Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. U.S. Senate leader says will only consider narrow coronavirus bill

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, on Tuesday said that any new coronavirus-response legislation would have to be "narrowly targeted," as he criticized a $3 trillion plan unveiled by House of Representatives Democrats. "We're going to insist on doing narrowly targeted legislation if and when we do legislate again and we may well," McConnell told reporters. Pence keeping his distance from Trump for a few days: White House

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is keeping his distance from President Donald Trump for a few days in the wake of his press secretary testing positive for the coronavirus, White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany told reporters on Tuesday. Pence was not at Trump's Rose Garden news conference on Monday nor at a White House meeting with U.S. military and national security officials on Saturday after Katie Miller received the test result last week. Los Angeles mayor hedges on plan to extend coronavirus lockdown for three months

The mayor of Los Angeles on Tuesday back-pedaled from his health director's assertion that stay-at-home orders in America's second-largest city would be extended at least through July, after those comments touched off a furor among beleaguered residents. The remarks by Los Angeles County Health Director Barbara Ferrer, reported by the Los Angeles Times, came as other major U.S. cities and states begin to ease the sweeping restrictions imposed weeks ago in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. U.S. Supreme Court wary of presidential 'harassment' in Trump finances fight

In a major showdown over presidential powers, U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday appeared divided over President Donald Trump's bid to prevent congressional Democrats from obtaining his financial records but seemed more open toward a New York prosecutor's attempt to secure similar records. The court's conservative majority signaled concern about improper "harassment" of Trump - who is seeking re-election on Nov. 3 - by three Democratic-led House of Representatives committees seeking his records. In the New York case, the conservative justices joined the court's liberals in indicating skepticism toward broad arguments by Trump's lawyer for complete immunity from criminal investigation for a sitting president. Stricken by coronavirus, some New Yorkers find solace in empty city streets

Harold Quintana sat nearly alone on a recent spring morning in New York City's Bryant Park, jotting down notes at a table overlooking the almost empty surroundings. Normally filled on warm spring days with tourists or office workers taking a break, the park near busy Times Square has fallen into a state of stillness as has the entire city of more than eight million people who have been told to mostly remain indoors for the past two months. In abrupt move, Connecticut replaces health commissioner amid pandemic

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont said on Tuesday he was replacing his public health commissioner, in an abrupt decision to shakeup leadership of the agency at the heart of the state's response to the coronavirus pandemic. Lamont said in a statement that Department of Social Services Commissioner Deidre Gifford would take over as head of the state's public health department, replacing Renee Coleman-Mitchell, effective immediately. U.S. air travel fell 51% in March amid coronavirus pandemic

U.S. airlines carried 51% fewer passengers in March amid the massive coronavirus pandemic travel collapse to the lowest air travel level in nearly two decades, the U.S. Transportation Department said Tuesday. Airlines carried slightly more total, domestic and international passengers in March 2020 than in September 2001, the month of the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington. In total, airlines carried 38.7 million passengers in March, down 51% from March 2019. Prior to March, air travel had risen for 29 consecutive months year-over-year dating back to October 2017. Restaurants in parts of California can open for sit-down dining

Restaurants in a handful of California counties can host sit-down dining, and shopping malls throughout the state can open for curbside pickup as coronavirus restrictions ease, Governor Gavin Newsom said on Tuesday. Offices can also open with some restrictions, Newsom, a Democrat, said in his daily press briefing. But his latest plan for reopening the world's fifth largest economy still does not allow nail salons, tattoo parlors or gyms. CDC reports 1,342,594 coronavirus cases, 80,820 deaths

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday reported 1,342,594 cases of the new coronavirus, an increase of 18,106 cases from its previous count, and said that the number of deaths had risen by 1,064 to 80,820. 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 11, compared with its count a day earlier. (https://bit.ly/2SGLijD) New York governor warns against paying 'greedy corporations' in stimulus bill

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday called on Congress to pass a stimulus package in response to the coronavirus pandemic that funds police officers, teachers and other local and state employees and warned against repeating the corporate-focused bailouts following the 2008 financial crisis. "Don't do it again," Cuomo said at a daily briefing, referring to the 2008 federal bailouts which big banks used in part to pay large bonuses to executives. "No handouts to greedy corporations, no political pork and no partisanship."