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Trump to speak after unexpected jobs gain amid economic crisis and protests – live Trump speaks after unexpected jobs gain amid economic crisis and protests – live
(32 minutes later)
US president will speak from White House as nationwide protests continue over the death of George Floyd, and markets take after the latest jobs figures US president speaks from White House as nationwide protests continue over the death of George Floyd, and markets take after the latest jobs figures
Trump predicted this morning’s jobs report would be a sign of sustained economic growth, insisting unemployment would continue to fall.
“This is better than a V,” Trump said of the shape of the country’s recovery curve. “This is a rocket ship.”
The president also describe the drop in unemployment as “a tremendous tribute to equality,” even though black unemployment actually rose slightly last month while white unemployment fell.
Trump claimed the country was “largely through” the coronavirus pandemic as states start the process of reopening their economies.
However, public health experts have warned that the country could see a second wave of infections later this year, which could require another round of social distancing.
The president has consistently downplayed the possibility of a second wave.
Trump has started his White House press conference, and the president opened the event by quickly veering from the jobs numbers to the George Floyd protests then back to the jobs numbers.
The president called this morning’s jobs report, which showed unemployment had dropped last month but remained high at 13.3%, an “affirmation of all the work we’ve been doing.
Trump then said that, before the coronavirus pandemic, the US had the “greatest economy in the history of the world,” although that oft-repeated claim is not accurate.
The president called on states that have been more slowly reopening to ramp up that process, saying the states that reopened quickly have been “doing tremendous business.”
However, the president unexpectedly shifted from the jobs numbers to the protests, bragging about the progress seen in Minneapolis this week after demonstrations last week turned violent.
Trump’s press conference is running behind schedule, but the president may be asked about the DC mayor’s request this morning to remove all additional federal law enforcement officers from the city.
In a letter to the president, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said she was ending the city’s state of emergency in connection to the George Floyd protests, noting the demonstrations have been peaceful in recent days and no arrests were made yesterday.
Bowser insisted the city is “well equipped to handle large demonstrations,” and she said having additional federal law enforcement officers in Washington (some of whom have not worn identifying insignia in the past few days) would only intensify tensions.
Despite the mayor’s request, Trump may not easily agree to the removal of the forces from DC, considering governors across the country have not agreed with his suggestion to send active-duty troops to states that have seen George Floyd protests.
This is Joan Greve, taking over for Joanna Walters.This is Joan Greve, taking over for Joanna Walters.
Trump is expected to hold a press conference at any moment, where he will likely tout the unexpected drop in the unemployment rate that was announced this morning.Trump is expected to hold a press conference at any moment, where he will likely tout the unexpected drop in the unemployment rate that was announced this morning.
However, many reporters’ questions will almost certainly focus on the George Floyd protests that have played out across the country in recent days and the president’s less-than-flattering words about the demonstrators.However, many reporters’ questions will almost certainly focus on the George Floyd protests that have played out across the country in recent days and the president’s less-than-flattering words about the demonstrators.
Stay tuned.Stay tuned.
Markets are taking off after the latest US jobs figures were upbeat, the opposite of what was expected from the figures for the last month.Markets are taking off after the latest US jobs figures were upbeat, the opposite of what was expected from the figures for the last month.
Donald Trump will take to a podium at the White House in a few minutes after rejoicing via Twitter. His briefing is due at 10am ET. He’s been running incredibly late for briefings recently, so stay tuned.Donald Trump will take to a podium at the White House in a few minutes after rejoicing via Twitter. His briefing is due at 10am ET. He’s been running incredibly late for briefings recently, so stay tuned.
It’s a piece of good news for the president, who has been battered in the polls of late over his response to the major crises rocking the country.It’s a piece of good news for the president, who has been battered in the polls of late over his response to the major crises rocking the country.
Nationwide protests continue demanding and to systemic racism in society but specifically in policing, after the death of George Floyd. Nationwide protests continue, demanding and end to systemic racism in society, but specifically in policing, after the death of George Floyd.
The latest debate on reforms needed is only just getting started.The latest debate on reforms needed is only just getting started.
