US Domestic News Roundup: Biden leans into ties with organized labor with visit to AFL-CIO Convention; Factbox-Three key races in South Carolina, Nevada midterm primaries and more

The labor federation comprises 57 affiliated unions and 12.5 million workers. Factbox-Three key races in South Carolina, Nevada midterm primaries Voters in South Carolina and Nevada will pick candidates for the U.S. Congress and other offices in primaries on Tuesday, testing former President Donald Trump's power over the Republican Party ahead of the Nov. 8 midterm elections.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Biden leans into ties with organized labor with visit to AFL-CIO Convention

U.S. President Joe Biden will attend a union convention in Philadelphia on Tuesday as he seeks to deepen relationships with organized labor and improve his approval ratings and popularity among Democrats, which have taken a hit recently. Biden will speak at the AFL-CIO Constitutional Convention, which is held every four years, and where labor leaders chart strategy. The labor federation comprises 57 affiliated unions and 12.5 million workers.

Factbox-Three key races in South Carolina, Nevada midterm primaries

Voters in South Carolina and Nevada will pick candidates for the U.S. Congress and other offices in primaries on Tuesday, testing former President Donald Trump's power over the Republican Party ahead of the Nov. 8 midterm elections. Maine and North Dakota also hold nomination contests. Here are three key races to watch:

Moderna COVID vaccine may pose higher heart inflammation risk - U.S. CDC

Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine may pose a higher risk of heart inflammation in some age groups than Pfizer-BioNTech's shot, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday, citing recent data. The agency, however, said the findings on myocarditis and pericarditis, types of heart inflammation linked to both the mRNA shots, were not consistent across all of the U.S. vaccine safety monitoring systems.

White nationalists accused of planning riot are bailed out of Idaho jail

Thirty-one members of white nationalist group Patriot Front, arrested in Idaho over the weekend on suspicion of plotting to violently disrupt an LGBTQ pride event, were released from jail on bond and will make their initial court appearances in the coming weeks, a court official said on Monday. The men, arrested on Saturday after the U-Haul rental truck they were riding in was pulled over, face misdemeanor charges of conspiracy to riot, according to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, Police Chief Lee White.

New York Governor signs legal protections for abortion providers and patients

Governor Kathy Hochul on Monday signed legislation that protects patients getting abortions and medical professionals in New York from legal retaliation by other states that restrict the procedure. Some 26 states are poised to ban abortion if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that legalized it nationwide. A leaked draft opinion by the court showed that its conservative majority intends to eliminate the constitutional right to abortion. A final ruling, in that case, is expected shortly.

Trump aides tell Jan. 6 committee he ignored their doubts about election fraud

Top advisers to then-President Donald Trump told him that his claims of widespread election fraud were unfounded and would not reverse his 2020 election loss, but he refused to listen, according to testimony on Monday at a hearing of the committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. Close aides and family members said they told Trump that they found no merit in a wide range of often outlandish allegations that surfaced after his election defeat, including reports of a "suspicious suitcase" containing fake ballots, a truck transporting ballots to Pennsylvania and computer chips swapped into voting machines.

U.S. attorney general calls Senate gun legislation 'meaningful progress'

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Monday endorsed a bipartisan Senate gun-safety proposal as "meaningful progress" as he announced new gun-trafficking charges in an effort to crack down on the gun violence plaguing America. "We do think that at least the framework that I read about this morning with respect to the bipartisan negotiations would be meaningful progress in that direction," Garland said at a news conference.

Yellowstone closed for first time in 34 years amid flooding, mudslides

Record flooding and rockslides unleashed by an unprecedented burst of heavy rains prompted the rare closure on Monday of all five entrances to Yellowstone National Park at the start of the summer tourist season, the park superintendent said. The entire park, spanning parts of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, will remain closed to visitors, including those with lodging and camping reservations, at least through Wednesday, as officials inspect the damage to roads, bridges, and other facilities.

Trump's midterm revenge campaign faces new test in South Carolina

Former President Donald Trump's efforts to punish his perceived enemies will be tested in South Carolina on Tuesday as Republican U.S. Representatives Tom Rice and Nancy Mace try to fend off Trump-backed primary election challengers. In Nevada, Trump-endorsed Republican Adam Laxalt is seeking his party's nomination for a crucial U.S. Senate race in this year's midterm elections. Republican Jim Marchant, who falsely claims the 2020 election was stolen from Trump, is vying for a chance to become the state's top election official.

Factbox-Power of Trump's endorsements faces test in 12 U.S. midterm primaries

Former U.S. President Donald Trump is seeking to demonstrate his power over the Republican Party with more than 200 endorsements of candidates ahead of the Nov. 8 midterm elections that will determine control of Congress for 2023 and 2024. Twelve of his primary election picks stand out, some of them Republicans opposing incumbent members of his party.