Reuters US Domestic News Summary

The arrest of Alan Swinney, 50, came hours after U.S. President Donald Trump in Tuesday's presidential debate told the Proud Boys to "stand back and standby" when asked if "white supremacists and militia groups" should stand down after confrontations with anti-racism protesters in U.S. cities.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. Trump and Biden to meet in pivotal first presidential debate

Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden will square off for the first time on Tuesday in a pivotal debate that will provide a stark clash of styles and the prospect of a fiery and brutally personal grudge match. With more than a million Americans already casting early ballots and time running out to change minds or influence the small sliver of undecided voters, the stakes are enormous as the two White House candidates take the stage five weeks before the Nov. 3 election. Fears of voter intimidation follow Trump's debate call for his backers to monitor polls

U.S. Democrats and nonpartisan election experts on Wednesday denounced President Donald Trump's calls for his supporters to act as ad-hoc poll watchers in the November election, saying they were an oblique call for illegal voter intimidation. While U.S. election conduct is governed by a patchwork of state and federal laws, they generally apply strict rules of conduct to partisan election monitors, who are not supposed to interfere in the electoral process. Northern California wildfire death toll rises to four as crews scramble to beat winds

The death toll from a wildfire raging in northern California's Cascade foothills climbed to four on Wednesday as firefighters battling that blaze and another wreaking havoc in wine country near San Francisco braced to confront a new bout of high winds. Diminished winds across northern California assisted fire crews in making some initial headway on Tuesday against both blazes, which have scorched well over 100,000 acres (40,000 hectares) combined since they erupted about 200 miles (320 km) apart on Sunday. New York restaurants reopen for dine-in patrons hungry to socialize

New York City restaurants reopened indoor dining at 25% capacity on Wednesday, welcoming patrons hungry for food and company in the pandemic with tight safety measures in candle-lit rooms and behind kitchen doors. At Il Gattopardo, an upscale Southern-Italian restaurant on Manhattan's Upper East Side, owner Gianfranco Sorrentino said extreme health precautions were essential to pull his eatery through one of his toughest times in the business in 30 years. New York battles COVID-19 hot spots as Washington wrangles over relief

New York City restaurants welcomed patrons back inside for the first time in months on Wednesday as authorities scrambled to contain COVID-19 outbreaks in some neighborhoods and negotiators in Washington wrangled over a coronavirus relief package. Coronavirus infection rates continued to climb in many of the nine ZIP codes in the boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn where new clusters have emerged, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Wednesday. Explainer: President Trump asked the Proud Boys to 'stand by.' Who are they?

President Donald Trump, asked if he would denounce white supremacists and militia groups during Tuesday night's U.S. presidential debate, told the right-wing group the Proud Boys to "stand back and stand by." WHO ARE THE PROUD BOYS? Mnuchin reports movement on COVID-19 relief; House delays vote

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Wednesday said talks with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made progress on COVID-19 relief legislation, and the House of Representatives postponed a vote on a $2.2 trillion Democratic coronavirus plan to allow more time for a bipartisan deal to come together. Less than five weeks before the Nov. 3 presidential and congressional elections, Mnuchin and Pelosi both said negotiations would continue toward a bipartisan agreement to deliver aid to millions of Americans and businesses reeling from the coronavirus pandemic. The virus has infected more than 7.2 million people and killed over 206,000 in the United States. Proud Boys member, who pointed gun, arrested in Portland

A supporter of the right-wing Proud Boys group who was indicted for pointing a firearm and firing a paintball gun at anti-racism protesters in Portland, Oregon, was arrested early on Wednesday, according to a county prosecutor. The arrest of Alan Swinney, 50, came hours after U.S. President Donald Trump in Tuesday's presidential debate told the Proud Boys to "stand back and standby" when asked if "white supremacists and militia groups" should stand down after confrontations with anti-racism protesters in U.S. cities. Debate planners vow less chaos at next Trump-Biden face-off

U.S. presidential debate organizers vowed on Wednesday to change the rules to rein in unruly behavior after President Donald Trump repeatedly interrupted rival Joe Biden and the moderator in the candidates' taunt-filled initial prime-time encounter. Biden suggested a mute button might help and Trump complained the Commission on Presidential Debates was siding with the Democrats in the aftermath of Tuesday's debate in Cleveland. Fractious presidential debate unlikely to move needle for Trump

Down in the opinion polls with five weeks to go until the November election, U.S. President Donald Trump sought to use the first presidential debate to bully his way back into the race. Repeatedly interrupting and sparring with opponent Joe Biden, the Republican Trump tried to knock the Democratic former vice president off his feet Tuesday night and alter the dynamic of a contest he has been losing for months.