Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. U.S. Treasury's Mnuchin says Trump eyeing restaurant tax changes, travel boost

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Monday said bipartisan discussions are underway over whether more U.S. government relief funding is needed amid the nation's novel coronavirus outbreak, but that President Donald Trump is focused on taxes and travel. In an interview on Fox Business Network, Mnuchin said the Trump administration was prepared to back additional coronavirus stimulus money for American businesses if needed, but that right now it was carefully monitoring the economy as some states restart activity. New York governor outlines reopening plan with construction, manufacturing first

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Monday outlined a phased reopening of business activity in the state hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, starting with select industries like construction and the least affected regions. Cuomo did not give a timeline, but the state's stay-at-home order is due to expire on May 15. The governor has previously said that the areas with fewer infections and enough spare hospital beds could consider reopening after that date. CDC reports 1,152,372 coronavirus cases, 67,456 deaths

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday reported 1,152,372 cases of the coronavirus, and said the number of deaths had risen to 67,456. Over the weekend, the CDC updated its case count to 1,122,486 and said 65,735 people had died across the country, but that the numbers were preliminary and had not been confirmed by individual states. Smooth sailing in U.S. Supreme Court's first teleconference case; Thomas joins fray

The first U.S. Supreme Court arguments conducted by teleconference - a break from tradition due to the coronavirus pandemic - played out smoothly on Monday in a case involving hotel reservation website Booking.com, with even the typically silent Justice Clarence Thomas joining the fray. The pandemic has prompted changes at almost every level of American society, with the nine justices holding arguments in the trademark case not in their courtroom but by participating remotely using a dial-in format to combat the pathogen's spread. New projection puts U.S. COVID-19 deaths at nearly 135,000 by August

A new forecast projects nearly 135,000 deaths due to COVID-19 in the United States through the beginning of August mainly due to reopening measures under way, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington said on Monday. The forecast U.S. death toll through early August totaled 134,475, a midrange between 95,092 and 242,890, the IHME said. The revised projection almost doubles the number of deaths foreseen in the United States since the last estimate in mid-April. California sees 'ray of sunshine,' takes first steps toward reopening

California on Monday announced the state's first tentative steps to reopen from a lockdown designed to contain the spread of the coronavirus, giving a green light for retail stores to open this week, though with restrictions. California Governor Gavin Newsom said the nation's most populous U.S. state, among the two dozen that still has full restrictions in place, would allow some counties to go further if they met certain testing and protection guidelines. U.S. Senate returns to Washington amid concerns about coronavirus risk

The U.S. Senate convened in Washington for the first time in nearly six weeks on Monday, despite concern it might put lawmakers and staff at risk of contracting the coronavirus, but made clear it could take weeks to pass any new relief legislation. Party leaders raised partisan differences as soon as the Senate opened over the next step in how to combat the pandemic, nominations for senior government posts put forward by President Donald Trump and even the decision to return. U.S. starts study to find COVID-19 infection rate in children

The National Institutes Of Health said on Monday it has started enrolling participants in a study to find out the infection rate of COVID-19, caused by the new coronavirus, in children and their families in the United States. The government-funded study, which will be conducted completely remotely, looks to determine how many children infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, develop symptoms of the disease. Researchers nearly double U.S. coronavirus death projection due to easing

Nearly 135,000 Americans were forecast to die from COVID-19 through the beginning of August, almost double the last prediction, due to loosening of lockdowns, according to an updated forecast from the University of Washington on Monday. The university's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) said the sharp increase from its last estimate in mid-April reflected rising mobility and the easing of social distancing measures in 31 states by May 11. Fears overnight closure of New York subway will push homeless 'into the shadows'

Plans to close New York City's subways at night to disinfect trains during the coronavirus pandemic risk pushing hundreds of homeless people "further into the shadows", housing experts warned, calling for safe alternatives to house them. The overnight closing of the transit system, which starts on Wednesday, will allow for daily cleaning of the trains for the essential workers using them while most city residents are staying at home, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.