Reuters US Domestic News Summary

'Bait and switch': New Mexico Democrats distrust Trump's 'surge' against crime Even as Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she would accept U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to send a "surge" of federal agents to fight violent crime in Democratic-led cities, Albuquerque, New Mexico's Tim Keller has rejected the deployment outright.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. 'Bait and switch': New Mexico Democrats distrust Trump's 'surge' against crime

Even as Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she would accept U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to send a "surge" of federal agents to fight violent crime in Democratic-led cities, Albuquerque, New Mexico's Tim Keller has rejected the deployment outright. Both mayors are Democrats wrestling with violent crime and a history of police misconduct in their cities. But their reactions to Wednesday's announcement of an expansion of the Operation Legend program were hardly alike. Arizona extends closure of gyms, bars and water parks to control coronavirus

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey on Thursday extended the closure of gyms, bars, nightclubs, water parks, movie theaters and other businesses in the state despite a decline in new daily cases of coronavirus during July. "There is no victory lap, there is no celebration, we have to continue," Ducey told a press briefing on the closure extension, which will be reviewed every two weeks. Americans broadly back more federal coronavirus relief: Reuters/IPSOS poll

A strong majority of Americans from across the political spectrum back more federal government relief to businesses and households hurt by the coronavirus pandemic, according to a Reuters/IPSOS poll. The poll, conducted between July 15-21, comes as Congress is working toward another round of relief to support an economy thrown into its deepest recession in nearly a century by the global outbreak. Earlier rounds have provided roughly $3 trillion in government assistance. U.S. records over 1,000 COVID-19 deaths for third straight day

The United States recorded more than 1,000 deaths from COVID-19 for the third day in a row on Thursday, as the outbreak strained hospitals in California, Florida and Texas, according to a Reuters tally. The rise in the U.S. death toll has not seen back-to-back days with over 1,000 lives lost since early June. Many states and local governments in May lifted restrictions and reopened beaches, restaurants and businesses, triggering a surge in cases in June and an increase in fatalities in July. Trump: Hot spot virus states may need to delay school openings by a few weeks

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday states that are currently coronavirus hot spots may need to delay re-opening schools by a "few weeks" while he pushed otherwise for students to be able to return to classrooms en masse in the fall. "They have to open," Trump said of schools nationwide. U.S. watchdog to probe use of force in Portland as mayor tear-gassed in another night of unrest

The U.S. Justice Department announced on Thursday it would investigate the use of force against protesters in Portland, Oregon, following another night of unrest in which the city's mayor was tear-gassed. Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz said his office will launch an investigation of allegations federal agents used excessive force against peaceful protesters in Portland and a separate review of actions taken against protesters in Washington, DC's Lafayette Square near the White House on June 1. Trump cancels Republican convention in Florida after coronavirus spike

President Donald Trump on Thursday said he would no longer hold part of the Republican Party's nominating convention in Florida in August because of a spike in coronavirus cases in the state. Trump already moved part of the convention from North Carolina to Florida because of restrictions on gathering due to the virus, but the surge in cases had led some Republicans to pull out of attending the Florida event. U.S. Senate passes $740 billion defense bill, bucking Trump on Confederate names

The U.S. Senate on Thursday passed its version of the National Defense Authorization Act, a $740 billion bill setting policy for the Pentagon that President Donald Trump has threatened to veto over a provision removing Confederate names from military bases. The vote was 86-14, one of the few times the Republican-led Senate has broken from the president, and could pave the way for a fight later this year with the White House. Federal agents' use of force at protests faces internal U.S. government probes

Two U.S. federal watchdogs on Thursday launched probes into the use of force by federal law enforcement agents in Portland, Oregon, and Washington, D.C., during recent protests against police violence and alleged racial bias in the justice system. The probes address both the response by camouflage-clad federal agents to the Portland protests over the past month and a June incident when federal agents on horseback used tear gas to clear a square near the White House to allow President Donald Trump to pose for a photo holding up a Bible near historic St. John's Episcopal Church. New Mexico delays in-person school through Sept 7

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham on Thursday said in-person learning in the state would be delayed through at least Sept. 7 due to coronavirus levels that were "too problematic."