Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. U.S. gig workers seeking coronavirus jobless benefits hit bureaucratic wall

Uber and Lyft drivers are hitting a wall in their efforts to apply for the coronavirus jobless benefits promised by Congress as state agencies say they are not ready to handle a class of workers who are totally new to the U.S. unemployment system. Gig workers classified as independent contractors by platforms such as Uber Technologies Inc, Lyft Inc, Doordash or Instacart were included in the federal government's coronavirus stimulus bill to receive unemployment benefits generally reserved for full-time employees. Washington, D.C. needs 3,600 hospital beds for coronavirus peak: mayor

Washington, D.C. needs an estimated 3,600 hospital beds within the next two weeks as it braces for a coronavirus outbreak, the mayor wrote in a letter to hospitals in the U.S. capital. The federal district is asking hospitals to consider repurposing unused clinical spaces, cafeterias and meeting rooms and reopening medical office buildings and medical towers to create room for more hospital beds, Mayor Muriel Bowser wrote. Rikers Island jail officers union sues New York City over coronavirus

A union representing about 9,000 corrections officers at New York City's Rikers Island jail sued the city on Thursday, demanding better protections from coronavirus after dozens of infections at the complex. The Correction Officers' Benevolent Association said the city must provide N95 face masks for its members, sanitizers for their personal use, regular testing for temperature and other COVID-19 symptoms, and the regular sanitization of work areas. New York reels at center of pandemic as home-bound Americans feel economic pain

New York City hospitals and morgues bent under the strain of the coronavirus pandemic on Thursday, struggling to treat or bury casualties, as the state's governor offered a grim prediction that the rest of the country would soon face the same misery. Global coronavirus cases surpassed 1 million on Thursday with more than 52,000 deaths, according to a Reuters tally based on country by country data. Chipotle under pressure in New York over coronavirus sick leave

Less than two months after settling with New York City regulators over paid sick leave, Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc is under pressure for its policies amid the coronavirus pandemic. During a press call on Thursday, the chair of the city council's health committee joined Chipotle employees and the union organizing them, SEIU 32BJ, to voice concern that the fast-casual chain's emergency pay policies were not being properly implemented. Trump tested again for coronavirus, result was negative: White House

President Donald Trump on Thursday was tested again to determine whether he had been infected by the coronavirus, and the test came back negative, the White House said. A letter from Trump's physician, Sean Conley, said Trump had undergone what was a second test for coronavirus. He was tested last month after coming into contact with a Brazilian official who later tested positive. American Airlines slashes flights but has no plans to halt U.S. service

American Airlines Co said on Thursday it is cutting additional flights this summer as travel demand has drastically shrunk amid the coronavirus pandemic. Vasu Raja, American Airlines' senior vice president of Network Strategy, told Reuters that the airline is cutting between 70% and 75% of flights in April and about 80% of flights in May. For this month and May it is cutting nearly 90% of its international flights. U.S. Navy relieves aircraft carrier commander who wrote letter urging coronavirus action

The U.S. Navy on Thursday relieved the commander of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, who wrote a scathing letter that leaked to the public asking for stronger measures to control a coronavirus outbreak onboard his warship. The removal of Captain Brett Crozier from command of the 5,000-person vessel, which was first reported by Reuters, was announced by acting U.S. Navy Secretary Thomas Modly, who said the commander exercised poor judgment. Staff at a NY hospital dump protective gear in outdoor trash can after handling bodies

Staff at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in New York City were seen disposing of their gowns and caps and other protective wear in a sidewalk trash can on Thursday after wheeling bodies out of the hospital and loading them into a refrigerated truck. Hospital workers typically wear protective gear while caring for patients suffering from COVID-19, the sometimes deadly respiratory disease caused by the highly infectious new virus. Reuters was unable to confirm whether the bodies were those of coronavirus victims. White House likely to advise people in coronavirus hot spots to wear masks

The White House is expected to issue guidance for people in areas hard hit by the coronavirus to wear face coverings to help stop the spread of the disease, an administration official said on Thursday. The announcement was not planned for Thursday, the official said, and would be targeted at areas with high community transmission of the coronavirus.