Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Hispanics, African Americans hit hard in U.S. COVID-19 hotspot counties, says CDC U.S. coronavirus hotspots had disproportionately high numbers of cases among communities of color, according to an analysis on Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. Postal union endorses Biden candidacy as 'survival' of USPS at stake

The 300,000-member National Association of Letter Carriers said on Friday that the union's executive council had endorsed Democrat Joe Biden for president, warning "the very survival" of the U.S. Postal Service is at stake. The union criticized Republican President Donald Trump and his administration for refusing "to provide the necessary financial relief that would strengthen the agency during this pandemic." California posts final regulations under landmark digital privacy law impacting consumers, businesses

Final regulations that guide businesses and consumers under California's new digital privacy law went into effect on Friday, marking a significant step towards giving Americans the right to request their data be deleted from e-commerce websites and social media. The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), effective since the start of 2020, oversees the data collection practices of U.S. companies and allows state residents to opt out of having data sold to third parties. Trump says ready to move on coronavirus aid, blames Democrats for holdup

President Donald Trump said on Friday that he is ready to move stimulus money into a U.S. economy hard hit by the coronavirus crisis, but blamed Democrats for holding up a deal in talks that broke down a week ago. The Republican-led Senate and Democratic-controlled House of Representatives went into an informal recess after last week's negotiations ended with the parties $2 trillion apart. However, the leaders of both parties said they could recall their members with 24 hours notice if a deal emerged. U.S. CDC reports 5,228,817 coronavirus cases

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday reported 5,228,817 cases of the new coronavirus, an increase of 52,799 cases from its previous count, and said that the number of deaths had risen by 1,169 to 166,317. The CDC reported its tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, caused by a new coronavirus, as of 4 pm ET on Aug. 13 versus its previous report a day earlier.(https://bit.ly/2BROCTB) U.S. judge dismisses NRA lawsuit challenging gun shop closures in New York state

A federal judge on Friday dismissed the National Rifle Association's lawsuit challenging New York's decision to close gun stores in the state in the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic. The decision came eight days after New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit seeking to dissolve the gun rights group, accusing senior leaders of corruption including the improper diversion of millions of dollars. Southern California wildfire threatens thousands of homes

Firefighters scrambled to protect thousands of homes from a wildfire racing through brush-covered mountains north of Los Angeles on Friday that caused hundreds of evacuations and burned a handful of structures. The blaze, dubbed the Lake Fire, has scorched over 11,000 acres (4,451 hectares) and forced 250 people from their houses since erupting on Wednesday afternoon in the Angeles National Forest. U.S. Postal Service watchdog to probe service woes as worries rise about mail ballots

The U.S. Postal Service's internal watchdog is investigating cost cutting that has slowed delivery and alarmed lawmakers ahead of a presidential election when up to half of U.S. voters could cast ballots by mail, a congressional aide said on Friday. The Postal Service's inspector general also will examine possible conflicts of interest involving new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who has donated $2.7 million to President Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans, according to Saloni Sharma, a spokeswoman for Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, who requested the investigation. Hispanics, African Americans hit hard in U.S. COVID-19 hotspot counties, says CDC

U.S. coronavirus hotspots had disproportionately high numbers of cases among communities of color, according to an analysis on Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The report adds to a growing body of evidence that long-standing health and social inequities have resulted in increased risk for infection and death from COVID-19 among communities of color, the CDC said https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6933e1.htm?s_cid=mm6933e1_w. California encouraged by trends even as it passes 600,000 coronavirus cases, most in U.S.

California became the first U.S. state to surpass 600,000 cases of COVID-19 on Friday and the Midwest saw several record one-day rises as some states struggled to contain the pandemic even as a few welcomed students back to school campuses. California went over 603,000 novel coronavirus cases on Friday, according to a Reuters tally, although Governor Gavin Newsom said he was encouraged to see that hospitalizations have declined 20% over the past two weeks and admissions to ICU wards were down 14% in the same period. U.S. prosecutors probe ex-NASA official, Boeing over space contract: sources

The U.S. Justice Department has opened a criminal probe into whether NASA's former head of human spaceflight gave Boeing Co improper guidance during a lucrative lunar-lander contract competition, two people familiar with the matter said on Friday. The Justice Department has sent subpoenas to NASA, Boeing and Doug Loverro, who led the agency's marquee space travel program until he resigned abruptly in May, as part of a grand-jury investigation into the possible violation of federal procurement laws, the sources said.