Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. Trump administration ready for more coronavirus aid if needed: Hassett

The Trump administration is prepared to take further steps if needed to shore up the nation's economy during the novel coronavirus outbreak, but any final action will not look like House Democrats' proposed legislation, White House adviser Kevin Hassett said on Monday. Hassett also told CNBC in an interview that the administration understood state and local governments were hurting during the outbreak and that Trump previously has said he was open to additional funding for costs related to the pandemic. U.S. CDC reports 1,467,065 coronavirus cases, 88,709 deaths

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Sunday reported 1,467,065 cases of the new coronavirus, an increase of 31,967 cases from its previous count, and said that the number of deaths had risen by 1,394 to 88,709. The CDC reported its tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, caused by the new coronavirus, as of 4 p.m. ET on May 16, compared with its count a day earlier. So far, no spike in coronavirus in places reopening, U.S. health secretary says

U.S. authorities are not yet seeing spikes in coronavirus cases in places that are reopening but it was still too early to determine such trends, health secretary Alex Azar said on Sunday. "We are seeing that in places that are opening, we're not seeing this spike in cases," Azar said on CNN's "State of the Union" program. "We still see spikes in some areas that are, in fact, closed." Fed's Powell: 'Medical metrics' most important data for U.S. economy now: CBS

The most important data for the U.S. economy right now are the "medical metrics" around the coronavirus pandemic, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Sunday night in broadcast remarks where he outlined the likely need for three to six more months of government financial help for firms and families. In an interview with CBS's "60 Minutes" news program, Powell repeatedly returned to health issues as central to the success of a U.S. economic reopening, calling on Americans to "help each other through this" by adhering to social distancing rules as state and local governments begin to lift restrictions on social and economic activities. Texas prepares for a pandemic first: a jury trial by Zoom

With jury trials on hold throughout the United States because of the coronavirus pandemic, court officials in Texas are preparing to try something new: let jurors hear a case through Zoom. Lawyers in an insurance dispute in Collin County District Court on Monday will present their case by videoconference, in what officials believe will be the first virtual jury trial to be held nationally amid the COVID-19 crisis. What did eight weeks and $3 trillion buy the U.S. in the fight against coronavirus?

Unemployment checks are flowing, $490 billion has been shipped to small businesses, and the U.S. Federal Reserve has put about $2.5 trillion and counting behind domestic and global markets. Fears of overwhelmed hospitals and millions of U.S. deaths from the new coronavirus have diminished, if not disappeared. Trump's firing of State Department watchdog may be 'unlawful,' Pelosi says

U.S. President Donald Trump's firing of the State Department's top internal watchdog "could be unlawful" if it was intended to retaliate against one of his investigations, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Sunday. Trump late Friday ousted Inspector General Steve Linick, the fourth inspector general he has fired since early April, following his February acquittal by the Republican-controlled Senate in his impeachment trial. Beaches, parks busy as Europe heat wave and U.S. spring test new coronavirus rules

Summer weather is enticing much of the world to emerge from coronavirus lockdowns as centers of the outbreak from New York to Italy and Spain gradually lift restrictions that have kept millions indoors for months. People are streaming back to beaches, parks and streets just as a heat wave hits southern Europe and spring-like temperatures allow Americans to shed winter coats. As they venture out again, most are keeping their distance and some are wearing masks. However, protests are also heating up from Germany to England to the United States, arguing the government restrictions demolish personal liberties and are wrecking economies. Special Report: 'Death Sentence' - the hidden coronavirus toll in U.S. jails and prisons

When COVID-19 began tearing through Detroit’s county jail system in March, authorities had no diagnostic tests to gauge its spread. But the toll became clear as deaths mounted. First, one of the sheriff’s jail commanders died; then, a deputy in a medical unit. "Working in the Wayne County Jail has now become a DEATH sentence!” the head of the deputy sheriffs’ union, Randall Crawford, wrote on Facebook as the losses mounted. 'I'm lucky': Cancer surgery in midst of coronavirus pandemic

As Los Angeles begins to emerge from more than two months of coronavirus lockdown, 40-year-old Marisa Sullivan will have surgery this week to remove a malignant tumor from her left breast. Sullivan’s surgery is set for Monday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, which suspended critical medical procedures for weeks to manage a wave of patients with COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus. Now hospitals across the country are resuming care beyond the pandemic, introducing new precautions to convince people it is safe to seek treatment. For cancer patients in particular, the risk of contracting the virus in a healthcare facility is a top concern.