Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Disregarding the Washington mayor's warnings of the risk of gathering as many U.S. states mark a record number of new COVID-19 cases, crowds began to assemble early on a hot Saturday morning. On a day when seven U.S. states posted a record number of new COVID-19 cases, the pandemic moved further into Trump's inner circle.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. U.S. sends carriers to South China Sea during Chinese drills

Two U.S. aircraft carriers were conducting exercises in the disputed South China Sea on Saturday, the U.S. navy said, as China also carried out military drills that have been criticised by the Pentagon and neighbouring states. China and the United States have accused each other of stoking tension in the strategic waterway at a time of strained relations over everything from the new coronavirus to trade to Hong Kong. U.S. coronavirus cases rise by over 53,000 as several states set new records

The United States reported more than 53,000 new COVID-19 cases on Friday and several states set new records, according to a Reuters tally. A surge in coronavirus cases has put President Donald Trump's handling of the crisis under the microscope and jeopardized reopening the economy, with some states closing high-risk businesses. Washington Redskins to consider changing name of team

Under mounting pressure from sponsors and Native American rights groups, Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder said on Friday he would consider changing the name of the National Football League team whose roots date back to the 1930s. Snyder, who has previously stated he would not change the name, softened his stance a day after FedEx Corp, which owns the naming rights to the team's Landover, Maryland, stadium, called for the NFL club to be rebranded. Alleged Jeffrey Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell being held at 'well-run' jail, local lawyers say

Ghislaine Maxwell, the alleged accomplice of Jeffrey Epstein, is being detained at a New Hampshire jail where she is likely separated from other inmates and under constant surveillance, local lawyers said. A source familiar with Maxwell's case said she is being held at the Merrimack County Jail, a medium-security facility 20 miles from the luxurious home where she was arrested Thursday. Pandemic or not, hot dogs eaten, records broken on New York's Coney Island

A global pandemic could not stop Coney Island's venerable Fourth of July hot-dog eating competition from going ahead on Saturday, or its reigning men's and women's champions from setting new records in their respective divisions. In fact, men's winner Joey Chestnut said, moving the Nathan's Famous event to a climate-controlled indoor setting to keep the coronavirus from spreading among hundreds of spectators who would normally pack the often-sweltering boardwalk gave him edge he needed. Many Americans' July 4 celebrations go virtual as COVID-19 cases surge

On a holiday weekend that would typically draw crowds to watch fireworks, march in parades and wave the red, white and blue, many Americans kicked off Independence Day exactly where they have been for months: at home. The holiday marking the country's 244 years of independence comes four days into a month when at least eight states have seen record daily increases in coronavirus cases, leading several governors to toughen social distancing measures and urge people to celebrate from home. Florida sees coronavirus cases spike to new daily record

Florida's confirmed coronavirus cases rose by a record 11,458 on Saturday, the state's health department said, the second time in three days that its caseload increased by more than 10,000. The new record came a day after seven other states also reported record rises in cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus that has killed nearly 130,000 Americans. Two Seattle protesters hit by car on highway, one critically injured

Two protesters were injured, one critically, in Seattle early on Saturday, when the women were hit by a speeding car that drove past other stopped vehicles into a crowd demonstrating on an interstate highway, police said. The driver of the car, a 27-year-old Seattle man, was arrested at the scene of the incident, which occurred at about 1:30 a.m. PDT (0830 GMT), and faces multiple felony charges, Washington State Patrol Trooper Chase Van Cleave said by phone. Washington braces as crowds converge for Trump's July Fourth fireworks, racial protests

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to converge on Saturday in the heart of Washington, where U.S. President Donald Trump will host an Independence Day fireworks display and military flyover, while protesters will march for racial equality. Disregarding the Washington mayor's warnings of the risk of gathering as many U.S. states mark a record number of new COVID-19 cases, crowds began to assemble early on a hot Saturday morning. Trump attacks 'left-wing cultural revolution' in Mount Rushmore address

President Donald Trump on Friday accused "angry mobs" of trying to erase history with efforts to remove or rethink monuments to U.S. historical figures and used a speech at Mount Rushmore to paint himself as a bulwark against left-wing extremism. On a day when seven U.S. states posted a record number of new COVID-19 cases, the pandemic moved further into Trump's inner circle. Kimberly Guilfoyle, a senior campaign official and the girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr., tested positive in South Dakota before the event, according to Sergio Gor, a Trump campaign official. Trump Jr. tested negative, Gor said.