US Domestic News Roundup: U.S. government plans to end week with third execution after 17-year hiatus; U.S. immigration officials spread coronavirus with detainee transfers and more

Arizona's Maricopa County, home to the state's largest city, Phoenix, is bringing in 14 coolers to hold up to 280 bodies and more than double morgue capacity ahead of an expected surge in coronavirus fatalities, officials said on Thursday.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

U.S. government plans to end week with third execution after 17-year hiatus

A week that marked the return of capital punishment by the U.S. government after a 17-year hiatus was due to end on Friday with a third planned execution of a federal prisoner. If President Donald Trump's administration faces no legal obstacle in putting Dustin Lee Honken, a convicted murderer, to death by lethal injection at 4 p.m. EDT (2000 GMT), it will have completed as many executions in a few days as happened in the preceding 57 years.

U.S. immigration officials spread coronavirus with detainee transfers

Public health specialists have for months warned the U.S. government that shuffling detainees among immigration detention centers will expose people to COVID-19 and help spread the disease. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has continued the practice, saying it is taking all necessary precautions.

Pandemic-hit Arizona, Texas counties order coolers, refrigerated trucks for bodies

Arizona and Texas counties hit hard by COVID-19 are ordering coolers and refrigerated trailers to store bodies as their morgues fill up, authorities said on Thursday. Arizona's Maricopa County, home to the state's largest city, Phoenix, is bringing in 14 coolers to hold up to 280 bodies and more than double morgue capacity ahead of an expected surge in coronavirus fatalities, officials said on Thursday.

Three to face judge in fatal shooting of Black jogger in Georgia

Three white men charged with the murder of an unarmed Black jogger in south Georgia are scheduled to face a judge on Friday morning in a case that spurred a national outcry after cellphone video of the shooting was leaked on the internet. Ahmaud Arbery, 25, who was killed on Feb. 23 just outside the coastal town of Brunswick, became a touchstone in cross-country protests over racial and social justice in the United States.

Special Report: Civil rights icon defied death. Now he and his wife navigate pandemic, protests

Judy Meredith isn't always sure where her husband goes when he walks out into the Mississippi morning. At age 87, Jay is as stubborn as ever about his walks.

Biden facing pressure within party as running mate search enters final phase

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is facing pressure from contending groups inside his party as he prepares to interview a shortlist of women for the most important hire of his political career: his running mate. Biden, who committed to choosing a woman for the job he held for eight years under President Barack Obama, said this week he expected the background vetting process to conclude around July 24. He would then interview each finalist before making a decision, expected by early August.

Kids, safety and schools: A pandemic debate plays out in California county

In Sutter County in California's bucolic Sacramento Valley, coronavirus cases are rising, but Mike Ziegenmeyer wants his kids back in the classroom. Unlike big-city school districts that plan to offer only remote learning this fall as COVID-19 rages through the state, several school districts in this agricultural region - once part of the 19th century gold rush - intend to accommodate that wish.

U.S. Congress set for battle over next coronavirus aid bill

The U.S. Congress returns to Washington on Monday with Democratic and Republican leaders agreeing that they need to pass something to salve the heavy toll of the coronavirus pandemic but $2 trillion apart on what that something should be. In the 12 weeks since President Donald Trump signed into law the last of the $3 trillion so far committed to the crisis, COVID-19 has spread aggressively across the United States, with the number of confirmed and presumptive cases more than tripling to over 3.5 million people. There have been more than 137,000 U.S. deaths.

Twitter stepped up search to fill top security job ahead of hack

Twitter Inc had stepped up its search for a chief information security officer in recent weeks, two people familiar with the effort told Reuters, before the breach of high-profile accounts on Wednesday raised alarms about the platform's security. The FBI's San Francisco division is leading an inquiry into the Twitter hacking, it said in a statement, as more Washington lawmakers called for an accounting of how it happened.

U.S. shatters coronavirus record with over 77,000 cases in a day

The United States shattered its daily record for coronavirus infections on Thursday, reporting more than 77,000 new cases as the number of deaths in a 24-hour period rose by nearly 1,000, according to a Reuters tally. The loss of 969 lives was the biggest increase since June 10, with Florida, South Carolina and Texas all reporting their biggest one-day spikes on Thursday.