Five New York regions now ready to start reopening on Friday-governor

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Thursday that a central area of his state was now ready to open, bringing to five the number of regions that can take the first steps to reopen some businesses when a statewide stay-at-home order lapses on Friday.

Cuomo also told a daily briefing that he spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump, who expedited a $3.9 billion payment of federal funds to New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the largest mass-transit system in the country. (reporting by Nathan Layne in Wilton, Connecticut and Maria Caspani in New York Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)