Coronavirus pandemic in the US

There has been a "big increase" in 911 calls for domestic abuse in the past few weeks, Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo said during a news conference on Friday.

She encouraged people who are not safe to reach out for help and said that those who are safe need to pay attention to their communities. 

The state is reviewing data and resources to help combat this uptick in domestic violence, Raimondo said.

President Trump tweeted that he “will never let our Post Office fail” after attacking the US Postal Service earlier Friday.

Trump criticized the USPS in his tweet saying, “It has been mismanaged for years, especially since the advent of the internet and modern-day technology” but goes on to praise those who work for the postal service.

“The people that work there are great, and we’re going to keep them happy, healthy, and well!” Trump tweeted.

During today’s bill signing ceremony in the Oval Office, Trump called the Postal Service “a joke” and claimed it needed to raise rates on companies like Amazon by four or five times.

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin told reporters earlier "we authorized in the last CARE[S] Act over $10 billion in a loan."

"My team is already actively working on that with the postal service, if they need the money. And we’re dealing with them," he said. Mnuchin went on to say that “certain criteria for postal reform” would be included as part of that loan.

Trump then added that if the USPS doesn’t raise the price on packages, he won’t sign any legislation to provide it more funding. 

Admiral Michael Gilday, the chief of Naval Operations, has recommended to Defense Secretary Mark Esper today that Capt. Brett Crozier be restored to command of the carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, according to an administration official tells CNN.

A defense official also said that Esper was not prepared to immediately accept the Navy’s recommendation after being briefed on the investigation on Friday, telling top Navy officials he wanted more time to review their recommendations.

More on this: Crozier was relieved of his command after sending a letter warning that action was needed to save the lives of his crew from an outbreak of coronavirus aboard the aircraft carrier.

In the memo, Crozier pleaded with Navy leaders that "decisive action is required" to remove a majority of the ship's personnel and isolate them for two weeks. The letter was published in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Watch sailors cheer on Capt. Crozier in send-off:

Ohio will scale up testing to 22,000 tests per day by the end of May, Gov. Mike DeWine announced in a news conference on this afternoon.

DeWine said the state struck a partnership with a dental supply company to manufacture swabs, and with a medical manufacturing company to supply reagents for the tests — which both have been major obstacles for Ohio's testing expansion.

Currently, Ohio's daily testing capacity is 3,728. DeWine said that by Wednesday, the state should get to 7,200 tests per day, and by May 27, that number should reach 22,000 tests per day.

DeWine said testing will be prioritized for nursing homes, essential workers and hotspots. 

DeWine did not provide any additional details about the state's reopening plan, which is expected to be announced on Monday. 

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced on Friday that elective dental procedures will be allowed to proceed on May 18.

The state's Department of Health will be working with industry associations on proper guidelines so consumers have confidence that protective measures are in place before May 18, the governor said.

Hutchinson also announced that the total number of coronavirus cases in the state rose to 2,741 in total, which includes 198 new cases at the Arkansas Department of Corrections Cummins unit.

The state has also pushed for additional testing and had over 2,800 tests come in over the past day.

The UFC has scheduled three fight nights that will be closed to the public starting May in Jacksonville, Florida.

The mixed martial arts organization said all thee of the events will take place in the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena "with only essential personnel in attendance."

In a statement released by the UFC, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry said, “As we move step-by-step on the path toward economic recovery, we are proud to host these UFC events at the Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena.”

The televised UFC 249 will take place on May 9 with additional fight nights on May 13 and 16, the UFC said. Each event will be "closed to the public."

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday issued a reminder about disinfectants: Use them properly.

Some context: The CDC message was sent a day after President Trump suggested that injecting disinfectant might be a possible treatment for coronavirus.

“I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in a minute. One minute,” Trump said.

“And is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside or almost a cleaning,” the President added. “Because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs. So it would be interesting to check that.”

The CDC tweet included a link for anyone interested in learning “more about cleaning and disinfecting your home.”

Among other instructions. the CDC website says people should try “not to breathe in product fumes. If using products indoors, open windows and doors to allow fresh air to enter.”

CNN has reached out to the CDC for clarification on what prompted the tweet.

Earlier today, The maker of Lysol issued a statement clarifying that under no circumstances should its products be administered into the human body.

See Dr. Birx's reaction to Trump's disinfectant suggestion:

US airlines are moving forward with plans to carry cargo in otherwise empty passenger planes. 

Airlines for America, the industry group that represents airlines, on Friday formally asked the Federal Aviation Administration to allow all carriers to transport cargo on airplane seats. 

Delta Air Lines said it has received federal government approval to carry cargo in empty overhead bins on cargo-only, wide-body charter flights. Since early April, it has been using passenger planes for those flights, but the passenger compartment is empty.  

What we know: The airlines are proposing carrying up to 50 pounds of cargo on each seat — or up to 110 pounds if the cargo is packaged in a single container that takes up three seats. They propose carrying up to 20 pounds of cargo under each seat. The seats will be in the upright position, rather than reclined, and flight attendants would be aboard to make sure none of the cargo catches fire. (Passenger compartments typically don’t have the firefighting systems installed in cargo compartments.) 

Some airlines are also looking at removing passenger seats, providing even more cargo capacity. Delta CEO Ed Bastian said on a call with financial analysts earlier this week: “We are — we have looked at and we're taking some of the main deck seats off our — a few of our international planes to facilitate taking greater lift in the short term.” 

The 80% cut in US flights means there is significantly less cargo capacity available to shippers.  

Earlier this month, the FAA laid out the standards airlines must meet when seeking approval to carry cargo in non-traditional areas. Details on that below.  

Here's a diagram from Airlines for America showing how cargo would be placed on seats: 

Three class action lawsuits have been filed against New York-area universities by students who argue the schools’ have failed to adequately refund or reimburse students for tuition and other fees they paid to attend in-person, on-campus classes.

The lawsuits are against Columbia University, Pace University and Long Island University. The students argue that online-only instruction is less valuable and should cost students less.

Pace University spokesperson Marie Boster told CNN that while they have not been served yet, “housing fee adjustments for students who had to leave the residence halls are being issued. We are planning to use CARES Act funding to support our students when it is available.”

Columbia University and Long Island University have not yet responded to comment.