Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. U.S. CDC reports 895,766 coronavirus cases, 50,439 deaths

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Saturday reported 895,766 cases of new coronavirus, an increase of 30,181 cases from its previous count, and said that the number of deaths had risen by 1,623 to 50,439. The CDC reported its tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, caused by a new coronavirus, as of 4 pm ET on April 24, compared with its count a day earlier. (https://bit.ly/2IVY1JT) 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. 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. Beaches eyed as United States takes steps toward reopening

Many Americans are expected to flock to beaches on Saturday as one Florida county relaxed restrictions and California braced for a heat wave, even as new cases of the novel coronavirus hit a record high the day before. Volusia County, home to the famed Daytona Beach, opened lots at its coastal parks on Saturday to handicapped visitors, one step in a phased reopening that has so far limited its beaches to those wanting to walk, surf, bike or swim. 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 the technology is crucial to apps that will alert people when they have been close to people who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. U.S. says will not take part in WHO global drugs, vaccine initiative launch

The United States will not take part in the launching of a global initiative on Friday to speed the development, production and distribution of drugs and vaccines against COVID-19, a spokesman for the U.S. mission in Geneva told Reuters. "There will be no U.S. official participation", he said in an email reply to a query. "We look forward to learning more about this initiative in support of international cooperation to develop a vaccine for COVID-19 as soon as possible." New York to expand coronavirus testing at pharmacies: governor

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Saturday that he would allow independent pharmacists to collect samples to test for the novel coronavirus and would expand screening for antibodies, starting with first responders and other essential workers. Cuomo also told a daily briefing that hospitalizations across his state for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, had fallen to same level as 21 days ago, the latest sign the crisis was subsiding. Americans too scared to go to work risk losing unemployment aid, experts say

U.S. workers who refuse to return to their jobs because they are worried about catching the coronavirus should not count on getting unemployment benefits, state officials and labor law experts say. Workers in a handful of U.S. states will face this situation this week, as state officials hope to revive economies paralyzed by shutdowns related to the epidemic. In four U.S. state prisons, nearly 3,300 inmates test positive for coronavirus -- 96% without symptoms

When the first cases of the new coronavirus surfaced in Ohio’s prisons, the director in charge felt like she was fighting a ghost. “We weren’t always able to pinpoint where all the cases were coming from,” said Annette Chambers-Smith, director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. As the virus spread, they began mass testing. 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 U.S. 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 Bank Chief Executive Christian Sewing about the bank's interaction this year with Trump and his family's companies. (https://www.warren.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2020.04.07%20Letter%20to%20Deutsche%20Bank%20re%20Trump%20Org.pdf)