Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden labels Donald Trump the first racist to become US president in remarks his opponent's re-election campaign quickly rebuked.

President Donald Trump, in a shift in rhetoric and tone, encouraged Americans on Tuesday to wear masks if they cannot maintain social distance and warned that the coronavirus pandemic would get worse before it got better.

US Representative John Lewis, a pioneer of the civil rights movement and long-time member of the US House of Representatives, has died, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says.

Americans debate mask mandates and the reopening of schools during the coronavirus pandemic as state and local officials impose conflicting orders and cases rise by more than 70,000 across the nation for the second day in a row.

President Donald Trump takes a swipe at health experts in his government leading the US response to the coronavirus, and one of them, Dr Anthony Fauci, answers with an appeal for states to stick to guidelines to snuff out a surge in cases.

Drugmakers partnered with the US government are on track to begin actively manufacturing a vaccine for Covid-19 by the end of the summer, a senior administration official says.

American actress Kelly Preston who has appeared in films including "Jerry Maguire" and "Twins", has died aged 57 after battling breast cancer for nearly two years, her husband, John Travolta, announces in an Instagram post.

Florida reports a record increase of more than 15,000 new cases of Covid-19 in 24 hours, as the Trump administration renews its push for schools to reopen and anti-mask protests are planned in Michigan and Missouri.

The new coronavirus is likely spreading through the air to some degree, the top US infectious disease official says, one day after the World Health Organization urged further studies on the ways the virus is transmitted.

The United States reports more than 60,000 new Covid-19 cases, the biggest increase ever reported by a country in a single day, according to a Reuters tally.

The United States will leave the World Health Organization (WHO) on July 6, 2021, the United Nations says after receiving notification of the decision by President Donald Trump, who has accused the agency of becoming a puppet for China during the coronavirus pandemic.

American models and reality TV stars Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner claim that their clothing brand ‘Kendall + Kylie’ is not owned by Global Brands Group (GBG) which has allegedly failed to pay RMG workers in Bangladesh.

US President Donald Trump, who has avoided being seen in public wearing a face covering, says he would wear a mask if he were in close quarters with other people in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says Washington is imposing visa restrictions on Chinese officials responsible for restricting freedoms in Hong Kong.

Twitter Inc adds a 'manipulated media' label on a video posted on US President Donald Trump's Twitter feed that showed a doctored news clip with a misspelled banner flashing "Terrified todler runs from racist baby."

In a withering behind-the-scenes portrayal, President Donald Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton accuses him of sweeping misdeeds that includes explicitly seeking Chinese President Xi Jinping's help to win re-election.

The report of a powerful treatment for the new coronavirus brings skepticism along with optimism among US doctors, who say the recent withdrawal of an influential Covid-19 study left them wanting to see more data.

The US Supreme Court delivers a watershed victory for LGBT rights and a defeat for President Donald Trump's administration by ruling that a longstanding federal law barring workplace discrimination protects gay and transgender employees.

Facebook Inc fires an employee who criticised Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg's decision not to take action against inflammatory posts by US President Donald Trump, citing his tweet challenging a colleague's silence on the issue.

US President Donald Trump says in an interview that it would be a good thing if police use of choke holds was ended in most instances, although he suggested their use would be understandable in situations where an officer was in danger.