US Domestic News Roundup: Drive-throughs help Americans amid coronavirus outbreak; Three mushers in Alaska sled race rescued by helicopter and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. Confessions, books and peep shows:

Drive-throughs help Americans amid coronavirus outbreak

Father Scott Holmer sat on a chair in his church's parking lot in Bowie, Maryland on Friday, administering confession to worshippers car by car, at times leaning forward as he struggled to hear them from the six-feet distance imposed by social distancing rules. After the Catholic church of St. Edward the Confessor had to close its doors due to the coronavirus outbreak, Holmer said he got the idea of offering drive-through confessions after learning about South Korea's drive-through testing.

Californians ordered to stay home; New York pleas for urgent help to fight coronavirus

Nearly 40 million Californians have been ordered to stay at home as part of efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus and New York's mayor on Friday renewed his pleas for U.S. President Donald Trump to mobilize the military for additional medical personnel and supplies. The pandemic has already upended life in much of the country, shuttering schools and businesses, prompting millions to work from home, forcing many out of jobs and sharply curtailing travel.

Completion of 2020 U.S. Census extended into August amid coronavirus pandemic

The 2020 U.S. Census, the decennial tally that helps determine political representation and federal aid, will be extended by two weeks, a census official said on Friday, as the coronavirus wreaks havoc on the bureau's ability to send workers into the field. In a call with reporters on Friday, Tim Olson, the U.S. Census Bureau's field operations director, said completion of the bureau's door-knocking campaign would extend from July 31 to Aug. 14.

Trump blasts media as anxious Americans come to grips with coronavirus pandemic

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday capped a tumultuous week as Americans faced sweeping life changes and massive Wall Street losses amid the fast-spreading coronavirus outbreak by turning to a familiar playbook: attacking the media. In a contentious press briefing, the Republican president lashed out at an NBC reporter who noted Trump's tendency to put an optimistic spin on the situation and asked what his message was to the American people who may be scared.

Three mushers in Alaska sled race rescued by helicopter just short of finish

Three contestants mushing through the final stretch of Alaska's famed Iditarod sled dog course two days after the winner crossed the finish line were rescued by helicopter on Friday from trail flooding caused by unseasonably warm weather, authorities said. The mushers were near the final checkpoint, just 22 miles from the finish line in Nome, when they ran into deep water and extremely high winds, according to representatives of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

California's stay-at-home order leaves homeless on street and vulnerable

Governor Gavin Newsom has ordered California's 40 million residents to stay at home. That's a big problem for the state's estimated 108,000 homeless who live on the streets. Officials are bracing for the coronavirus to have an outsized impact on the homeless who often live without access to proper sanitation and sometimes suffer underlying illnesses.

U.S. candidate Biden was vastly outspent by Sanders in February

U.S. Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden's campaign in February spent less than one-third the amount spent by rival Democrat Bernie Sanders, according to disclosures by the campaigns filed on Friday. Despite being outspent, Biden's campaign finished the month surging at the polls with a victory in the February 29 nomination contest in South Carolina.

Progress in U.S. coronavirus economic stimulus talks amid major disagreements: Schumer

Negotiations on a possible $1 trillion coronavirus economic stimulus bill were moving ahead, but agreement by a deadline at midnight on Friday deal was becoming elusive with several major issues dividing congressional Republicans and Democrats, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said. Speaking to reporters as a night negotiating session was due to begin, Schumer said that "with many issues outstanding," he hoped lawmakers and the Trump administration "could come to agreements tomorrow."

Coronavirus drives up demand - and pay - for temporary U.S. nurses

U.S. hospitals, bracing for a surge of coronavirus patients just as some staff are under quarantine after being exposed to the virus, are facing a shortage of temporary nurses who can fill in - and being asked to pay as much as double to make it worth it. So-called "travel nurses" total around 50,000 - or less than one percent of the nursing workforce - which represents an increase in recent years as the U.S. population ages, demand increases and workers seek more flexible employment options. With the coronavirus outbreak escalating every day, the need for temporary nurses is growing exponentially throughout the United States.

U.S. may convert thousands of New York hotel, college rooms into care units

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is looking at converting more than 10,000 New York rooms, potentially in hotels and college dorms, into medical care units to help address the fast-spreading coronavirus, the commanding general of the Army Corps said on Friday. The pandemic has upended life in much of the United States, shuttering schools and businesses, prompting millions to work from home, forcing many out of jobs and sharply curtailing travel.

(With inputs from agencies.)