Reuters US Domestic News Summary

U.S. Congress braces for marathon protest by Republicans over Trump's election defeat Donald Trump's flailing effort to overturn President-elect Joe Biden's victory comes down to the U.S. Congress on Wednesday in a showdown led by a band of Republican lawmakers that could stretch proceedings past midnight but is almost certain to fail.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. U.S. intelligence agencies say Russia likely behind hacking of government agencies

The office of the U.S. Director of National Intelligence on Tuesday said Russia was "likely" behind a string of hacks identified last month that gained access to several federal agencies. The office, along with the FBI, the National Security Agency, and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency inside the Department of Homeland Security, in a joint statement, said the hackers' goal appeared to be collecting intelligence, rather than any destructive acts. They said they had so far identified "fewer than 10" agencies that were hacked. Voters' confidence in accuracy of Georgia races lower than in November: poll

Georgia voters appeared less confident about the accuracy of the outcome in Tuesday's run-off races in their state to determine control of the U.S. Senate than they were in the presidential election results two months ago, an exit poll showed. Edison Research's poll of more than 5,200 voters who cast ballots in the two Senate contests showed more than seven in 10 were very or somewhat confident their vote would be counted accurately, down from 85% who registered confidence on that score in its Nov. 3 exit poll. U.S. House Republican Kevin Brady tests positive for COVID-19

U.S. Representative Kevin Brady, the top Republican on the House of Representatives tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, said on Tuesday that he had tested positive for coronavirus weeks after receiving a first dose of the Pfizer Inc COVID-19 vaccine. Brady, 65, is the second House member to report testing positive for the virus this week. An aide to Representative Kay Granger, 77, the top Republican on the House Appropriations Committee, announced on Monday that the lawmaker had tested positive. Democrats on brink of U.S. Senate control, winning one Georgia race and leading in second

Democrats won one U.S. Senate race in Georgia and surged ahead in another on Wednesday, moving closer to a stunning sweep that would give them control of Congress and the power to advance President-elect Joe Biden's policy goals. Raphael Warnock, a Baptist preacher from the historic church of Martin Luther King Jr., beat Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler to become the first Black senator in the history of the deep South state. Ambulances put on alert as Los Angeles hospitals swamped by COVID-19 patients

Los Angeles health officials have told first responders to stop bringing adult patients who cannot be resuscitated to hospitals, citing a shortage of beds and staff as the latest COVID-19 surge threatened to overwhelm healthcare systems in America's second-largest city. The order, issued late on Monday and effective immediately, marked an escalation of measures being taken by state and local officials nationwide in the face of alarming increases in COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths. U.S. Congress braces for marathon protest by Republicans over Trump's election defeat

Donald Trump's flailing effort to overturn President-elect Joe Biden's victory comes down to the U.S. Congress on Wednesday in a showdown led by a band of Republican lawmakers that could stretch proceedings past midnight but is almost certain to fail. Although Biden won the Nov. 3 election by more than 7 million popular votes and a 306-232 margin in the Electoral College, Trump -- without evidence -- continues to claim his victory was the result of widespread fraud. Despite Trump pressure, Pence will not block Biden's election certification: advisers

Despite pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to help overturn his election loss, Vice President Mike Pence will stick to his ceremonial duties and not block Wednesday's certification by Congress of President-elect Joe Biden's victory, advisers said. Trump ramped up pressure on Pence on Tuesday to block congressional certification of the November election results in an ongoing attempt to stay in power, after dozens of lawsuits by his campaign challenging the outcome failed in U.S. courts. White police officer cleared of charges in Wisconsin shooting of Black man

Wisconsin prosecutors on Tuesday cleared a white police officer of criminal charges in the shooting a Black man from behind in the presence of his young children, leaving him paralyzed and triggering deadly protests that inflamed U.S. racial tensions. Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley found officer Rusten Sheskey acted in self-defense while responding to a domestic dispute last Aug. 23 and shooting Jacob Blake seven times at close range, saying Blake was armed with a knife and had resisted arrest, withstanding multiple Taser shots. Proud Boys leader banned, arrests made in U.S. election protests

Washington police banned the leader of a far-right group from the city and made two arrests on Tuesday as protesters supporting President Donald Trump's attempts to overturn the election gathered in the city. Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the Proud Boys, who was arrested on Monday for destruction of property and possession of a firearm magazine, was released Tuesday and ordered to stay away from the city, according to a court document. U.S. judge denies effort to stop drilling auction in Arctic refuge

A federal judge in Alaska ruled late on Tuesday that the Trump administration's planned auction of oil drilling leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) could proceed as planned on Wednesday morning. The order by U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason comes after environmental groups and the indigenous people of northeastern Alaska sought a preliminary injunction to block the sale in the ecologically sensitive area.

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