Fauci: May 1 target for reopening U.S. economy "overly optimistic" -AP

The top U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said on Tuesday that a May 1 target date for reopening the economy was "a bit overly optimistic," citing a lack of critical testing and tracing procedures.

"We have to have something in place that is efficient and that we can rely on, and we're not there yet," Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told The Associated Press in an interview.

Fauci also told the AP that the length of the daily White House coronavirus briefings was "really draining." Trump, who is running for re-election in November, has at times used the briefings to promote his role and attack political opponents. Monday's lasted two and a half hours.