Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

U.S. hospitals promise new safety measures to ease patient fears after coronavirus crush

U.S. hospitals, many past the peak coronavirus crush, are relying on plexiglass dividers, advance testing of patients and limited elevator traffic to convince people, especially those needing urgent care, that the facilities are safe. Hospitals put lucrative elective procedures and other nonessential operations on hold weeks ago as they geared up for the coronavirus onslaught.

New York's Cuomo warns against 'blindly' reopening states

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Saturday pushed back against what he called premature demands that he reopen the state, saying he knew people were struggling without jobs but that more understanding of the new coronavirus was needed. As governors in about half of the United States partially reopen their economies over this weekend, Cuomo said he needed much more information on what the pandemic was doing in his state, the hardest hit by the disease, before he loosens restrictions aimed at curbing its spread.

U.S. court dismisses New York nurses case against Montefiore for COVID-19 protection

A Manhattan federal judge on Friday dismissed a nurse association's lawsuit against a New York City hospital for allegedly failing to provide safety equipment and adopt measures to stop the spread of COVID-19. The New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) sued Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, saying among other things that the hospital was ignoring requirements that healthcare workers receive an N95 respirator mask daily.

Biden backs U.S. women's team after lawsuit setback

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Saturday voiced his support for the U.S. women's soccer team, a day after it suffered a setback in its gender discrimination lawsuit against the United States Soccer Federation. The team's claims for equal pay were dismissed by a court on Friday, handing a victory to U.S. Soccer.

'No $, no rent' - protesters call for economic help at New York May Day demonstrations

Protesters in New York City staged a rolling demonstration from their cars to mark May Day on Friday, calling on the government to protect workers' rights and provide aid to help people reeling economically from the effects of the coronavirus crisis. The caravan of cars rolled through a largely empty Times Square, honking their horns and displaying banners saying: 'Cancel the Rent.' New York has been the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States.

California governor says coronavirus easing 'days away' as protesters throng beach

California is days away from announcing a meaningful loosening of its coronavirus-related restrictions, Governor Gavin Newsom said on Friday, as protesters sneaked on to closed beaches and crowded the lawn outside the state Capitol in Sacramento. Newsom hinted that restaurants would soon be allowed to re-open for table service with some restrictions, and promised additional relief as stay-at-home orders in place since March 19 wore on residents' nerves and pocketbooks.

U.S. emergency approval broadens use of Gilead's COVID-19 drug remdesivir

Gilead Science Inc's antiviral drug remdesivir was granted emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for COVID-19 on Friday, clearing the way for broader use of the drug in more hospitals around the United States. During a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House with President Donald Trump, Gilead Chief Executive Daniel O'Day called the move an important first step and said the company was donating 1.5 million vials of the drug to help patients.

U.S. CDC reports 1,092,815 coronavirus cases, 64,283 deaths

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported there were 1,092,815 cases of the new coronavirus as of Friday, an increase of 30,369 from a day earlier, and said the number of deaths had risen by 1,877 to 64,283. The CDC's tally of cases https://bit.ly/348yQ0J of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus, was effective as of 4 p.m. ET on Friday and was released on Saturday.

Exclusive: U.S. coronavirus stimulus went to some healthcare providers facing criminal inquiries

Eager to bolster the healthcare system during the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. government last month sped $30 billion in stimulus payments to most healthcare providers that billed Medicare last year. That speed resulted in taxpayers' money flowing to some companies and people facing civil or criminal fraud investigations, according to defense lawyers and others representing more than a dozen firms and people facing such inquiries.

Trump now says he hopes U.S. coronavirus deaths less than 100,000

President Donald Trump on Friday seemingly increased his estimate of possible deaths in the United States from the coronavirus, telling a White House event he hopes for less than 100,000 fatalities, a higher upper limit than the 60,000 to 70,000 deaths he discussed on Monday. "Hopefully we're going to come in below that 100,000 lives lost, which is a horrible number nevertheless," Trump said.