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US passes 600,000 deaths from coronavirus – live US passes 600,000 deaths from coronavirus – live
(32 minutes later)
America’s death toll from Covid-19 highest in the world – follow all the day’s politics news liveAmerica’s death toll from Covid-19 highest in the world – follow all the day’s politics news live
As the US crosses the grim threshold of 600,000 deaths from coronavirus, the National Park Service has announced that, amid steeply declining cases and deaths and increasing numbers of people being vaccinated, that July Fourth Independence Day fireworks show will return to the National Mall in Washington, DC.
The fireworks will be launched from both sides of the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool on Sunday, July 4, 2021.
The show is set to begin just after 9pm ET and last 17 minutes, the National Park Service says.
As the US death toll in the coronavirus pandemic ticked towards and past 600,000, the former White House Covid adviser Andy Slavitt has come under fire from the right for saying Americans could have avoided such severe losses if they had been prepared to “sacrifice a little bit for one another”.
Slavitt, who is promoting a book on the pandemic, made the contested remark on Monday, to CBS. On Tuesday, he spoke to CNN.
“We as a country could have put the lives of people higher on the list versus our own individual liberties,” he said.
“We as a country decided that we were going to get many, many more people exposed without pay, without healthcare insurance, without support. And so we decided that the creature comforts – keeping the meatpacking plants open when they were unsafe – were more important than making sure we protected each other.”
The attorney general, Merrick Garland, has said federal authorities have now arrested more than 480 people in connection with the deadly assault on the US Capitol on 6 January.
Garland called the assault by supporters of Donald Trump seeking to overturn his election defeat by Joe Biden a “large and heinous attack”.
Trump was impeached for a second time, for inciting an insurrection, but was acquitted when insufficient Republican senators could be convinced to vote for his guilt.
Republicans then used the filibuster, the means by which the minority in the Senate can block the will of the majority, to thwart legislation to establish an independent, 9/11-style commission to investigate the attack.
“We have an enormous task ahead,” Garland said at the Department of Justice in Washington, during an address on policy regarding domestic terrorism.
This, he said, meant the US had “to move forward as a country, to punish the perpetrators, to do everything possible to prevent similar attacks, and to do so in a manner that affirms the values on which our justice system is founded and upon which our democracy depends.
“The resolve and dedication with which the justice department has approached the investigation of the 6 January attack reflects the seriousness with which we take this assault on a mainstay of our democratic system, the peaceful transfer of power.
“Over the 160 days since the attack, we have arrested over 480 individuals and brought hundreds and hundreds of charges against those who attacked law enforcement officers, obstructed justice and used deadly and dangerous weapons to those ends.
“That would have not been possible without the dedication of our career prosecutors and agents, as well as a critical cooperation of ordinary Americans who, large and small, have shown that they are our best partners in keeping America safe. Within the very first week following the attack, members of the public took it upon themselves to submit over 100,000 pieces of digital media to the FBI.”
With the US death toll from coronavirus passing the awful mark of 600,000, there is some more detail and context from the Associated Press.With the US death toll from coronavirus passing the awful mark of 600,000, there is some more detail and context from the Associated Press.
Los Angeles county is the county with the highest level of cases in the US, 1.25m and the most deaths at almost 25,000, according to Johns Hopkins data.Los Angeles county is the county with the highest level of cases in the US, 1.25m and the most deaths at almost 25,000, according to Johns Hopkins data.
But the AP adds that California now has one of the lowest rates of infection, below 1%. That dramatic drop combined with an increasing number of vaccinated residents over 70% of adults have had at least one dose led Newsom to announce in April that most Covid-19 restrictions would be lifted June 15But the AP adds that California now has one of the lowest rates of infection, below 1%. That dramatic drop combined with an increasing number of vaccinated residents over 70% of adults have had at least one dose led Newsom to announce in April that most Covid-19 restrictions would be lifted June 15
The United States just reached a grim milestone, surpassing 600,000 deaths from coronavirus, according to the Johns Hopkins university coronavirus resource center, which is what the Guardian tracks for such data.The United States just reached a grim milestone, surpassing 600,000 deaths from coronavirus, according to the Johns Hopkins university coronavirus resource center, which is what the Guardian tracks for such data.
