US News Roundup: Trump signs U.S. reform bill into law after Nassar abuse scandal; Biden nears finish line with lead in polls, but Trump still close in swing states and more

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.

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.

Democratic presidential nominee Biden tested negative for COVID: campaign

Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Joe Biden tested negative for COVID-19 on Saturday, his campaign said in a statement. Trump launches final, two-day frenzy of campaigning in bid for surprise win

U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday launches his final, two-day sprint of campaigning across the battleground states of the 2020 election in a dramatic bid to defy the polls and win a come-from-behind victory over Democrat Joe Biden. Facing what appears to be a narrow path to re-election, Trump is to make stops in states likely to prove pivotal in deciding if he will remain in the White House for four more years or whether he will become the first president since George H.W. Bush in 1992 to fail in a bid for a second term.

U.S. judge to hear Republican bid to void 100,000 votes in Texas

A federal judge in Texas scheduled an emergency hearing for Monday on whether Houston officials unlawfully allowed drive-through voting and should toss more than 100,000 votes in the Democratic-leaning area. In a brief order, U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen in Houston on Friday agreed to hear arguments by a Republican state legislator and others that votes already cast at drive-through voting sites in the Houston area should be rejected.

Mexico says has no register of minors expelled by U.S. after NY Times report

The Mexican government said on Saturday it had no register of unaccompanied migrant children entering the country in response to a media report that U.S. officials have been sending back foreign minors to Mexico in breach of joint accords. The New York Times reported on Friday that U.S. border authorities have been expelling migrant children from other countries to Mexico, fueling tensions on an issue that has strained U.S.-Mexico ties under the Trump administration.

Analysis: Bidencare or Trumpcare? Health plans will affect the U.S. economy differently

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden wants to expand the Affordable Care Act, President Barack Obama's signature healthcare legislation, and then name it after himself. Republican President Donald Trump wants to end it altogether, and replace it with something that has yet to be defined.

Biden nears finish line with lead in polls, but Trump still close in swing states

With two days to go, Democrat Joe Biden holds a commanding national lead over President Donald Trump amid deep voter concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, but Trump is keeping his hopes alive by staying competitive in the swing states that could decide the White House race. Biden's national lead over the Republican president has stayed relatively steady in recent months as the public health crisis has persisted. He is ahead 51% to 43% in the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll taken Oct. 27-29.

Get-out-vote rally participants in North Carolina say police pepper-sprayed them

Peaceful participants at a rally in a small North Carolina city to turn out the vote ahead of Tuesday's U.S. presidential election were pepper-sprayed by law enforcement officials on Saturday, according to videos broadcast online and witnesses. Videos showed officers firing pepper spray into the crowd in Graham, a city of about 15,000 located about 40 miles from Raleigh-Durham. North Carolina is a crucial battleground state in the Nov. 3 contest between Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

Travelers to New York must quarantine for three days, then get coronavirus test

Most people arriving in New York state must quarantine for at least three full days before taking a coronavirus test, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Saturday as he overhauled one of the strictest quarantine regimes for travelers in the United States. If that test comes back negative, the traveler can leave quarantine. The requirements, which take effect on Wednesday, will not apply to residents of "contiguous" states, Cuomo told reporters, and there will be different requirements for New Yorkers who leave the state for less than 24 hours.

Trump signs U.S. reform bill into law after Nassar abuse scandal

U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday signed into law a bill designed to give Olympic athletes greater protection and more input into decision making in the wake of the Larry Nassar gymnastics sexual abuse scandal. The Empowering Olympic, Paralympic and Amateur Athletes Act increases funding for the U.S. Center for SafeSport and creates more athlete representation on the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) board and sport National Governing Bodies (NGB).