US Domestic News Roundup: Biden says U.S. reviewing European travel ban, sees update in coming days; Oregon wildfire displaces 2,000 residents as blazes flare across U.S. West and more

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who like Biden is a Democrat, told the Senate the bipartisan infrastructure bill https://www.reuters.com/world/us/whats-us-senates-12-trillion-infrastructure-plan-2021-06-24 would face an initial procedural floor vote on Wednesday, but some Republicans working on the bill raised doubts they could meet the deadline. CDC defends U.S. transit mask mandate as some call for scrapping A senior U.S. health official who signed a sweeping order for masks to be worn on nearly all forms of public transport said they were a key tool in preventing COVID-19 transmission even as some lawmakers call for ending the rules.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Biden says U.S. reviewing European travel ban, sees update in coming days

President Joe Biden said on Thursday the United States is reviewing when it can lift restrictions that ban most-non U.S. citizens from traveling to the United States from much of Europe after German Chancellor Angela Merkel raised the issue. "It's in the process now," Biden said of discussions about when restrictions could be lifted. He said he expects to be able to answer "within the next several days what is likely to happen... I'm waiting to hear from our folks in our COVID team as to when that should be done."

Oregon wildfire displaces 2,000 residents as blazes flare across U.S. West

Hand crews backed by water-dropping helicopters struggled on Thursday to suppress a huge wildfire that displaced roughly 2,000 residents in southern Oregon, the largest among dozens of blazes raging across the drought-stricken western United States. The Bootleg fire has charred more than 227,000 acres (91,860 hectares) of desiccated timber and brush in and around the Fremont-Winema National Forest since erupting on July 6 about 250 miles (400 km) south of Portland.

U.S. Senate scrambles to finish infrastructure bill ahead of vote

The U.S. Senate majority leader pressed lawmakers on Thursday to make progress on President Joe Biden's agenda, setting up a vote on a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill and demanding Democrats back a larger $3.5 trillion budget blueprint. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who like Biden is a Democrat, told the Senate the bipartisan infrastructure bill https://www.reuters.com/world/us/whats-us-senates-12-trillion-infrastructure-plan-2021-06-24 would face an initial procedural floor vote on Wednesday, but some Republicans working on the bill raised doubts they could meet the deadline.

CDC defends U.S. transit mask mandate as some call for scrapping

A senior U.S. health official who signed a sweeping order for masks to be worn on nearly all forms of public transport said they were a key tool in preventing COVID-19 transmission even as some lawmakers call for bending the rules. Marty Cetron, director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, told Reuters Thursday the agency's "current position" is the mandate should not be lifted.

The Warthog and the senator: The politics of retiring a warplane

The U.S. Air Force is desperate to get rid of some of its fleet of expensive, slow and outdated A-10 Warthog airplanes, but politicians have blocked the move, aiming to keep the local dollars flowing. President Joe Biden wants to retire dozens of the 40-year-old warplanes to free up funding to modernize the military. But within weeks of the release of his proposed defense budget, Democrats drafted a law to keep the planes, many of which are based in Arizona, where Senator Mark Kelly is up for re-election in 2022.

Biden sees U.S. child tax credit as 'giant step' to counter poverty

Some 35 million American families have received their first monthly payout from the U.S. government in an expanded income-support program that President Joe Biden said on Thursday could help end child poverty. Under the Child Tax Credit program that was broadened under Biden's COVID-19 stimulus, eligible families collect an initial monthly payment of up to $300 for each child under six years old and up to $250 for each older child.

Uber reaches agreement in California sexual assault data request

Uber Technologies Inc on Thursday reached a preliminary agreement with a California regulator for sharing data on sexual assault and harassment claims on its platform while protecting victims' privacy and avoiding a $59 million fine. Under the proposal outlined in a regulatory filing with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), the penalty would be reduced to $150,000, but Uber would pay $9 million to support a state victims' fund and help create industry-wide safety and reporting standards.

Biden supports Senate push on military justice overhaul, Gillibrand says

President Joe Biden is "110 percent" behind a legislative push to overhaul the military justice system to better serve victims of sexual assault and other major crimes, the bill's champion, Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, said on Thursday. Gillibrand's remarks to defense reporters came nearly two weeks after Biden endorsed a key component of her legislation: taking decisions about prosecuting sexual assault away from military commanders and giving them to independent prosecutors.

U.S. House committee advances China bill without Republican backing

A U.S. House of Representatives committee advanced legislation on Thursday intended to boost competitiveness with China, without support from Republicans who objected to some climate-related provisions and said it was too soft on Beijing. The "Ensuring American Global Leadership and Engagement Act," or Eagle Act, passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee by 26-20, with Democrats voting yes and Republicans opposed.

Mask mandate returns to Los Angeles as coronavirus cases rise

Los Angeles County will reimpose its mask mandate this weekend in the latest sign that public health officials are struggling with an alarming rise in coronavirus cases tied to the highly contagious Delta variant. The county, home to 10 million people and the nation's second-largest city, Los Angeles, is one of several jurisdictions to recommend or mandate wearing masks or other pandemic restrictions in recent days as cases rise to worrisome levels in many parts of the United States.

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