Although new cases of Covid-19 and deaths from the virus have dropped by around 90% since pandemic highs a few months ago, the terrible death toll is still the highest in the world. Johns Hopkins recorded the total moments ago as 600,012 people in the US killed by coronavirus since the pandemic reached the country in January 2020.Although new cases of Covid-19 and deaths from the virus have dropped by around 90% since pandemic highs a few months ago, the terrible death toll is still the highest in the world. Johns Hopkins recorded the total moments ago as 600,012 people in the US killed by coronavirus since the pandemic reached the country in January 2020.
And the Associated Press has updated details on the racial disparities in who has been most likely to lose most family members and loved ones to the pandemic.And the Associated Press has updated details on the racial disparities in who has been most likely to lose most family members and loved ones to the pandemic.
A toll of 600,000 people, the AP notes, is greater than the population of Baltimore or Milwaukee. It is about equal to the number of Americans who died of cancer in 2019. The racial disparities in the death rates have shifted over time:A toll of 600,000 people, the AP notes, is greater than the population of Baltimore or Milwaukee. It is about equal to the number of Americans who died of cancer in 2019. The racial disparities in the death rates have shifted over time:
In the first wave of fatalities, in April 2020, Black people were slammed, dying at rates higher than those of other ethnic or racial groups as the virus rampaged through the urban Northeast and heavily African American cities like Detroit and New Orleans.In the first wave of fatalities, in April 2020, Black people were slammed, dying at rates higher than those of other ethnic or racial groups as the virus rampaged through the urban Northeast and heavily African American cities like Detroit and New Orleans.
Last summer, during a second surge, Hispanics were hit the hardest, suffering an outsize share of deaths, driven by infections in Texas and Florida. By winter, during the third and most lethal stage, the virus had gripped the entire nation, and racial gaps in weekly death rates had narrowed so much that whites were the worst off, followed closely by Hispanics.Last summer, during a second surge, Hispanics were hit the hardest, suffering an outsize share of deaths, driven by infections in Texas and Florida. By winter, during the third and most lethal stage, the virus had gripped the entire nation, and racial gaps in weekly death rates had narrowed so much that whites were the worst off, followed closely by Hispanics.
Now, even as the outbreak ebbs and more people get vaccinated, a racial gap appears to be emerging again, with Black Americans dying at higher rates than other groups.Now, even as the outbreak ebbs and more people get vaccinated, a racial gap appears to be emerging again, with Black Americans dying at higher rates than other groups.
Here’s where the day stands so far:Here’s where the day stands so far:
Joe Biden has arrived in Geneva, Switzerland, ahead of his summit tomorrow with Vladimir Putin. The summit will mark Biden’s first in-person meeting with the Russian president since he took office in January. Biden also held a bilateral meeting with Swiss president Guy Parmelin today.Joe Biden has arrived in Geneva, Switzerland, ahead of his summit tomorrow with Vladimir Putin. The summit will mark Biden’s first in-person meeting with the Russian president since he took office in January. Biden also held a bilateral meeting with Swiss president Guy Parmelin today.
The EU and the US resolved a 17-year trade dispute over aircraft subsidies for Boeing and Airbus, which had been going on for nearly 17 years. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Biden announced the deal this morning, after meeting for the EU-US summit in Brussels. The agreement involves suspending tariffs on Boeing and Airbus for five years and working to guarantee an even playing field for the two companies.The EU and the US resolved a 17-year trade dispute over aircraft subsidies for Boeing and Airbus, which had been going on for nearly 17 years. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Biden announced the deal this morning, after meeting for the EU-US summit in Brussels. The agreement involves suspending tariffs on Boeing and Airbus for five years and working to guarantee an even playing field for the two companies.
The White House unveiled its first ever national strategy to fight domestic terrorism. The framework, released today by the national security council, emphasized that domestic terrorism must be addressed in an “ideologically neutral” manner. The announcement comes five months after a violent, pro-Trump mob attacked the US Capitol, resulting in five deaths.The White House unveiled its first ever national strategy to fight domestic terrorism. The framework, released today by the national security council, emphasized that domestic terrorism must be addressed in an “ideologically neutral” manner. The announcement comes five months after a violent, pro-Trump mob attacked the US Capitol, resulting in five deaths.
The blog will have more coming up, so stay tuned.The blog will have more coming up, so stay tuned.
The Guardian’s Edward Helmore reports:The Guardian’s Edward Helmore reports:
Vermont has become the first US state to reach its 80% Covid-19 vaccination goal and is now shedding all its statewide restrictions on dealing with the pandemic, including letting a state of emergency expire by Tuesday night.Vermont has become the first US state to reach its 80% Covid-19 vaccination goal and is now shedding all its statewide restrictions on dealing with the pandemic, including letting a state of emergency expire by Tuesday night.
