Reuters US Domestic News Summary

08/18/2016 19:51

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Naked Trump statues draw dozens of onlookers in U.S. cities

An artists' collective took credit for exposing Donald Trump to unflattering scrutiny on Thursday, saying it was responsible for a life-sized nude statue of the Republican presidential candidate that turned up in a New York City park. Copies of the orange-tinted likeness - featuring a massive belly, small fingers and missing some genital parts - were simultaneously unveiled in downtown Manhattan's Union Square Park and public places in four other U.S. cities.

White supremacist stabs black man in Olympia, Washington

A man who claimed to be affiliated with a white supremacist group stabbed a black man in Olympia, the capital of Washington state, and told police he was lashing out at Black Lives Matter protesters, authorities said on Thursday. The motive for the attack on Tuesday night "seems to be purely racial," Laura Wohl, an Olympia police spokeswoman, said in a telephone interview.

Clinton Foundation to bar foreign, corporate funding if Hillary Clinton elected president

The Clinton Foundation will stop accepting foreign and corporate donations if Hillary Clinton is elected president and will stop holding the annual Clinton Global Initiative meetings whatever the outcome of the November election, a foundation spokesman said on Thursday. Former President Bill Clinton told staff members on Thursday he would resign from the foundation's board and that it would only accept donations from U.S. citizens and independent charities.

Gun advocates file lawsuit to overturn California open-carry restrictions

A California gun rights group has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to overturn the state's restrictions on openly carrying firearms. The California Rifle and Pistol Association, the local arm of the National Rifle Association, and four gun advocates filed suit against Democratic Attorney General Kamala Harris and Los Angeles Sheriff James McDonnell on Wednesday, saying state law granted cities and counties too much power to restrict the open carry of firearms by residents who wish to do so.

Lawyer accused of fraud by U.S. in BP oil spill case is acquitted

A prominent Texas lawyer was acquitted on Thursday of charges he made up thousands of fake clients to sue BP Plc for damages that the oil company caused in the 2010 Gulf of Mexico spill, court records show. Mikal Watts was among five defendants found not guilty by a Mississippi federal jury of charges related to an alleged scheme to defraud a program set up by BP to compensate people who suffered economic losses from the spill. Two other defendants were found guilty.

Witness in N.Y. cleric killing ID'd someone other than suspect

A potential witness in the New York City shooting deaths of a Muslim cleric and his assistant picked out someone during a police lineup who was not the suspect now facing murder charges, a prosecutor said on Thursday. Assistant District Attorney Peter McCormack said during a court appearance in the borough of Queens that the potential witness identified a "filler" from the lineup.

Locally transmitted Zika virus identified in Miami Beach: source

Florida health officials have found evidence of local Zika virus transmission in Miami Beach, one of the world's most popular tourist destinations, opening a new front in the fight against the mosquito-borne virus, according to a source familiar with the investigation. A handful of Zika cases have been identified and health officials are deciding which area or areas to include in any updated travel guidance, the source said. An announcement is expected to be made as early as Friday.

U.S. health agency weighs rules on outside payments for Obamacare

A U.S. government health agency on Thursday said that it was considering new rules to prevent healthcare providers or related groups from steering patients into Obamacare individual insurance plans instead of Medicare or Medicaid in order to receive higher payments for medical services. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Thursday said it is seeking public comment and considering rules including prohibiting or limiting premium payments or cost-sharing for the individual marketplace plans, monetary penalties and limits on such payments.

In wake of riots, Milwaukee looks inward for solutions

After violent riots, Milwaukeeans in the blighted inner city are searching for their own way out of despair, saying they cannot rely on government-led economic development projects to remedy chronic crime and unemployment. Two nights of rioting erupted after Sylville Smith, 23, was shot and killed on Saturday by a police officer who said Smith refused to drop his gun. Besides reviving a national conversation about race, inequality and the use of deadly force by police, the riots called attention to Milwaukee as one of the most racially segregated cities in the United States.

U.S. judge rejects Uber's driver expenses settlement

A U.S. judge on Thursday rejected an attempt by Uber Technologies Inc to settle a class action lawsuit with drivers who claimed they were employees entitled to expenses. In a case that has been closely watched in Silicon Valley, where many companies use on-demand workers, U.S. District Judge Edward Chen in San Francisco ruled that the settlement was not fair or adequate for drivers.

08/18/2016 19:51