Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Explainer: Red mirage, blue mirage - Beware of early U.S. election wins Imagine that the polls have closed in Florida, counties are beginning to report early vote counts, and it looks like former Vice President Joe Biden is way ahead.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. U.S. Senate panel poised to advance Trump Supreme Court pick as Democrats boycott

The Republican-led Senate Judiciary Committee is set to vote on Thursday on President Donald Trump's nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to a lifetime U.S. Supreme Court post, with Democrats boycotting the proceedings after fiercely opposing her confirmation. Barrett, a federal appeals court judge whose confirmation would expand the top U.S. judicial body's conservative majority to 6-3, was poised to win the 22-member committee's approval with unified support among its 12 Republican members even with the Democrats vowing to stay away. Special Report: Why the Pennsylvania vote count might throw U.S. into political crisis

Here in the birthplace of American democracy, election officials are scrambling to prepare for a presidential vote they fear could plunge the nation into a historic political crisis. Philadelphia’s Board of Elections plans to move its counting operations to a 125,000-square foot space in the city’s convention center. Dozens of staffers, feeding expensive new machines to open envelopes and process mail-in ballots, will spend days tallying hundreds of thousands of votes - under intense scrutiny from partisan observers. The workers likely will discard thousands of ballots that are not properly completed or do not arrive in a special “secrecy envelope.” Outside, police officers redeployed from their neighborhood districts will conduct round-the-clock patrols to guard against violence among protesters, a police source told Reuters. In rare move, U.S. federal court allows military sexual assault case to continue

A federal court on Thursday allowed a sexual assault case against the second-highest-ranking military official to proceed, a rare move that legal experts say could potentially chip away at such cases usually staying in the military justice system. Last year, General John Hyten, now the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was accused of sexually assaulting a female officer under his previous command. California drivers sue Uber over in-app messages asking to support ballot measure

California Uber Technologies Inc drivers on Thursday sued the ride-hailing company over in-app messages regarding an upcoming gig worker ballot measure that the drivers say violate a California law protecting their political rights. The lawsuit says Uber is unlawfully pressuring drivers via the app to support the Nov. 3 company-sponsored ballot measure, known as Proposition 22, via the app. Gilead's remdesivir gets U.S. FDA approval for hospitalized COVID-19 patients

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved Gilead Sciences Inc's antiviral drug remdesivir for treating patients hospitalized with COVID-19, making it the first and only drug approved for the disease in the United States. Remdesivir, given intravenously, was one of the drugs used to treat U.S. President Donald Trump during his bout with COVID-19. White House Chief of Staff Meadows says coronavirus relief talks in new phase

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows on Thursday said negotiations with lawmakers on a coronavirus relief package, now totaling $1.9 trillion, have entered a new phase with congressional committee chairs meeting and the two sides trading technical language. Meadows reiterated that his boss President Donald Trump is willing "to go bigger" on a coronavirus deal but only to boost certain line items, namely including direct payments to families. Walmart sues federal government over opioid case

Walmart Inc said on Thursday it had filed a lawsuit against the federal government, seeking clarity on the roles and legal responsibilities of pharmacists and pharmacies in filling opioid prescriptions. Walmart said certain officials in the U.S. Justice Department are threatening to sue the retail giant, claiming pharmacists should have refused to fill otherwise valid opioid prescriptions. Exclusive: Biden campaign tells miners it supports domestic production of EV metals

Joe Biden's campaign has privately told U.S. miners it would support boosting domestic production of metals used to make electric vehicles, solar panels and other products crucial to his climate plan, according to three sources familiar with the matter, in a boon for the mining industry. The Obama administration enacted rigorous environmental regulations that slowed U.S. mining sector growth during its time in office. Biden, who served as Obama's vice president and is well-regarded in conservation circles, has been expected to continue in that vein. Explainer: Red mirage, blue mirage - Beware of early U.S. election wins

Imagine that the polls have closed in Florida, counties are beginning to report early vote counts, and it looks like former Vice President Joe Biden is way ahead. An hour later, Pennsylvania counties begin to report and it seems to be a slam dunk for U.S. President Donald Trump. Don't be fooled, voting experts and academics say. Early vote counts in the most competitive, battleground states can be particularly misleading this election because of the surge in mail-in or absentee ballots, and the different ways that they are processed. In final Trump-Biden showdown, less chaos but plenty of clashes

U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden offered sharply contrasting views on the still-raging coronavirus pandemic at Thursday's final presidential debate, seeking to persuade the few remaining undecided voters 12 days before their Nov. 3 contest. Trump, a Republican, adopted a more restrained tone than he did during a chaotic first debate in September, when he repeatedly interrupted Biden. But Thursday's clash still featured plenty of personal attacks between two men who evince little respect for each other, and Trump kept fact-checkers busy by leveling unfounded corruption accusations at Biden and his family.