Fraudulent messages are drawing attention as political campaigns in US presidential race ramp up data collection and voter targeting using their own technology to circumvent restrictions imposed by social media platforms following the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

"Your early vote has not been recorded," says one of the many fraud text messages -- with a link for more information.

Other messages tell voters they are not registered, or offer unverified information about a political opponent.

Facebook barred apps that scraped data on users and their contacts after revelations about the now-defunct British consulting group. But in response, President Donald Trump's campaign and some activist groups are using their own methods.

A team led by Samuel Woolley, a University of Texas professor who leads propaganda research at the school's Center for Media Engagement, examined messages such as the above-referenced ones.&nbsp;

It found that the Trump mobile app, and to a lesser extent those of Democrat Joe Biden and other political activist groups, scoop up data to create profiles to craft personalised, targetted messages by SMS, email or social media.

Some apps collect data not only on the user, but his or her contacts, and track location and other activities such as shopping or church attendance.

Campaigns can combine that with third-party information from data brokers or public records to finetune messages to specific individuals or groups.

Dozens of unsolicited texts, many with pro-Trump messages, surprise common people.

One of the many reads: "Looting. Rioting. Burning Cities. These are the realities of a Biden America."

Many message recipients have never downloaded a political app or signed up for notifications, according to researchers.

Some messages are effectively campaign ads, but without the disclosure required by social media platforms and other media.

The FBI has hence launched a "protected voices" project investigating potential criminal violations in such messages.

"Intentionally deceiving qualified voters to prevent them from voting is voter suppression -- and it is a federal crime," the FBI said in a September statement.

This brings attention to "microtargeting" -- delivering narrowly focused messages to specific individuals or groups. This also raised concerns in the 2016 elections.

Panagopoulos noted that campaigns have "massive amounts of information" on voters which they can gather themselves or purchase, making it easy to spread misinformation or dissuade people form voting.

Fraudulent messages are drawing attention as political campaigns in US presidential race ramp up data collection and voter targeting using their own technology to circumvent restrictions imposed by social media platforms following the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Fraudulent messages are drawing attention as political campaigns in US presidential race ramp up data collection and voter targeting using their own technology to circumvent restrictions imposed by social media platforms following the Cambridge Analytica scandal. "Your early vote has not been recorded," says one of the many fraud text messages -- with a link for more information. Other messages tell voters they are not registered, or offer unverified information about a political opponent. Facebook barred apps that scraped data on users and their contacts after revelations about the now-defunct British consulting group. But in response, President Donald Trump's campaign and some activist groups are using their own methods. A team led by Samuel Woolley, a University of Texas professor who leads propaganda research at the school's Center for Media Engagement, examined messages such as the above-referenced ones. It found that the Trump mobile app, and to a lesser extent those of Democrat Joe Biden and other political activist groups, scoop up data to create profiles to craft personalised, targetted messages by SMS, email or social media. Some apps collect data not only on the user, but his or her contacts, and track location and other activities such as shopping or church attendance. Campaigns can combine that with third-party information from data brokers or public records to finetune messages to specific individuals or groups. Dozens of unsolicited texts, many with pro-Trump messages, surprise common people. One of the many reads: "Looting. Rioting. Burning Cities. These are the realities of a Biden America." Many message recipients have never downloaded a political app or signed up for notifications, according to researchers. Some messages are effectively campaign ads, but without the disclosure required by social media platforms and other media. The FBI has hence launched a "protected voices" project investigating potential criminal violations in such messages. "Intentionally deceiving qualified voters to prevent them from voting is voter suppression -- and it is a federal crime," the FBI said in a September statement. This brings attention to "microtargeting" -- delivering narrowly focused messages to specific individuals or groups. This also raised concerns in the 2016 elections. Panagopoulos noted that campaigns have "massive amounts of information" on voters which they can gather themselves or purchase, making it easy to spread misinformation or dissuade people form voting.

Fraudulent messages take over as Trump and Biden campaigns for US election gain pace

In his first public address after recovering from coronavirus, US President Donald <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/after-florida-trump-to-take-part-in-two-more-rallies-next-week-334358">Trump</a> told his supporters that he was "feeling great" from the White House balcony on Saturday.

