Reuters US Domestic News Summary
Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.
U.S. judge stops Texas from curbing abortions during coronavirus crisis
A U.S. judge on Monday blocked Texas officials from banning most abortions in the state as part of their order to postpone surgeries and other procedures deemed not medically necessary during the coronavirus crisis. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel in Austin was the first in a series of legal actions aimed at blocking similar steps by various Republican-led states cracking down on abortion during the pandemic.
New York's Cuomo pleads for doctors, nurses from other states to aid its hospitals
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called on Monday for healthcare workers elsewhere to help the state's overwhelmed hospitals battle the coronavirus and made a plea for bipartisanship and "partnership" with U.S. President Donald Trump. Speaking at a makeshift hospital in Manhattan preparing to receive its first patients on Monday, Cuomo sought to divert attention from any tension with Trump, with whom he has tussled in recent days over the distribution of ventilators in storage.
U.S. CDC reports 140,904 coronavirus cases, 2,405 deaths
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday reported 140,904 cases of coronavirus, and said the number of deaths had risen to 2,405. Over the weekend, the CDC updated its case count to 122,653 and said 2,112 people had died across the country, but said that the numbers were preliminary and had not been confirmed by individual states.
Coronavirus hits hundreds of U.S. police amid protective gear shortages
When nine police officers showed up to make an arrest near Melrose Avenue in the Bronx last Wednesday, none wore a mask or gloves to protect them from coronavirus. Similar scenes play out all over the city daily: officers making arrests, walking their beats and responding to 911 calls without protective gear, according to interviews with nearly two dozen New York City officers and scenes witnessed by Reuters.
Trump says coronavirus guidelines may get tougher; 1 million Americans tested
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that federal social distancing guidelines might be toughened and travel restrictions with China and Europe would stay in place as he urged Americans to help fight the coronavirus with tough measures through April. Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House, said more than 1 million Americans had been tested for the coronavirus, which he called a milestone.
U.S. grocers add plexiglass sneeze guards to protect cashiers from coronavirus
Kroger Co, Walmart Inc, Albertsons and other grocery sellers are installing plexiglass partitions at checkout counters to protect cashiers from the highly contagious coronavirus. The shields are designed to block virus-containing droplets - released by coughing, sneezing and speaking - that might otherwise hit cashiers, who interact with dozens of customers during their shifts.
Spirit cancels New York, Connecticut, New Jersey flights after CDC warning
Low-cost U.S. carrier Spirit Airlines Inc said on Monday it will cancel all flights to and from New York, Connecticut and New Jersey after U.S. officials warned against travel to the area because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Spirit, which appeared to be the first major U.S. carrier to cancel all flights to the so-called tri-state region, said it was responding to this weekend's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory warning against all non-essential travel to and from the area.
Deaths, intubations swamp New Orleans doctors in coronavirus surge
Emergency room doctor Thomas Krajewski stopped at the hospital room door at 2 a.m. to glance at the chart. He knew instantly the long odds faced by the patient inside: A man in his 70s, with a fever, short of breath. "Do you mind calling my son?" the patient asked him. "My two grandsons tomorrow morning are going to crawl in my bed because they wake me up on the weekends, and if I'm not there, they will wonder."
New York greets hospital ship with cheers; U.S. death toll rises past 3,000
New York welcomed the arrival of a gleaming 1,000-bed U.S. Navy hospital ship on Monday as a beacon of hope for the city's desperate fight against the coronavirus pandemic, while the national death toll climbed past 3,000 on the country's most deadly day. People gathered on the New York and New Jersey sides of the Hudson River to cheer the U.S Navy ship Comfort, a converted oil tanker painted white with giant red crosses, as it sailed past the Statue of Liberty accompanied by support ships and helicopters.
Trump coronavirus guidance on keeping gun stores open draws criticism
Gun control activists on Monday criticized guidance issued by President Donald Trump's administration recommending that states find that gun stores are critical businesses that can stay open during the coronavirus crisis. The new guidance, issued on Saturday by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, offers the administration's views on which workers are essential during the pandemic at a time when state governors have ordered numerous "non-essential" businesses to close to try to limit the spread of the virus. The agency is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
