US News Roundup: Refugees in their own country as wildfire destroys California towns; Texas governor shuts down drop-off sites for early mail votes and more

U.S. Treasury Secretary Mnuchin tests negative for COVID-19: spokeswoman U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin has tested negative for coronavirus, a spokeswoman said on Friday after President Donald Trump announced he and his wife had tested positive. Trump said on Friday that he had tested positive for COVID-19 and was going into quarantine to begin the recovery process immediately.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Mnuchin tests negative for COVID-19: spokeswoman

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin has tested negative for coronavirus, a spokeswoman said on Friday after President Donald Trump announced he and his wife had tested positive. "As part of regular protocols, Secretary @stevenmnuchin1 has been tested daily for COVID-19. He tested negative for COVID-19 this morning and will continue to be tested daily," Treasury spokeswoman Monica Crowley said on Twitter.

U.S. schools in suburbs, small cities reopening without COVID spike; big cities up next

U.S. schools from kindergarten to high school have avoided a spike in COVID-19 cases, early data show, but medical experts say the real test is coming as students in large densely-populated cities such as New York and Miami return to classrooms. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week said more than 270,000 COVID-19 cases had been reported in children aged 5-17 since March. Cases in school-age children ticked slightly higher in mid-September as more schools reopened, but remains well below the peak set in mid-July.

Refugees in their own country as wildfire destroys California towns

Jeannie Weber could probably rebuild her ruined house in the foothills of California's Sierra Nevada mountains. But as wildfires rage with increasing frequency, it doesn't seem safe. Her home in Berry Creek was gutted in September, not two years after a wildfire destroyed the home of her brother Aaron in the town of Paradise and he was forced to flee with his family.

Texas governor shuts down drop-off sites for early mail votes

The Republican governor of Texas on Thursday said each county in the state will be limited to a single site for dropping off absentee ballots, drawing condemnation from Democrats and voting rights advocates. Governor Greg Abbott's order will close more than a dozen satellite locations in at least two counties: Harris, which includes Houston, had opened 12 sites to collect early mail ballots, while Travis, which includes Austin, had four.

Trump says on Twitter he, Melania tested positive for COVID-19

U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump tested positive for COVID-19, he said in a tweet early on Friday. "We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately," he said.

U.S. Vice President Pence tests negative for coronavirus: spokesman

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has tested negative for coronavirus, his spokesman said on Friday, hours after President Donald Trump announced he contracted COVID-19 and was under quarantine. "This morning, Vice President Pence and the Second Lady tested negative for COVID-19. Vice President Pence remains in good health and wishes the Trumps well in their recovery," spokesman Devin O'Malley said on Twitter.

Trump says he condemns all white supremacists including 'Proud Boys'

President Donald Trump said on Thursday he condemned all white supremacists including the "Proud Boys," an organization identified as a hate group, further walking back comments he made this week that were viewed as emboldening the group. "I condemn all white supremacists, I condemn the Proud Boys. I don't know much about the Proud Boys but I condemn that," Trump told Fox News in an interview.

In battleground Wisconsin, some Latinos feel ignored by Biden

Cesar Hernandez says he has made thousands of phone calls since June urging Latinos in the battleground state of Wisconsin to support Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. It's a tough sell, admits Hernandez, especially where he lives on the South Side of Milwaukee, the heart of Wisconsin's Latino community. He said Biden's Spanish-language ads on Hulu and Facebook aren't connecting with the neighborhood's voters, many of whom would prefer a more personal touch.

'We want more': Armenians in America push Trump administration to support homeland

Hasmik Burushyan has not lived in Armenia, but like many young Armenian-Americans in her California city, she feels a strong connection to her ancestral land and a deep concern for what could happen next in an escalating conflict with Azerbaijan. The 22-year-old is among those mobilizing to demand stronger action from U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to support Armenia in a battle over breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh - part of Azerbaijan but run by its mostly ethnic Armenian inhabitants.

Explainer: How Mike Pence could temporarily assume control if Trump becomes incapacitated

Like two U.S. presidents before him, Donald Trump could temporarily hand over power to his vice president should he become incapacitated, for example while undergoing a medical procedure as treatment for the coronavirus. Trump said on Friday that he had tested positive for COVID-19 and was going into quarantine to begin the recovery process immediately.