Reuters US Domestic News Summary

If picked by Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to replace liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died of pancreatic cancer at age 87 on Friday, Lagoa, 52, would become only the second Hispanic to serve on the Supreme Court, following current Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. Potential Trump Supreme Court pick Barrett known for conservative religious views

In considering Amy Coney Barrett for the U.S. Supreme Court, President Donald Trump has turned to a federal appellate judge known for conservative religious views who liberals worry could become instrumental in rolling back abortion rights. Barrett, if nominated by Trump and confirmed by the Senate for a lifetime post on the Supreme Court, would replace liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died at age 87 on Friday. Barrett, 48, would give conservatives a 6-3 majority. As U.S. COVID-19 deaths near 200,000, a nation grapples with grief

Anthony and Rosemary Terio, married for 65 years, died five days apart in separate New York hospitals last spring, two lives among the nearly 200,000 that the United States has now lost to the coronavirus pandemic. "This pain will never go away for me," said one of their daughters, Lisa Terio-Heath, who, because of the pandemic, had to remain at her home in Greensboro, North Carolina, and witness her family's loss from afar. Biden to weigh in on fight over Trump's next Supreme Court nomination

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden will speak in Philadelphia on Sunday about his rival President Donald Trump's plan to name a third justice to the Supreme Court, a move that would cement a 6-3 conservative majority. Trump on Saturday said he will make his nomination this week and named Amy Coney Barrett of the Chicago-based 7th Circuit and Barbara Lagoa of the Atlanta-based 11th Circuit as possible candidates to fill the vacancy created by Friday's death of liberal icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Majority of Americans, including many Republicans, say wait for election to replace Ginsburg - Reuters poll

A majority of Americans, including many Republicans, want the winner of the November presidential election to name a successor to Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the U.S. Supreme Court, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Sunday. The national opinion poll, conducted Sept. 19-20 after Ginsburg's death was announced, suggests that many Americans object to President Donald Trump's plan, backed by many Senate Republicans, to push through another lifetime appointee and cement a 6-3 conservative majority on the court. Trump to push ahead with Supreme Court nomination amid partisan battle

President Donald Trump on Monday prepared to push ahead with plans for his third U.S. Supreme Court nomination, which would cement a 6-3 conservative majority, as some Republicans wavered on whether to support the move weeks ahead of an election. The death of liberal icon Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg upended the campaign season, giving Trump and his party an opportunity to strengthen its grip on the court whose decisions influence most spheres of American life, from healthcare to gun rights to voting access. Tropical Storm Beta to drop a foot of rain in Texas and Louisiana

Tropical Storm Beta was predicted to bring a foot of rain to parts of coastal Texas and Louisiana next week as the 23rd named storm of this year's Atlantic hurricane season moves ashore on Monday night, the National Hurricane Center said. Forecasters warned on Sunday that coastal communities could be inundated with floods and see sustained winds of 60 miles per hour (95 km per hour), though the storm is expected to weaken as it moves inland. U.S. faces a smoldering COVID-19 pandemic nationwide as flu season starts

As the United States approaches the miserable mark of 200,000 deaths from the coronavirus, the pandemic is no longer focused on one or two epicenters. Instead it is smoldering across all states, raising fears that when colder weather forces more people inside, it could surpass the surge seen in the summer. Potential Trump Supreme Court pick Lagoa is fast-rising Cuban-American judicial star

Barbara Lagoa, the Cuban-American federal appellate judge under consideration by President Donald Trump for the U.S. Supreme Court, is a conservative jurist whose resume includes a role in a heated international custody battle and the distinction of being the first Hispanic woman to serve on Florida's top court. If picked by Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to replace liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died of pancreatic cancer at age 87 on Friday, Lagoa, 52, would become only the second Hispanic to serve on the Supreme Court, following current Justice Sonia Sotomayor. She would give the court a 6-3 conservative majority. U.S. to surpass grim milestone of 200,000 COVID-19 deaths

The death toll from the spread of coronavirus in the United States was approaching over 200,000 lives on Monday, more than double the number of fatalities in India, the country reporting the second-highest number of cases in the world. The United States, on a weekly average, is now losing about 800 lives each day to the virus, according to a Reuters tally. That is down from a peak of 2,806 daily deaths recorded on April 15. (Graphic: https://tmsnrt.rs/2ZH76z6) In shadow of court fight, U.S. Congress seeks to avoid budget breakdown

The U.S. Congress this week will try to pass legislation funding the federal government through mid-December, avoiding the spectacle of a government shutdown amid a pandemic and just weeks before the Nov. 3 elections. Prior to the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, which has set off an intense partisan battle over President Donald Trump's plan to replace her, negotiators behind the scenes last week cobbled together a bill that would keep most federal programs operating at current levels through Dec. 11.