And the coronavirus pandemic, which cratered the economy, is far from under control. Experts worry that protesters, who are often not social distancing or wearing masks properly, are at fresh risk of catching Covid, which has already disproportionately battered communities of color across the US.And the coronavirus pandemic, which cratered the economy, is far from under control. Experts worry that protesters, who are often not social distancing or wearing masks properly, are at fresh risk of catching Covid, which has already disproportionately battered communities of color across the US.
Ailing congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis has spoken out all week, however, to say he is optimistic that this really could be a turning point towards greater fairness in US policing.Ailing congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis has spoken out all week, however, to say he is optimistic that this really could be a turning point towards greater fairness in US policing.
“Black Lives Matter” is currently being painted in huge lettering on one of the roads very near the White House.“Black Lives Matter” is currently being painted in huge lettering on one of the roads very near the White House.
Apparently with the nod from the Washington authorities.Apparently with the nod from the Washington authorities.
Short film:Short film:
Police in Paris have banned an anti-racism demonstration in front of the US Embassy in the French capital tomorrow, citing the risk of social disorder and health dangers amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.Police in Paris have banned an anti-racism demonstration in front of the US Embassy in the French capital tomorrow, citing the risk of social disorder and health dangers amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
But protests in solidarity with the strong wave of action across the US amid anger and grief at the killing of yet another black man by police are scheduled to take place this weekend in Britain, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Hungary, Brazil, South Korea, Australia and more.But protests in solidarity with the strong wave of action across the US amid anger and grief at the killing of yet another black man by police are scheduled to take place this weekend in Britain, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Hungary, Brazil, South Korea, Australia and more.
Demonstrations have taken place this past week in those countries and Mexico, Liberia, Canada, Italy, Norway, Greece and many other places.Demonstrations have taken place this past week in those countries and Mexico, Liberia, Canada, Italy, Norway, Greece and many other places.
The protests in US cities large and small, coast to coast and north to south, have been massive and mostly peaceful, despite bouts of violent unrest and some aggressive policing tactics - and would have been, or would be, much, much larger if people were not still bound by caution over catching Covid-19.The protests in US cities large and small, coast to coast and north to south, have been massive and mostly peaceful, despite bouts of violent unrest and some aggressive policing tactics - and would have been, or would be, much, much larger if people were not still bound by caution over catching Covid-19.
We have all the details and reactions to the latest US jobs numbers in our Guardian business blog, here.We have all the details and reactions to the latest US jobs numbers in our Guardian business blog, here.
Donald Trump is not just pleased, he is ecstatic.Donald Trump is not just pleased, he is ecstatic.
And:And:
The dire numbers expected in the latest jobs report this morning did not happen - at all.The dire numbers expected in the latest jobs report this morning did not happen - at all.
Covid-19’s devastating assault on the US economy waned in May as the unemployment rate dipped to 13.3% and the US added another 2.5m jobs.Covid-19’s devastating assault on the US economy waned in May as the unemployment rate dipped to 13.3% and the US added another 2.5m jobs.
The latest tally follows the loss of 20m jobs in April when unemployment hit 14.7%. In February the unemployment rate was just 3.5%. A decade’s worth of gains made in the labor market since the last recession have been erased in just three months.The latest tally follows the loss of 20m jobs in April when unemployment hit 14.7%. In February the unemployment rate was just 3.5%. A decade’s worth of gains made in the labor market since the last recession have been erased in just three months.
All 50 states have now begun easing quarantine restrictions and the pace of this unprecedented hollowing has now slowed as some have returned to work but uncertainties remain, my business colleague Dominic Rushe reports.All 50 states have now begun easing quarantine restrictions and the pace of this unprecedented hollowing has now slowed as some have returned to work but uncertainties remain, my business colleague Dominic Rushe reports.
The president has taken to Twitter and in about an hour will take to a podium at the White House.The president has taken to Twitter and in about an hour will take to a podium at the White House.
Jim Mattis lit into Trump this week and has accrued both condemnation (and withering, personal counterpoint by the president, albeit containing untruths) and support from many quarters.
As my colleague Julian Borger noted: Mattis, Donald Trump’s first defense secretary, accused him of abusing executive authority in his response to the anti-racism protests that have convulsed cities across the US, and called for the president to be held accountable.
Mattis’s broadside broke a near silence from the ex-marine general since he resigned in December 2018. He expressed outrage at the militarisation of the administration’s response to mass protests over the police killing of George Floyd.
