This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2020/jun/25/us-donald-trump-joe-biden-coronavirus-north-carolina-police-live-updates

The article has changed 25 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 13 Version 14
Trump reportedly asks for toppled Confederate statue to be put back up – live Trump reportedly asks for toppled Confederate statue to be put back up – live
(32 minutes later)
Reports say Trump called interior secretary David Bernhardt to ask officials to restore Albert Pike monument in Washington – follow the latest liveReports say Trump called interior secretary David Bernhardt to ask officials to restore Albert Pike monument in Washington – follow the latest live
House minority leader Kevin McCarthy dodged a question about Trump using a racist term to describe coronavirus.
“When we have seen a spike in coronavirus, you’re concerned about somebody and the way they name it,” McCarthy said on Capitol Hill. “That’s appalling to me.”
Trump received widespread criticism for referring to coronavirus as “Kung Flu” during his Saturday rally in Tulsa, as a number of states report increases in new cases of the virus.
Of course, McCarthy’s response to the question ignores the fact that Trump is simultaneosuly downplaying the surge in new cases, incorrectly insisting that the increase is due to expanded testing.
In reality, many public health experts have said the surge in new cases is more attributable to states reopening and Americans relaxing social distancing practices.
House speaker Nancy Pelosi ruled out the idea of impeaching attorney general William Barr, after one Democratic member of the House judiciary committee called for it.
Pelosi said during a Washington Post Live event, “131 days from now, we will have the solution to many problems, one of them being Barr.”
Pelosi’s comment comes a day after the judiciary committee held a hearing on the politicization of the justice department, during which several justice department veterans accused Barr of undermining the rule of law.
“Anyone who saw that testimony will know that Barr is a mess,” Pelosi said of the hearing. “He is a disgrace to the department of justice.”
Democratic congressman Steve Cohen said during yesterday’s hearing, “We should pursue impeachment of Bill Barr because he is reigning terror on the rule of law.”
But Pelosi indicated she would rely on the November election to oust Barr from his role.
Multiple Trump campaign staffers are reportedly now quarantining after attending the president’s Tulsa rally and interacting with several colleagues who later tested positive for coroanvirus.Multiple Trump campaign staffers are reportedly now quarantining after attending the president’s Tulsa rally and interacting with several colleagues who later tested positive for coroanvirus.
CNN reports:CNN reports:
Trump received criticism for holding the indoor rally as a number of states, including Oklahoma, reported increases in new coronavirus cases.Trump received criticism for holding the indoor rally as a number of states, including Oklahoma, reported increases in new coronavirus cases.
Six campaign staffers tested positive for the virus shortly before the rally began, but Trump moved ahead with the event anyway. Two additional staffers who attended the rally have since tested positive as well.Six campaign staffers tested positive for the virus shortly before the rally began, but Trump moved ahead with the event anyway. Two additional staffers who attended the rally have since tested positive as well.
Here’s where the day stands so far:Here’s where the day stands so far:
Another 1.5 million Americans filed for unemployment last week. About 47 million Americans have now submitted unemployment claims since the start of the coronavirus crisis. The weekly number has leveled off in recent weeks, but the figure remains worrisomely high as many states report increases in new coronavirus cases.Another 1.5 million Americans filed for unemployment last week. About 47 million Americans have now submitted unemployment claims since the start of the coronavirus crisis. The weekly number has leveled off in recent weeks, but the figure remains worrisomely high as many states report increases in new coronavirus cases.
The treasury department sent $1.4 billion worth of stimulus payments to dead people. The direct payments, which were approved as part of the $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill, were sent to more than 1 million Americans who had already died, the Government Accountability Office said in a new report.The treasury department sent $1.4 billion worth of stimulus payments to dead people. The direct payments, which were approved as part of the $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill, were sent to more than 1 million Americans who had already died, the Government Accountability Office said in a new report.
Trump reportedly asked for a toppled Confederate statue to be put back up. According to NBC News, the president personally requested that the DC statue of Confederate general Albert Pike, which was torn down by protesters last week, be put back up.Trump reportedly asked for a toppled Confederate statue to be put back up. According to NBC News, the president personally requested that the DC statue of Confederate general Albert Pike, which was torn down by protesters last week, be put back up.
The blog will have more coming up, so stay tuned.The blog will have more coming up, so stay tuned.
