The federal government plans to release guidelines on Thursday for reopening parts of the U.S. economy, President Trump said at Wednesday's White House coronavirus briefing.
The big picture: The number of novel coronavirus cases now exceeds 632,000 in the U.S., per Johns Hopkins. More than 3.1 million tests have been conducted and 51,000 Americans have recovered from the virus as of Wednesday. More than 27,000 Americans have died of COVID-19.
- Senate Democratic leadership announced Wednesday a plan, authored by Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), that calls for $30 billion in emergency funds to bolster national coronavirus testing and contact tracing.
Lockdown measures: East and West Coast governors are teaming up to create regional plans to lift their lockdowns as conditions permit. Trump tweeted Tuesday that the move is like a "mutiny."
- All but eight states have issued stay-at-home orders.
What's happening: Trump threatened Wednesday to force Congress into a formal recess, so he can make appointments that he said are more vital to deal with the virus....
- New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday compared scaling up testing and contact tracing to the degree necessary to reopen the economy during the pandemic to "trying to get Apollo 13 back to Earth 220,000 miles, 50 years ago."
- World Health Organization director-general said Wednesday that he "regrets" Trump's decision to halt U.S. funding. Opposition erupted after Trump's statement.
- Cuomo said Wednesday he