“I have watched this week’s unfolding events, angry and appalled,” he said.
His statement, published by the Atlantic magazine, came on a day of confusion and discord in the Trump administration over the role of the military. Mattis’s successor as defence secretary, Mark Esper, had contradicted Trump over the president’s threatened invocation of the 1807 Insurrection Act to deploy active duty troops on US streets.
Esper had ordered elite airborne troops, flown to the Washington outskirts on Monday, back to their bases on Wednesday, but then reversed that order hours later after a visit to the White House.
Joanna Walters here in New York, taking over from my colleagues in London, it was another busy night and there’s a full-on day ahead in US political news.
The president has tweeted a copy of a letter that appears to have been written by one of his former attorneys, John Dowd, to former defense secretary Jim Mattis, after Mattis heavily criticized Trump on Wednesday for dividing America.
The tweet shows the text of the letter, which supports the violent clearing earlier in the week of the small Lafayette park area between the White House and St John’s church nearby, where protesters were gathered, so that Trump could hold a photo op outside the so-called “Church of the Presidents”.
The letter says: “The phony protesters in Lafayette park were not peaceful and are not real. They are terrorists using idle hate-filled students to burn and destroy.”
It warns Mattis: “This is the new nihilism”.
Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon and Scotland’s chief constable, Iain Livingstone, have urged Black Lives Matter supporters to avoid taking part in large public protests in Scotland this weekend because of the risk of transmitting the coronavirus.
Livingstone said during the Scottish government’s daily press briefing he recognised people were “shocked and distressed” by the death of George Floyd. “I understand the desire of people to make their voices heard,” he added.
But attending the mass rallies planned in various cities in Scotland would be dangerous, he said. Police were liaising with the event organisers to urge them to avoid breaching Scotland’s strict lockdown and social-distancing rules, which prohibits gatherings of more than eight people and requires those groups to stay at least two metres apart.
‘Because the threat of coronavirus is still with us, people shouldn’t attend mass gatherings which pose a very clear risk to public health,” Livingstone said. “it is essential everyone sticks to the rules”.
The first minister said protestors should heed the appeal from prominent BAME politicians on Thursday, including Hamza Yousaf, the Scottish justice secretary, and Anas Sarwar, a senior Scottish Labour MSP, to find different ways to protest.
More racism trouble for the Republican party on the horizon, as the Texas Tribune has been reporting overnight that a fourth Republican leader had shared racist posts on Facebook in the last few days, some of which also floated conspiracy theories.
Governor Greg Abbott has called for two of them to resign. It is reported that the Republican chairs in Bexar and Nueces counties shared on social media a conspiracy theory that Floyd’s death was a “staged event”.
Another Republican leader had shared an image of a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr quote juxtaposed with a banana. A statement by Republican chairman-elect in Harris County, Keith Nielsen fell short of an apology, saying “It is unfortunate that the sentiment of the quote and my admiration for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has been overshadowed by people’s misinterpretation of an image.”
Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, the eldest son of former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, posted on Twitter late last night to say that the party should not tolerate racism of any kind.
Tom Perkins has been out for us in St Clair Shores, Michigan. It’s a largely white middle-class suburb about 17 miles north-east of downtown Detroit. And while the centre of Detroit has erupted in emotional protests and thousands of protesters have marched nightly through the city’s streets demanding justice, the view in St Clair Shores is very different.
You can read more of the report here: Detroit’s largely peaceful protests seen very differently from white suburb
Just a heads up on what we are expecting politics-wise today.
As mentioned in the intro, Donald Trump will be visiting Maine today - his first visit to the state since becoming president. He will be attending roundtable on supporting commercial fishermen and signing a proclamation in Bangor at 2pm.
He then goes on to tour Puritan Medical Products in Guilford at 3:30pm. It is a facility that makes swabs to test for coronavirus, and it is receiving significant sums from the government to ramp up production. We are expecting Trump to talk around 4pm, and to return to the freshly fenced-in White House at around 7.30pm.
Joe Biden is sort of on the campaign trail - there is still an election on - and we are expecting him to talk about the economy and the new jobless figures around noon in Dover, Delaware. Those jobless figures will be out this morning.
