Reuters US Domestic News Summary

The crackdown came a week after the United States' most populous city passed a vaccine mandate for all healthcare workers at city-run hospitals and clinics. New York's $200 french fries offer 'escape' from reality Jerome Powell, this story's for you.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

A tense Sunday in rural Ohio watching an Olympian do his thing

The parents and grandparents of Olympic backstroke swimmer Hunter Armstrong could not travel to see the 20-year-old compete in Tokyo because of COVID restrictions. Like millions of others, they watched on TV. It was 8 p.m. in Tokyo and 7 in the morning in small-town Dover, Ohio, and Armstrong was vying for one of sixteen spots in the 100 meter backstroke semifinals.

U.S. veterans agency mandates COVID-19 shots for medical staff

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday mandated that its doctors and other medical staff get COVID-19 vaccines, becoming the first federal agency to impose such a requirement at a time of entrenched vaccine reluctance by some Americans. "It's the best way to keep Veterans safe, especially as the Delta variant spreads across the country," Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Denis McDonough said in a statement.

U.S. will not lift travel restrictions, citing Delta variant -White House

The United States will not lift any existing travel restrictions "at this point" due to concerns over the highly transmissible COVID-19 Delta variant and the rising number of U.S. coronavirus cases, the White House confirmed on Monday. The decision, which was first reported by Reuters, comes after a senior level White House meeting late on Friday. It means that the long-running travel restrictions that have barred much of the world's population from the United States since 2020 will not be lifted in the short term.

U.S. new home sales hit 14-month low amid supply constraints

Sales of new U.S. single-family homes tumbled to a 14-month low in June and sales in the prior month were weaker than initially estimated, the latest signs that expensive lumber and shortages of other building materials were hurting the housing market. The third straight monthly decline in sales reported by the Commerce Department on Monday followed news last week that permits for future homebuilding dropped to a nine-month low in June while home resales rebounded modestly. Higher production costs are forcing builders to scale back, keeping supply tight and boosting home prices to the detriment of first-time buyers.

Trump ally Barrack pleads not guilty in UAE lobbying case

Former U.S. President Donald Trump's billionaire ally Thomas Barrack pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges of illegal lobbying for the United Arab Emirates, putting the case on course for a possible trial. Barrack entered his plea to seven criminal counts before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sanket Bulsara in Brooklyn.

Final death toll from Florida condominium collapse put at 98

Remains of the last person still listed as missing in the collapse of a Miami-area condominium tower on June 24 have been recovered and identified, bringing the final confirmed death toll to 98, the Miami-Dade County mayor said on Monday. Remains of the final victim were found by search teams on July 20, and medical examiners had been working since then to positively identify the victim before making Monday's announcement, officials said.

Fresh skirmishes slow U.S. Senate bipartisan infrastructure talks

Fresh squabbles erupted on Monday between Republicans and Democrats negotiating details of a $1.2 trillion infrastructure plan sought by President Joe Biden, casting doubt on how quickly the U.S. Senate could try again to begin formal debate. The chamber's top Democrat, Chuck Schumer, said that the Senate may work through the coming weekend and into its scheduled August recess if needed to craft a deal.

Biden nominates top prosecutors, including one to oversee Jan. 6 riot cases

U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday nominated a slate of eight people to serve as U.S. attorneys, including the top federal prosecutor who will oversee the Jan. 6 Capitol riots cases if he is confirmed, and a progressive prosecutor in Massachusetts. Matthew Graves, a former federal prosecutor now with the corporate law firm DLA Piper, is Biden's choice to run the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, which has been overwhelmed with a flood of cases stemming from the riots.

New York City, California order government workers to get COVID vaccine

Political leaders in California and New York City on Monday ordered government workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or face regular tests, ratcheting up the pressure on reluctant residents in a bid to stem a rise in infections blamed on the Delta variant. New York City will require its more than 300,000 employees to get vaccinated by Sept. 13 or get tested weekly, Mayor Bill de Blasio said. The crackdown came a week after the United States' most populous city passed a vaccine mandate for all healthcare workers at city-run hospitals and clinics.

New York's $200 french fries offer 'escape' from reality

Jerome Powell, this story's for you. The Federal Reserve chair, always on the look-out for signs of inflation, might want to drop by Manhattan's Upper East Side, where a $200 plate of french fries stretches the definition of haute cuisine.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)