The governor of Texas is temporarily pausing all additional reopening, as the state grapples with a surge in new cases of coronavirus.The governor of Texas is temporarily pausing all additional reopening, as the state grapples with a surge in new cases of coronavirus.
“As we experience an increase in both positive COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, we are focused on strategies that slow the spread of this virus while also allowing Texans to continue earning a paycheck to support their families,” Republican governor Greg Abbott said in a statement.“As we experience an increase in both positive COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, we are focused on strategies that slow the spread of this virus while also allowing Texans to continue earning a paycheck to support their families,” Republican governor Greg Abbott said in a statement.
“The last thing we want to do as a state is go backwards and close down businesses. This temporary pause will help our state corral the spread until we can safely enter the next phase of opening our state for business.”“The last thing we want to do as a state is go backwards and close down businesses. This temporary pause will help our state corral the spread until we can safely enter the next phase of opening our state for business.”
Abbott announced earlier today that all hospitals in Harris, Travis, Bexar and Dallas counties must also stop elective surgeries, as many hospitals report their intensive care units are nearing full capacity.Abbott announced earlier today that all hospitals in Harris, Travis, Bexar and Dallas counties must also stop elective surgeries, as many hospitals report their intensive care units are nearing full capacity.
Texas officials reported yesterday that they had confirmed 5,551 new cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours, setting a new single-day record.Texas officials reported yesterday that they had confirmed 5,551 new cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours, setting a new single-day record.
Trump has personally requested that a statue of a Confederate general be put back up after protesters in Washington tore the monument down, according to NBC News.Trump has personally requested that a statue of a Confederate general be put back up after protesters in Washington tore the monument down, according to NBC News.
NBC Washington reports:NBC Washington reports:
Protesters in Washington tore down the Pike statue last week. The statue has been a center of controversy for decades, with a number of local officials calling for its removal.Protesters in Washington tore down the Pike statue last week. The statue has been a center of controversy for decades, with a number of local officials calling for its removal.
Trump has said he plans to sign an executive order this week on protecting federal monuments and punishing those who deface them, as Confederate statues have been targeted across the country. Activists have long denounced Confederate statues as monuments to white supremacy.Trump has said he plans to sign an executive order this week on protecting federal monuments and punishing those who deface them, as Confederate statues have been targeted across the country. Activists have long denounced Confederate statues as monuments to white supremacy.
Trump is again tweeting away, as he makes his way to Joint Base Andrews to fly to Wisconsin for a tour of a shipbuilding facility.Trump is again tweeting away, as he makes his way to Joint Base Andrews to fly to Wisconsin for a tour of a shipbuilding facility.
The president first dismissed Carly Fiorina’s announcement that she will be voting for Joe Biden, saying, “She lost so badly to me, twice in one campaign, that she should be voting for Joe. No complaints!!!”The president first dismissed Carly Fiorina’s announcement that she will be voting for Joe Biden, saying, “She lost so badly to me, twice in one campaign, that she should be voting for Joe. No complaints!!!”
Fiorina, who ran against Trump for the 2016 Republican nomination, told the Atlantic she would be voting for Biden because Americans need “real leadership that can unify the country.”Fiorina, who ran against Trump for the 2016 Republican nomination, told the Atlantic she would be voting for Biden because Americans need “real leadership that can unify the country.”
The president also repeated his widely disputed claim that the country’s number of new coronavirus cases is increasing because of expanded testing.The president also repeated his widely disputed claim that the country’s number of new coronavirus cases is increasing because of expanded testing.
“The number of ChinaVirus cases goes up, because of GREAT TESTING, while the number of deaths (mortality rate), goes way down,” Trump tweeted, once again trying to pin the blame for the pandemic on Beijing.“The number of ChinaVirus cases goes up, because of GREAT TESTING, while the number of deaths (mortality rate), goes way down,” Trump tweeted, once again trying to pin the blame for the pandemic on Beijing.
However, public health experts have said the rise in new cases is more attributable to states reopening and Americans relaxing their social distancing practices.However, public health experts have said the rise in new cases is more attributable to states reopening and Americans relaxing their social distancing practices.
Testifying before the House energy and commerce committee this week, Dr Anthony Fauci noted the number of coronavirus deaths often lags behind the number of new cases, predicting the country could see a rising death toll in the weeks to come.Testifying before the House energy and commerce committee this week, Dr Anthony Fauci noted the number of coronavirus deaths often lags behind the number of new cases, predicting the country could see a rising death toll in the weeks to come.