Governor Phil Scott made the announcement on Monday and said he would drop existing physical distancing, crowd size restrictions and masking requirements.Governor Phil Scott made the announcement on Monday and said he would drop existing physical distancing, crowd size restrictions and masking requirements.
“There are no longer any state Covid-19 restrictions. None,” the Republican governor announced. But Scott said he would allow municipalities and businesses to continue practices if they choose to do so.“There are no longer any state Covid-19 restrictions. None,” the Republican governor announced. But Scott said he would allow municipalities and businesses to continue practices if they choose to do so.
Emergency medical service providers will continue to wear masks for the foreseeable future, regardless of their vaccination status. Public transportation and long-term care facilities workers will also continue to practice safeguards since they fall under federal guidelines.Emergency medical service providers will continue to wear masks for the foreseeable future, regardless of their vaccination status. Public transportation and long-term care facilities workers will also continue to practice safeguards since they fall under federal guidelines.
State officials had initially planned to lift all remaining restrictions by the Fourth of July, but brought the decision forward after Vermont’s vaccination rate reached its goal.State officials had initially planned to lift all remaining restrictions by the Fourth of July, but brought the decision forward after Vermont’s vaccination rate reached its goal.
“The ingenuity, creativity and dedication of all Vermonters to their friends and families, to their neighbors and to their communities, has been incredible and we should all be very proud,” Scott said in a statement.“The ingenuity, creativity and dedication of all Vermonters to their friends and families, to their neighbors and to their communities, has been incredible and we should all be very proud,” Scott said in a statement.
In case you missed it this morning: US and EU leaders announced they had resolved a trade dispute over aircraft subsidies for Boeing and Airbus, which had been going on for nearly 17 years.In case you missed it this morning: US and EU leaders announced they had resolved a trade dispute over aircraft subsidies for Boeing and Airbus, which had been going on for nearly 17 years.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and US president Joe Biden discussed the agreement when they met for the EU-US summit this morning.European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and US president Joe Biden discussed the agreement when they met for the EU-US summit this morning.
“The meeting started with a breakthrough on the aircraft dispute,” von der Leyen said on Twitter. “Today we move from litigation to cooperation. We are ending the longest trade dispute in the history of the [World Trade Organization]. We are delivering.”“The meeting started with a breakthrough on the aircraft dispute,” von der Leyen said on Twitter. “Today we move from litigation to cooperation. We are ending the longest trade dispute in the history of the [World Trade Organization]. We are delivering.”
The agreement involves suspending tariffs on Boeing and Airbus for five years and working to guarantee an even playing field for the two aircraft giants.The agreement involves suspending tariffs on Boeing and Airbus for five years and working to guarantee an even playing field for the two aircraft giants.
“Significantly, we also agreed to work together to challenge and counter China’s non-market practices in this sector that give China’s companies an unfair advantage,” Biden said in a statement about the agreement.“Significantly, we also agreed to work together to challenge and counter China’s non-market practices in this sector that give China’s companies an unfair advantage,” Biden said in a statement about the agreement.
“The U.S. and EU will work together in specific ways that reflect our high standards, including collaborating on inward and outbound investment and technology transfer. It’s a model we can build on for other challenges posed by China’s economic model.”“The U.S. and EU will work together in specific ways that reflect our high standards, including collaborating on inward and outbound investment and technology transfer. It’s a model we can build on for other challenges posed by China’s economic model.”
The agreement comes after Nato identified China’s rising power as a security threat after the alliance’s Brussels summit this week. Biden had pushed for the mention of China in the communique issued after the Nato summit.The agreement comes after Nato identified China’s rising power as a security threat after the alliance’s Brussels summit this week. Biden had pushed for the mention of China in the communique issued after the Nato summit.
Joe Biden is now meeting with Swiss president Guy Parmelin in Geneva, as the US president prepares for his summit with Vladimir Putin tomorrow.Joe Biden is now meeting with Swiss president Guy Parmelin in Geneva, as the US president prepares for his summit with Vladimir Putin tomorrow.
Asked by reporters whether he is ready for his meeting with the Russian president, Biden replied, “I’m always ready.”Asked by reporters whether he is ready for his meeting with the Russian president, Biden replied, “I’m always ready.”
