US Domestic News Roundup: Facebook says it should not be blamed for the U.S. failing to meet vaccine goals; In a first under Biden, detainee transferred out of Guantanamo Bay and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. Facebook says it should not be blamed for U.S. failing to meet vaccine goals Facebook on Saturday defended itself against U.S. President Joe Biden's assertion that the social media platform is "killing people" by allowing misinformation about coronavirus vaccines to proliferate, saying the facts tell a different story.


Reuters | Updated: 19-07-2021 18:46 IST | Created: 19-07-2021 18:28 IST
US Domestic News Roundup: Facebook says it should not be blamed for the U.S. failing to meet vaccine goals; In a first under Biden, detainee transferred out of Guantanamo Bay and more
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Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Facebook says it should not be blamed for the U.S. failing to meet vaccine goals

Facebook on Saturday defended itself against U.S. President Joe Biden's assertion that the social media platform is "killing people" by allowing misinformation about coronavirus vaccines to proliferate, saying the facts tell a different story. "The data shows that 85% of Facebook users in the US have been or want to be vaccinated against COVID-19," Facebook said in a corporate blog post by Guy Rosen, a company vice president. "President Biden’s goal was for 70% of Americans to be vaccinated by July 4. Facebook is not the reason this goal was missed."

In a first under Biden, detainee transferred out of Guantanamo Bay

President Joe Biden's administration said on Monday that it had transferred its first detainee from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, a Moroccan man who had been imprisoned since 2002, bringing the population at the facility down to 39. Set up to house foreign suspects following Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington, the prison came to symbolize the excesses of the U.S. “war on terror” because of harsh interrogation methods that critics say amounted to torture.

U.S. administers 337.74 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines - CDC

The United States has administered 337,740,358 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Sunday morning, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Those figures are up from the 337,239,448 doses the CDC said had gone into arms by Saturday.

U.S. appeals court blocks ruling that would have suspended CDC cruise ship rules

A U.S. appeals court late Saturday in a 2-1 ruling put on hold a lower-court decision that said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) could not enforce its coronavirus cruise ship rules in the state. Last month, U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday in siding with Republican-led Florida found the state was "highly likely" to show the CDC exceeded its authority in adopting rules governing the resumption of cruise ship sailing.

Baseball fans scramble after shooting outside Washington Nationals stadium

Some fans and players scrambled for cover at a professional baseball game in Washington on Saturday night as the sound of gunfire filled the stadium, and police later said several people had been shot outside. It was not clear to fans initially if the shooting was inside the complex. Videos of the incident shared on social media showed some fans crowding into the third-base dugout.

Hot, gusty winds fanning flames of massive U.S. wildfires

Gusty winds and dry, hot weather are increasing the size of dozens of wildfires scorching vast stretches of Oregon, California and other western states, authorities said on Sunday.

The Bootleg Fire in Oregon - the largest wildfire raging in the United States - is pushing to the north and east. It grew in size to nearly 468 square miles (1,212 square kilometers) - an area larger than Hong Kong.

U.S. surgeon general defends CDC mask change, blames tech companies for COVID deaths

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy stood by federal guidance that those fully vaccinated against COVID-19 no longer needed to wear masks, while blaming social media companies for fueling vaccine misinformation. Murthy told CNN's "State of the Union" that allowing vaccinated individuals to forgo masks also gives communities the flexibility to revert to mask mandates based on new infections and vaccination rates, as Los Angeles https://www.reuters.com/world/us/mask-mandate-returns-los-angeles-coronavirus-cases-rise-2021-07-15 has done.

U.S. investor Calvey tells court: Find me innocent and Russia will get billions in investment

U.S. investor Michael Calvey on Monday told a Moscow court trying him on embezzlement charges that an innocent verdict in his case would trigger billions of dollars in foreign investment and help create thousands of new jobs. Calvey, one of Russia's most prominent foreign investors, faces a possible six-year suspended jail sentence if found guilty with a verdict expected on Aug. 2.

Branding the U.S. left: AOC makes a push into political merchandise

U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez became one of America's most prominent progressive Democrats with her calls to tax the wealthy and spend heavily to fight climate change. Now she is investing heavily in her online store, selling T-shirts, sweatshirts and other merchandise with her name, "AOC" initials or slogans including "Tax the Rich" and "Fight for our Future," efforts aimed at both fundraising and building the second-term lawmaker's profile nationally.

U.S. senators drop tax enforcement from bipartisan infrastructure bill -Portman

U.S. lawmakers trying to salvage a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill have dropped a provision to beef up tax enforcement, Republican Senator Rob Portman said on Sunday, setting aside a significant revenue-raising measure. The provision, aimed at increasing Internal Revenue Service (IRS) collections, will instead likely be added to a separate budget "reconciliation" bill being pushed by Democrats as a vehicle for passing trillions of dollars more in spending and tax increases, Portman said on CNN's State of the Union program.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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