Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. California eases pandemic restrictions; New York Stock Exchange opens

California, the most populous U.S. state, took another step on Tuesday toward ending sweeping lockdowns imposed to contain the coronavirus pandemic, allowing barber shops and hair salons in most counties to operate for the first time in more than two months. On Monday, Governor Gavin Newsom lifted orders that banned church services and in-store retail shopping, although with restrictions in place to prevent further outbreaks of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus. White woman fired from job after calling cops over black man in NY Central Park

Denouncing "racism of any kind," a global investment firm has fired a white woman after a viral video showed her calling police to say she felt threatened by an African-American man who asked her politely to leash her dog in New York's Central Park. The video drew outrage on social media where it was viewed more than 30 million times, and the backlash prompted Franklin Templeton, on Tuesday to fire the woman, Amy Cooper. Amtrak needs $1.5 billion bailout, prepares to cut up to 20% of workforce

U.S. passenger railroad service Amtrak said on Tuesday it needs a further $1.475 billion bailout and disclosed plans to cut its workforce by up to 20% in the coming budget year. Amtrak said it also plans to reduce its operating costs by approximately $500 million. Barbershops to open as COVID-19 rules ease in parts of California

Barbershops and hair salons can re-open with some changes to their operations in parts of California where public health officials call it safe, Governor Gavin Newsom said on Tuesday, as the most populous U.S. state continued to ease its coronavirus-related restrictions. Salon employees in the 47 of California's 58 counties that have been cleared to re-open them will be required to wear face coverings and encouraged to also don goggles or other eye protection when working with customers, new guidelines released on Tuesday said. Customers must also wear face coverings, use hand sanitizer and follow social distancing guidelines. Biden calls Trump 'absolute fool' for not wearing face mask

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Tuesday called his Republican rival Donald Trump an "absolute fool" for not wearing a mask at a series of recent public events, saying his lack of leadership on the issue is "costing peoples' lives." The decision whether to wear a face mask in public has emerged as a national political battle, and the two presidential candidates have adopted very different approaches. Biden wins AFL-CIO endorsement as he seeks to recapture blue-collar vote

The AFL-CIO, the largest U.S. coalition of labor unions, endorsed Democrat Joe Biden for president on Tuesday, promising to launch an effort to beat Republican President Donald Trump in the Nov. 3 election. It became the latest labor group to back the former vice president as he seeks to reclaim support from blue-collar workers who voted for Trump in 2016, especially in key election battleground states like Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Four Minneapolis policemen fired after death of unarmed black man

Four Minneapolis police officers were fired on Tuesday, a day after a bystander's cell phone video captured one of them kneeling on the neck of an unarmed black man who later died in a hospital, the city's mayor said. A video of the Monday evening incident showed an officer pressing his knee into the neck of the man who was later identified as George Floyd, according to Mayor Jacob Frey. U.S. lawmaker wants insurers, govt. to share future pandemic business losses

U.S. legislation introduced on Tuesday would create a taxpayer-backed insurance program to protect businesses from revenue losses during future pandemics and require insurers to pay a slice of the claims. The legislation, introduced by Rep. Carolyn Maloney, a Democrat from New York, would provide up to $750 billion in taxpayer funds to pay insurance claims for business loss revenue during future pandemics. Insurers would first have to pay out a total of $250 million in losses, according to the bill. Trump issues North Carolina an ultimatum on Republican convention

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday gave North Carolina's Democratic governor a week to agree to host the Republican National Convention or face the prospect that Trump will take his event elsewhere. Trump set the deadline for Governor Roy Cooper after Republicans in Florida, Georgia and Texas offered to host their party's four-day nominating convention, which is scheduled to open in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Aug. 24. Virginia nurse lives on boat while helping New York battle the pandemic

By night, nurse Rachel Hartley is on the front line of the war against the coronavirus. By day, she rests on the sailboat that brought her from Virginia, wondering how she will explain it all to her children someday. Hartley, 26, was among the many thousands of medical professionals from around the country who dropped what they were doing and came to New York as a surge in COVID-19 cases was threatening to overwhelm city hospitals.

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