US Domestic News Roundup: U.S. military to halt domestic travel; Trump declares coronavirus national emergency and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

U.S. military to halt domestic travel due to coronavirus

The U.S. military said on Friday it will halt, with some exceptions, domestic travel for service members, Defense Department civilians and families in a move aimed at limiting the spread of coronavirus and its impact on the military. The move, which goes further than previous restrictions on international travel, highlights the degree to which the U.S. military is concerned and the lengths it has to go to try and protect the more than a million active-duty troops around the world.

U.S. hospitals say coronavirus school closures add to staffing pressure

U.S. hospitals, gearing up for a large surge in patients as the new coronavirus spreads throughout the country, are reaching out to temporary staff agencies and exploring other ways to maintain workforce levels as school closures add to pressure on doctors and nurses. "The biggest issue right now is we need to plan for a logarithmic increase in patient numbers," Dr. Jason Persoff, assistant director of emergency preparedness at UCHealth, Colorado's largest health system. "We are learning a lot from what happened in Washington state and in Italy ... there are a lot of issues with childcare."

Major U.S. internet firms agree to not cancel service over next 60 days, FCC says

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said Friday that major internet providers including Comcast Corp, AT&T Inc, and Verizon Communications Inc have agreed to not terminate service for the next 60 days if they are unable to pay their bills due to the disruptions caused by the coronavirus. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said after calls with companies and associations the firms have also agreed to waive any late fees that any residential or small business customers incur because of their economic circumstances related to the coronavirus pandemic and open Wi-Fi hotspots to any American who needs them.

Like the flu? Trump's coronavirus messaging confuses public, pandemic researchers say

The coronavirus is not as bad as the seasonal flu. President Donald Trump is not worried about having had direct exposure to the virus. The United States is in far better shape than other countries. Those are some of the messages from Trump to the American public in recent days Pelosi and Mnuchin continue talks on economic aid to offset coronavirus hit

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin spoke on Friday morning, Pelosi's spokesman said, as negotiations continued over an economic relief package to help offset economic shocks from the coronavirus. Pelosi and Mnuchin, who is handling negotiations for President Donald Trump's Republican administration, are seeking to come to an agreement on an aid package as the outbreak continues to grow in the United States.

Drive-through coronavirus tests: coming to a store near you

New York state opened its first drive-through coronavirus test site on Friday, following a similar experiment in Seattle. Other places are set to do the same, improving availability of tests while keeping people in cars to avoid spreading the virus. "This is a very creative way of testing," New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told a news conference on Friday in New Rochelle, a suburb of New York City that has one of the biggest cluster of coronavirus cases in the United States. To date, the virus has killed at least 47 Americans and infected nearly 1,700, with many more expected.

Trump declares coronavirus national emergency, says he will most likely be tested

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday declared a national emergency over the fast-spreading coronavirus to free up $50 billion in federal aid and said he would "most likely" be tested for the virus himself soon after facing possible exposure. Trump made the announcement at a Rose Garden news conference as he battled to show Americans he is aggressively addressing the health crisis after facing criticism that he was slow to react and played down the threat until the number of cases rose.

Shaken but united, Americans pull together to battle coronavirus

When residents of Wilton, Connecticut, first learned one of their own had contracted coronavirus, they naturally worried about infections spreading across their quiet New England hometown. But they did more than worry; they also offered their help. Neighbors began dropping off groceries for the patient's wife and their four-month-old twin boys. Some pitched in by delivering medication, while others sent flowers to cheer up the household.

From $1 billion Musk trial to jury duty being put on hold, coronavirus hits U.S. courts

The coronavirus pandemic has begun to impact the U.S. court system, halting civil and criminal jury trials in high-profile venues such as Manhattan's federal court and delaying a $1 billion trial against Elon Musk that was slated to begin Monday. The postponements are raising questions about how courts will protect criminal defendants' rights to a speedy trial, clear a backlog of hundreds of thousands of asylum cases and resolve high-profile corporate disputes.

Pressed by reporters, Trump says he will be tested for coronavirus

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday reversed course and said he would get tested for the coronavirus, days after he stood next to a Brazilian official who tested positive for the virus. Trump was photographed at his private Florida club standing next to Fabio Wajngarten, the press aide to Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro when Brazilian officials visited on Saturday. Weingarten later tested positive for the disease.