Reuters US Domestic News Summary

U.S. COVID-19 cases cross 11 million as pandemic intensifies The number of coronavirus cases in the United States crossed the 11-million mark on Sunday reaching yet another grim milestone, according to a Reuters tally, as the third wave of COVID-19 infections surged across the country.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. Trump briefly admits election defeat, clings to flailing legal strategy

President Donald Trump on Sunday briefly acknowledged losing the U.S. election in a morning Twitter post but then backtracked, saying he concedes "nothing," and vowing to keep up a court fight that election-law experts say is unlikely to succeed. President-elect Joe Biden focused on the coronavirus pandemic, a crisis that is intensifying in the weeks before he takes office, setting meetings with vaccine developers. Christmas tree arrives at NYC's Rockefeller Center, bringing holiday cheer

New York City received a much-need boost on Saturday with the arrival of a giant Christmas tree that marks the unofficial start of the 2020 holiday season. The 75-foot (23-meter) tall Norway spruce arrived at Rockefeller Center in the early morning hours accompanied by a police escort along the 185-mile (298-km) route from Oneonta, New York. As U.S. pandemic intensifies, North Dakota becomes 35th state to require masks

North Dakota has become the 35th U.S. state to require face coverings be worn in public, as governors across the country grapple with a surge in coronavirus infections that threatens to swamp their health care systems. North Dakota joined 38 other states this month in reporting record daily jumps in new cases, 17 others with record deaths and 25 others with a record number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals, according to a Reuters tally. U.S. COVID-19 cases cross 11 million as pandemic intensifies

The number of coronavirus cases in the United States crossed the 11-million mark on Sunday reaching yet another grim milestone, according to a Reuters tally, as the third wave of COVID-19 infections surged across the country. Reuters data shows the pace of the pandemic in the United States has quickened, with one million more new cases from just 8 days ago when it hit 10 million, making it the fastest since the pandemic began. This compares with 10 days it took to get from 9 to 10 million and 16 days it took to reach 9 million from 8 million cases. Top Biden aide says U.S. government must approve transition this week

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden's incoming chief of staff on Sunday said the federal government needs to sign off on transition team efforts this week so that Biden's team can receive national security briefings and address COVID-19. "What we really want to see this week ... is the General Services Administration issue that ascertainment," Ron Klain said on NBC News' "Meet the Press." U.S. CDC reports 244,810 deaths from coronavirus

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Sunday reported 10,846,373 cases of the novel coronavirus, an increase of 155,708 from its previous count, and said the number of deaths had risen by 1,252 to 244,810. The CDC reported its tally of COVID-19 cases as of 4 p.m. ET on Nov. 14, compared with its previous report released a day earlier. https://bit.ly/3f2c7IQ Trump cites Biden victory on Twitter, still presses false rigging claims

President Donald Trump appeared on Sunday to publicly acknowledge for the first time that his Democratic rival Joe Biden won the Nov. 3 U.S. presidential election, but reiterated his false claims that the vote was rigged. "He won because the Election was Rigged," Trump tweeted. Biden advisers urge immediate COVID-19 action as U.S. infections close in on 11 million

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden's top advisers called for urgent action to address the nation's "deeply alarming" COVID-19 epidemic on Sunday, a day when total U.S. infections are likely to cross the 11 million mark just eight days after hitting 10 million. They warned that Republican President Donald Trump's transition delay could further jeopardize the battle against the rampaging virus, including vaccine distribution planning, and urged Congress to immediately pass bipartisan financial relief even before Biden, a Democrat, takes office on Jan. 20. Michigan halts indoor dining, in-person high school, college for three weeks

The U.S. state of Michigan will ban in-person high school, college and indoor dining for three weeks starting Wednesday amid a rising number of coronavirus cases, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced on Sunday. Whitmer also said she was banning all events in entertainment venues, concert halls, movie theaters, sporting venues, casinos, bingo halls and skating rinks, warning that without action the state could lose 1,000 residents a week from the COVID-19 pandemic. Washington state governor imposes sweeping restrictions amid COVID-19 surge

Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced sweeping new restrictions on gatherings and businesses on Sunday, including a ban on indoor service at restaurants and bars, to combat a recent surge in COVID-19 cases in the state. The restrictions, most of which will take effect Monday at 11:59 p.m. and last for one month, come as the average daily tally for cases has doubled in the past two weeks, Inslee told a news conference.