US News Roundup: Trump tours parts of Louisiana; White House suggests $1.3 trillion coronavirus aid bill and more

Trump administration halts election security briefings, Democrats complain The United States' top intelligence office told lawmakers it will end in-person briefings on election security because there had been leaks from congressional committees, officials said on Saturday.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Burst of success for progressive challengers in U.S. congressional races may fizzle in Massachusetts

A solid year for progressive Democrats who have defeated at least three incumbents in the U.S. Congress in primaries could fizzle out this week in Massachusetts where three party stalwarts were set to fend off challengers. The progressive model for success has seen an array of mostly young candidates, sometimes minorities, toppling older establishment incumbents. But the most prominent race on Tuesday turns things upside down with an older, veteran lawmaker claiming the progressive mantle from his younger challenger.

Trump tours parts of Louisiana, Texas hit by Hurricane Laura

President Donald Trump on Saturday toured areas hit by Hurricane Laura in Louisiana and in Texas receiving briefings on emergency operations and relief efforts. "One thing I know about this state, it rebuilds fast," Trump told a gathering that included Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, U.S. lawmakers and federal agency officials. Trump did not meet with residents.

Kenoshians face 'wake-up call' after tumultuous, painful week of violence

Five decades after he came with his migrant-worker family from Texas to Kenosha, Wisconsin to pick cucumbers and potatoes in the fields outside of town, Tony Garcia is a prominent community member who has sat on the several local boards. So last week when people destroyed businesses during anti-racism protests in Kenosha's Uptown neighborhood where Garcia grew up and owns commercial property, the 63-year-old became especially infuriated as he watched the chaos.

Trump to visit Wisconsin city on Tuesday where police shot black man in the back

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday will visit Kenosha, Wisconsin, the city that has seen unrest since a white police officer shot a Black man in the back, a White House official told reporters on Saturday. Trump will meet law enforcement officials and assess damage in the city where the officer shot Jacob Blake, who is paralyzed from the waist down and remains in hospital, the official said. A 17-year-old boy is being held by authorities in Kenosha on suspicion of shooting three people who were protesting the shooting of Blake. Two of those people died.

Trump administration halts election security briefings, Democrats complain

The United States' top intelligence office told lawmakers it will end in-person briefings on election security because there had been leaks from congressional committees, officials said on Saturday. The move drew heated rejoinders from Democrats who have focused on foreign efforts to sway the presidential election in 2016 and again this year.

White House suggests $1.3 trillion coronavirus aid bill; Pelosi says not enough

President Donald Trump is willing to sign a $1.3 trillion coronavirus relief bill, a top aide said on Friday, but Democratic House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the sum was not enough to meet the needs of the American people. Trump said later that Pelosi was only interested in bailing out states run by Democrats, casting doubt on chances of reviving stalled talks for another round of fiscal stimulus.

U.S. CDC reports coronavirus deaths increase by 978 to 181,143

The number of deaths caused by the novel coronavirus rose by 978 to 181,143 people, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Saturday, reporting a total of 5,890,532 cases, an increase of 44,656 from its previous count. The CDC reported its tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, caused by a new coronavirus, as of 4 p.m. ET on Aug. 28 versus its previous report a day earlier. (https://bit.ly/3hw8DyN)

One shot dead in Portland as rival protesters clash

One person was shot dead in Portland late on Saturday as protesters from rival groups clashed in the northwest U.S. city, which has seen frequent demonstrations for months that have at times turned violent. Police said in statements that both the death and protest violence occurred in downtown Portland. However, they did not immediately link the shooting death to the protests.

U.S. military identifies two soldiers killed in Black Hawk training crash

The U.S. Army on Saturday identified two soldiers who were killed in a Black Hawk helicopter crash while training in Southern California as Staff Sgt. Vincent Marketta and Sgt. Tyler Shelton. Both soldiers died and three other service members were injured in the accident Thursday at a military training base on San Clemente Island, but few other details of the incident were immediately available from the United States Army Special Operations Command.

New march on Washington embraces history on fraught anniversary of King's speech

Thousands of people took part in a march in Washington on Friday to denounce racism, on the anniversary of the march in 1963 where civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr made his historic "I Have a Dream" speech. "You might have killed the dreamer, but you can't kill the dream," civil rights leader Reverend Al Sharpton told Friday's crowd.