US News Roundup: Dodgers bounce back to take 2-1 World Series lead; Biden says he would if elected mandate masks in interstate transportation and more

U.S. sets single-day record for COVID-19 cases during new surge More than 84,000 people were diagnosed with COVID-19 across the United States on Friday, according to a Reuters tally, a record one-day increase in infections during the pandemic as the virus surges again nationwide.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Trump to vote in Florida before hitting campaign trail, Biden heads to Pennsylvania

President Donald Trump will vote in his adopted home of Florida before holding campaign rallies in three swing states on Saturday, joining more than 53 million Americans who have cast early ballots at a record-setting pace ahead of the Nov. 3 election. Trump will vote in person in West Palm Beach, near his Mar-a-Lago estate, after switching his permanent residence and voter registration last year from New York to Florida, a must-win battleground for his re-election bid.

NASA probe leaking asteroid samples after hearty collection

The U.S. probe that collected a sample from an asteroid earlier this week retrieved so much material that a rock is wedged in the container door, allowing rocks to spill back out into space, NASA officials said on Friday. The robotic arm of the probe, OSIRIS-REx, on Tuesday night kicked up a debris cloud of rocks on Bennu, a skyscraper-sized asteroid some 200 million miles (320 million km) from Earth and trapped the material in a collection device for the return to Earth.

Special Report: Why the Pennsylvania vote count might throw U.S. into political crisis

Here in the birthplace of American democracy, election officials are scrambling to prepare for a presidential vote they fear could plunge the nation into a historic political crisis. Philadelphia's Board of Elections plans to move its counting operations to a 125,000-square foot space in the city's convention center. Dozens of staffers, feeding expensive new machines to open envelopes and process mail-in ballots, will spend days tallying hundreds of thousands of votes - under intense scrutiny from partisan observers. The workers likely will discard thousands of ballots that are not properly completed or do not arrive in a special "secrecy envelope." Outside, police officers redeployed from their neighborhood districts will conduct round-the-clock patrols to guard against violence among protesters, a police source told Reuters.

U.S. breaks daily record for coronavirus cases with over 84,000 new infections

The United States broke its daily record for new coronavirus infections on Friday as it reported 84,218 new cases due to outbreaks in virtually every part of the country, according to a Reuters tally. The spike in cases comes less than two weeks before the presidential election on Nov. 3 and is hitting battleground states such as Ohio, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. On Thursday, the United States reported a near-record 76,195 new cases.

U.S. sets single-day record for COVID-19 cases during new surge

More than 84,000 people were diagnosed with COVID-19 across the United States on Friday, according to a Reuters tally, a record one-day increase in infections during the pandemic as the virus surges again nationwide. The spike to 84,218 cases, breaking the record of 77,299 set on July 16, comes as University of Washington researchers forecast that the U.S. death toll from COVID-19 could reach a total of 500,000 by February.

FBI to assist probe into police shooting of Black couple in Illinois

The U.S. Department of Justice has agreed to assist an Illinois state investigation into a police shooting that killed an unarmed Black man and wounded his girlfriend and triggered protests in the city of Waukegan, an official said on Friday. Lake County State's Attorney Michael Nerheim said he asked the Department of Justice for help reviewing the Oct. 20 shooting, which left 19-year-old Marcellis Stinnette dead and has been under investigation by state police.

Biden says he would if elected mandate masks in interstate transportation

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Friday said he would mandate masks in all interstate U.S. transportation if elected after the Trump administration rejected requirements. "As president I will mandate mask wearing in all federal buildings and all interstate transportation because masks save lives - period," Biden said in a speech in Delaware. "Wearing masks is not a political statement, it is a scientific imperative."

Crews battling largest wildfires in Colorado history brace for high winds

Crews battling a string of wildfires in drought-stricken Colorado braced on Friday for the return of high winds that have stoked flames in what authorities have called an unprecedented outbreak of late-season wildfires. Three of the largest wildfires in Colorado's history have raged this year and two of them are still growing.

Dodgers bounce back to take 2-1 World Series lead

Los Angeles scored early and often and ace Walker Buehler overpowered the Tampa Bay Rays as the Dodgers bounced back from their Game 2 loss with a 6-2 victory to take a 2-1 lead in the World Series on Friday. The favored Dodgers wasted no time getting on the board when third baseman Justin Turner rifled a solo home run over the left field fence in the first inning. AstraZeneca resumes U.S.

COVID-19 vaccine trial and next week J&J prepares to do same

AstraZeneca Plc has resumed the U.S. trial of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine after approval by regulators, and Johnson & Johnson is preparing to resume its trial on Monday or Tuesday, the companies said on Friday. The news signaled progress against the novel coronavirus that has infected more than 41 million globally, including 8 million Americans and comes 10 days before a U.S. presidential election that may hinge on plans https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election/biden-warns-on-coronavirus-surge-trump-heads-to-florida-in-campaign-sprint-idUSKBN2781A4 to fight the pandemic.