US Domestic News Roundup: LGBTQ Americans adjust Pride celebrations in a time of pandemic; U.S. fireworks purveyor sees 'perfect storm' of forces behind explosive demand and more

New U.S. coronavirus cases hit 45,242 for biggest one-day increase of pandemic The United States recorded 45,242 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, the largest single-day increase of the pandemic, according to a Reuters tally, bringing the total number of Americans who have tested positive to at least 2.48 million.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

White House does not commit to temperature checks in meeting with U.S. airlines

Top U.S. airline executives met on Friday with Vice President Mike Pence and other senior administration officials but did not come away with any commitments from the White House on mandating temperature checks for airline passengers. Pence met with the chief executives of United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, JetBlue Airways and the president of Southwest Airlines at the White House alongside Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) director Mark Redfield, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and other officials.

U.S. fireworks purveyor sees 'perfect storm' of forces behind explosive demand

The piercing boom of illegal fireworks in New York is music to the ears of Joe VanOudenhove, who runs a legal fireworks business in Pennsylvania. VanOudenhove is by no means the only source of the nighttime explosions that have drawn a raft of complaints in New York, but his stores are enjoying an unprecedented pyrotechnics craze in a country constrained by the coronavirus.

LGBTQ Americans adjust Pride celebrations in a time of pandemic

Diana and Jillian Rosile of Denver this year would have marked their first Pride celebration as an out queer couple since Diana, a transgender woman, changed her legal name this month. But as the relentless coronavirus pandemic forced Colorado's Pride events to go virtual, the young software engineers had to shelve their plans. However, the Rosiles still showed their Pride, sharing their news on social media.

New U.S. coronavirus cases hit 45,242 for biggest one-day increase of pandemic

The United States recorded 45,242 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, the largest single-day increase of the pandemic, according to a Reuters tally, bringing the total number of Americans who have tested positive to at least 2.48 million. The new record for positive COVID-19 tests comes as several states at the center of a new surge in infections took steps back from efforts to ease restrictions on businesses. COVID-19 is the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus.

Trump says he is staying in Washington to protect law and order

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday canceled a planned weekend visit to his golf resort in Bedminster, New Jersey, and said he was staying in Washington "to make sure LAW & ORDER is enforced." "The arsonists, anarchists, looters, and agitators have been largely stopped," Trump wrote on Twitter. "I am doing what is necessary to keep our communities safe - and these people will be brought to Justice!"

New pandemic clampdowns in Texas, Florida rattle business owners

Bar and restaurant owners in Texas and Florida were fuming on Friday after state officials abruptly slapped new restrictions on their businesses due to a spike in new COVID-19 cases. Owners warned the sudden reversals, just weeks after accelerated reopenings, will drive some out of business.

Attorney General Barr forms panel on 'anti-government extremism'

Attorney General William Barr on Friday ordered the establishment of a task force to counter what he called "anti-government extremists" committing violence as protests against police brutality convulse the United States. In a memo to law enforcement and prosecutors released by the Department of Justice, Barr said alleged extremists had "engaged in indefensible acts of violence designed to undermine public order," including attacking police officers, damaging property and threatening innocent people.

Porn star Ron Jeremy pleads not guilty to rape charges in Los Angeles

Adult film star Ron Jeremy pleaded not guilty in a Los Angeles courtroom on Friday to charges of raping three women and sexually assaulting a fourth in incidents from 2014 to 2019, City News Service reported. Jeremy, 67, is among the biggest names in the pornography industry, having appeared in more than 2,000 adult films starting in the 1970s.

Judge orders Trump adviser Roger Stone to report to prison by July 14

A federal judge on Friday ordered Roger Stone, President Donald Trump's longtime friend and adviser, to report to prison by July 14 to begin his sentence after being convicted of seven criminal counts last year, granting him a 14-day extension over concerns about the coronavirus. The 67-year-old veteran Republican operative and self-described "dirty trickster," who lives in South Florida, had been scheduled to report to a federal prison in Jesup, Georgia, by next Tuesday. Florida is experiencing rising numbers of coronavirus infections.

Supreme Court rebuffs Texas vote-by-mail expansion

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday sided with Republican state officials in Texas and refused to allow broader mail-in voting in the state, leaving in place a lower court ruling blocking the expansion sought by Democrats amid the coronavirus pandemic. The justices let stand the ruling by the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that halted a federal judge's earlier decision to permit any voter concerned about the threat of coronavirus infection to cast a ballot by mail. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, fought the expansion of mail-in voting.