US News Roundup: Pence aide tests positive for coronavirus; Trump goes on offensive against Biden with trip to New Hampshire and more

"Vice President Pence and Mrs. Pence both tested negative for COVID-19 today, and remain in good health," said Devin O’Malley, adding that Pence would maintain his scheduled "in accordance with the CDC guidelines for essential personnel." Jared and Ivanka threaten lawsuit over Times Square billboards President Donald Trump's daughter and son-in-law, both top White House aides, are threatening to sue a group of anti-Trump Republicans for posting billboard ads in New York City's Times Square linking them to the country's almost 225,000 coronavirus deaths.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Analysis: U.S. Supreme Court nominee Barrett often rules for police in excessive force cases

In her three years as a federal appeals court judge, U.S. Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett has consistently sided with police or prison guards accused of using excessive force, a Reuters review of cases she was involved in shows. Barrett, Republican President Donald Trump's third nominee to the high court, has written opinions or been a part of three-judge panels that have ruled in favor of defendants in 11 of 12 cases in which law enforcement was accused of using excessive force in violation of the U.S. Constitution.

Pence aide tests positive for coronavirus, spokesman says

Marc Short, the chief of staff for Vice President Mike Pence, has tested positive for the new coronavirus, a spokesman for the vice president said on Saturday. "Vice President Pence and Mrs. Pence both tested negative for COVID-19 today, and remain in good health," said Devin O’Malley, adding that Pence would maintain his scheduled "in accordance with the CDC guidelines for essential personnel."

Jared and Ivanka threaten lawsuit over Times Square billboards

President Donald Trump's daughter and son-in-law, both top White House aides, are threatening to sue a group of anti-Trump Republicans for posting billboard ads in New York City's Times Square linking them to the country's almost 225,000 coronavirus deaths. A lawyer representing Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, made the threat on Friday in a letter to the Lincoln Project, calling the ads "false, malicious and defamatory" and saying they constituted "outrageous and shameful libel."

Fired-up New Yorkers stand in line for hours to cast early votes

New Yorkers jammed polling places and stood in line for hours to cast ballots on the state's first day of early voting on Saturday, rushing to record their choices 10 days ahead of the Nov. 3 presidential election. Long lines formed before polls opened across New York City and Long Island, videos on social media showed, as New Yorkers joined a flood of more than 56 million Americans across the country who have cast early ballots at a record-setting pace.

Trump goes on offensive against Biden with trip to New Hampshire

President Donald Trump will go on the offensive against Democratic rival Joe Biden on Sunday with a campaign trip to New Hampshire, a state he narrowly lost in 2016 but is trying to reclaim in this year's White House race. With nine days left until the Nov. 3 U.S. elections, the Republican president is storming his way through top battleground states in a late push to make up ground against Biden, who leads in national opinion polls.

Police officer fired after shooting of Black couple in Illinois

A police officer in Waukegan, Illinois, was fired after he shot and killed an unarmed Black teenager and wounded the young man's 20-year-old Black girlfriend during a traffic stop earlier this week. The unidentified officer was terminated from his job on Friday night for multiple policy and procedure violations, the Waukegan Police Department said in a statement, three days after the incident left 19-year-old Marcellis Stinnette dead and his girlfriend Tafarra Williams wounded.

Majority will accept result of U.S. election, even if they dislike the winner: Reuters/Ipsos poll

As the 2020 presidential election enters its final week, a majority of Americans appear ready to accept the result of an exhausting campaign even if their preferred candidate loses, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found. Its latest survey, conducted from Oct. 13-20, shows that 79% of all Americans, including 59% of those who want to re-elect President Donald Trump, will accept a win by Democratic challenger Joe Biden even if they may not support a Biden presidency.

Barrett Supreme Court confirmation to edge closer with Sunday vote

The Republican-controlled U.S. Senate on Sunday plans to move closer toward a final confirmation vote on President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, on Monday, just over a week before Election Day. With Republicans controlling the chamber 53-47 and no indication of an internal revolt against the conservative appeals court judge replacing liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Barrett looks almost certain to take up a lifetime appointment on the bench over universal Democratic opposition.

U.S. sets single-day record for COVID-19 cases during new surge

More than 84,000 people were diagnosed with COVID-19 across the United States on Friday, according to a Reuters tally, a record one-day increase in infections during the pandemic as the virus surges again nationwide. The spike to 84,218 cases, breaking the record of 77,299 set on July 16, comes as University of Washington researchers forecast that the U.S. death toll from COVID-19 could reach a total of 500,000 by February.

Exclusive: U.S. State Department suspends all diversity training after Trump's directive

The U.S. State Department has suspended all training programs for employees related to diversity and inclusion, an internal cable obtained by Reuters showed, after President Donald Trump directed federal agencies last month to end programs deemed divisive by the White House. "Beginning Friday, October 23, 2020, the Department is temporarily pausing all training programs related to diversity and inclusion in accordance with Executive Order ... on Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping," the cable said.

(With inputs from agencies.)