Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Biden, the Democratic former vice president, said President Donald Trump needs to squarely place blame for the hack on Russia - something he has yet to do even though both Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Attorney General William Barr have accused Moscow. U.S. sues Walmart saying pharmacies fueled opioid crisis, retailer rejects allegations The U.S. Justice Department sued Walmart Inc on Tuesday, accusing the world's biggest retailer of fueling the opioid crisis in the United States, ignoring warning signs from its pharmacists and filling thousands of invalid prescriptions.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. Pfizer nears deal with U.S. government to supply additional COVID-19 vaccine doses - NYT

Pfizer Inc is close to striking a deal with the U.S. government to supply at least tens of millions of additional doses of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate next year in exchange for a government directive giving it better access to manufacturing supplies, the New York Times reported on Tuesday. An agreement could be announced as early as Wednesday, the newspaper reported https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/22/us/pfizer-vaccine-trump-administration.html, citing people familiar with the discussions.

First Latino will represent California in U.S. Senate -governor California Governor Gavin Newsom said on Tuesday he will name Alex Padilla to the U.S. Senate to fill the remainder of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris's term. Padilla, the California secretary of state and the son of Mexican immigrants, will become the first Latino to represent California in the Senate. Harris is set to take office as vice president on Jan. 20.

No evidence that cyber attack on U.S. is under control -Biden President-elect Joe Biden said on Tuesday he had seen no evidence that a massive cyber attack against the United States is under control and warned that the breach will not go unanswered once he takes office on Jan. 20. Biden, the Democratic former vice president, said President Donald Trump needs to squarely place blame for the hack on Russia - something he has yet to do even though both Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Attorney General William Barr have accused Moscow.

U.S. sues Walmart saying pharmacies fueled opioid crisis, retailer rejects allegations The U.S. Justice Department sued Walmart Inc on Tuesday, accusing the world's biggest retailer of fueling the opioid crisis in the United States, ignoring warning signs from its pharmacists and filling thousands of invalid prescriptions. In a civil lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Delaware, the government said Walmart failed to take its gatekeeping duties as a pharmacy seriously, allegations the company rejected.

'My second life': California nurse walks out of hospital after 8-month COVID-19 ordeal As a veteran ICU nurse whose job is to care for the most critically ill patients at her hospital in Long Beach, California, Merlin Pambuan was well aware of the deadly ravages COVID-19 can inflict on the human body. Last spring in a tragic role reversal, Pambuan became one of those patients - admitted to the intensive care unit of St. Mary Medical Center, her workplace for the past 40 years, where she was rendered unconscious by paralysis-inducing sedation and placed on a ventilator to breathe. A feeding tube was later added.

Despite 'three martini' tax break, COVID-19 bill leaves struggling U.S. restaurants cold The $900 billion coronavirus relief package passed by the U.S. Congress https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-congress/after-months-of-inaction-u-s-congress-approves-892-billion-covid-19-relief-package-idUSKBN28V176 on Monday contains a high-profile tax loophole for business meals, but not the one thing most requested by independent U.S. restaurants which have been devastated by the pandemic: cash.

The Republican-backed "three-martini lunch deduction" doubles an existing tax break, allowing companies to write off 100% of business dining expenses through 2022. The loophole's defenders say it supports the hard-hit restaurant industry. U.S. judge weighs future of deportation relief program for ‘Dreamer’ immigrants

A Texas-led coalition of nine states urged a federal judge on Tuesday to invalidate a program that grants hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought to the United States as children the ability to live and work in the country. During a court hearing in Houston that lasted more than three hours, the states argued that the program, known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), was not created lawfully by former President Barack Obama in 2012. BNSF Railway crude train derails in Washington state, causes fire

Seven BNSF Railway tank cars carrying crude oil derailed in Custer, Washington, on Tuesday, with two catching fire, the company said. No crew members on board were injured in the incident, which took place around noon local time, the Berkshire Hathaway Inc unit said in an earlier email. After months of inaction, U.S. Congress approves $892 billion COVID-19 relief package

The U.S. Congress on Monday approved an $892 billion coronavirus aid package, throwing a lifeline to the nation's pandemic-battered economy after months of inaction, while also keeping the federal government funded. President Donald Trump is expected to sign the package into law. U.S. under siege from COVID-19 as hospitals overwhelmed before holidays

Americans were warned again on Tuesday not to travel for Christmas as the latest COVID-19 surge left hospitals struggling to find beds for the sick and political leaders imposed restrictions to try to curb new infections, making for a grim holiday season. A new, even more contagious variant of the coronavirus quickly spreading across Britain caused more fear in Americans already weary from nine months of the pandemic and prompted talks among top U.S. officials to ban travel from the United Kingdom