Reuters US Domestic News Summary

(https://bit.ly/3zQJfNf) Factbox-What's in the U.S. Senate's bipartisan $1.2 tln infrastructure plan? A group of negotiators in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday said they have reached agreement on the major components of a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal - a key priority for President Joe Biden.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

White House tells agencies to mandate masks in federal buildings in hot spots

Numerous U.S. federal agencies on Wednesday mandated masks at federal buildings in COVID-19 hot spots in line with instructions issued by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), according to an OMB email seen by Reuters. The move followed guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday that vaccinated people should wear masks indoors in areas with substantial or high COVID-19 community transmission.

CDC says nearly 67% of U.S. counties have substantial, high COVID-19 transmission

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Wednesday that 66.6% of U.S. counties had transmission rates of COVID-19 high enough to warrant indoor masking and should immediately resume the policy. The transmission rate was up from 63.4% as of Tuesday. In total, 49.9% of U.S. counties have high COVID-19 community transmission rates and 16.7% have substantial rates, the CDC said. The CDC reversed its mask guidance policy for vaccinated Americans on Tuesday.

Man accused of using bear spray on police pleads not guilty in U.S. Capitol riot

A California man accused of attacking police with bear spray and a large metal sign during the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol assault by supporters of then-President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to federal charges including riot-related felonies. Maria Jacob, a lawyer for accused rioter Sean McHugh, told U.S. District Judge John Bates during a video hearing that her client was entering not guilty pleas to all charges against him including assaulting police using a dangerous weapon and engaging in violence on the Capitol grounds or in the building.

Big tech companies to allow only vaccinated U.S. employees into offices

Big tech companies are making it mandatory for employees in the United States to get COVID-19 vaccinations before entering campuses, as the highly infectious Delta variant of the virus drives a resurgence in cases across regions. Alphabet Inc's Google and Facebook Inc said on Wednesday all U.S. employees must get vaccinated to step into offices. Google is also planning to expand its vaccination drive to other regions in the coming months. (https://bit.ly/3zQJfNf)

Factbox-What's in the U.S. Senate's bipartisan $1.2 tln infrastructure plan?

A group of negotiators in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday said they have reached agreement on the major components of a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal - a key priority for President Joe Biden. The Senate will vote on Wednesday https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-senators-reach-deal-major-points-bipartisan-infrastructure-bill-2021-07-28 on whether to move forward with the package, which includes about $550 billion in new spending, the White House said. The rest of the $1.2 trillion will be previously approved spending for these areas.

U.S. Justice Dept. warns states to tread carefully in auditing elections

President Joe Biden's administration on Wednesday issued legal guidance aimed at curbing voting rights abuses in U.S. states such as Arizona, where Republican officials launched a contentious audit in a failed bid to reverse former President Donald Trump's 2020 election loss. In the guidance, the U.S. Justice Department raises concerns about the "unusual second round of examinations" into 2020 election results cropping up in various states even though none of the prior state recounts had "produced evidence of either wrongdoing or mistakes that casts any doubt on the outcome of the national election results."

U.S. Senate to vote on infrastructure after bipartisan breakthrough

The U.S. Senate will vote on Wednesday on whether to move forward on a $1.2 trillion infrastructure deal after negotiators reached agreement on the major components of the package that is a key priority of President Joe Biden, lawmakers said. The bipartisan agreement https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN2EY2VP, which follows months of talks between Senate Democrats and Republicans, is expected to gain strong support from lawmakers from both parties.

U.S. House panel seeks J&J documents on baby powder bankruptcy plans

A U.S. congressional panel has asked Johnson & Johnson to provide it all documents related to the company's plans to put its talc liabilities into bankruptcy, according to a letter sent on Wednesday and seen by Reuters. Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi, chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Reform's subcommittee on economic and consumer policy, wrote that the panel is trying to learn how J&J's plans may affect people who have said they were harmed by the company's baby powder.

Trump, children cannot arbitrate marketing scam case -U.S. appeals court

A federal appeals court said former U.S. President Donald Trump and his adult children cannot move into arbitration a fraud lawsuit accusing them of exploiting their family name to promote a marketing scam targeting the poor and working class. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said the plaintiffs' agreements to arbitrate claims against the multi-level marketing company American Communications Network did not extend to the Trumps, who had not signed those agreements.

Analysis-U.S. Supreme Court's 'shadow docket' favored religion and Trump

As midnight approached on the eve of the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, the conservative-majority Supreme Court granted emergency requests by Christian and Jewish groups challenging COVID-19 crowd restrictions imposed by New York state. The twin 5-4 decisions in favor of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn and two Orthodox Jewish congregations were two of 10 decisions in the past year backing religious groups chafing under pandemic-related measures that forced them to close their doors or otherwise limit usual activities.