The New York officer who was caught on camera over the weekend using a banned chokehold on a black man has now been arrested, the NYPD said.The New York officer who was caught on camera over the weekend using a banned chokehold on a black man has now been arrested, the NYPD said.
The department said in a statement that David Afanador, who was suspended after footage emerged of him using a chokehold on Ricky Bellevue, was arrested today on charges of strangulation and attempted strangulation.The department said in a statement that David Afanador, who was suspended after footage emerged of him using a chokehold on Ricky Bellevue, was arrested today on charges of strangulation and attempted strangulation.
The footage sparked outcry, particularly because it came only weeks after the police killing of George Floyd. A video showed a Minneapolis police officer keeping his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes.The footage sparked outcry, particularly because it came only weeks after the police killing of George Floyd. A video showed a Minneapolis police officer keeping his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes.
The NYPD has long banned chokeholds, but the practice has attracted more attention since the 2014 death of Eric Garner, who died after being put in a chokehold by New York police officers. Garner repeatedly told the officers, “I can’t breathe.”The NYPD has long banned chokeholds, but the practice has attracted more attention since the 2014 death of Eric Garner, who died after being put in a chokehold by New York police officers. Garner repeatedly told the officers, “I can’t breathe.”
New York governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation earlier this month criminalizing the use of police chokeholds.New York governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation earlier this month criminalizing the use of police chokeholds.
Trump and the first lady visited the Korean War Memorial in Washington to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the war.Trump and the first lady visited the Korean War Memorial in Washington to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the war.
The president and his wife laid a wreath at the memorial and talked to some of the Korean War veterans present for the ceremony.The president and his wife laid a wreath at the memorial and talked to some of the Korean War veterans present for the ceremony.
The president will go from the ceremony to Joint Base Andrews to travel to Wisconsin, where he will tour and deliver remarks at a shipbuilding facility later today.The president will go from the ceremony to Joint Base Andrews to travel to Wisconsin, where he will tour and deliver remarks at a shipbuilding facility later today.
Trump is once again complaining about Fox News, his favorite news network that has recently attracted more of the president’s criticism.Trump is once again complaining about Fox News, his favorite news network that has recently attracted more of the president’s criticism.
In this case, Trump lashed out against a Fox commentator who correctly noted most of the protesters forcibly removed from Lafayette Square earlier this month were peaceful.In this case, Trump lashed out against a Fox commentator who correctly noted most of the protesters forcibly removed from Lafayette Square earlier this month were peaceful.
“A @FoxNews commentator just ripped me with lies, with nobody defending,” Trump tweeted this morning.“A @FoxNews commentator just ripped me with lies, with nobody defending,” Trump tweeted this morning.
The commentator also recounted how Trump held up a Bible upside down during his widely criticized photo op at St John’s Church. Trump denied doing so, but photos of the event clearly show otherwise.The commentator also recounted how Trump held up a Bible upside down during his widely criticized photo op at St John’s Church. Trump denied doing so, but photos of the event clearly show otherwise.
Meanwhile, more than half of US states are reporting increases in their numbers of new coronavirus cases, and the country’s death toll from the virus is approaching 122,000.Meanwhile, more than half of US states are reporting increases in their numbers of new coronavirus cases, and the country’s death toll from the virus is approaching 122,000.
Today’s supreme court decision made it easier for the government to target asylum-seekers at the border for quick deportation.Immigrant advocates frustrated by the decision were especially concerned about justice Samuel Alito’s interpretation of the asylum process.Alito wrote the majority 7-2 ruling and used Trump administration documents to advance the controversial idea that asylum claims are largely fraudulent.This idea, borne from rightwing anti-immigration groups and promoted by the Trump administration, ignores the sheer complexity of US asylum laws.The government does not actually track how many asylum claims turn out to be fraudulent. Instead, Alito cited data about how many people pass the first step, the credible fear interview, but end up not pursuing the asylum process.A detail he ignores is that the asylum process is complicated and the government does little to clarify court dates and share information people need to complete the process. Border officials have also been documented lying to asylum-seekers about their rights. And the Trump administration has issued so many changes to the process that essentially a policy which is legal one month may not be legal the next.
Katharina Obser, a senior policy advisor at the Women’s Refugee Commission, pushed back against Alito’s reasoning:
House Democrats held a socially distant press conference on the Capitol steps ahead of the vote on their police reform bill, which is expected to pass.
