Reuters US Domestic News Summary
Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.
U.S. judge blocks second federal execution in 17 years
A U.S. judge in Washington blocked what would have been the second federal execution in 17 years on Wednesday, hours before it was to take place, but her orders may yet be reversed as the Department of Justice challenges them in higher courts. The Justice Department had planned to execute Wesley Purkey, who had been convicted of raping and murdering a 16-year-old girl, at 4 p.m. EDT (2000 GMT), despite objections by Purkey's lawyers that he has dementia and no longer understands his punishment.
Oklahoma governor tests positive for coronavirus as U.S. cases surge
Oklahoma's governor said on Wednesday he had been diagnosed with COVID-19, one of the highest elected U.S. politicians to test positive for the disease, as new coronavirus infections in his state and neighboring Texas surged by record numbers for a second straight day. Texas, where the tally of known infections jumped by an all-time high of 10,791 cases statewide during the past 24 hours, also reported a record 110 additional COVID-19 deaths, its fourth such daily benchmark this month.
Fauci bullish on prospects for U.S. vaccine, not worried about China winning race
The leading U.S. expert on infectious diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, predicted on Wednesday the country will meet its goal of a coronavirus vaccine by year's end and was unmoved by the prospect that China would get there first. While there are no guarantees, "I feel good about the projected timetable," Fauci told Reuters in an interview.
U.S. restaurants whipsawed as pandemic re-closures sweep states
Perbacco, the upscale Italian restaurant in San Francisco's Financial District, had a new takeout menu and a skeleton crew to offer outside service as the coronavirus pandemic first forced cities and states to cancel indoor dining. But after coronavirus cases surged across California, San Francisco indefinitely postponed the re-opening of indoor dining at 50% capacity, just before Governor Gavin Newsom banned indoor restaurant dining across the entire state.
Rose Parade in California canceled for first time in 76 years due to coronavirus
The 2021 Tournament of Roses Parade, an annual spectacle held each New Year's Day since 1891 in Pasadena, California, has been called off due to the coronavirus pandemic, its first cancellation in 76 years, organizers said on Wednesday. The Rose Parade, an internationally televised procession of flower-bedecked floats, marching bands and equestrian teams, has only been canceled three other times in its history - during the World War Two years of 1942, '43 and '45.
Fauci calls White House criticism of him bizarre, says 'let's stop this nonsense' and fight coronavirus
U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci on Wednesday called the White House effort to discredit him "bizarre" and urged an end to the divisiveness over the country's response to the coronavirus pandemic, saying "let's stop this nonsense." Fauci, who has become a popular and trusted figure during the coronavirus outbreak, came under criticism from President Donald Trump and some of his Republican allies as Fauci cautioned against reopening the U.S. economy too soon.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg discharged from hospital
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been released from a Baltimore hospital after being treated for a possible infection, a court spokeswoman said on Wednesday, in the latest health issue for the U.S. Supreme Court's oldest member. Ginsburg, 87, returned home and is "doing well," spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said in a statement. Ginsburg underwent a procedure at Johns Hopkins Hospital on Tuesday to clean a bile duct stent that was inserted last August, the court said.
U.S. steps up crackdown on MS-13 gang, to seek death penalty of accused leader
The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday said it was stepping up a crackdown on the international criminal gang MS-13 and would seek the death penalty against an alleged New York gang leader facing murder charges. The department also said it was bringing terrorism-related charges against a MS-13 member for the first time, as well as charges against alleged leaders of gang cells known as the "Hollywood Locos" and "Los Angeles Program."
Delayed tax day to bring revenue lift to cash-strapped U.S. states
A downward spiral in revenue in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak will pause this month for most U.S. states as Wednesday's income tax filing deadline generates billions of dollars in payments that would have been due in April. But looking past the burst of last-minute payments of taxes incurred in 2019 before the pandemic hit, states' revenue outlook remains bleak as a spike in U.S. virus cases dampens hopes for a quick economic recovery.
Ex-Blue Bell president wins dismissal of U.S. listeria outbreak charges
A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed charges against the former president of Blue Bell Creameries, who U.S. prosecutors said concealed from customers what the company knew about contaminated ice cream linked to a 2015 listeria outbreak. U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman in Austin, Texas, dismissed the case against Paul Kruse after the U.S. Justice Department conceded he did not waive his right to be indicted by a grand jury, which prosecutors did not seek due to COVID-19.
