US News Roundup: Trump drops the idea of New York lockdown; Trump struggles with tone in virus crisis and more

President Donald Trump offered a preview of his re-election campaign playbook last year when he visited the building site of a multi-billion-dollar cracking unit in western Pennsylvania, hailed as one of the largest construction projects in the country.

Exclusive: Amazon entices warehouse employees to grocery unit with higher pay

Amazon.com Inc is offering higher pay to recruit its own warehouse employees to pick and pack Whole Foods groceries amid rising demand and a worker shortage, according to an internal document reviewed by Reuters. This move, known as labor sharing, highlights how the ecommerce giant is reallocating some of its vast workforces to handle a spike in online sales of groceries, as millions of Americans are stuck at home amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

Tornado wrecks buildings, tosses cars in Jonesboro, Arkansas

A large tornado struck the city of Jonesboro in Arkansas on Saturday, wrecking buildings and flipping cars, according to local media and images posted online. It was not immediately clear whether anyone was killed or injured by the tornado, which hit the city of about 75,000 people in the northeast of the state at around 5:20 p.m.

As virus threatens, the U.S. embraces big government, for now

It may, as House Majority Leader and Maryland Democrat Steny Hoyer said on Friday, be out of love that the United States agreed to shut down much of its economy to stop a viral epidemic and save lives. It may, as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said, be out of necessity that the federal government agreed to foot the bill.

Clothing rental service Rent the Runway lays off workers amid coronavirus outbreak

U.S. clothing rental firm Rent the Runway said on Saturday it had laid off retail employees following temporary store closures amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. "Like many businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Rent the Runway has had to make some difficult decisions in the short term to thrive in the long term which includes temporary store closures and retail role eliminations," a company spokeswoman said in an emailed statement on Saturday.

Trump struggles with tone in virus crisis, aides urge more empathy

The coronavirus pandemic is forcing President Donald Trump to show empathy to console Americans under siege, and it's not easy for a brash leader more accustomed to bellicose politics. Trump, who initially dismissed the pandemic as "under control," is having to adjust his messaging to fit grim times, and some of his allies are pushing him to show more heart.

"We're trying to keep our heads above water": U.S. healthcare workers fight shortages - and fear

U.S. nurses and doctors on the front lines of the battle against the new coronavirus that has infected tens of thousands of Americans and killed hundreds are shellshocked by the damage that the virus wreaks - on patients, their families and themselves. Nurses and doctors describe their frustration at equipment shortages, fears of infecting their families, and their moments of tearful despair.

Prisoner serving time for drug charge is first U.S. inmate to die from COVID-19

Patrick Jones, a 49-year-old prisoner in Louisiana who was serving a 27-year prison term for a drug charge, became the first federal inmate to die from COVID-19, the federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) announced late on Saturday. A total of 14 inmates and 13 staff in federal prisons across the United States have fallen ill with the virus, according to the BOP's website. Jones was serving his prison sentence at a low-security facility in Oakdale, Louisiana, and first developed symptoms on March 19, the BOP said.

Trump drops the idea of New York lockdown as U.S. death count crosses 2,000

President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he would issue a travel warning for the hard-hit New York area to limit the spread of the coronavirus, backing off from an earlier suggestion that he might try to cut off the region entirely. "A quarantine will not be necessary," he said on Twitter.

(With inputs from agencies.)