Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Two other progressive lawmakers -- Representatives Ilhan Omar and Ayanna Pressley -- showed up to support her. U.S. administers 345.6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines - CDC The United States had administered 345,640,466 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country and distributed 400,675,525 doses as of Saturday morning, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

U.S. judge tells lawyers in Ghislaine Maxwell case to watch what they say

The U.S. judge overseeing Ghislaine Maxwell's criminal case on Friday admonished lawyers not to make out-of-court statements that could taint the British socialite's upcoming sex trafficking trial. U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan in Manhattan ruled a month after Maxwell lawyer David Markus said the overturning of actor Bill Cosby's sexual assault conviction justified ending Maxwell's prosecution https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-people-ghislaine-maxwell-cosby-idUKKCN2E82DN on charges that she groomed and trafficked underage girls for the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Disney makes vaccination mandatory for on-site U.S. employees

Walt Disney Co said on Friday it was making vaccination mandatory for all its on-site salaried and non-union hourly employees in the United States, as the highly infectious Delta COVID-19 variant drives a resurgence in cases. "Employees who aren't already vaccinated and are working on-site will have 60 days from today to complete their protocols and any employees still working from home will need to provide verification of vaccination prior to their return, with certain limited exceptions," Disney said.

U.S. CDC chief says there will be no federal mandate on COVID-19 vaccine

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said on Friday there will be no nationwide mandate for Americans to get a COVID-19 vaccine, clarifying comments she made earlier during a televised interview. "To clarify: There will be no nationwide mandate. I was referring to mandates by private institutions and portions of the federal government," Walensky wrote in a Twitter post. "There will be no federal mandate."

U.S. lawmaker spends night outside Capitol to protest return of evictions

U.S. Representative Cori Bush, who was evicted three times and lived in her car with her two children before her career in politics, spent a sleepless night on the U.S. Capitol steps to protest the end on Saturday of a pandemic freeze on evictions. Bush, a progressive Democrat who won her Missouri seat last year, managed about an hour of sleep sitting upright on a camp chair. Two other progressive lawmakers -- Representatives Ilhan Omar and Ayanna Pressley -- showed up to support her.

U.S. administers 345.6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines - CDC

The United States had administered 345,640,466 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country and distributed 400,675,525 doses as of Saturday morning, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The figures were up from the 344,928,514 vaccine doses the CDC said had gone into arms by July 30, out of 399,090,105 doses delivered.

Republicans trigger review of election officials in Georgia

Georgia Republicans on Friday triggered a formal review of election officials in Fulton County, a Democratic stronghold that includes Atlanta, the first step in a process that could lead to their removal and allow the Republican-controlled state legislature to take control of local election operations. Republican House lawmakers from Fulton County released a letter calling for a performance review of the county's election officials, where Democratic President Joe Biden won heavily in the 2020 election, propelling his surprise victory over former President Donald Trump in the battleground state.

U.S. Senate in rare Saturday session on $1 trln infrastructure bill

The U.S. Senate in a rare Saturday session worked on a bill that would spend $1 trillion on roads, rail lines and other infrastructure, as lawmakers from both parties sought to advance President Joe Biden's top legislative priority. The ambitious plan has the backing of Democrats and Republicans alike and has already cleared two hurdles by broad margins in the closely divided Senate.

U.S. COVID-19 residential eviction ban set to expire at midnight

A pandemic-related U.S. government ban on residential evictions was set to expire at midnight Saturday, putting millions of American renters at risk of being forced from their homes. On Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives adjourned without reviewing the tenant protections after a Republican congressman blocked a bid to extend it by unanimous consent until Oct. 18. Democratic leaders said they lacked sufficient support to put the proposal to a formal vote.

Trump helped raise more than $56 million online in early 2021

Former President Donald Trump helped raise more than $56 million from online donors during the first six months of this year, a campaign finance disclosure showed on Friday in a sign of Trump's power within the Republican Party. The "Trump Make America Great Again Committee," which raises money for the Republican Party and for fundraising groups controlled by Trump, brought in more than $34 million during the period, according to a report filed by Winred, the dominant online fundraising platform for Republicans.

U.S. sues Texas after it blocks transport of migrants in state

The U.S. Justice Department sued Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Friday, seeking to block an executive order that restricts the transport of migrants through the state and authorizes state troopers to pull over vehicles suspected of doing so. In a lawsuit filed in El Paso federal court, the Justice Department said Abbott's order, which he said was aimed at preventing migrants from potentially spreading the coronavirus, illegally infringes upon the federal government's jurisdiction over immigration matters.