US Domestic News Roundup: Wary of public transport, coronavirus-hit Americans turn to bikes; New Jersey contractor charged with theft of N95 respirator masks and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Ex-Trump lawyer Cohen to be released due to coronavirus outbreak - sources

Michael Cohen, the former personal attorney to U.S. President Donald Trump, will be released early from prison because of the coronavirus pandemic, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters late on Thursday. Cohen, who has served less than one year of a three-year sentence, will serve the rest of his time in home confinement, one of the sources said. Before his release, he will have to undergo a two-week quarantine to ensure he does not have symptoms of COVID-19, according to the source, who asked not to be identified.

New York coronavirus deaths, hospitalizations lowest in more than one week

The number of people hospitalized for the novel coronavirus and related deaths fell to their lowest levels in more than a week, evidence that the hardest-hit state was controlling its spread, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Thursday. Cuomo also told a daily briefing that he would extend an order closing businesses and schools by two weeks until at least May 15 in coordination with other states in the region.

Exclusive: As the U.S. shut down, Trump's legal fight to build wall ramped up

Even as the Trump administration was struggling to deal with the coronavirus outbreak, it was ramping up efforts to seize land along U.S. southern border to build a wall and fulfill a major campaign promise, a Reuters review of federal court records shows. Donald Trump made building the wall a central promise of his 2016 campaign, but those efforts have been plagued by delays and false promises. Late last year, the administration got more aggressive, pledging to use the federal courts to seize large swaths of private land, mostly in Texas.

Wary of public transport, coronavirus-hit Americans turn to bikes

Add fear to the list of reasons people ride bikes. "I'm 51 and healthy, but I don't want to get on the subway," said John Donohue, a Brooklyn-based artist who bought a bike two weeks ago. Donohue, who doesn't own a car, says he's not sure when he'll be comfortable on mass transit again.

Seven governors in U.S. Midwest to work together to reopen their economies

Governors in seven U.S. Midwest states said they will work in close coordination to reopen the economy in their regions. The governors for Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky have formed a partnership to work together on restarting the economies in their states, they said in a statement.

Key U.S. Congressman offers remote voting proposal amid coronavirus relief haggling

A leading member of the U.S. House of Representatives recommended on Thursday a voting system to allow lawmakers to authorize other lawmakers to vote for them during the coronavirus pandemic. The recommendation from the chairman of the powerful House Rules committee came as members of Congress argued about what the next coronavirus rescue package should include, while a program to help small businesses ran out of money and the economy continued to struggle from a monthlong shutdown.

Pence says more than 5 million Americans will have been tested for coronavirus by end of April

Vice President Mike Pence said on Thursday that he expects more than 5 million Americans will have been tested for the novel coronavirus by the end of April. "We'll continue to scale those resources," Pence said at a news conference. "Testing and medical supplies will continue to be an ongoing partnership with our states, and we want our healthcare workers and people all across the country to know of our commitment to that."

New Jersey contractor charged with theft of N95 respirator masks

A New Jersey electrical contractor has been charged with stealing up to 1,600 respirator masks that were to be donated to a local hospital, the New Jersey attorney general's office said on Thursday. Kevin Brady, an electrical contractor who had access to storage areas in the Prudential Financial facility in Iselin, stole cases of N95 respirator masks that Prudential intended to donate to a hospital, Attorney General Gurbir Grewel and the superintendent of New Jersey State Police, Colonel Patrick Callahan, said in a statement.

Trump unveils three-stage process for states to end coronavirus shutdown

President Donald Trump laid out new guidelines on Thursday for U.S. states to emerge from a coronavirus shutdown in a staggered, three-stage approach meant to revive the U.S. economy even as the country continues to fight the pandemic. The recommendations call on states to show a "downward trajectory" of COVID-19 cases or positive tests for the disease over 14 days before proceeding with the plan, which gradually loosens restrictions on businesses that have been shuttered to blunt the spread of the virus.

Trump to push for reopening U.S. as millions more seek unemployment aid

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday plans to announce new guidelines to reopen the economy after a monthlong shutdown over the coronavirus outbreak, despite concerns from health experts, governors and business leaders about a resurgence in cases without more testing and protocols in place. Trump announced his decision to push states to lift stay-at-home and other restrictions that were imposed last month to halt the spread of the highly contagious disease as the number of deaths in the United States approached 31,000 on Wednesday - more than any other nation.