Donald Trump has hired a new spokesperson, now that his longtime senior adviser, Jason Miller, has decided to return to the private sector.Donald Trump has hired a new spokesperson, now that his longtime senior adviser, Jason Miller, has decided to return to the private sector.
“I greatly thank Jason for his service—he is outstanding!” the former president said in a statement.“I greatly thank Jason for his service—he is outstanding!” the former president said in a statement.
Far-right activist Liz Harrington, a former national spokesperson for the Republican National Committee and a longtime Trump supporter, will be taking Miller’s place.Far-right activist Liz Harrington, a former national spokesperson for the Republican National Committee and a longtime Trump supporter, will be taking Miller’s place.
“Liz Harrington is a fighter,” Trump said. “She was an important part of our receiving more votes than any incumbent President in U.S. history, far more than we received the first time we won.”“Liz Harrington is a fighter,” Trump said. “She was an important part of our receiving more votes than any incumbent President in U.S. history, far more than we received the first time we won.”
According to CNN’s Daniel Dale, Harrington has played a key role in spreading Trump’s lies about widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential election.According to CNN’s Daniel Dale, Harrington has played a key role in spreading Trump’s lies about widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
A majority of Americans say they want Joe Biden to take a tough stand in his meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin tomorrow, according to a new poll.
The CBS News/YouGov poll found that 58% of Americans think Biden should adopt a tough stance with Putin, while 42% say the US president should take a more cooperative approach in the meeting.
When asked what it is the most important issue for Biden to raise in his meeting with Putin, 41% of Americans said Russia-linked cyberattacks on the US. The second-most popular response was Russia’s pressure on its neighbors, which 19% of Americans said was the most important issue to address in the meeting.
Biden has given little indication of what he will bring up with Putin tomorrow in Geneva, telling reporters yesterday, “I’ve been doing this a long time. The last thing anyone would do is negotiate in front of the world press as to how he’s going to approach a critical meeting with another adversary and/or someone who could be an adversary. It’s the last thing I’m going to do.”
For more than a year, people who have wanted to get within breathing distance of Vladimir Putin have performed a ritual, two-week quarantine in Russian hotels and sanatoriums to protect the 68-year-old president from falling ill with coronavirus.
Since March 2020, powerful businessmen, regional governors, his pilots and medical staff, volunteers at an economic conference, and even second world war veterans have shut themselves away to meet the Kremlin leader or even stand in his general vicinity.
So it will be a rare sit-down when Putin jets into Geneva to meet Joe Biden, who has been on a whirlwind tour through Europe, attending the G7 summit in Cornwall and then flying to Brussels for meetings with EU and Nato leaders before travelling to Switzerland.
Putin has not publicly travelled abroad since the outbreak of coronavirus in early 2020, hosting foreign leaders in Moscow or Sochi and holding most of his meetings with government ministers and regional governors over videoconference.
Critics have chided Putin for sheltering in a “bunker” during the coronavirus outbreak, reportedly protected by medical tunnels of dubious efficacy that sprayed visitors with a cloud of disinfectant.
Joe Biden has now arrived in Geneva, Switzerland, where he will meet with Russian president Vladimir Putin tomorrow.
Biden was greeted at Cointrin airport by Swiss president Guy Parmelin, and the two leaders will soon hold a bilateral meeting as well.
The White House has published its first ever national strategy for countering domestic terrorism five months after a violent mob stormed the US Capitol in Washington.
The framework released on Tuesday by the national security council describes the threat as now more serious than potential attacks from overseas but emphasises the need to protect civil liberties.
Anticipating Republican objections that Joe Biden could use counterterrorism tools to persecute supporters of Donald Trump, the strategy is also careful to state that domestic terrorism must be tackled in an “ideologically neutral” manner.
It cites examples such as “an anti-authority extremist” ambushing, shooting and killing five police officers in Dallas In 2016; a lone gunman (and leftwing activist) wounding four people at a congressional baseball practice in 2017; and an “unprecedented attack” on Congress on 6 January.
“They come across the political spectrum,” a senior administration said on a media conference call. “So it’s not motivating politics or ideology that matters for us or, more importantly for the strategy and its implementation. It’s when political grievances become acts of violence and we remain laser focused on that.”
The mayor of Washington, Muriel Bowser, is also encouraging Americans to celebrate Independence Day in the nation’s capitol.
“DC is open and ready to welcome back visitors to celebrate the way we came together as a city and as a nation this year. We have shown once again that when we come together, there is nothing we can’t do,” the Democratic mayor said in a press release.
