect on children's health, amount to $395 million, according to an analysis by a professor at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. The total takes into account some 8,000 children believed exposed to lead poisoning in Flint since April 2014, when the financially struggling city, under the control of a state-appointed emergency manager, switched its water source from Detroit's municipal system to the Flint River to save money.

A disenchanted Republican, fearing Trump, launches third-party run

A former CIA officer and congressional staffer on Monday launched a long-shot bid for president, a Republican billing himself as a conservative alternative to Donald Trump who disenchanted voters can rally around. There is virtually no chance that the newly announced candidate, Evan McMullin, could win and only a slight chance he will even be able to get his name on the ballots of key states. McMullin has no name recognition across the country and was not even well known in the Capitol where until Monday he was the chief policy director for the organizational body of all Republicans in the House of Representatives.

08/08/2016 19:50