jon sopel, bbc news, washington.y has said it will borrow a record $3 trillion between april and june in order to cope with the economic fallout from the coronavirus. the increase is needed to fund the government's pandemic relief programmes for individuals and businesses. to put this figure into perspective, the us treasury borrowed $1.3 trillion in the last financial year. the us food and drug administration has tightened its oversight of coronavirus antibody tests after an earlier policy led to dubious products being sold. in a statement, the fda said unscrupulous people were marketing fraudulent test kits and taking advantage of widespread public anxiety. the bbc‘s north america correspondent, peter bowes joins us. tell us more on what the fda is saying? well, this is really an acknowledgement by the fda that the initial regulations, the initial oversight was not strong enough to stop bogus operators, bogus people coming in and making tests that were simply worth nothing. they simply worth nothing. they simply di

jon sopel, bbc news, washington.ey cannot support the british government's draft guidelines for how staff can return to work after the coronavirus lockdown is eased. employers also have concerns, saying they need more clarity on the use of ppe. well, one of the prime challenges facing workers when their firms or businesses eventually start up again is how to travel safely to and from work. our transport correspondent tom burridge has been looking at the difficulties likely to be faced by commuters as the lockdown is lifted in different phases. manchester today, and before the lockdown. social distancing easy now, hard when crowds return. a challenge across public transport. back in november, wejoined mark on his crowded commute. like most, he is now working from home. i won't be in any rush to go back on the trains, so, i just would be very twitchy about it. i haven't been wearing a mask or gloves, i've seen a lot of people out and about when they go shopping that do that. i think if i was using public transport, i w

jon sopel.urther easing of the lockdown in england from tomorrow. the communities secretary robert jenrick said they were "reasonably confident" the steps being taken were manageable — but people also had to play their part. from tomorrow all four uk nations will have guidelines in place allowing more than two people to meet outside. vulnerable people in england and wales, who have been advised to stay home since the coronavirus lockdown began, will also be able to go outdoors again. shielding advice in northern ireland and scotland hasn't changed. the first phase in the reopening of schools will begin in england, with children in nurseries and years one and six to return. and, provided they meet safety guidelines to protect shoppers and workers, open air markets and car showrooms can also start to trade again. the relaxing of measures comes as another 113 deaths were recorded in latest 24—hour period taking the total number of deaths to 38,489. here's our political correspondent, chris mason. s

jon sopel, bbc news, washington.y in the world to impose a national lockdown to try to control the pandemic, has lifted some of its toughest restrictions on the day it registered its lowest daily death toll since the lockdown began two months ago. mark lowen reports. a nation that has shed so many tears alone can finally grieve together. in naples today, the first funerals are allowed, with a maximum of 15 people, as italy opens up. being unable to say goodbye or visit graves has been one of the cruellest losses of the lockdown. "this is a beautiful day, as i can visit my son, who died ten years ago," says concetta. "thank you to everyone who's made it possible. "i can't say anything more, i'm too emotional." as the world's longest shutdown of the pandemic starts to fade, outdoor exercise is now allowed. parks and some businesses are reopening, and relatives can see each other again — with distance and masks. so, finally, people can come and visit the family members that they've been stopped from seeing for eight lon

jon sopel, bbc news, washington.versity students in england will still have to pay full tuition fees even if their courses are taught online this autumn. ministers at westminster have announced a series of measures to support english universities affected by the pandemic including allowing them to recruit up to 5% more students, as our education editor bra nwen jeffreys reports. university campuses won't be the same this year for students hoping to start in the autumn. no bars, no big parties. some courses may even begin online. but students in england will still pay full fees. if that was going on for a long time, i do think it would be unfair to ask for full tuition fees, because i'm not getting the full experience, and i'm not being taught everything that i need. starting university while social distancing continues and a lot of places are closed is going to be pretty difficult. if you are sitting at home, worrying about what grades you will get, it is not all bad news. universities will be able to offer slightly

jon sopel, bbc news, west virginia., in the greatest restriction on daily life since world war two. most people are obeying the lockdown rules — to the extent that new research suggests many would feel uncomfortable leaving home, even if the government allows an easing of the rules in a months time. our home editor mark easton reports. has anyone had any symptoms shed? in a warehouse in north london, a group of 20 young people have been documenting their lives on lockdown. this whole crisis right now is stressful. surveys show young people are struggling with the restrictions much more than older people. i have been trying to self—isolate. 42% of 18 — 2a—year—olds say they aren't coping, more than twice the proportion of the over—65s. younger people are less likely to have secure employment or accommodation, many have been furloughed or made unemployed, busy social lives are put on hold. i don't have any money. the warehouse community tell me they feel lucky to have each other, but there is still a sense of lost opportu

let's join our north america editor, jon sopel. huw, china may be on the other side of the coronavirusests that the death toll, far from plateauing, could go a lot higher. but with each rise in the numbers of people who've died, donald trump is more keen to shift the blame from him to china. what happened in wuhan, didn't stay in wuhan. a coronavirus which has affected billions, infected millions and killed hundreds of thousands is claiming a new casualty — us—china relations. on the american side, there's growing fury about china's secretiveness. and, for the moment, an unsubstantiated charge that this didn't originate in a wet market in the city, but in a government laboratory. these are not the first times that we have had a world exposed to viruses as a result of failures in a chinese lab. and so, while the intelligence committee continues to do its work, they should continue to do that and verify so that we are certain, i can tell you that there is a significant amount of evidence that this came from that laboratory in wuhan. the words from america's top diplomat seemed designed t

jon sopel, bbc news, washington.untry in the world to impose a national lockdown to try to contol the pandemic, has lifted some of its toughest restrictions on the day it registered its lowest daily death toll since the lockdown began two months ago. mark lowen reports. a nation that has shed so many tears alone can finally grieve together. in naples today, the first funerals are allowed, with a maximum of 15 people, as italy opens up. being unable to say goodbye or visit graves has been one of the cruellest losses of the lockdown. "this is a beautiful day, as i can visit my son, who died ten years ago," says concetta. "thank you to everyone who's made it possible. "i can't say anything more, i'm too emotional." as the world's longest shutdown of the pandemic starts to fade, outdoor exercise is now allowed. parks and some businesses are reopening, and relatives can see each other again — with distance and masks. so, finally, people can come and visit the family members that they've been stopped from seeing for eight