There’s also some interest in John Kelly, the former White House chief of staff, who’ll be taking part in a discussion chaired by notoriously short-serving White House director of communications Anthony Scaramucci at the SALT talks.
The George Floyd protests take place against the backdrop of the ever-worsening numbers of coronavirus outbreak in the US. The Johns Hopkins University currently puts the figures at more than 1.8m cases in the US, with over 108,000 fatalities.
Bloomberg have a fascinating piece this morning asking one very crucial question: Whatever happened to the coronavirus task-force?
Similarly, task force coordinator Deborah Birx no longer appears in public as frequently as she did. Her voice is mostly mediated through being quoted by White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany.
It’s an interesting read by Josh Wingrove about the current state of play: Fauci, Virus Task Force Sidelined With Trump All-In on Reopening
The way the Minneapolis Police force reacts to the death of George Floyd is going to place huge scrutiny on Medaria Arrandondo, the chief of police. He’s the first African American to hold the role in the city.
But if you think that might make it easier to reform the force responsible for the death of Floyd, you might need to think again.
My colleague Chris McGreal has been in Minneapolis, looking at one of the other key figures in local policing - Bob Kroll, leader of the Minneapolis police union.
You can read McGreal’s full and worrying report here: Hopeful that Minneapolis policing will change? Meet the police union’s chief ...
There’s been an ongoing row about whether a Black Lives Matter protest would be allowed to take place in Sydney, Australia at the weekend, which has been resolved in a last-ditch court case - and the protest remains banned because of coronavirus fears.
My Australian office colleague Elias Visontay has been following the case in the New South Wales Supreme Court where Justice Desmond Fagan ultimately assessed there would be a public safety risk in allowing the protest to go ahead, likening it to a “defiance” of decisions made by ministers and the expert health advice those decisions were based on.
Justice Fagan said he did not accept the argument of lawyers representing the protest organisers that people would attend the rally regardless of the legal decision, and that in that case, it would be safest for the public to have the cooperation of police to close of streets and allow for greater space for social distancing. He labelled the argument “futile”.
Justice Fagan also acknowledged the right to protest and the importance of the Black Lives Matter protest in drawing attention to the treatment of Indigenous Australians at the hands of police, but reasoned that many Australians had had to forfeit rights during the pandemic, including to attend church and forfeiting their livelihoods.
Organisers had previously indicated they and supporters would attend the protest regardless of the legal decision, and it has been noted that last week in Sydney some 3,000 people gathered to join a protest based on conspiracy theories over 5G and police took no action.
Amnesty International UK had called for the protest to be allowed, saying that “Peaceful protest is a fundamental human right, and the New South Wales police should work with organisers to ensure that attendees can social distance, and protests can be carried out in a safe manner. Police must also commit to not fine anyone inadvertently breaking a COVID-19 guideline.”
This story is going to run and run.
Yesterday was the tenth day of protests following the killing of George Floyd, and it was marked by the solemn occasion of a memorial service in Minneapolis for the 46 year old.
We’ll be bringing you ongoing coverage of the protest movement and today’s politics. Here are the key points so far:
Civil rights groups are to sue Trump over the assault on peaceful protesters near White House
Twitter has disabled a Trump campaign video tribute to George Floyd, they say due to copyright complaint. It will no doubt add to tensions between the president and the social media platform
Police officers in Buffalo have been suspended for pushing a 75-year-old to the ground during the protests
The New York Times has dropped its initial defence of a ‘Send in the troops’ article and now says Tom Cotton’s opinion piece did not meet editorial standards
Ukrainian prosecutors find no evidence against Hunter Biden
Donald Trump is travelling rural Maine today, where he will be visiting a factory making swabs used in coronavirus testing.
He might also mention Hydroxychloroquine along the way, the controversial drug at the heart of the scandal of the Lancet withdrawing a study saying it was dangerous to Covid-19 patients.
And Trump might get a frosty reception - even the Republican senator for the state, Susan Collins, has been critical of Trump’s handling of the Floyd protests.
On the economic front, we are also expecting more grim US jobless figures to be announced later this morning.
Hello from London, I’m Martin Belam, and I’ll be running this live blog for a couple more hours now until I hand over to my colleagues in New York. You can contact me on martin.belam@theguardian.com or find me on Twitter @MartinBelam