Coronavirus US live: daily death toll hits new record as Trump issues reopening plan

10.09am EDT10:09

Trump referred to Congress' extended recess due to the coronavirus pandemic as an "endless vacation" in a tweet criticizing Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer.

"Today people started losing their jobs because of Crazy Nancy Pelosi, Cryin' Chuck Schumer, and the Radical Left, Do Nothing Democrats, who should immediately come back to Washington and approve legislation to help families in America. End your ENDLESS VACATION!" Trump wrote in the tweet.

Trump appears to be referencing the Paycheck Protection Program, which ran out of money yesterday. Republicans have been pushing a bill to give more money to the small business loan program, which was created by the stimulus package last month.

But Democrats are demanding that the bill also include more money for hospitals and state and local governments, leaving lawmakers at a stalemate.

Trump's demand that members of Congress return to Washington comes two days after DC mayor Muriel Bowser extended the city's stay-at-home order until May 15 as coronavirus cases in the region continue to climb.

9.54am EDT09:54

The number of coronavirus tests being conducted each week in the US has hit a wall, just as public health experts warn the country needs to substantially ramp up testing to reopen the economy.

Axios reports:

Ashish Jha, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, said he thinks we need to be doing 500,000 tests a day for the foreseeable future.

Nationwide testing capacity steadily increased for weeks, but has appeared to hit a wall around 145,000 tests a day. Several factors are holding it back:

Supply shortages for key test ingredients, swabs, test kits, and personal protective equipment.

Poor coordination: Some labs have excess testing capacity, but aren't being sent samples from the providers collecting them.

Rules about who gets tested: Many states have limited testing to the sickest patients, and caseloads are dropping overall. But clinicians often have discretion as to who they test.

Many health experts have warned that states will see a surge in coronavirus cases once the economy reopens if they do not have enough tests to identify and isolate new patients.

9.36am EDT09:36

Joe Biden told donors in a virtual fundraiser last night that he is already considering his potential cabinet if he wins the election in November.

"I promise you that has already begun," the assumed Democratic nominee said. "Sounds presumptuous. ... I don't want it to sound like that, but it has to happen and that's why the transition team is already being put together."

Biden interestingly said some Republicans have reached out to him about potentially serving in his administration, which could spark concern among some Democrats.

"I have had literally several hundred serious, serious players who have been held positions in every department in the federal government who have said, including some Republicans, who have said if you win, I want to come back. I'm ready to serve," Biden said.

The former vice president received some criticism when he said in August, "There's an awful lot of really good Republicans out there. ... I get in trouble for saying that with Democrats, but the truth of the matter is, every time we ever got in trouble with our administration, remember who got sent up to Capitol Hill to fix it? Me. Because they know I respect the other team."

9.17am EDT09:17

Trump's deference to governors yesterday as he unveiled federal guidelines on reopening the economy was a marked shift from earlier in the week.

Reading from prepared remarks, Trump said governors should take a "phased and deliberate approach to reopening their individual states."

"We are not opening all at once, but one careful step at a time, and some states will be able to open up sooner than others," Trump said, as a number of states and cities announced they would extend their stay-at-home orders until at least May 15.

"Governors will be empowered to tailor an approach that meets the diverse circumstances of their own states," Trump said. "Every state is very different."

The president saying governors would be "empowered" to make their own decisions on when to ease restrictions is a rather different message from earlier in the week, when Trump falsely claimed he had "total" authority to reopen the country.

On a call with governors yesterday, Trump similarly told the state leaders that they would be able to "call your own shots" about reopening, indicating the president is recognizing he will not have much say in when states start to reopen schools and non-essential businesses.

9.04am EDT09:04

Jason Wilson

A wave of planned anti-lockdown demonstrations that have broken out around the country included far-right groups as well as more mainstream Republicans.

While protesters in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and other states claim to speak for ordinary citizens, many are also supported by street-fighting rightwing groups like the Proud Boys, conservative armed militia groups, religious fundamentalists, anti-vaccination groups and other elements of the radical right.

On Wednesday in Lansing, Michigan, a protest put together by two Republican-connected not-for-profits was explicitly devised to cause gridlock in the city, and for a time blocked the entrance to a local hospital.

It was organized by the Michigan Conservative Coalition, which Michigan state corporate filings show has also operated under the name of Michigan Trump Republicans. It was also heavily promoted by the Michigan Freedom Fund, a group linked to Trump cabinet member Betsy DeVos.

But the protest also attracted far right protest groups who have been present at pro-Trump and gun rights rallies in Michigan throughout the Trump presidency.

Placards identified the Michigan Proud Boys as participants in the vehicle convoy. Near the state house, local radio interviewed a man who identified himself as "Phil Odinson".

In fact the man is Phil Robinson, the prime mover in a group called the Michigan Liberty Militia, whose Facebook page features pictures of firearms, warnings of civil war, celebrations of Norse paganism, and memes ultimately sourced from white nationalist groups like Patriot Front.

8.47am EDT08:47

Good morning, live blog readers.

The White House and a number of states are looking ahead to reopening the economy, but the severe effects of the coronavirus pandemic are still being felt across the country.

The country's daily death toll hit a new record of 4,591 people yesterday, according to the Wall Street Journal. That figure is nearly double that of the previous record of 2,569, which was set on Wednesday.

Overall, the US has recorded 33,286 deaths from coronavirus and confirmed 671,425 cases of the virus, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Trump announces guidelines for lifting lockdowns but defers to state governors – video

As the death toll continued to rise, the White Hosue released federal guidelines on a phased reopening for states, although the decision on when and how to reopen will ultimately lie with goverors.

But Dr Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious disease expert, acknowledged the country still faced a long road ahead. A "light switch on and off is the exact opposite of what you see here," Fauci said. "You don't get to phase one until you get through the gating."

Updated at 9.09am EDT