US News Roundup: Trump, positive for COVID-19, says won't participate in virtual debate; Still recovering from last storm, Louisiana braces for Hurricane Delta and more

For Wednesday night's vice presidential square-off, Pence was charged with trying to steady the ship after a tumultuous week in which the president was hospitalized with the coronavirus and opinion polls showed the Republican Trump's re-election bid against Democrat Joe Biden slipping away.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Trump's pandemic record in spotlight as Harris, Pence trade blows at VP debate

Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic challenger Kamala Harris clashed over the Trump administration's handling of the coronavirus pandemic during their debate on Wednesday, as the White House struggled to contain an outbreak that has infected President Donald Trump and dozens of others. The policy-heavy, relatively sedate debate stood in stark contrast to last week's chaotic presidential showdown between Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, which was marred by Trump's constant interruptions and personal insults from both men.

Rescue network seeks to save, rehab California's fire-stricken wild animals

A 350-pound (159-kg) black bear was released by a veterinary team into the remote woodlands of northern California this week, newly healed from crippling burns it suffered last month in one of the state's devastating summer wildfires. The adult male bruin was the first of several four-legged fire victims admitted for medical treatment and successfully rehabilitated by a wildlife-rescue network launched in September by two of the state's leading veterinarians.

Trump, positive for COVID-19, says won't participate in virtual debate

President Donald Trump said on Thursday he would not participate in a virtual debate, throwing into doubt the second presidential debate between Trump and his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, scheduled for Oct. 15. His words came moments after the commission that oversees the debates said the event would be conducted from remote locations in the wake of his COVID-19 diagnosis.

With Trump ailing, a steady Pence tries to keep the campaign afloat

Mike Pence achieved on the debate stage what arguably President Donald Trump did not in a similar showdown last week: He offered a cogent and restrained case for why traditional Republicans and some swing voters should return the Trump-Pence ticket to the White House for four more years. For Wednesday night's vice presidential square-off, Pence was charged with trying to steady the ship after a tumultuous week in which the president was hospitalized with the coronavirus and opinion polls showed the Republican Trump's re-election bid against Democrat Joe Biden slipping away.

Recovering from COVID-19, Trump edges back into spotlight after VP debate

President Donald Trump, still confined to the White House where he is being treated for COVID-19, planned more steps on Thursday to try to reinvigorate a re-election campaign hit hard by his handling of the pandemic. Trump is scheduled to appear in his first TV interview since revealing last Friday he had contracted COVID-19. Fox Business Network said the interview would air on Thursday after 8 a.m. (1200 GMT).

2020 U.S. ELECTION: What you need to know right now

-President Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic took center stage at the vice presidential debate, although Mike Pence and Kamala Harris's relatively sedate performance stood in stark contrast to last week's chaotic presidential showdown. -With a Fox Business TV interview scheduled, a quarantined President Trump starts to re-emerge in a bid to reinvigorate his stalled election campaign.

Still recovering from last storm, Louisiana braces for Hurricane Delta

Louisiana on Thursday steeled itself for another in a record-breaking series of violent storms as Hurricane Delta sped across the Gulf of Mexico toward a region still recovering from the last storm. Delta struck Mexico's tourist enclaves on the Yucatan peninsula on Wednesday, shaking residents and leaving behind a mess of overturned trees and shattered glass. It is expected to intensify over the Gulf of Mexico Thursday to winds of up to 115 miles per hour (185 kmh) before crashing into Louisiana on Friday.

Trump's COVID-19 case rattles Republican hopes to hold Senate

President Donald Trump's response to his COVID-19 diagnosis, including his shock move to upend talks with Congress on shoring up a pandemic-hit economy, has fellow Republicans fearing they might lose their U.S. Senate majority in next month's election. Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate and with competitive races for 10 seats, including eight held by Republicans, the party had hoped to focus on confirming Trump's third Supreme Court nominee and cementing a 6-3 conservative court majority that could endure for decades.

AMC to open more cinema theaters in the United States

AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc, the largest theater chain in the United States, said on Thursday it expects to open more locations in Washington state and have more than 520 theaters open in the country by mid-October. "With 14 AMC locations in Washington reopening on October 16, AMC is now set to open more than 50 locations in the first three weekends of October," the company said in statement. (https://bit.ly/2GBO86J)

Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Biden leading Trump in Florida; tied in Arizona

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden appeared to lead President Donald Trump among likely voters in Florida and the two were locked in a tight race in Arizona, according to Reuters/Ipsos opinion polls released on Wednesday. The polls showed the former vice president ahead by 4 percentage points in Florida, matching the poll's credibility interval, and up 2 points in Arizona. The two candidates had been effectively tied in Florida and Arizona the prior week.