“Today is the day we pass legislation to transform policing in America,” congressional black caucus chairwoman Karen Bass said, describing the Justice in Policing Act as “a bill for human rights in our country.”
House speaker Nancy Pelosi said passing the bill was a way to honor the life of George Floyd and everyone else killed by police brutality.
“When we pass this bill, the Senate will have a choice: To honor George Floyd’s life or to do nothing,” Pelosi said.
The House vote comes one day after Senate Democrats blocked the Republican police reform bill from advancing, after complaining the bill did not go far enough to address police brutality.
Although the Democratic bill is expected to pass the House, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell has already said he considers the legislation to be a non-starter.
The supreme court has issued a decision bolstering Trump’s ability to rapidly deport undocumented immigrants, including those seeking asylum.
In a 7-2 decision written by conservative justice Samuel Alito, the court ruled that those seeking asylum did not have a broad right to have their case heard by a federal judge.
The decision marks a victory for Trump, who has sought to expand the administration’s ability to rapidly deport those who enter the country illegally.
The supreme court’s decision overturns a ruling from the ninth circuit, who had ruled in favor of an undocumented immigrant seeking a federal court ruling on his asylum claim.
The immigrant, a Sri Lankan farmer named Vijayakumar Thuraissigiam, had his asylum claim denied and wanted the case to be heard again by a federal judge.
The federal government spent more than $1bn on stimulus payments that went to dead people, according to the US Government Accountability Office.
The congressional watchdog said in a new report, “The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Treasury moved quickly to disburse 160.4m payments worth $269.3bn. The agencies faced difficulties delivering payments to some individuals, and faced additional risks related to making improper payments to ineligible individuals, such as decedents, and fraud.
“For example, according to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, as of April 30, 2020, almost 1.1 million payments totaling nearly $1.4 billion had gone to decedents.”
The direct cash payments were approved as part of the $2tn Cares Act, which was meant to offer Americans financial assistance amid the coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing economic fallout.
Shortly after the government started distributing the payments, reports emerged that Americans had received checks addressed to family members who had already died.
The IRS issued new guidance last month asking those who received checks addressed to dead relatives to return them to the federal government.
A new poll shows Joe Biden leading Trump in several key battleground states – including Wisconsin, where the president is visiting today to tour a shipbuilding facility.
According to the New York Times/Siena College poll, Biden leads by 11 points in Wisconsin, 11 points in Michigan, 10 points in Pennsylvania, 6 points in Florida, 7 points in Arizona and 9 points in North Carolina.
Trump won all six of those states in 2016, and he can only afford to lose a couple of them in November and still win the electoral college.
More broadly, if Trump is struggling in states like North Carolina, he’s likely losing support in other states that should be safely in his column. A poll released yesterday showed the president and Biden are virtually tied in Ohio, which Trump carried by 8 points in 2016.
There are still more than four months left until the general election, and plenty will change in that time. But it’s clear that Trump needs to start quickly turning around this trend, or he will have no chance at a second term.
This is Joan Greve in Washington, taking over for Martin Belam.
Senator Tim Scott, the only black Republican in the Senate, has reportedly seen an uptick in threats and racist messages in recent weeks, as he crafted the Republican police reform bill.
CNN reports:
Scott’s spokesperson told CNN that most of the calls do not specifically mention any legislation, but they have significantly increased since Scott took over Republicans’ police reform efforts.
Yesterday, Scott’s bill was blocked by Senate Democrats, who have complained the legislation does not go far enough to address police brutality.
The Associated Press are reporting that Donald Trump is facing renewed criticism over his plans to celebrate Independence Day with a showy display at Mount Rushmore.
Native Americans who view the monument as a desecration of land violently stolen from them and used to pay homage to leaders hostile to native people are planning protests for the presidents’s 3 July visit.
The event is slated to include fighter jets and the first fireworks display at the site since 2009. It comes amid a national reckoning over racism and a reconsideration of the symbolism of monuments around the globe.
“Mount Rushmore is a symbol of white supremacy, of structural racism that’s still alive and well in society today,” said Nick Tilsen, a member of the Oglala Lakota tribe and the president of a local activist organisation called NDN Collective. “It’s an injustice to actively steal Indigenous people’s land then carve the white faces of the conquerors who committed genocide.”
