US Domestic News Roundup: U.S. sends carriers to South China Sea during Chinese drills; Seven U.S. states post record COVID cases, curfew ordered in Miami and more

Trump again hails U.S. COVID-19 testing as cases rise by record levels President Donald Trump, yet again, hailed the United States' coronavirus testing as COVID-19 cases in the country increased by more than 55,000 on Thursday, a new daily global record for the pandemic.


Devdiscourse News Desk | Updated: 04-07-2020 18:36 IST | Created: 04-07-2020 18:30 IST
US Domestic News Roundup: U.S. sends carriers to South China Sea during Chinese drills; Seven U.S. states post record COVID cases, curfew ordered in Miami and more
Representative image Image Credit: ANI

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

U.S. sends carriers to South China Sea during Chinese drills

Two U.S. aircraft carriers were conducting exercises in the disputed South China Sea on Saturday, the U.S. navy said, as China also carried out military drills that have been criticized by the Pentagon and neighbouring states. China and the United States have accused each other of stoking tension in the strategic waterway at a time of strained relations over everything from the new coronavirus to trade to Hong Kong.

Seven U.S. states post record COVID cases, curfew ordered in Miami

Alabama and six other U.S. states reported record increases in coronavirus cases on Friday as Florida's most populous county imposed a curfew ahead of the Independence Day weekend and Arkansas joined a push toward mandating mask-wearing in public. North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alaska, Missouri, Idaho and Alabama all registered new daily highs in cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus. Texas hit a new peak for hospitalizations, with one doctor calling for a "complete lockdown" in the state to get the virus under control.

U.S. coronavirus cases rise by over 53,000 as several states set new records

The United States reported more than 53,000 new COVID-19 cases on Friday and several states set new records, according to a Reuters tally. A surge in coronavirus cases has put President Donald Trump's handling of the crisis under the microscope and jeopardized reopening the economy, with some states closing high-risk businesses.

Washington Redskins to consider changing name of team

Under mounting pressure from sponsors and Native American rights groups, Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder said on Friday he would consider changing the name of the National Football League team whose roots date back to the 1930s. Snyder, who has previously stated he would not change the name, softened his stance a day after FedEx Corp, which owns the naming rights to the team's Landover, Maryland, stadium, called for the NFL club to be rebranded.

The world's largest Confederate monument faces renewed calls for removal

Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial, a nine-story-high bas-relief sculpture carved into a sprawling rock face northeast of Atlanta, is perhaps the South's most audacious monument to its pro-slavery legacy still intact. Despite long-standing demands for the removal of what many consider a shrine to racism, the giant depiction of three Confederate heroes on horseback still towers ominously over the Georgia countryside, protected by state law.

Alleged Jeffrey Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell being held at 'well-run' jail, local lawyers say

Ghislaine Maxwell, the alleged accomplice of Jeffrey Epstein, is being detained at a New Hampshire jail where she is likely separated from other inmates and under constant surveillance, local lawyers said. A source familiar with Maxwell's case said she is being held at the Merrimack County Jail, a medium-security facility 20 miles from the luxurious home where she was arrested Thursday.

Colorado police officers fired after photos mocking death of Black man surface

Three Colorado police officers were fired and a fourth resigned after they shared photographs they took of themselves re-enacting chokehold officers used to subdue a Black man who later died, authorities said on Friday. Vanessa Wilson, interim chief of police in the Denver suburb of Aurora, called the officers' actions surrounding the death of Elijah McClain, who was unarmed, "reprehensible."

Many Americans' July 4 celebrations go virtual as COVID-19 cases surge

On a holiday weekend that would typically draw crowds to watch fireworks, march in parades and wave the red, white and blue, many Americans kicked off Independence Day exactly where they have been for months: at home. The holiday marking the country's 244 years of independence comes four days into a month when at least eight states have seen record daily increases in coronavirus cases, leading several governors to toughen social distancing measures and urge people to celebrate from home.

Trump attacks 'left-wing cultural revolution' in Mount Rushmore address

President Donald Trump on Friday accused "angry mobs" of trying to erase history with efforts to remove or rethink monuments to U.S. historical figures and used a speech at Mount Rushmore to paint himself as a bulwark against left-wing extremism. On a day when seven U.S. states posted a record number of new COVID-19 cases, the pandemic moved further into Trump's inner circle. Kimberly Guilfoyle, a senior campaign official and the girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr., tested positive in South Dakota before the event, according to Sergio Gor, a Trump campaign official. Trump Jr. tested negative, Gor said.

Trump again hails U.S. COVID-19 testing as cases rise by record levels

President Donald Trump, yet again, hailed the United States' coronavirus testing as COVID-19 cases in the country increased by more than 55,000 on Thursday, a new daily global record for the pandemic. A surge in coronavirus cases over the past week has put Trump's handling of the crisis under the microscope and led several governors to halt plans to reopen their states after strict lockdowns.

(With inputs from agencies.)

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