US Domestic News Roudnup: US shoppers grab last-minute holiday gifts; US Congress' weekend coronavirus relief talks and more

The announcement follows the FAA's Dec. 12 approval for pilots and controllers to use the vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech U.S. CDC reports 312,636 deaths from coronavirus The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Saturday reported 17,391,270 cases of the new coronavirus, an increase of 403,359 from its previous count, and said that the number of deaths had risen by 2,756 to 312,636.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

U.S. shoppers grab last-minute holiday gifts, pick up online orders in-store

Many U.S. holiday shoppers, wary of spending time in stores during the latest surge of COVID-19 cases and nervous about packages not arriving before Christmas, were on a mission on Saturday: snatch up last-minute gifts fast or pick up online purchases in-store. The "Super Saturday" before Christmas is traditionally the busiest day of the year for holiday purchases, and this year online retail has been extra busy. But news reports about high-priority vaccine shipments have many Americans fretting that gift deliveries could be delayed this week.

U.S. Congress' weekend coronavirus relief talks hit obstacle

U.S. lawmakers scrambled on Saturday to complete a $900 billion package of legislation to help Americans struggling with the steep health and economic costs of the coronavirus pandemic, amid fears a dispute over Federal Reserve lending rules could stall a deal. "We're right within reach," Democratic House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi told members of her party on a call discussing the negotiations, according to a person who was on the call.

Trump downplays impact of massive hacking, questions Russia involvement

U.S. President Donald Trump, in his first comments about a widespread data breach across the U.S. government, on Saturday downplayed the cyber espionage campaign and questioned whether Russia was to blame as alleged by his own top diplomat. "The Cyber Hack is far greater in the Fake News Media than in actuality," Trump said on Twitter on Saturday. "Russia, Russia, Russia is the priority chant when anything happens because Lamestream is, for mostly financial reasons, petrified of discussing the possibility that it may be China (it may!)."

Congress, experts worry about potential spy agency reorganization amid hack response

A senior lawmaker is concerned the Pentagon is pushing to split the National Security Agency, America's premier signals intelligence organization, from U.S. Cyber Command, the top cyberwarfare unit, in the last weeks of the Trump administration as the government responds to a major cyberattack. News of the possible reorganization emerged following a breach of government computer systems across more than half a dozen federal agencies, with Russian hackers believed to be the main culprits, according to U.S. officials.

CDC issues guidelines on COVID-19 vaccination after allergic reactions

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Saturday said it was monitoring reports of allergic reactions to the COVID-19 vaccination and made recommendations on how people with histories of allergies should proceed. Anyone who had a severe reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine should not get the second dose, the agency said, defining severe as needing the medication epinephrine or treatment in a hospital.

Moderna COVID-19 vaccine begins rollout as U.S. races to broaden injection campaign

U.S. distribution of Moderna Inc's COVID-19 vaccine began on Saturday, with more than 3,700 sites due to start receiving and administering shots as soon as Monday, vastly widening the rollout started last week by Pfizer Inc. Amid record coronavirus infections and deaths, Moderna has already moved vaccine supplies from its manufacturing plants to warehouses operated by distributor McKesson Corp.

Apple temporarily shuts all California stores amid COVID-19 outbreak

Apple Inc has temporarily shut all of its 53 stores in California amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, a spokesman said on Saturday, expanding previously announced closures. The company said on Friday it was temporarily shutting some stores in California following a surge in COVID-19 cases in the state, sending the iPhone maker's shares down in trading after the bell.

U.S. FAA approves use of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine by pilots

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Saturday it had approved the use of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine by pilots and air traffic controllers. The announcement follows the FAA's Dec. 12 approval for pilots and controllers to use the vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech.

U.S. CDC reports 312,636 deaths from coronavirus

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Saturday reported 17,391,270 cases of the new coronavirus, an increase of 403,359 from its previous count, and said that the number of deaths had risen by 2,756 to 312,636. The CDC reported its tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, caused by a new coronavirus, as of 4 pm ET on Dec. 18 versus its previous report a day earlier.(https://bit.ly/3m662x4)

Biden unveils diverse team tasked with ambitious climate agenda

President-elect Joe Biden introduced his climate and energy team on Saturday, a history-making group that will seek to advance an ambitious climate agenda that reverses many Trump administration policies. Michael Regan would become the first Black man to run the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) if confirmed by the Senate, and U.S. Representative Deb Haaland, as interior secretary, would be the first Native American Cabinet member.