Reuters US Domestic

By Daniel Wiessner Dec 17 (Reuters) – A federal judge on Wednesday said President Donald Trump’s administration cannot bar members of Congress from making unannounced visits to immigrant detention facilities.  U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb in Washington, D.C., said U.S. Department of Homeland Security policies deeming Immigration and Customs Enforcement field offices “off-limits for congressional …

US judge says Trump cannot ban lawmakers’ surprise visits to ICE facilities Read More »

By Andrew Goudsward WASHINGTON, Dec 17 (Reuters) – Jack Smith, the former U.S. Justice Department special counsel who brought two now-dropped criminal cases against President Donald Trump, defended his investigation before a House of Representatives panel on Wednesday, telling lawmakers that the basis for the prosecutions “rests entirely with President Trump and his actions.” Smith …

Trump prosecutor Jack Smith defends probes in House testimony Read More »

By Nandita Bose WASHINGTON, Dec 17 (Reuters) – The White House has installed new plaques beneath photos of former leaders on President Donald Trump’s “Presidential Walk of Fame” at the White House that sharply criticize his Democratic predecessors. The plaques are a striking addition because both Republicans and Democrats have traditionally viewed the historic building …

New White House plaques attack Trump’s Democratic predecessors, Bush Read More »

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON, Dec 17 (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate unanimously passed legislation Wednesday to toughen military helicopter safety rules and rescind a provision in the annual defense bill that critics said would have weakened aviation safety. Republican Senate Commerce Committee chair Ted Cruz on Wednesday won unanimous consent to approve a revised version …

US Senate unanimously approves military helicopter safety legislation Read More »

By Patrick Wingrove and Dan Levine Dec 17 (Reuters) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is moving to fast-track reviews of two experimental Merck drugs with multibillion-dollar potential, according to internal documents seen by Reuters. Merck’s cholesterol pill enlicitide decanoate and its cancer therapy sacituzumab tirumotecan, or sac-TMT, have been tapped for the Commissioner’s …

Exclusive-US FDA taps Merck drugs with blockbuster sales potential for national priority vouchers Read More »

Dec 17 (Reuters) – A U.S. judge on Wednesday blocked Michigan from enforcing a 2020 order to shut down Enbridge’s Line 5 oil pipeline running beneath a channel linking two of the Great Lakes, ruling that pipeline safety is a federal responsibility. The decision comes five years after Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer revoked an easement …

US judge blocks Michigan from enforcing order to shut down Enbridge’s Line 5 oil pipeline Read More »

WASHINGTON, Dec 16 (Reuters) – The U.S. energy secretary signed an order on Tuesday to keep a unit open at TransAlta coal power plant in Washington state through much of the winter, in the latest move by the Trump administration to support fossil fuels. The order directs unit 2 of the Centralia Generating Station to …

US orders unit at TransAlta coal plant in Washington state to stay open Read More »