Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. California at COVID-19 'tipping point' as Trump administration hopes for vaccines by Christmas

California's governor said on Monday the state was at a "tipping point" in the COVID-19 pandemic that would soon overwhelm hospitals as political leaders nationwide turn to increasingly aggressive measures to hold back the latest surge. Governor Gavin Newsom said he may clamp new "stay-at-home" orders on California's roughly 40 million residents in the face of infections and hospitalizations that are still rising weeks before emergency vaccines are predicted for release.

Wisconsin confirms result handing state's presidential contest to Biden The Wisconsin Elections Commission's chair on Monday confirmed the election result in the state following a recount in two counties, bringing Democratic President-elect Joe Biden closer to an official Electoral College victory in the key swing state.

Georgia probing voter-registration groups ahead of critical U.S. Senate races Election authorities in Georgia have opened investigations into progressive groups trying to sign up new voters in advance of twin January elections that will determine control of the U.S. Senate, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said on Monday. Raffensperger, a Republican, said his office was examining registration efforts by America Votes, Vote Forward and the New Georgia Project. He said some groups had been encouraging people who lived outside Georgia to register to vote in the state.

Biden budget pick Neera Tanden a lightning rod in Washington Neera Tanden, President-elect Joe Biden's outspoken nominee to head the Office of Management and Budget, faces a challenge winning Senate confirmation after a Washington career in which she has crossed powerful figures on both the right and left. Biden unveiled many of his top economic nominees on Monday, including Treasury Secretary nominee Janet Yellen.

U.S. congressional hearing likely to spotlight Powell, Mnuchin split over pandemic lending U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell appear before a congressional panel on Tuesday in a hearing likely to highlight divisions over what more should be done in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and particularly on the fate of Fed emergency programs Mnuchin wants closed. A vaccine is on the horizon, with inoculations potentially beginning this month. But coronavirus case rates have surged, the economy remains in recession, and U.S. policymakers are divided over whether a full-on crisis response is still needed or whether any further help should target unemployed families and small businesses.

U.S. 'war on drugs' in Latin America needs overhaul amid COVID-19 challenges, report says The United States' anti-drug policy in Latin America needs to change if Washington is to effectively combat a problem worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, a U.S. congressional commission will say in a bipartisan report coming out this week.

The 117-page report urges "smarter" interagency policies led by the U.S. State Department to reduce the supply of dangerous drugs. It also calls on authorities to combat money laundering by blocking the flow of illicit funds using cryptocurrencies and complex cross-border financial transactions. Biden shortlist for White House key environmental post shows focus on environmental justice

President-elect Joe Biden is vetting three environmental justice leaders to head up the White House agency that will take the lead in coordinating efforts to safeguard communities disproportionately affected by pollution, according to sources familiar with the process. The shortlist for head of the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) signals a focus by the incoming Biden administration on environmental policies that aim to ensure improved clean air and water for poor and minority communities that have historically taken the brunt of industrial pollution. U.S. Congress races to avoid December government shutdown amid pandemic

The U.S. Congress on Monday began a two-week sprint to rescue the federal government from a possible shutdown amid the coronavirus pandemic, the first major test since the election of whether Republicans and Democrats intend to cooperate. Government funding for nearly all federal agencies expires on Dec. 11. Congressional negotiators have made progress on how to divvy up around $1.4 trillion to be spent by Sept. 30, 2021, the end of the current fiscal year, according to a House of Representatives Democratic aide. Biden to introduce top economic advisers as pandemic threat worsens

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden will formally introduce his top economic policy advisers on Tuesday as his administration prepares to take power amid a slowing economic recovery hampered by the resurgent coronavirus pandemic. Biden will appear at an event in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, alongside his selections for senior roles, including his nominee for U.S. Treasury secretary, former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen. U.S. coronavirus adviser Scott Atlas resigns

Dr. Scott Atlas has resigned as special adviser on the coronavirus to President Donald Trump, a White House official said on Monday, after a controversial four months during which he clashed repeatedly with other members of the coronavirus task force. Voters' unhappiness with Trump's response to the global pandemic that has killed hundreds of thousands helped propel his challenger, Democrat Joe Biden, to victory in the Nov. 3 election.