US News Roundup: U.S. Vice President Pence warns against Biden win; Trump caps Republican convention with pitch for second White House term and more

Amid widening protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Wisconsin, Pence and other Republicans at their national convention described the Nov. 3 contest between Trump and Biden as a choice between "law and order" and lawlessness.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Hurricane Laura takes aim at Texas-Louisiana coast, expected to become Category 4

Hurricane Laura was expected to rapidly strengthen to a Category 4 hurricane on Wednesday on a steady track to hit the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast after dark, causing catastrophic damage, the National Hurricane Center said. The storm, already a Category 3 on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale for measuring hurricane intensity early Wednesday, was about 290 miles (465 km) southeast of Galveston, Texas, with maximum sustained winds of 115 miles (185 km) per hour, the Miami-based forecaster said. Category 4 hurricanes can pack winds of up to 156 miles (250 km) per hour.

Pompeo meets Oman's Sultan on last leg of Mideast tour

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met the Sultan of Oman on Thursday as part of a Middle East tour following a U.S.-brokered deal on normalising relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. In a meeting with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said, Pompeo said on Twitter he discussed "the importance of building regional peace, stability, and prosperity through a united Gulf Cooperation Council".

U.S., China trade jibes as military tensions worsen

The United States and China traded jibes as military tensions grow between the world's two largest economies, with the U.S. defence chief vowing not to "cede an inch" in the Pacific and China saying Washington was risking soldiers' lives. Both are at loggerheads over issues from technology and human rights to Chinese military activities in the disputed South China Sea, with each accusing the other of deliberately provocative behaviour.

U.S. Judge blocks federal execution set for Friday

A U.S. District Court judge in Washington, D.C., on Thursday ordered a halt to the federal government's planned execution on Friday of Keith Dwayne Nelson, saying its lethal injection protocol violates a federal law regulating prescription drugs.

Minneapolis under curfew, state of emergency after Black homicide suspect's death

The governor of Minnesota declared a state of peacetime emergency in the city of Minneapolis after violent protests erupted on Wednesday night following the death of a Black homicide suspect who police say shot himself. The city has been the center of protests following the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man, who died in May after a police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

A handshake and a dearth of masks at Pence's Republican convention speech

When U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and President Donald Trump greeted supporters at an outdoor venue on Wednesday night for the Republican National Convention, there were few masks in sight - and Pence exchanged at least one handshake. The scene provided a stark contrast to last week's nearly all-virtual Democratic convention, when Joe Biden and Kamala Harris scrapped plans to travel to Wisconsin because of the coronavirus and instead delivered speeches in a mostly empty event center.

Trump caps Republican convention with pitch for a second White House term

President Donald Trump will make a crucial pitch for a second term in the White House on Thursday with a keynote address at the Republican National Convention highlighting his record in office and charting a path for the next four years. The former New York businessman's speech on the White House South Lawn, an unusual location for a partisan event, will cap a four-day convention that has portrayed him as a leader who can restore order after months of protests over racial injustice and revive an economy ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic.

In 'law-and-order' speech, U.S. Vice President Pence warns against Biden win

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday cast the re-election of President Donald Trump as critical to preserving America's safety and economic viability, while cautioning Democrat Joe Biden would set the country on a path to socialism and decline. Amid widening protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Wisconsin, Pence and other Republicans at their national convention described the Nov. 3 contest between Trump and Biden as a choice between "law and order" and lawlessness.

Russia accuses U.S. of hindering patrol in Syria after collision injures U.S. troops

Moscow on Thursday accused the U.S. military of trying to hinder a Russian patrol in Syria after Washington said U.S. troops had been injured in a collision with a Russian vehicle. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian military's General Staff, told his U.S. counterpart in a phone call that Russia had warned the U.S.-led international coalition in Syria about the movements of the Russian patrol, Russia's defence ministry said in a statement.

Shockwaves from Wisconsin police shooting rattle U.S. sports and politics

Peace returned to Kenosha, Wisconsin, for a night but shockwaves from the police shooting that paralyzed a Black man reverberated across the United States, further polarizing the presidential election campaign and bringing major sports to a halt. Following three nights of civil strife including arson, vandalism and a shooting spree that killed two people, calm appeared to take hold on Wednesday night and Thursday morning.