In addition to the traditional fireworks show and the celebrations hosted by the White House this year, DC is also marking the return of July 4 parades in the Barracks Row and Palisades neighborhoods.
“We thank President Biden and his team for acting with urgency to get the vaccine to the American people so that we could save lives, get our country open, and celebrate together once again,” Bowser said.
Joe Biden wants Americans to celebrate their independence from coronavirus next month, when the country commemorates its independence day on July 4.
Biden has set a goal of at least partially vaccinating 70% of American adults by July 4, and he is already planning how to celebrate, even though it’s unclear whether the US will meet that objective.
The AP reports:
Delivering an update on vaccine distribution earlier this month, Biden encouraged Americans to get vaccinated and convince family members to join them before the July 4 holiday.
“We know it for a fact: Americans could do anything when we do it together. So, please, do your part,” Biden said. “Give it your all through July the 4th. Let’s reach our 70% goal. Let’s go into the summer freer and safer. Let’s celebrate a truly historic Independence Day.”
China’s mission to the EU has accused Nato of slander and of “hyping up the so-called ‘China threat’” after leaders of the western alliance warned that the country presents “systemic challenges” to international order and security.
On Monday, at a summit in Brussels, leaders from the transatlantic security alliance, with Joe Biden in attendance for the first time, took a forceful stance towards Beijing.
The new US president has urged his fellow Nato leaders to stand up to China’s authoritarianism and growing military might – a change of focus for an alliance created to defend Europe from the Soviet Union during the cold war.
China’s EU mission hit back on Tuesday, saying in a post on its website that the communique published at the end of the one-day summit “slandered” China’s peaceful development, misjudged the international situation, and indicated a “cold war mentality”.
“China urges Nato to view China’s development in a rational manner, stop hyping up in any form the so-called ‘China threat’, and stop taking China’s legitimate interests and rights as an excuse to manipulate bloc politics, create confrontation, and fuel geopolitical competition.”
Joe Biden has boarded Air Force One and is officially en route to Geneva, Switzerland, where he will meet with Russian president Vladimir Putin tomorrow.
The city of Geneva has put up American and Russian flags along their bridges to commemorate the historic summit between the two countries’ leaders. A CNBC reporter captured a photo of the scene:
On the 24-hour Russian state news channel, Thursday began as any other might: with a segment about the ageing president of the United States battling back cicadas and then giving a “confused” speech about his upcoming summit in Geneva with Vladimir Putin.
“I’ll let [Putin] know what I want him to know,’” said Joe Biden after a cutaway shot of him swatting his neck before boarding Air Force One this week.
Signs of a thaw between Russia and the US ahead of Wednesday’s summit are not immediately evident on state TV, but then again that is the last place that they would be.
For years, bellicose news segments about the west and especially Ukraine have been outdone only by the even shoutier news debate shows, where Russian experts compete to give the loudest, most hawkish review of recent political developments. The rare liberals who join them are ritually squashed.
In the real world, the last week has given little inkling of a coming breakthrough. A Russian court’s decision on Thursday evening to outlaw Alexei Navalny’s organisation as “extremist” will reassert the issue of human rights in Russia on the summit’s agenda. And Russia’s backing for Alexander Lukashenko will also lead to a battle over what Moscow claims as a sphere of influence in Belarus and Ukraine, despite the breakup of the Soviet Union more than 30 years ago.
Greetings from Washington, live blog readers.
Joe Biden continues his first international trip as president today, attending the EU-US summit in Brussels. The US president also met with the king and prime minister of Belgium this morning.
Biden will soon depart for Geneva, where he will hold a summit with Russian president Vladimir Putin tomorrow.
Reports indicate that Biden has been preparing extensively for the summit, which will mark his first in-person meeting with Putin since taking office in January.
The president’s advisers have also indicated that he sought input from other major foreign leaders about how he should approach the meeting, as he attended the G7 and Nato summits this past week.
During his press conference in Brussels yesterday, Biden repeatedly deflected questions from reporters about what he expected to get out of the meeting.
Noting he has met Putin before, Biden said of the Russian leader, “He’s bright. He’s tough. And I have found that he is a … as they say, when you used to play ball, ‘a worthy adversary.’”
Biden added, “But the fact is that I will be happy to talk with you when it’s over, and not before, about what the discussion will entail.”
The blog will have more details on Wednesday’s summit coming up, so stay tuned.