Reuters US Domestic News Summary

'Healing is coming': First Americans vaccinated as U.S. death toll passes 300,000 A New York City intensive care unit nurse on Monday became the first person in the United States to receive a coronavirus vaccine, calling it a sign that "healing is coming," as the nation's COVID-19 death toll crossed a staggering 300,000 lives lost.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. Dueling paths for coronavirus relief, budget bills as U.S. Congress enters key week

Twin efforts were underway in the U.S. Congress on Monday to reach a massive government spending deal that would avert a government shutdown, as Republicans and Democrats insisted they want to include a fresh round of aid to a coronavirus-hit nation. The leaders of both parties appeared more upbeat about doing the first COVID-19 aid bill since April, while a bipartisan group of lawmakers were pitching their own approach. The COVID-19 aid could be attached to a critical spending measure that must be passed by Friday to avoid a federal government shutdown. U.S. Electoral College formally confirms Joe Biden's victory over Trump

Democrat Joe Biden on Monday won the state-by-state Electoral College vote that formally determines the U.S. presidency, all but ending President Donald Trump's floundering campaign to overturn his loss in the Nov. 3 election. California, the most populous state, delivered its 55 electoral votes to Biden on Monday afternoon, officially putting the former vice president over the 270 votes needed to secure the White House. Based on November's results, Biden earned 306 Electoral College votes to the Republican Trump's 232. U.S. crosses 300,000 COVID-19 deaths as vaccine rollout begins

The number of coronavirus deaths in the United States crossed 300,000 on Monday, according to Reuters tally, as the hardest hit nation rolled out its first vaccine inoculations on Monday. The staggering death toll comes as the nation begins a historic inoculation campaign using a vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE. Moderna Inc's vaccine could get approval as soon as this week. Senior Republicans reject talk of overturning election in U.S. Senate

Senior Republican U.S. senators on Monday rejected the idea of overturning the 2020 presidential election in Congress, as a few of President Donald Trump's most loyal backers contemplated a last-ditch effort to reverse his defeat. Senator John Thune, the Senate's No. 2 Republican, said lawmakers had the right to challenge electoral votes but that the effort would get little support. "It's their prerogative, it's allowed for in the Constitution, but it's not going anywhere," he told reporters. Georgia voters start early visits to polls in elections that will set U.S. Senate control

Hundreds of people lined up in a cold rain on Monday to cast ballots in a pair of U.S. Senate races in Georgia that will determine control of the chamber and influence Democratic President-elect Joe Biden's ability to enact his agenda. The Southern state, dominated by Republicans for decades, is now one of the most competitive U.S. political battlegrounds after Biden's narrow victory in the Nov. 3 presidential election. President Donald Trump and other top Republicans have campaigned to help incumbent Republican senators David Purdue and Kelly Loeffler win on Jan. 5, while Democrats have spent millions to back challengers Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock. U.S. Attorney General Barr steps down as Trump election defeat confirmed

U.S. Attorney General William Barr will step down next week, he said on Monday, as the Electoral College confirmed President Donald Trump's loss to Democratic President-elect Joe Biden. Barr, who had angered Trump by not supporting his incorrect claims that the Nov. 3 election result had been tainted by widespread fraud, said he would leave office on Dec. 23, a little less than a month before Biden is sworn in on Jan. 20. California fines Uber for failure to cooperate with assault probe

Ride-hailing firm Uber Technologies Inc was fined $59 million on Monday for failing to provide the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) with information on certain sexual assault and harassment claims. Uber's permit could be suspended if it fails to pay the penalty within 30 days, according to the ruling. (https://bit.ly/3nk0ikP) U.S. records deadliest week since pandemic started with 17,000 deaths

The United States lost more than 17,000 people to COVID-19 last week, the largest number since the beginning of the global pandemic, with North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa reporting the most deaths per capita in the past seven days. Even as the first Americans were given the newly approved Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine on Monday, health officials warned that infections will continue to rise in the coming weeks as families gather for the holiday season. 'Healing is coming': First Americans vaccinated as U.S. death toll passes 300,000

A New York City intensive care unit nurse on Monday became the first person in the United States to receive a coronavirus vaccine, calling it a sign that "healing is coming," as the nation's COVID-19 death toll crossed a staggering 300,000 lives lost. Sandra Lindsay, who has treated some of the sickest COVID-19 patients for months, was inoculated at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in the New York City borough of Queens, an early epicenter of the country's coronavirus outbreak, receiving applause on a livestream with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Picture and its story: Reuters photographer captures police shooting of gunman at Manhattan church

When an outdoor Christmas concert in upper Manhattan turned deadly on a warm Sunday afternoon, a Reuters photographer recorded the violent scene and its aftermath. Jeenah Moon, based in New York, was assigned to document a holiday music concert on the steps of a historic Episcopal cathedral on Amsterdam Avenue and West 113th Street, held in the fresh air because of coronavirus restrictions. The performance ended and audience members were milling about, hoping for a chance to see inside the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, the world's second-largest Anglican cathedral.