Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Wisconsin governor postpones Tuesday's election until June

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers on Monday postponed Tuesday's primary election until June 9, citing the coronavirus outbreak. "The bottom line is that I have an obligation to keep people safe, and that's why I signed this executive order today," Evers, a Democrat, said in a statement.

U.S. officials brace for 'peak death week' in coronavirus

U.S. officials on Monday girded the country for a "peak death week" from the coronavirus pandemic as the accelerating American death toll closed the gap with Italy and Spain, the countries with the most fatalities to date. "It's going to be the peak hospitalization, peak ICU week and unfortunately, peak death week," Admiral Brett Giroir, a physician and a member of the White House coronavirus task force, told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Monday.

Trump speaks with pharmaceutical, biotech CEOs about coronavirus therapies - spokeswoman

President Donald Trump on Monday spoke with the heads of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to discuss developments in therapeutics to fight coronavirus, according to White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham. Trump hosted a call with "CEOs of pharmaceutical & bio-tech companies to discuss developments in therapeutics to fight the Coronavirus," Grisham wrote on Twitter. "We are working hard to tear down barriers, cut red tape, & encourage cooperation across private industries & government."

One in five U.S. children with coronavirus may need hospital care: CDC

Up to 20% of U.S. children infected by the novel coronavirus require hospitalization, with infants under age 1 most likely to be in that group, according to the government's first in-depth analysis of the disease in the youngest patient population. Compared with adults, children infected with the coronavirus are less likely to have symptoms and more likely to have a mild illness, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) analysis also found.

African Americans more likely to die from coronavirus illness, early data shows

Early data from U.S. states shows African Americans are more likely to die from COVID-19, highlighting longstanding disparities in health and inequalities in access to medical care, experts said. In Illinois, black people make up about 30% of the state's cases and about 40% of its coronavirus-related deaths, according to statistics provided by the state's public health agency. However, African Americans make up just 14.6% of the state's population.

South Carolina becomes latest U.S. state to issue 'stay at home' orders

The governor of South Carolina on Monday ordered all residents of the state to remain at home except for visits with family members or essential outings to get groceries, medicine or exercise, to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. South Carolina had been one of only nine U.S. states that had not yet imposed formal "stay at home" orders during the coronavirus outbreak and the last on the East Coast. Local orders had already been in place in parts of the state.

Acting U.S. Navy head tells coronavirus-hit crew that commander's action was naive or stupid

The acting head of the U.S. Navy, in a surprise speech to the crew of a coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier, castigated their former commander for writing a leaked letter that demanded the Navy take stronger action to halt the spread of the illness. Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly stood by his decision to relieve Captain Brett Crozier of his command in a speech to crew members of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt while it was docked in Guam early on Monday.

U.S. to give prosecutors more leeway on bail in coronavirus crisis

The United States on Monday gave federal prosecutors more leeway to keep people accused of non-violent crimes out of jail before their trials, saying the new coronavirus pandemic presents unique health risks that must be weighed in each case. The policy shift issued by Attorney General William Barr comes as the Justice Department faces criticism from defense lawyers, criminal justice advocates and families of the incarcerated over its sluggish and at times adversarial approach to containing the spread in the federal prison system of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus.

New York Governor says coronavirus crisis may have hit plateau

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo noted on Monday that hospitalizations of coronavirus patients are down and the rate of rise in deaths has leveled off in the hardest-hit state, suggesting the crisis may be plateauing, but he warned against complacency and extended a closure of businesses and schools. "While none of this good news, the possible flattening of the curve is better than the increases that we have seen," Cuomo told a daily briefing, warning that the numbers remain grim and that it was not certain the state had turned the corner.

U.S. CDC reports 330,891 coronavirus cases, 8,910 deaths

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday reported 330,891 cases of coronavirus, and said the number of deaths had risen to 8,910. Over the weekend, the CDC updated its case count to 304,826 and said 7,616 people had died across the country, but that the numbers were preliminary and had not been confirmed by individual states.