US Domestic News Roundup: Rockets hit U.S. air base in Afghanistan; U.S. to seize exports of masks and gloves amid coronavirus crisis and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Exclusive: U.S. ambassador to South Korea is discussing plans to resign - sources

U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris has said privately that he does not plan to stay on beyond the November U.S. presidential election, regardless of whether President Donald Trump wins another term, five sources told Reuters. Harris, a 40-year veteran of the U.S. Navy who started in Seoul in 2018 after Trump appointed him, has expressed increasing frustration with the tensions and drama of his tenure, the sources said, all speaking on condition of anonymity because of the diplomatic sensitivity of the issue.

Trump: Like to reopen the U.S. economy with a 'big bang'

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would like to reopen the U.S. economy with a "big bang" but that the death toll from the coronavirus needs to be on the down slope before that can happen. At a White House news briefing, Trump said the Centers for Disease Control would release guidance later on Wednesday to ensure critical infrastructure workers can do their jobs after being exposed to the virus.

Rockets hit U.S. air base in Afghanistan; no casualties

Five rockets hit a major U.S. air base in Afghanistan on Thursday but there were no casualties, Afghanistan's NATO-led force said, in an attack claimed by the Islamic State militant group. The attack comes weeks after Taliban militants and the United States reached a deal on the withdrawal of U.S.-led international troops in exchange for Taliban security guarantees. Islamic State militants have not been included in the pact.

Speed of coronavirus deaths shock doctors as New York toll hits new high

New York state, epicenter of America's coronavirus crisis, set another single-day record of COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday, as veteran doctors and nurses voiced astonishment at the speed with which patients were deteriorating and dying. The number of known coronavirus infections in New York state alone approached 150,000 on Wednesday, even as authorities warned that the official death tally may understate the true number because it omits those who have perished at home.

Nursing home deaths rise in Maryland with tests, protective gear scarce

Retired firefighter Gary Holmberg was only supposed to be at the Pleasant View nursing home in Maryland for a little while, recovering from a fall at his assisted living center. But about a month after he arrived, Holmberg, 77, became one of more than a dozen of the nursing home's residents who died from the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

Body of Robert F. Kennedy's great-grandson recovered from Chesapeake Bay

The body of a great-grandson to Robert F. Kennedy was recovered from Chesapeake Bay off the Maryland coast on Wednesday, two days after he went missing with his mother while riding in a canoe, the New York Times reported. The remains of 8-year-old Gideon McKean were found about 2,000 feet from where the body of his mother, Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean, was discovered on Monday, the Times said.

250-year-old U.S. Easter tradition's horns silenced by coronavirus pandemic

Every Easter Sunday for almost 250 years, residents of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, have been awakened by small groups of musicians playing the hymn "Sleepers, Wake," before the Home Moravian church's sunrise service. Not this year.

Chaotic Wisconsin election signals virus-related voting battles ahead

Shavonda Sisson said she requested a mail ballot to vote in Tuesday's Democratic primary election in Wisconsin well ahead of the election. When it failed to arrive, the Milwaukee resident decided not to risk voting in person. Sisson, a 39-year-old African American, feared her asthma would make her vulnerable to the deadly coronavirus now sweeping the country. And she expressed anger that other voters, especially in the hard-hit black community, had to make the same tough choice.

Ex-U.S. Navy secretary's Guam trip to ridicule commander cost taxpayers $243,000: officials

Former acting U.S. Navy Secretary Thomas Modly's controversial trip to Guam over the weekend where he ridiculed the commander of a coronavirus-stricken U.S. aircraft carrier cost taxpayers at least $243,000, officials said on Wednesday. Modly resigned on Tuesday after mounting criticism for firing and ridiculing Captain Brett Crozier of the Theodore Roosevelt who pleaded for help to contain a coronavirus outbreak onboard.

U.S. to seize exports of masks and gloves amid coronavirus crisis

The United States will seize exports of key protective medical gear until it determines whether the equipment should be kept in the country to combat the spread of the new coronavirus, two federal agencies announced on Wednesday. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will hold exports of respirators, surgical masks and surgical gloves, according to a joint announcement made with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA will then determine if the equipment should be returned for use in the United States, purchased by the U.S. government or exported.

(With inputs from agencies.)