Reuters US Domestic News Summary
Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.
U.S. CDC reports 304,826 coronavirus cases, 7,616 deaths
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Sunday reported 304,826 cases of coronavirus, an increase of 27,621 cases from its previous count, and said the number of deaths had risen by 1,023 to 7,616. The CDC reported its tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, caused by the new coronavirus, as of 4 p.m. ET on April 4 compared to its count a day ago. (https://bit.ly/348yQ0J)
Louisiana church holds services, defying coronavirus stay-at-home order
The pastor of the Life Tabernacle Church near Baton Rouge held services on Sunday in defiance of a stay-at-home order issued by Louisiana because of the coronavirus pandemic, telling worshippers they had "nothing to fear but fear itself." Pastor Tony Spell, who was arrested last week for holding services, summoned his faithful again, three weeks after the state's governor, John Bel Edwards, banned gatherings of 10 people or more.
Trump voices hope for 'leveling-off' of coronavirus in U.S. hot spots
President Donald Trump expressed hope on Sunday that the United States was seeing a “leveling-off” of the coronavirus crisis in some of the nation's hot spots, saying Americans were starting to see "the light at the end of the tunnel." New York, the hardest-hit state, reported on Sunday that for the first time in a week, deaths had fallen slightly from the day before, but there were still nearly 600 new fatalities and more than 7,300 new cases.
U.S. Defense chief backs Navy decision to oust U.S. ship commander
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Sunday defended the U.S. Navy's controversial decision to remove the commander of a coronavirus-stricken U.S. aircraft carrier, saying it was a "tough call" but that ultimately it was "a chain of command issue." Acting U.S. Navy Secretary Thomas Modly on Thursday relieved Captain Brett Crozier of his command of the Theodore Roosevelt after Crozier's scathing letter calling on the Navy to do more to halt the spread of the virus aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier was leaked to the media.
New York state reports 594 coronavirus deaths in past 24 hours
New York state reported 594 deaths from the coronavirus and 8,327 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, increasing the numbers to 4,159 dead and 122,000 cases since the outbreak began, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Sunday. But he said there was good news in that the number of people discharged from the hospital was three times as great as the number of newly hospitalized people, relieving stress on the healthcare system.
U.S. enters 'hardest, saddest' week in coronavirus crisis
The United States enters one of the most critical weeks so far in the coronavirus crisis with the death toll exploding in New York, Michigan and Louisiana and some governors calling for a national order to stay at home. New York is the hardest-hit state with more than 40% of all U.S. deaths and nearly 115,000 reported cases on Saturday.
As Trump administration debated travel restrictions, thousands streamed in from China
In defending his strategy against the deadly coronavirus, President Donald Trump repeatedly has said he slowed its spread into the United States by acting decisively to bar travelers from China on Jan. 31. “I was criticized by the Democrats when I closed the Country down to China many weeks ahead of what almost everyone recommended. Saved many lives,” he tweeted, for instance, on March 2.
Fed's Bullard says another coronavirus economic relief bill may not be needed
A top official at the U.S. Federal Reserve said on Sunday the $2.3 trillion economic relief bill approved by Congress was appropriately sized and that a further relief effort may not be needed if support efforts are well executed. "I felt like this one was well-sized for the situation," St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank President James Bullard told CBS' "Face the Nation" when asked if further legislation would be needed.
New York governor sees 'return to normalcy' with rapid coronavirus testing
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Sunday he believed there needed to be a mass rollout of rapid testing in order to achieve a "return to normalcy" after the peak of the novel coronavirus crisis passes in the United States in the coming weeks and months. Cuomo, whose state is the epicenter of the outbreak in the United States, said New York was part of an effort to develop a program that would identify people who are both negative and not in a vulnerable category, allowing them to go back to work.
Tiger at New York's Bronx Zoo tests positive for coronavirus
A tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York City has tested positive for the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, in the first known case of a human infecting an animal and making it sick, the zoo's chief veterinarian said on Sunday. Nadia, the 4-year-old Malayan tiger that tested positive, was screened for the COVID-19 disease after developing a dry cough along with three other tigers and three lions, the Wildlife Conservation Society, which manages the zoo, said in a statement. All of the cats are expected to recover, it said.
