US Domestic News Roundup: Tension, infighting roil Trump White House as coronavirus strategy sputters; Tsunami warning canceled after major earthquake strikes off Alaska and more

Justin Norman, Yelp's VP of Data Science, said in states like Florida and South Carolina, which experienced high growth in coronavirus infections in June, consumer views of Web pages or posts of photos and reviews for bars, restaurants and gyms jumped more than 50% from the previous month.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Tension, infighting roil Trump White House as coronavirus strategy sputters

Differences over how to fight the coronavirus pandemic have sparked infighting and tension within the White House, hampering its response as the death toll mounts and President Donald Trump's approval ratings fall. Physicians on the White House Coronavirus Task Force, particularly its coordinator, Dr. Deborah Birx, are frustrated that warnings about rising cases are being ignored, and dismayed that Dr. Anthony Fauci, the renowned U.S. infectious disease expert, has been demeaned and disparaged, officials said.

Tsunami warning canceled after major earthquake strikes off Alaska

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck near the Alaskan peninsula late Tuesday, shaking buildings, but there were no immediate reports of injuries and the U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center canceled an earlier warning of potentially hazardous waves. In Kodiak, the largest community in the earthquake area on an island south of Anchorage, some residents posted video on social media of people walking up to the high school, which was serving as a shelter, and of sirens sounding alarms.

Multiple people shot at funeral on Chicago's South Side, police say

Numerous people were shot when occupants of a vehicle opened fire on funeral attendees on Chicago's South Side on Tuesday, and attendees fired back, police said. Some 60 shell casings were found at the scene, in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood, and one person is in custody, First Deputy Superintendent Eric Carter said at a news conference. Fourteen victims were being treated at five hospitals, he said, adding that their conditions were not yet known.

Trump's legal authority to deploy agents to U.S. cities may be limited, experts say

U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to send federal agents to major cities controlled by Democrats may be difficult to defend in court, some legal experts said. Armed with a new executive order aimed at protecting U.S. monuments, federal law enforcement started cracking down last week on demonstrations against police brutality and racism in Portland, Oregon.

Biden, leading Trump by eight points, also has a big advantage with undecided voters: Reuters/Ipsos poll

Democratic candidate Joe Biden leads President Donald Trump by 8 percentage points in support among registered voters, and the former vice president appears to have a significant advantage among voters who are undecided, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll. The July 15-21 poll found that 46% of registered voters said they would back Biden in the Nov. 3 election, while 38% would vote for Republican Trump. The remaining 16% are either undecided, plan to support a third-party candidate or may not vote.

U.S. virus surge in June preceded by May surge in Yelp entries for bars, restaurants

The surge of U.S. coronavirus cases that began in June was preceded in May by a large jump in consumer interest in social activities like dining out and going to bars and gyms, website Yelp reported on Wednesday in an analysis of searches and reviews conducted on its platform. Justin Norman, Yelp's VP of Data Science, said in states like Florida and South Carolina, which experienced high growth in coronavirus infections in June, consumer views of Web pages or posts of photos and reviews for bars, restaurants and gyms jumped more than 50% from the previous month. 

Trump shifts rhetoric as he urges mask-wearing, warns of worsening pandemic

President Donald Trump, in a shift in rhetoric and tone, encouraged Americans on Tuesday to wear masks if they cannot maintain social distance and warned that the coronavirus pandemic would get worse before it got better. In his first press briefing in months focused on the outbreak, Trump urged young people to avoid going to crowded bars and maintained that the virus would disappear at some point.

In U.S. South, governors clash with local leaders on masks, stay-at-home orders

The governors of Texas, Florida and Georgia, where COVID-19 is raging, pushed back hard on Tuesday against local leaders who want to impose tighter restrictions to control the runaway spread of the coronavirus in their areas. In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott overruled a county that wants residents to stay home, saying existing measures on wearing masks and social distancing were enough to keep businesses in the Rio Grande Valley on the border with Mexico from having to shut down.

After fatal UK crash, 'anomaly' over U.S. diplomatic immunity is removed

Britain has agreed with the United States to remove an "anomaly" which allowed the wife of a U.S. official to claim diplomatic immunity from criminal prosecution after she was involved in a road accident in which 19-year-old Briton Harry Dunn was killed. The crash last August has caused friction between London and Washington after Britain criticized the United States for refusing to extradite Anne Sacoolas.

Koepka condemns Floyd's death, says racism must be confronted

Golfer Brooks Koepka said that racism must be confronted across the globe, speaking to reporters ahead of the 3M Open, the first major sporting event in the greater Minneapolis region since the death of George Floyd in police custody. Floyd's death in May prompted widespread protests across the country and a reckoning over racism in the United States, as more professional sporting leagues embraced protests for racial justice.

(With inputs from agencies.)