US Domestic News Roundup: Ex-eBay employees admit to cyberstalking campaign; U.S. Supreme Court again rejects North Carolina Republicans and more

Sunshine State showdown: Trump, Biden to take campaign battle to Florida With Election Day looming, President Donald Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden will both rally supporters on Thursday in the critical battleground state of Florida – campaigning in the same city hours apart and putting their differing approaches to the resurgent coronavirus pandemic on full display.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Ex-eBay employees admit to cyber stalking campaign targeting couple

Two former eBay Inc employees pleaded guilty on Thursday to participating in a cyber stalking campaign against a Massachusetts couple whose online newsletter was viewed by top executives as critical of the e-commerce company. Federal prosecutors in Boston said former eBay employees Stephanie Stockwell and Brian Gilbert and others harassed the couple through Twitter and sent them disturbing packages like a bloody Halloween pig mask and live spiders and cockroaches during the August 2019 campaign.

U.S. Supreme Court again rejects North Carolina Republicans in absentee ballot dispute

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday rejected another bid by North Carolina Republicans to block the extension of a deadline for receiving mail-in ballots for next Tuesday's election. In a brief order, the justices denied a request by Republican lawmakers in the state to put on hold an agreement made by state election officials allowing the extension that a North Carolina state court had approved. The justices on Wednesday rebuffed a separate bid by President Donald Trump's re-election campaign to block the deadline extension through federal courts.

Black franchisees at McDonald's file new discrimination lawsuit

McDonald's Corp was hit on Thursday with a potentially multi-billion dollar lawsuit by Black franchise owners who accused the fast-food giant of racial discrimination for steering them to underperforming stores. The proposed class action led by James and Darrell Byrd, who are brothers with four McDonald's restaurants in Tennessee, was filed by the same law firm representing 52 Black former franchisees who filed a similar lawsuit on Aug. 31.

Walmart pulls firearms, ammunition from U.S. store floors as civil unrest flares

Walmart Inc removed firearms and ammunition from U.S. store floors this week to protect customers and employees as tensions across the country have been rising, the world's largest retailer said on Thursday. The move comes days before the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 3, with many worried that the result could be contested or spark violence.

From abortion rights to 'magic mushrooms,' U.S. voters will decide

Voters in 32 U.S. states and the District of Columbia will have the opportunity on Tuesday to approve or reject a wide range of ballot questions, ranging from proposals on elections, abortion rights, and taxes to even one on legalizing magic mushrooms. In all, at least 124 statutory and constitutional questions appear on this year's state ballots, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). Sunshine State showdown: Trump, Biden to take campaign battle to Florida

With Election Day looming, President Donald Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden will both rally supporters on Thursday in the critical battleground state of Florida – campaigning in the same city hours apart and putting their differing approaches to the resurgent coronavirus pandemic on full display. Florida, with its 29 electoral votes, is a major prize in next Tuesday's election, and a new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Trump and Biden running neck and neck in the state.

U.S. appeals court nixes Minnesota's extended ballot counting

A federal appeals court on Thursday said Minnesota's plan to count absentee ballots received after Election Day was illegal, siding with Republicans in the battleground state. In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals said the deadline extension was an unconstitutional maneuver by the state's top election official, Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, a Democrat.

U.S. Postal Service has delivered 122 million ballots ahead of election

The U.S. Postal Service said on Thursday that it had delivered 122 million blank and completed ballots ahead of next Tuesday's presidential election in which there has been record early voting. The USPS said the figure was up from 100 million ballots delivered as of the prior week. It added that since Oct. 1, it had been delivering all first-class mail, including ballots, in an average of 2.5 days, while 97.5% of all first-class mail was delivered within five days.

How the U.S. early vote surge is shaping Trump, Biden endgames

Democrats say their advantage in early voting has allowed Joe Biden's presidential campaign to sharpen its get-out-the-vote operation by targeting a smaller universe of potential supporters, while Republicans brace for an all-or-nothing scramble to turn out votes for President Donald Trump on Nov. 3. Early voting, both by mail and in-person, has surged to record highs, with Americans energized by a high-stakes election while also worried about crowded polling places amid the coronavirus pandemic. State data on who has voted early show ballots cast by registered Democrats so far outpacing those cast by registered Republicans.

Lawyer for Philadelphia man killed by police says murder charges likely unwarranted

The Philadelphia police officers who shot and killed a Black man under mental duress should probably not be charged with murder, a lawyer for the man's family said on Thursday, saying they lacked training and equipment to handle the situation. Shaka Johnson made the comments after viewing the bodycam footage of Monday's incident, in which 27-year-old Walter Wallace Jr. was gunned down by two officers responding to what his relatives say was a call for help with a mental health crisis.