Reuters US Domestic News Summary

The letter, signed by Democrats including David Cicilline, Karen Bass, Mark Pocan, Hakeem Jeffries, Chellie Pingree and Gerald Connolly said "in his brief time as Postmaster General, Mr. DeJoy has implemented policies that have slowed delivery times to unacceptable levels and resulted in undelivered mail." Trump says he doesn't know much about QAnon but has heard it likes him U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he doesn't know much about the QAnon conspiracy theory movement but understands it is gaining in popularity and has a favorable view of him.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. New York teachers threaten strike if schools reopen without more COVID-19 testing

New York City teachers on Wednesday threatened to strike or bring legal action unless the largest U.S. school district implements a more rigorous COVID-19 testing plan and other safety measures before reopening schools next month. The warning by the United Federation of Teachers, which represents the city's 133,000 public school teachers, could delay Mayor Bill de Blasio's plan to provide a mix of in-classroom and online learning from Sept. 10. U.S. postal chaos prompts Democrats to reassess mail-ballot plan

Turmoil at the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is causing some Democrats and local election officials to rethink their vote-by-mail strategies for November's presidential election, shifting emphasis to drop boxes and early voting that bypass the post office. The 2020 contest promises to be the nation’s largest test of voting by mail. But U.S. President Donald Trump’s relentless, unsubstantiated attacks on mail balloting, along with cost-cutting that has delayed mail service nationwide, have sown worry and confusion among many voters. In historic speech, Kamala Harris expected to train fire on Trump

U.S. Senator Kamala Harris gives the most important speech of her political career on Wednesday when she addresses the Democratic National Convention as presidential nominee Joe Biden's running mate. The former prosecutor from California, who made history as the first Black woman and Asian-American on a major presidential ticket, is expected to aggressively press the case against Republican President Donald Trump’s reelection on Nov. 3. Ninety Democrats call on Postal Board to remove DeJoy: letter

A group of 90 Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday called on the Postal Service's board of governors to immediately remove Postmaster General Louis DeJoy "to protect this critical institution," according to a letter seen by Reuters. The letter, signed by Democrats including David Cicilline, Karen Bass, Mark Pocan, Hakeem Jeffries, Chellie Pingree and Gerald Connolly said "in his brief time as Postmaster General, Mr. DeJoy has implemented policies that have slowed delivery times to unacceptable levels and resulted in undelivered mail." Trump says he doesn't know much about QAnon but has heard it likes him

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he doesn't know much about the QAnon conspiracy theory movement but understands it is gaining in popularity and has a favorable view of him. "I don't know much about the movement, other than I understand they like me very much," Trump told reporters at a briefing. Trump touts convalescent plasma as a coronavirus treatment

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday touted the use of convalescent plasma as a treatment for COVID-19 and suggested a reported decision by regulators to put on hold an emergency authorization for its use could be politically motivated. "I've heard fantastic things about convalescent plasma," Trump told a briefing. "It could be a political decision," he said. Obama to say Trump has failed, praise Biden as 'a brother'

Former U.S. President Barack Obama will tell Democrats on Wednesday that Donald Trump's failures have left 170,000 Americans dead from the coronavirus pandemic, cost millions their jobs and threatened democracy both at home and abroad. In excerpts released ahead of the Democratic National Convention's third night, Obama will deliver perhaps his most pointed criticisms of his successor, after avoiding the fray for most of the last three years, while also making the case for his former No. 2, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. 'Lightning siege' sparks wildfires across California wine country

Lightning strikes sparked hundreds of wildfires in Northern California's wine country on Wednesday, burning dozens of structures and forcing thousands to flee their homes. California was hit by nearly 11,000 lightning strikes in 72 hours, sparking 367 fires, nearly two dozen of them major, authorities said. American Indians, Alaska Natives hit harder by COVID-19, U.S. CDC says

American Indians and Alaska Natives have been hit harder by COVID-19 than the U.S. white population and have been more likely to become infected by the novel coronavirus at a younger age, a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report showed on Wednesday. The incidence of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases among people identified as American Indians or Alaska Natives was 3.5 times that of non-Hispanic whites, making them one of the racial and ethnic minority groups at highest risk, according to the study based on data from 23 U.S. states from Jan. 22 to July 3. U.S. House to vote on $25 billion postal infusion, mail-in ballot safeguards

U.S. House of Representatives Democrats on Wednesday unveiled legislation that would require same-day processing for mail-in ballots and give the cash-strapped Postal Service a $25 billion infusion while erasing changes pursued by the agency's new leader, an ally of Republican President Donald Trump. The Democratic-led House is scheduled to vote on the legislation on Saturday, though there is little chance for passage in the Republican-led Senate. The bill would prevent the Postal Service from implementing policies to alter service levels that were in effect at the beginning of this year.