US Domestic News Roundup: 'Wear a mask!' Republicans split with Trump as virus cases surge; Powell, Mnuchin enter the lion's den again to discuss pandemic response and more

In the video and others on social media, some protesters can be seen pausing to film or photograph the couple, while others can be heard to shout, "Keep moving!" and "Let's go!" Where COVID-19 is spreading fastest as U.S. cases rise 46% in past week The United States saw a 46% increase in new cases of COVID-19 in the week ended June 28 compared to the previous seven days, with 21 states reporting positivity test rates above the level that the World Health Organization has flagged as concerning.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

'A recipe for disaster,' U.S. health official says of Americans ignoring coronavirus advice

A spike in U.S. coronavirus infections is fueled in large part by people ignoring public health guidelines to keep their distance and wear masks, the government's top infectious disease official said. A daily surge in confirmed cases has been most pronounced in southern and western states that did not follow health officials' recommendations to wait for a steady decline in infections for two weeks before reopening their economies.

'Wear a mask!' Republicans split with Trump as virus cases surge

In a rare break with mask-averse President Donald Trump, fellow Republican leaders are advocating for face coverings as COVID-19 cases surge in some Republican-leaning states. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said there should be no stigma attached.

Powell, Mnuchin enter the lion's den again to discuss pandemic response

U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday will get another chance to grill the heads of the Federal Reserve and Treasury over the effectiveness of the nearly $3 trillion in emergency aid doled out to stem the economic fallout from the novel coronavirus pandemic. The U.S. central bank, with Treasury's backing, has launched programs to improve the flow of credit as economic activity cratered and millions of jobs were lost, including its new Main Street Lending Program for mostly medium-sized businesses.

LinkedIn users ditch polite networking for real talk on U.S. race and inequity

"This is white supremacy. This is institutionalized racism," Aaisha Joseph, an executive assistant in New York City, posted on Microsoft Corp's LinkedIn in early June, calling out the Black leadership vacuum at tech giants. In another post on LinkedIn, Ian Davis, a Black advertising executive, called out his former bosses at a global advertising agency, for telling him he had an "attitude problem" after speaking out.

United States not on EU's 'safe' travel list, diplomats say

The United States is not on a "safe list" of destinations for non-essential travel due to being unveiled by European Union governments later on Tuesday, three diplomats said. The 27-member bloc is expected to give outline approval to leisure or business travel from Wednesday to 14 countries beyond its borders when they vote on the list by midday Brussels time (1000 GMT), the diplomats said.

Special Report: Thousands of U.S. judges who broke laws, oaths remained on the bench

Judge Les Hayes once sentenced a single mother to 496 days behind bars for failing to pay traffic tickets. The sentence was so stiff it exceeded the jail time Alabama allows for negligent homicide. Marquita Johnson, who was locked up in April 2012, says the impact of her time in jail endures today. Johnson's three children were cast into foster care while she was incarcerated. One daughter was molested, state records show. Another was physically abused.

Pepperoni swastika shocks Ohio couple; two Little Caesars employees fired

When Misty Laska opened her takeaway pizza, the first thing she noticed was that it was not sliced. Then she and her husband saw that the pepperoni pieces had been arranged in the shape of a swastika. When they realized what it was, the couple, from Middleburg Heights, Ohio, was "just silent" she told Reuters after posting a picture on social media of the pizza, which she said came from Little Caesars.

Trump posts video of couple brandishing guns towards protesters

President Donald Trump, again accentuating racial tensions in America, on Monday posted a video showing a Missouri couple brandishing guns towards protesters who were calling for police reforms. Without comment, Trump retweeted an ABC News video showing a white couple responding to Black and white protesters marching past their St. Louis mansion. In the video and others on social media, some protesters can be seen pausing to film or photograph the couple, while others can be heard to shout, "Keep moving!" and "Let's go!"

COVID-19 is spreading fastest as U.S. cases rise 46% in past week

The United States saw a 46% increase in new cases of COVID-19 in the week ended June 28 compared to the previous seven days, with 21 states reporting positivity test rates above the level that the World Health Organization has flagged as concerning. Nationally, 7% of diagnostic tests came back positive last week, up from 5% the prior week, according to a Reuters analysis of data from The COVID Tracking Project, a volunteer-run effort to track the outbreak.

In major ruling, U.S. Supreme Court strikes down strict Louisiana abortion law

The U.S. Supreme Court defended abortion rights in a major ruling on Monday by striking down a Louisiana law placing restrictions on doctors who perform the procedure, leaving anti-abortion advocates and the White House bitterly disappointed. The 5-4 ruling, with conservative Chief Justice John Roberts joining the four liberal justices, represented a victory for Shreveport-based abortion provider Hope Medical Group for Women in its challenge to the 2014 law. The measure had required doctors who perform abortions to have a sometimes difficult-to-obtain formal affiliation called "admitting privileges" at a hospital within 30 miles (48 km) of the clinic.