Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Exclusive: Over 50 Republican former U.S. national security officials join Biden endorsement More than 50 Republican former national security officials will endorse Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Thursday, joining one of several Republican organizations opposing the re-election of President Donald Trump.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. Exclusive: Over 50 Republican former U.S. national security officials join Biden endorsement

More than 50 Republican former national security officials will endorse Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Thursday, joining one of several Republican organizations opposing the re-election of President Donald Trump. The group, called Former Republican National Security Officials for Biden, launched in August with 70 members. The new endorsements will bring it to nearly 130 individuals who have publicly broken with the Republican president, including seven who served under Trump, people familiar with the effort said. California wine country firefight intensifies, progress made in deadly Cascades blaze

California firefighters coping with limited resources and worsening weather struggled for a fifth day on Thursday to subdue flames menacing the famed Napa Valley wine region, while major progress was reported against a separate, deadly blaze in the Cascades. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said more than 17,000 fire personnel remained on the front lines of two dozen major wildfires across the state, with over 96,000 residents under evacuation orders. Pelosi, Mnuchin approach 11th hour on U.S. COVID-19 aid talks

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin were expected to try again on Thursday to reach a deal on COVID-19 relief, while the House of Representatives stood ready for a second day to move a Democratic bill if talks fail. The two sides appeared to be about $600 billion apart on spending, as lawmakers prepared to depart Washington for the final weeks of the 2020 presidential and congressional election campaign. Mnuchin has offered a proposal approaching $1.6 trillion. House Democrats were poised to vote on legislation containing $2.2 trillion in aid. Pandemic risks overwhelming Wisconsin as New York 'hot spots' heat up

Wisconsin, where U.S. President Donald Trump will hold rallies over the weekend, registered a record increase in new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, while New York state reported a worrisome uptick of positive coronavirus tests in 20 'hot spots.' The 3,000 new infections reported in Wisconsin fanned fears that the sheer number of new patients could overwhelm hospitals. Florida, which has four times as many people as Wisconsin, reported 2,628 new cases on Thursday. Biden campaign to start in-person voter outreach as U.S. election nears

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's campaign said on Thursday it would launch an in-person voter-canvassing operation in several battleground states, shifting tactics in the final weeks of a race upended by the coronavirus pandemic. Some of Biden's Democratic allies have expressed concern the campaign has been too cautious about getting boots on the ground for voter mobilization in the states that will decide the Nov. 3 election. U.S. traffic deaths fell after coronavirus lockdown, but drivers got riskier

U.S. traffic deaths fell during the coronavirus lockdowns but drivers engaged in riskier behavior as the fatality rate spiked to its highest level in 15 years, according to preliminary data released Thursday. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported the fatality rate jumped to 1.42 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in the three months ending June 30, or about 30%, the highest since 2005. Trump campaign slams plan to change debate rules after unruly Cleveland encounter

President Donald Trump's re-election campaign on Thursday rejected calls for new rules to govern the next two debates between him and Democratic challenger Joe Biden, after a first matchup marred by constant interruptions and outbursts. With little over a month to go before the Nov. 3 election, the two candidates are fighting for the small slice of the electorate that remains undecided, with a new Reuters/Ipsos poll showing most voters have already made up their minds. Whistleblower Edward Snowden's book earnings should go to U.S. government, court rules

The United States is entitled to more than $5.2 million from former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden's book royalties, a federal court ruled this week, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. In a statement, the department said the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on Tuesday also ruled in favor of setting up a trust for the government for any future earnings from Snowden's book, which had been the subject of a federal lawsuit. CIA, NSA chiefs opposed release of unverified Russia intelligence to Republican lawmaker: sources

The CIA and National Security Agency directors opposed U.S. spy chief John Ratcliffe's decision to declassify and send to a top Republican lawmaker unverified Russian intelligence that may have been fabricated, according to current and former U.S. officials. The disclosure that CIA Director Gina Haspel and NSA Director Paul Nakasone opposed the material's release comes after Democrats and former U.S. intelligence officials alleged Ratcliffe made it public for the political purpose of helping President Donald Trump as he pursues a tough re-election fight. Exclusive: Trump policing panel was warned about secretive process before court ruling

Before a U.S. federal judge on Thursday halted the work of a Trump administration law enforcement commission - saying it had violated public meetings laws - the panel had been warned about shutting out public input by several of its own participants, internal records reviewed by Reuters show. The commission had planned to deliver a slate of proposals recommending sweeping new powers for police shortly before the November presidential election, the documents show. It also called for bolstering due-process protections for officers accused of wrongdoing, according to draft proposals reviewed by Reuters.