Reuters US Domestic News Summary

It was the latest court failure for Trump and his allies, who have lost dozens of cases in state and federal courts in an unsuccessful attempt to nullify the result of the Nov. 3 election.

Companies and industry groups lobbying to get their U.S. workers to the front of the line for COVID vaccination are running into a patchwork of state plans and confusion over who is essential, and who is not. Inoculation against the disease caused by the novel coronavirus is key to safely reopening large parts of the economy and reducing the risks of illness at crowded meatpacking plants, factories and warehouses. Biden pick for defense secretary in spotlight amid concerns over military background

President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday will formally introduce his pick for defense secretary, retired Army General Lloyd Austin, amid concern from some in Congress that the Pentagon should be led by a civilian rather than a career officer. Austin, who would be the country's first Black secretary of defense, has built a reputation as an intensely private man who avoided the spotlight during a distinguished four-decade career in uniform, including a stint as head of the military's Central Command, which oversees U.S. troops across the Middle East. Nevada's top court rejects Trump campaign's appeal to overturn election results

The Supreme Court of Nevada rejected an appeal late Tuesday from President Donald Trump's campaign to overturn the election results in the state, affirming President-elect Joe Biden's win in one of the battleground states that gave him overall victory. It was the latest court failure for Trump and his allies, who have lost dozens of cases in state and federal courts in an unsuccessful attempt to nullify the result of the Nov. 3 election. Trump says the result was fraudulent, but no court has found evidence to support his assertions. With vaccine drawing closer, U.S. tops 15 million coronavirus cases

U.S. coronavirus cases crossed the 15 million mark on Tuesday as regulators moved a step closer to approving a COVID-19 vaccine and Britain started inoculating people, offering hope of slowing a pandemic that killed 15,000 Americans in the last week alone. Record cases in at least three states - Arizona, Alabama and Ohio - pushed the cumulative case load to over 15 million, according to a Reuters tally of state and county data. With the virus showing no sign of abating, leading health officials are once again sounding the alarm of further spread when people gather for the year-end holidays.