Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Nearly 2.1 million have voted early in U.S. Senate runoff in Georgia Nearly 2.1 million people have cast ballots in a U.S. Senate runoff election in Georgia that will determine whether Democrats control both chambers of Congress and the fate of President-elect Joe Biden's agenda, according to state data published Thursday.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. U.S. states enlist medical, nursing students to give out COVID-19 vaccine

U.S. states, facing a backlog in administering coronavirus vaccines, are asking medical and nursing students, and even firefighters, to help give the shots and free up healthcare workers battling a raging pandemic at overcrowded hospitals. At least seven state health departments are seeking volunteers for their vaccination sites, some partnering with local universities or nursing schools to offer incentives such as tuition discounts and hands-on training. Others are teaching first responders to administer shots. Americans celebrate Christmas Eve under spiraling COVID pandemic

Americans marked a grim Christmas Eve on Thursday as coronavirus infections exploded nationwide, political leaders warned them not to travel or gather in large groups and a highly contagious variant of the virus spread further in Europe. More than one million people have received the first of two vaccine doses since Dec. 14, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the vaccinations have so far had little effect on the latest surge in cases spiraling nationwide. Ohio police chief urges dismissal of officer for fatal shooting of Black man

The chief of police in Columbus, Ohio, said on Thursday he has concluded that an officer who fatally shot an unarmed Black man earlier this week engaged in an act of "senseless violence" that should immediately cost the officer his job. Chief Thomas Quinlan announced his recommendation that the city fire the policeman in a somber videotaped statement that he posted online, two days after Andre Maurice Hill, 47, was gunned down in the garage of a house where he was staying as a guest. Coronavirus aid at risk as U.S. lawmakers block Trump's changes

U.S. lawmakers on Thursday blocked attempts to alter a $2.3 trillion coronavirus aid and government spending package, rejecting President Donald Trump's demand for extensive changes and leaving benefits for millions of Americans at risk. Democrats in the House of Representatives sought to increase direct payments to Americans included in the bill from $600 to $2,000 per person as part of a coronavirus economic relief initiative, acting on one of Trump's requests. Trump's fellow Republicans, who oppose the higher amount, blocked that effort. Politics overhangs U.S. Christmas as government shutdown nears, COVID aid uncertain

President Donald Trump will spend Christmas Day at his Palm Beach resort as millions of Americans face the risk of losing jobless benefits on Saturday and a partial government shutdown looms next week, following his threat to not sign a $2.3 trillion coronavirus aid and spending package. Democratic President-elect Joe Biden, whose victory Trump still refuses to acknowledge nearly two months after the Nov. 3 election, is spending the day at his Delaware home and has no public events, according to his staff. California brush fire at U.S. Marine base forces evacuation of 7,000-plus residents

Wind-driven flames racing through miles of dry brush on a U.S. Marine Corps base in Southern California prompted the evacuation of more than 7,000 residents on Thursday from neighborhoods at the edge of the sprawling installation, authorities said. The so-called Creek Fire erupted Wednesday night along a roadside on the eastern flank of Camp Pendleton, north of San Diego, and charred some 3,000 acres by noon on Thursday, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire) reported. Explainer: Can anything stop Trump from pardoning his family or even himself?

President Donald Trump on Wednesday granted pardons to his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and former adviser Roger Stone, sweeping away the most important convictions from U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign. So far, Trump, who has 27 days left in the White House until President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in on Jan. 20, has issued 70 pardons since taking office. Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch sold for knockdown price

Michael Jackson's famed Neverland Ranch in California has finally sold, more than 10 years after the death of the pop star who abandoned the property following his trial on charges of molesting a young boy there. Billionaire investor Ron Burkle, a former family friend of Jackson, recently bought the sprawling 2,700 acre (1,100 hectare) estate, his spokesman said on Thursday. Nearly 2.1 million have voted early in U.S. Senate runoff in Georgia

Nearly 2.1 million people have cast ballots in a U.S. Senate runoff election in Georgia that will determine whether Democrats control both chambers of Congress and the fate of President-elect Joe Biden's agenda, according to state data published Thursday. More than a quarter of the state's registered voters have either cast ballots early or through the mail, the state's figures show, a sign that turnout in the pair of Senate races will be high. About 4 million Georgians voted early in the November election, in which Democrat Biden defeated President Donald Trump. One million Americans vaccinated for COVID; Tennessee new epicenter

Tennessee emerged alongside California on Wednesday as an epicenter of the latest COVID-19 surge even while more than 1 million Americans have been vaccinated as U.S. political leaders sought to guard against a highly contagious coronavirus variant sweeping across Britain. Tennessee averaged nearly 128 new infections per 100,000 people over the last week, the highest of any U.S. state, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. California stood second at 111 new cases per 100,000 residents.