Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Driver hits three protesters in St. Louis: police

A driver in St. Louis on Wednesday was taken into custody after three protesters who blocked traffic were hit by a car during a march for a transgender woman shot and killed by police a day earlier, said police and local media. The driver, who was not identified by police, was taken into custody for felony fleeing, a block away from where a man and two women suffered minor injuries after they were hit by his car, said Schron Jackson, a spokeswoman for the St. Louis Police Department, in a statement.

Florida set to carry out execution with drug not previously used in lethal injections

Florida is scheduled on Thursday to put to death an inmate by lethal injection that includes a drug never before used in a U.S. execution. Mark James Asay, 53, would be the first Florida inmate executed since January 2016, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the state's death penalty process was unconstitutional because it gave powers to judges that should be reserved for juries.

Powerball ticket sold in Massachusetts wins $759 million jackpot

The owner of a Powerball ticket sold in Massachusetts won more than $750 million on Wednesday, and the prize, one of the largest in the lottery's history, is still unclaimed. Powerball said on its website that the single ticket matched all six numbers drawn on Wednesday night: 6, 7, 16, 23, 26 and the Powerball of 4.

U.S. judge throws out Texas voter ID law supported by Trump

A federal court judge on Wednesday threw out a Texas voter identification law that was supported by the Trump administration, but the state's attorney general said his office would appeal the ruling. The judge's ruling said changes to the law passed earlier this year by the state's Republican-controlled legislature that were meant to be less discriminatory than an earlier one did not accomplish that.

U.S. Navy says remains found by Malaysia not of a USS McCain sailor

The U.S. Navy said on Thursday remains found by the Malaysian navy were not those of a sailor from the damaged warship USS John S. McCain. The conclusion was made following medical examinations of the remains, which will be returned to Malaysian authorities, the U.S. Seventh Fleet said in a statement posted on its website.

Tropical storm Harvey heads for Texas, may become hurricane

The Texas Gulf Coast was getting ready for the tropical storm Harvey to make landfall by Friday, bringing with it strong winds, heavy flooding and torrential rains. Hurricane, tropical storm and storm surge watches were in effect for counties on the eastern coast of Texas as the storm moved across the Gulf of Mexico, where it may strengthen into a hurricane.

U.S. retailers hit as immigration worries weigh on Hispanic spending

Many U.S. Hispanics are venturing out only to buy essential goods and are cutting back on discretionary spending, worried about possible harassment by immigration or law enforcement officials since the election of U.S. President Donald Trump, according to community groups, research firms and retailers. This change in consumer behavior by the country's second-fastest-growing ethnic group has recently been cited as a cause for worry by already-struggling consumer companies, from big-box retailers to auto parts makers.

White House to send memo to Pentagon soon on transgender ban

The White House is expected to tell the Pentagon in coming days how to implement a ban on transgender people in the military, according to a memo that says the defense secretary may decide whether to remove service members based on their ability to deploy, a U.S. official said on Wednesday. The two-and-a-half-page White House document gives Defense Secretary Jim Mattis six months to fully implement the ban, according to a story first reported by The Wall Street Journal and confirmed by the official.

White House has prepared pardon documents for ex-Arizona sheriff Arpaio: CNN

The White House has prepared paperwork for U.S. President Donald Trump to pardon Joe Arpaio, a controversial former Arizona sheriff convicted last month of criminal contempt in a racial profiling case, CNN reported on Wednesday. White House officials declined to comment, but an administration official told CNN that talking points to be used after Arpaio is pardoned also were prepared.

White nationalist surrenders in Virginia on three felony charges

A white nationalist featured in a widely seen documentary about this month's violent marches and counter-protests in Charlottesville, Virginia, has surrendered to police after they issued a warrant for his arrest, according to a police statement. Christopher Cantwell turned himself in to police in Lynchburg, Virginia, on Wednesday to face felony charges of the illegal use of tear gas and of malicious bodily injury by means of a caustic substance, University of Virginia police spokesman Ben Rexrode said in a statement on Wednesday.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)