While some activists, like Tilsen, want to see the monument removed altogether and the Black Hills returned to the Lakota, others have called for a share in the economic benefits from the region and the tourists it attracts.
Trump has long shown a fascination with Mount Rushmore. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said in 2018 that he had once told her straight-faced it was his dream to have his face carved into the monument, which was constructed between 1927 and 1941.
For many Native American people, including the Lakota, Cheyenne, Omaha, Arapaho, Kiowa and Kiowa-Apache, the monument is a desecration to the Black Hills, which they consider sacred. Lakota people know the area as Paha Sapa “the heart of everything that is”.
Tim Giago, a journalist who is a member of the Oglala Lakota tribe, said he doesn’t see four great American leaders when he looks at the monument, but instead four white men who either made racist remarks or initiated actions that removed Native Americans from their land.
“Washington and Jefferson both held slaves” he said. “Lincoln, though he led the abolition of slavery, also approved the hanging of 38 Dakota men in Minnesota after a violent conflict with white settlers there. Roosevelt is reported to have said, ‘I don’t go so far as to think that the only good Indians are dead Indians, but I believe nine out of every ten are.’”
As mentioned earlier, Donald Trump isn’t expected to be seen wearing a face mask during his trip to Wisconsin later today, despite the fact that everybody else will.
This isn’t the only time that the president has made himself an exception to the rule. In this video, my colleague Maanvi Singh looks back at how Trump has long been contradicting and defying science during the coronavirus outbreak, and the impact this has had on the country’s faltering handling of the pandemic.
Scott Bauer of the Associate Press has been doing some scene-setting for Donald Trump’s visit to Wisconsin today. The president is, according to polling released by the New York Times today, trailing Joe Biden by 11 points in the state that he carried by fewer than 23,000 votes in 2016.
Trump will be taking a private tour of a shipyard far away from Milwaukee, where local coronavirus restrictions now prevent large rallies. And he’ll land just a day after Gov. Tony Evers activated the National Guard following unruly protests in the state capital.
Showing the hit the economy has taken from the coronavirus outbreak, when Trump last campaigned in Wisconsin, the unemployment rate was 3.5%. Now, 12% of workers are jobless.
At the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard the president will speak to 500 to 600 people inside, all of whom will be required to wear masks.
Trump will not.
Eric Dunt, the shipbuilder’s spokesperson, told Bauer via email that “We are not asking or requiring the president to wear a mask, as we are going to go to great lengths to give him the appropriate social distance.”
Yesterday, the US recorded its single biggest one-day rise in coronavirus cases, which now total more than 2.3 million. Thirteen employees at the shipbuilder have tested positive for Covid-19 during the outbreak, but they have all recovered and are now back to work, Dent said.
Trump’s appearance gives him a chance to score points with blue-collar workers who know the importance of the shipbuilder to the region’s economy, said John Nygren, a Republican member of the state Assembly who was born and raised in Marinette.
“Granted, Trump is not traditional in a lot of ways, but it’s a great opportunity from a working-class standpoint to show Republicans can stand up for them,” Nygren said.
Trump will no doubt tout a contract won in April by Fincantieri Marinette Marine to build up to 10 navy frigates. The shipbuilder plans to invest $200 million to expand the Marinette facility because of the contract. The company employs about 2,500 people now, and the deal could add 1,000 jobs and be worth $5.6 billion if all the ships are built. It’s the first new major shipbuilding program for the navy in more than a decade.
Visiting a navy shipbuilder shortly before the 4 July holiday gives Trump the chance to show both his support for the military and what it means to be a patriotic American, Nygren said. That message is especially important to give during a time “when we’re dealing with a lot of divisions,” he added.
By contrast, Biden campaign spokesperson Sean Higgins highlighted the unemployment figures, and said “Wisconsin families deserve strong, honest leadership to bring us together and help our country recover. But Trump is unprepared to meet the moment.”
Trump is due to make his remarks at around 4pm.
Another 1.48 million people filed for unemployment insurance across the US last week as the grim economic toll of the coronavirus pandemic continued as infection rates picked up in many states.
Claims for unemployment insurance have now fallen for 12 weeks in a row but remain historically high. About 47 million people have now filed for benefits in the last 14 weeks, with 3 million claims made in the last two weeks.
My colleague Dominic Rushe has a full report here: 1.48m more Americans file for unemployment as pandemic takes toll