US Domestic News Roundup: Navy wants to reinstate fired captain of coronavirus-hit aircraft carrier; Prosecutors deny misconduct in U.S. college admissions scandal and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Navy wants to reinstate fired captain of coronavirus-hit aircraft carrier

In an extraordinary reversal, the U.S. Navy has recommended reinstating the fired captain of the coronavirus-hit aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, whose crew hailed him as their hero for risking his job to safeguard their lives, officials said on Friday. The Navy's leadership made the recommendation to reinstate Captain Brett Crozier to Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Friday, just three weeks after Crozier was relieved of command after the leak of a letter he wrote calling on the Navy for stronger measures to protect the crew, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Prosecutors deny misconduct in U.S. college admissions scandal

Federal prosecutors on Friday denied that law enforcement engaged in misconduct fabricated evidence or tried to entrap "Full House" actress Lori Loughlin or other wealthy parents who are now awaiting trial in the U.S. college admissions scandal. Prosecutors in a filing sought to counter what a federal judge in Boston last week said were "serious and disturbing" allegations that investigators pushed their cooperating witness to lie and trick parents into making incriminating statements.

Trump's COVID-19 disinfectant ideas horrify health experts

U.S. President Donald Trump's musings on whether injecting disinfectants might treat COVID-19 horrified medical professionals on Friday and raised fresh concerns that his stream-of-consciousness briefings could push frightened people to poison themselves with untested treatments. An international chorus of doctors and health experts urged people not to drink or inject disinfectant after Trump on Thursday suggested that scientists should investigate inserting the cleaning agent into the body as a way to cure COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus.

As U.S. coronavirus death toll tops 51,000, handful of states move toward reopening

With the U.S. coronavirus death toll topping 51,000 and nearly one in six workers out of a job, Georgia, Oklahoma, and several other states took tentative steps at reopening businesses on Friday, despite disapproval from President Donald Trump and medical experts. Fitness clubs, hair salons, tattoo parlors, and some other workplaces were allowed to open their doors by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, disregarding warnings from public health officials that easing restrictions too soon could lead to more infections and deaths.

Coronavirus came to New York from Europe, not China, governor says

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Friday pointed to research showing that strains of the novel coronavirus entered his state from Europe, not China, and said that travel bans enacted by U.S. President Donald Trump were too late to halt its spread. Cuomo cited research from Northeastern University estimating that more than 10,000 New Yorkers may have contracted the disease by the time the state had its first confirmed case on March 1. He said he believed Italy was the likely source.

Showdown looms between Silicon Valley, U.S. states over contact tracing apps

U.S. states promoting apps that could prove essential to ending the coronavirus lockdown may be headed for a showdown with the two Silicon Valley companies that control key software on 99% of smartphones over the collection of sensitive GPS location data. Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google plan to release technology jointly in the coming weeks for digital contact tracing through Bluetooth sensors on phones. Public health authorities have determined that technology is crucial to apps that will alert people when they have been close to people who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Coronavirus pandemic inspires demand for UV airplane cleaner

U.S. President Donald Trump's suggestion that ultraviolet light could be inserted into coronavirus patients was widely panned on Friday, but a California company thinks it's a perfect solution for decontaminating airplanes. Dimer UCV Innovations created a UV-C-emitting cleaning machine called GermFalcon for the airline industry in 2014 - but it's only with the coronavirus that demand has really taken off.

U.S. Supreme Court refuses to block Trump immigration policy during pandemic

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday rejected a long-shot bid by New York and two other states to suspend during the coronavirus pandemic a Trump administration immigration policy that denies legal permanent residency to certain immigrants deemed likely to require government assistance in the future. The court turned away New York's request, which was joined by the states of Connecticut and Vermont as well as New York City, with none of the nine justices publicly dissenting.

Protesters demand Wisconsin governor to reopen state as coronavirus cases rise

A rally outside Wisconsin's capitol building in Madison on Friday drew hundreds of protesters who demanded Democratic Governor Tony Evers reopen the state even as it reported its largest single-day jump of new coronavirus cases. The reopening of shuttered businesses in states across the country has become a political hot-button issue as the shutdowns to curb the spread of the virus have hammered the U.S. economy.

Deutsche Bank refuses to give U.S. senators information on recent Trump dealings

Deutsche Bank has declined a request by prominent U.S. senators to provide information about the German lender's recent business dealings with President Donald Trump and his family, according to a letter this week seen by Reuters. Four Democratic senators, led by Elizabeth Warren, earlier this month demanded details from Deutsche's chief executive, Christian Sewing, about the bank's interaction this year with Trump and his family's companies.