Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. Purell for $400? U.S. lawmaker urges Amazon to tamp down price gouging

Amazon.com Inc should stop third-party sellers from price gouging for items like Purell hand sanitizer as people seek to protect themselves from the coronavirus, U.S. Senator Edward Markey said in a letter to the online retailer on Wednesday. A box of small Purell bottles that usually sells for $10 was listed online for $400, he said. One third-party seller listed a bottle for $600 on Wednesday afternoon. However, the Amazon brand of hand sanitizer was listed for $8.25 for a large bottle. United Airlines cuts flights, freezes hiring as coronavirus hits demand

United Airlines Holdings Inc is slashing its spring flying schedule and implementing some cost controls in the most drastic actions by a U.S. airline to get ahead of depressed travel demand due to the spreading coronavirus. The measures, announced by executives in a letter to employees on Wednesday, include a 10% reduction in U.S. and Canadian flights and a 20% reduction in international flying in the month of April, with similar cuts planned in May. Pence will meet cruise industry officials Saturday on coronavirus

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said he would travel to Florida on Saturday to meet with cruise industry representatives to discuss best practices to combat the new coronavirus. In a White House briefing on Wednesday, Pence also said it was safe to fly on domestic and international routes except from areas covered by U.S. travel advisories related to coronavirus. U.S. chief justice slams Schumer for 'dangerous' comment on justices in abortion case

U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday issued an unusual rebuke of "dangerous" comments by top U.S. Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer about two conservative Supreme Court justices appointed by President Donald Trump and how they might rule in a major abortion case. Schumer had earlier in the day assailed Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch, saying they "won't know what hit" them if they rule in favor of abortion restrictions. Bloomberg bows out of presidential contest but his money will stay

After a not-so-Super Tuesday, Michael Bloomberg is out of the presidential nomination contest. But the power of his $60 billion fortune is staying in. Bloomberg on Wednesday switched from being a candidate to being a powerful backer of former Vice President Joe Biden, who dominated March 3 Super Tuesday voting in the race to challenge President Donald Trump in the Nov. 3 election. Defense Department weakens U.S. military housing bill after consulting industry

A sweeping U.S. military housing reform plan, pitched as a way to protect service families from shoddy homes and unresponsive landlords, has been watered down to remove several protections tenants and Congress had sought. Congress ordered the Department of Defense to create a tenant-rights bill for military families last year. Among the key provisions required: the ability for military families to withhold rent to protest unsafe conditions, obtain full maintenance histories of their homes upon moving in, and challenge landlords through a dispute resolution process. California, Washington state deaths add to U.S. coronavirus toll

Two more people have died of the new coronavirus in the United States, bringing the toll to 11, and new confirmed cases were reported on Wednesday around the two most populous cities, New York and Los Angeles. The first California death from the virus was announced by health officials as an elderly adult with underlying health conditions. It was the first coronavirus fatality in the United States outside of Washington state, where 10 have died. After deadly tornadoes, Tennessee rescue teams search for survivors

A day after a series of fierce tornadoes killed 24 people in Tennessee, rescue teams on Wednesday were searching through flattened homes and piles of debris in the north-central part of the state for possible survivors. The statewide death toll now stands at 24, including five children and 13 adults in Putnam County, about 80 miles (130 km) Biden rides momentum to big Super Tuesday wins, Sanders ahead in California

A resurgent Joe Biden rode a wave of momentum to win Texas and eight other states and Bernie Sanders was leading in Super Tuesday's biggest race in California, setting up a one-on-one battle for the Democratic presidential nomination. In a surprisingly strong showing, Biden rolled to victories across the South, Midwest and New England on the biggest day of voting in the Democratic campaign. Americans in 14 states cast ballots for a challenger to Republican President Donald Trump in the Nov. 3 election. Democrat Warren reassessing path forward after disappointing 'Super Tuesday,' campaign aide says

Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren is "talking to her team to assess the path forward," a campaign aide said on Wednesday, after the U.S. senator from Massachusetts saw disappointing results across the board on Tuesday. Warren did not finish in the top two in any of the 14 states that voted on Super Tuesday, including her home state, and she appears to be without a plausible road to victory after former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont split the vast majority of delegates awarded.