Reuters US Domestic News Summary

President Donald Trump's re-election campaign and the Republican National Committee have scored important victories, including a ruling in the battleground state of Florida that curtails the voting rights of hundreds of thousands of former felons.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. AMC to reopen more cinema theaters in the United States

AMC Entertainment Holdings, the largest U.S. theater chain, said on Monday it expects to reopen about a dozen locations in New York state starting Oct. 23 and plans to have more than 530 theaters open in the country by the end of the month. Shares of the theater chain operator, that have slumped nearly 60% this year, were up more than 5% at $3.20 in premarket trading. House Speaker Pelosi 'optimistic' on coronavirus relief deal before U.S. election

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Sunday that differences remained with President Donald Trump's administration on a wide-ranging coronavirus relief package but that she was optimistic legislation could be pushed through before Election Day. Pelosi, the top elected U.S. Democrat, said she wanted a bill passed before the Nov. 3 presidential election between Republican Trump and Democrat Joe Biden, but acknowledged an agreement would have to come within 48 hours for that to happen. Healthcare workers, high-risk people will get priority for COVID-19 vaccine in New York: governor

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Sunday that healthcare workers and high-risk populations, including some long-term care residents, would get priority in his state to receive a COVID-19 vaccine when one is approved and available. According to the five-phase preliminary plan for New York's vaccine administration program, some details of which Cuomo announced at a news briefing, healthcare workers in patient-care settings, long-term care facility workers and some long-term care residents would be among the first to receive a vaccine. Time’s up: After a reprieve, a wave of evictions expected across U.S.

On Sept. 1, U.S. health officials announced they would suspend evictions across the United States to help stem further spread of the novel coronavirus. That was three days too late for Latrise Bean. Early voting begins in crucial Florida as campaign enters closing stretch

Early voting for the Nov. 3 presidential election begins in the crucial battleground state of Florida on Monday as a record 28 million Americans have already cast ballots with barely two weeks remaining in the campaign. President Donald Trump, running out of time to change the dynamics of a race that polls show him losing, will visit Arizona on Monday after holding a rally in Nevada on Sunday and urging his supporters to vote amid signs that Democrats are leading the surge in early voting. U.S. judge strikes down USDA rule on food benefits during pandemic

A U.S. federal judge has struck down a Trump administration rule that would have cut food stamp benefits to almost 700,000 unemployed Americans amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, court documents showed. The judge, in a court filing, said the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been "icily silent" about how many people would have been denied the benefits with the changes. Trump's payments to farmers hit all-time high ahead of election

U.S. President Donald Trump is assuring a bumper year for farmers as the Nov. 3 election approaches, with record government subsidies projected to make up more than a third of farm income in 2020. The aid programs could be key to Trump's chances of success in swing states such as Wisconsin, Ohio, Iowa and Minnesota. Such states are hotly contested because their population can swing either to Republicans or Democrats and play a decisive role in presidential elections. Farmers favored the Republican president by a wide margin in the 2016 election. Factbox: Key court victories as campaigns battle over U.S. presidential election

Both sides in the U.S. presidential election are clashing in court over rules and procedures ahead of the Nov. 3 vote, as the coronavirus pandemic prompts hundreds of lawsuits over how people can cast their ballot. President Donald Trump's re-election campaign and the Republican National Committee have scored important victories, including a ruling in the battleground state of Florida that curtails the voting rights of hundreds of thousands of former felons. Democrats have also notched several big wins, from decisions on when mail-in ballots can be accepted to rulings rejecting Trump's repeated claims that mail-in voting will lead to widespread fraud. Twitter raps Trump COVID-19 adviser as U.S. cases rise

Twitter on Sunday removed a "misleading" tweet downplaying the efficacy of masks posted by a top coronavirus adviser to President Donald Trump, while U.S. cases surged before the Nov. 3 election. As the Trump administration fends off accusations that its mixed messaging on wearing masks hampered the fight against the coronavirus, Dr. Scott Atlas continued to minimize the importance of masks with a Twitter post on Saturday, saying, "Masks work? NO." In 2016, Trump won these Rust Belt counties on the economy. In 2020, he might lose them over coronavirus

Tanya Wojciak, a lifelong Republican and suburban mom from northeast Ohio, is the kind of battleground state voter President Donald Trump can't afford to lose - but already has. She is angry at Trump's handling of the novel coronavirus crisis that has killed more than 219,000 Americans, the largest death toll of any country. She lost a friend to COVID-19 in April.