US Domestic News Roundup: U.S. coronavirus crisis takes a sharp political turn; U.S. judge puts Amazon challenge to Pentagon JEDI contract on hold and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Protective gear, cellphone, video chats: How America's clergy minister to COVID-19 patients

Reverend Manuel Dorantes closed his eyes, took a breath to calm his fear and prayed when word came that Cardinal Blase Joseph Cupich had put out a call for volunteers. Cupich, archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, needed two dozen young priests to take on the sacred duty of administering the last rites to those dying from the new and highly contagious coronavirus.

U.S. announces $19 billion coronavirus aid for farmers, food buys for poor

President Donald Trump on Friday announced a $19 billion relief program to help U.S. farmers cope with the impact of the coronavirus, including $16 billion in direct payments to producers and mass purchases of meat, dairy, vegetables and other products. The U.S. Agriculture Department is partnering with regional and local distributors to purchase $3 billion in such farm goods to be distributed to food banks, churches and aid groups as millions of Americans face unemployment with much of the economy shut down.

U.S. coronavirus crisis takes a sharp political turn

The U.S. coronavirus crisis took a sharp political turn on Friday as President Donald Trump lashed out at four Democratic governors over their handling of the pandemic after having conceded that states bear ultimate control of restrictions to contain the outbreak. The Republican president targeted three swing states critical to his re-election bid - Michigan, Minnesota and Virginia - where his conservative loyalists have mounted pressure campaigns challenging those governors' stay-at-home orders.

New York governor attacks Trump for 'passing buck' on pandemic response

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Friday launched a blistering attack on President Donald Trump's response to the coronavirus crisis, accusing him of "passing the buck" to the states and favoring big business over communities hardest hit. Cuomo, who had previously kept his criticism of Trump in check, unleashed a flurry of broadsides following a reporter's question about the president's comments suggesting New York had asked for too much aid that was never fully used.

U.S. judge puts Amazon challenge to Pentagon JEDI contract on hold

A U.S. judge on Friday put on hold a suit by Amazon.com Inc challenging the Pentagon's decision to award a $10 billion contract to Microsoft Corp. Judge Patricia E. Campbell-Smith granted the Pentagon's request to halt further action on the lawsuit to allow the military to reconsider aspects of the decision being challenged by Amazon, originally considered to be the favorite to win the award. She ordered the case to remain on hold until August 17, but said it could be extended or shortened depending on the length of the review.

'No excuses': Moderate Democrats urge quick deal on small-business coronavirus aid

Some moderate Democrats key to their party's control of the U.S. House of Representatives are urging Speaker Nancy Pelosi to move quickly to replenish a fund to help small businesses hurt by the coronavirus pandemic, saying other party priorities can wait. Both Democrats and Republicans appeared hard-pressed Friday to end a stalemate that has lasted more than a week over President Donald Trump's request to add $250 billion to a small-business loan program. Congress set up the program last month as part of a $2.3 trillion coronavirus economic relief plan, but it has already run out of money.

Trump: U.S. states, not federal government, must improve testing

U.S. President Donald Trump, whose administration has faced criticism over a shortfall in coronavirus testing capacity, said on Friday that individual states were responsible for developing testing capabilities. "It's going to be up to the states to use that capability," Trump told reporters at a White House briefing.

Trump's coronavirus reopening plan has big holes, health experts say

The U.S. economy has imploded in the past month amid aggressive measures to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, with 22 million people filing for unemployment benefits and most factories, stores and other businesses at a virtual standstill. The governors of Michigan, Florida and other states outlined tentative steps on Friday to reopen their economies, a day after the White House issued guidelines to help states decide when to lift lockdown orders and allow firms to restart and workers to return to their jobs.

Adherence to social distancing spurs dip in projected U.S. coronavirus deaths

Better-than-expected social distancing practices have led an influential research model to lower its projected U.S. coronavirus death toll by 12%, while predicting some states may be able to safely begin easing restrictions as early as May 4. The University of Washington's predictive model, regularly updated and often cited by state public health authorities and White House officials, projected on Friday that the virus will take 60,308 U.S. lives by Aug. 4, down from 68,841 deaths forecast earlier in the week.

Exclusive: Amazon deploys thermal cameras at warehouses to scan for fevers faster

Amazon.com Inc has started to use thermal cameras at its warehouses to speed up screening for feverish workers who could be infected with the coronavirus, employees told Reuters. The cameras in effect measure how much heat people emit relative to their surroundings. They require less time and contact than forehead thermometers, earlier adopted by Amazon, the workers said.