In a White House press briefing on Tuesday U.S. President Trump announced the halt of direct payments to the World Health Organization.

He says the spread of COVID-19 could have been prevented if the WHO had properly assessed the virus in China.

According to the AP, the U.S. Treasury and U.S. airlines have reached a tentative agreement to help them employ workers through September. The agreements includes $25 billion in federal aid for employee wages. 

As local and global economies take a hit because of COVID-19, world leaders are considering lifting virus restrictions but for many it’s still unclear when that will be.

“Science and public health, not politics, must be the guide,” said California Governor Gavin Newsom, after U.S. President Trump said he has the authority to ‘re-open’ U.S. states. 

Governors have the authority to re-open their states and some of them, including California, are beginning to plan a slow process of re-opening.

Health officials warn there could be a resurgence in COVID-19 cases if restrictions are lifted too soon.

The U.S. reported more than 2,000 deaths on Tuesday alone. The nation has more than 600,000 confirmed cases. 

Tech giants Apple and Google are also partnering to help contain COVID-19.

The companies will help by using contract tracing through bluetooth technology built into their phones. 
Contact tracing helps health officials find and notify people who have come into contact with someone who has COVID-19. 

The project is expected to start in mid-May. 

In non-COVID-19 related news, the U.S. Democratic Party now has a candidate for the 2020 presidential election, Joe Biden.
After backing out of the race, candidate Bernie Sanders has endorsed Biden for the presidency.