US News Roundup: South Carolina nightclub shooting; Trump weighing executive orders on China and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Two dead, eight wounded in South Carolina nightclub shooting

Ten people were shot early on Sunday in a Greenville, South Carolina, nightclub in an outburst of suspected gang-related violence that killed two people and critically injured two others, police said. Police believe more than one shooter fled the chaotic scene at the Lavish Lounge club before deputies arrived. A very large crowd had packed into the establishment for "some type of Fourth of July concert," Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis told an early morning press conference.

Die in detention or at home? U.S. pandemic forces cruel choice on asylum seekers

In early June, asylum seeker Jose Munoz decided it was time to flee for his life - by getting deported from a Texas immigration detention center where coronavirus was sweeping through the population and going home to El Salvador. As the number of COVID-19 cases rose in the Houston Contract Detention Facility - it has had at least 105, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) data - Munoz said he had few ways to protect himself from exposure except for a cloth face mask. On June 1, there were 375 detainees housed in the facility, according to ICE data.

What would Kanye West have to do to launch a late White House bid?

If Kanye West is serious about running for president, the American rapper and fashion designer will face major obstacles to mount a serious campaign less than four months before the Nov. 3 U.S. presidential election. West, who said in a July 4 Twitter post that he was running, would have to work fast to get his name on the ballot alongside President Donald Trump, a Republican, and the presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden, in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia.

Trump weighing executive orders on China, manufacturing, immigration, aide says

U.S. President Donald Trump is considering several executive orders targeting China, manufacturing and immigration, his chief of staff Mark Meadows told reporters at the White House on Monday, though he offered few details. "It's dealing with a number of executive orders that may go all the way from dealing with some of the immigration issues that we have before us, to some of the manufacturing and jobs issues that are before us, and ultimately dealing with China, in what we need to do there in terms of resetting that balance," Meadows said.

Trump plans New Hampshire rally as he works to re-energize campaign

President Donald Trump plans an outdoor rally in New Hampshire on Saturday, the campaign's second of the coronavirus era following one in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last month that failed to draw the crowds his advisers predicted. The campaign's announcement on Sunday of the planned rally comes at the end of a holiday weekend that saw the Republican reaffirm his vow to defeat what he called the "radical left," as polls show him trailing presumptive Democratic nominee former Vice President Joe Biden ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

Eight feared killed when two planes collide in Idaho

Two bodies were recovered and six other people are believed to have been killed when two planes collided in the air and crashed into the Coeur d'Alene Lake in Idaho, local police said late on Sunday. "Initial reports are, there were a total of eight passengers and crew on the two planes, but that is still being verified. At this time it is believed there are no survivors," the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office said. The victims included adults and children.

Too soon to say if safe to hold Republican convention in Florida, U.S. official says

A top Trump administration health official said on Sunday it was not clear whether it will be safe to hold the Republican National Convention in Jacksonville next month, as Florida sees record numbers of coronavirus cases. Stephen Hahn, the Food and Drug Administration commissioner, also refused to confirm President Donald Trump's claim that 99% of coronavirus cases were harmless and called the situation a "serious problem."

Predominantly Black armed protesters march through Confederate memorial park in Georgia

A predominantly Black group of heavily armed protesters marched through Stone Mountain Park near Atlanta on Saturday, calling for the removal of the giant Confederate rock carving at the site that civil rights activists consider a monument to racism. Video footage of the Independence Day rally posted on social media showed scores of demonstrators dressed in black - many in paramilitary-style clothing and all wearing face scarves - quietly parading several abreast down a sidewalk at the park.

Rising coronavirus cases in 39 U.S. states cast shadow over July 4 celebrations

Rising coronavirus cases in 39 U.S. states cast a shadow over the nation's Fourth of July celebrations as health experts worried that holiday parties will cause a further spike in infections that could overwhelm hospitals. After towns and cities across the country canceled annual fireworks displays to avoid large crowds gathering, many Americans launched bottle rockets and roman candles from streets and suburban backyards to commemorate Independence Day.

Prosecutors seek Friday court appearance for Jeffrey Epstein friend Ghislaine Maxwell

Prosecutors have asked a judge to schedule a Friday court appearance in New York for Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend and longtime associate of the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Maxwell was arrested on Thursday on U.S. charges of luring underage girls so that Epstein could sexually abuse them.

(With inputs from agencies.)