US News Roundup: Americans quarantined in Bethlehem; SXSW canceled due to coronavirus and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Cancer patient aboard coronavirus-stalled cruise faces possible chemotherapy delay

Among the 2,400 passengers stranded off the California coast on a cruise ship carrying at least 21 people infected with coronavirus, few people aboard likely have more to lose than Kari Kolstoe, a retiree from North Dakota with stage-4 cancer. Kolstoe, 60, said she and her husband, Paul, 61, had looked forward to the Grand Princess cruise to Hawaii as a brief, badly needed respite from the grind of medical intervention she has endured for the past 18 months.

Love speaks through glass panes at coronavirus facility

A family's love overcame physical barriers at the Life Care Center of Kirkland, the long-term care facility linked to several confirmed coronavirus cases in Washington state. Gene and Dorothy Campbell, who tied the knot 65 years ago, turned 89 and 88 respectively this week. Gene has been in the nursing home since Feb. 21 after suffering from a stroke, said his son Todd, 59, an industrial engineer. But in late February the Seattle-area facility was locked down after seven residents died as a result of coronavirus.

Americans divided on party lines over risk from coronavirus: Reuters/Ipsos poll

Americans who now find themselves politically divided over seemingly everything are now forming two very different views of another major issue: the dangers of the new coronavirus. Democrats are about twice as likely as Republicans to say the coronavirus poses an imminent threat to the United States, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted this week.

After U.S. Congress and Fed's quick coronavirus response, next steps likely tougher for Washington

The U.S. Federal Reserve and Congress moved swiftly to confront the growing coronavirus threat this week, as the central bank propped up the economy and the House and Senate approved $8.3 billion for vaccine development and other steps to contain the virus. Now comes the hard part.

Exclusive: U.S. considers discouraging some travelers from cruises - sources

The United States is considering ways to discourage U.S. travelers from taking cruises as part of a broader Trump administration effort to limit the spread of coronavirus, according to four officials familiar with the situation. The officials, who asked to remain anonymous, said no decision had been made. The discussions were taking place ahead of a meeting this weekend between Vice President Mike Pence, who is in charge of leading the U.S. response to the coronavirus, and the cruise industry.

SXSW canceled as tech and entertainment world faces coronavirus

The South by Southwest music, technology and film festival in Austin, Texas, was canceled on Friday, adding to a growing list of events being suspended around the world over concerns about the spreading coronavirus outbreak. Known as SXSW, the annual showcase of pop culture had been scheduled to run March 13 to 22. Organizers and local officials said at a news conference that they had concluded it was unwise to draw crowds of people together in close proximity with the number of coronavirus cases rising around the world.

Americans quarantined in Bethlehem hotel in coronavirus scare: Palestinian official

Fifteen Americans have been quarantined in a hotel in Bethlehem as part of precautions against the coronavirus, a Palestinian government spokesman said on Saturday. The city in the occupied West Bank has been in lockdown since cases of the virus were recorded there on Thursday.

Weinstein's prison sentence should reflect 'lifetime of abuse': prosecutors

Former movie producer Harvey Weinstein should get a prison sentence that reflects not only his conviction for sexually assaulting two women, but a "lifetime of abuse towards others," New York prosecutors said in a court filing on Friday. Throughout his adult life, Weinstein has shown a "staggering lack of empathy, treating others with disdain and inhumanity," Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance's office said in a letter to Justice James Burke, who is scheduled to sentence Weinstein on Wednesday.

Coronavirus found on cruise ship as more U.S. states report cases

Twenty-one people aboard a cruise ship that was barred from docking in San Francisco have tested positive for coronavirus, U.S. officials said on Friday, as eight more states reported their first cases of the fast-spreading respiratory disease. Vice President Mike Pence, who is running the White House's response to the outbreak, said at a news conference that 19 crew members and two passengers out of 46 people tested so far on the Grand Princess ship had the virus.

Twenty-one people test positive for coronavirus aboard cruise ship off San Francisco

Twenty-one people tested positive for coronavirus on Friday aboard a ship that was denied entry to San Francisco Bay after a number of passengers and crew developed flu-like symptoms on the vessel, which had been linked to infections from an earlier voyage. Vice President Mike Pence, recently appointed as the U.S. government's point man on the coronavirus outbreak, said the cruise ship Grand Princess will be brought to an unspecified non-commercial port where all 2,400 passengers and 1,100 crew will undergo another round of tests.