Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Trump rejects virtual debate, as more Americans disapprove of his coronavirus leadership President Donald Trump added more turbulence to the U.S. election campaign on Thursday, pulling out of an Oct. 15 debate with Democratic rival Joe Biden after it was changed to a virtual event to guard against the spread of COVID-19.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. Trump rejects virtual debate, as more Americans disapprove of his coronavirus leadership

President Donald Trump added more turbulence to the U.S. election campaign on Thursday, pulling out of an Oct. 15 debate with Democratic rival Joe Biden after it was changed to a virtual event to guard against the spread of COVID-19. Trump, who was hospitalized for three days after disclosing last Friday he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus, blasted the format change announced by the nonpartisan commission in charge of the debates and expressed concern his microphone could be cut off. 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). More than 6.6 million Americans have already voted, suggesting record turnout

Americans are rushing to cast ballots ahead of the Nov. 3 election at an unprecedented pace, early voting numbers show, indicating a possible record turnout for the showdown between President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden. With less than four weeks to go before Election Day, more than 6.6 million Americans already have voted, more than ten times the number who had at this time in 2016, according to the United States Elections Project, which compiles early voting data. New York City parents scramble to deal with new school closures as COVID-19 resurges

The 6-year-old son of Jodi Cook, a Brooklyn mother of two, had just resumed in-person classes at his local elementary — only to face the closure of his school again as coronavirus cases spiked nearby. Cook said she was disappointed. Last week, public elementary schools in New York City welcomed back students to the classroom as part of Mayor Bill de Blasio's blended learning plan after a months-long hiatus. Pelosi, Mnuchin search for common ground as U.S. COVID-19 talks resume

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday said legislation to help airline companies survive the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic could only move through Congress with guarantees that a comprehensive aid bill would be developed too. In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Pelosi also expressed confidence that she and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will be able to reach an agreement on the amount of aid in new legislation to "crush" COVID-19 cases, which are still rampant in the United States. U.S. Supreme Court declines to block mail delivery of abortion pill

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday temporarily allowed a drug used for medication-induced abortions to be mailed or delivered during the coronavirus pandemic. The court declined to act on a request by the Trump administration asking to reinstate a U.S. Food and Drug Administration rule, suspended by a federal judge in July, that required women to visit a hospital or clinic to obtain the drug. 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. White House physician says Trump can return to public events Saturday

U.S. President Donald Trump's physician said on Thursday that the president had completed his course of therapy for the coronavirus, had remained stable since returning to the White House, and could return to public engagements on Saturday. Dr. Sean Conley said in a memo released by the White House that Trump had responded "extremely well" to treatment. Plot to kidnap Michigan governor thwarted, militia members arrested

Thirteen people, including seven men associated with the Wolverine Watchmen militia group, have been arrested in a sweeping takedown of plots to kidnap the Michigan governor, attack the state capitol building and incite violence. The group aimed to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat who has traded barbs with Republican President Donald Trump over her response to the coronavirus pandemic, ahead of the Nov. 3 presidential election, according to a criminal complaint. Trump's handling of coronavirus pandemic hits record low approval: Reuters/Ipsos poll

Americans are steadily losing confidence in President Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, with his net approval on the issue that has dominated the U.S. election hitting a record low in a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. The poll taken Tuesday through Thursday, after Trump's COVID-19 infection and weekend hospitalization, found 37% of American adults approved of the president's handling of the pandemic and 59% disapproved.