Watch:&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/president-trump-develops-coronavirus-antibodies-calls-catching-covid-19-a-blessing-333550/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"Our nation will defeat the China virus, the vaccine is coming in record time, it is coming very soon," the US president said, adding," I am thankful to everyone who prayed for my health."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/allan-lichtman-the-man-who-has-correctly-predicted-us-election-since-1984-334317">Also Read |&nbsp;Allan Lichtman: The man who has correctly predicted US election since 1984&nbsp;</a>

"Science, medicine will eradicate the China virus once and for all, it's going to disappear. It's disappearing," Trump asserted. "I have defeated the China virus, &nbsp;This disease is going to disappear."

"Science, medicine will eradicate the China virus once and for all," the US president said.

Trump took a dig at Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden saying: "Sleepy Joe Biden&nbsp;betrayed Latino and Black Americans. If you think he can run this country, you're wrong." With the US election just days away, Trump's campaign team announced that the US president would be attending three rallies next week in Florida, Iowa and Pennsylvania.

"If the left gains power, they'll launch a nationwide crusade against law enforcement," he said. "Joe Biden doesn't know what to say, he is told what to say," the president told his supporters.

"We have law enforcement watching all those ballots, tremendous problems with the ballots. You see how many crooked ballots are being found? he asked.

"I have done more for the black community than any other President since Abraham Lincoln," he said.

"This is the most important election we have ever had. Even more than the last one, so please get out there and vote," the US president told his supporters.

In his first public address after recovering from coronavirus, US President Donald Trump told his supporters that he was "feeling great" from the White House balcony on Saturday.

In his first public address after recovering from coronavirus, US President Donald Trump told his supporters that he was "feeling great" from the White House balcony on Saturday. Watch: "Our nation will defeat the China virus, the vaccine is coming in record time, it is coming very soon," the US president said, adding," I am thankful to everyone who prayed for my health." Also Read | Allan Lichtman: The man who has correctly predicted US election since 1984 "Science, medicine will eradicate the China virus once and for all, it's going to disappear. It's disappearing," Trump asserted. "I have defeated the China virus, This disease is going to disappear." "Science, medicine will eradicate the China virus once and for all," the US president said. Trump took a dig at Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden saying: "Sleepy Joe Biden betrayed Latino and Black Americans. If you think he can run this country, you're wrong." With the US election just days away, Trump's campaign team announced that the US president would be attending three rallies next week in Florida, Iowa and Pennsylvania. "If the left gains power, they'll launch a nationwide crusade against law enforcement," he said. "Joe Biden doesn't know what to say, he is told what to say," the president told his supporters. "We have law enforcement watching all those ballots, tremendous problems with the ballots. You see how many crooked ballots are being found? he asked. "I have done more for the black community than any other President since Abraham Lincoln," he said. "This is the most important election we have ever had. Even more than the last one, so please get out there and vote," the US president told his supporters.

Science, medicine will eradicate the China virus, it will disappear, says Trump from White House balcony

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, facing open criticism from President Donald Trump, promised Friday he would release emails by Hillary Clinton avidly sought by conservative activists before November 3 elections.

Trump, trailing in the polls and confined to the White House after a Covid-19 diagnosis, has returned to his familiar demands for the emails of his 2016 rival while she was secretary of state.

Asked about Trump's rare attack on him over not finding and releasing the emails, Pompeo said in a Fox News interview: "We're gonna get there. We're going to get this information out so the American people can see it."

Pressed on whether he would follow through before the vote, Pompeo said: "Doing it as fast as we can. I certainly think there will be more to see before the election."

If Pompeo asks State Department employees to work on Clinton's emails, he would likely trigger questions of legality as the 1939 Hatch Act bans federal employees from most political activity.&nbsp;

Clinton -- who is not on the ballot this year -- has acknowledged using a private email server, in violation of regulations, when she was America's top diplomat from 2009 to 2013.

Then FBI chief James Comey, in the run-up to the 2016 election, found that Clinton was careless but that there was no criminal intent.

The emails have animated Trump's voters, who with his encouragement would chant "Lock her up!" at his rallies in 2016.

"You'll remember there was classified information on a private server. It should have never been there," Pompeo said.

"Hillary Clinton should never have done that. It was unacceptable behavior."

Pompeo -- who made his name as a Republican congressman with his fiery questions of Clinton over the deadly 2012 attack on the US mission in Benghazi, Libya -- has until now been one of the few aides never to cross the mercurial Trump and is known for his eager defenses of him.

But Trump in a Fox Business interview Thursday said he was "not happy" with Pompeo over the emails. On Friday, Trump said Clinton should be imprisoned over the emails.

A probe last year led by House Democratic lawmakers found that Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, both advisors to the president, have themselves used personal email for White House business.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, facing open criticism from President Donald Trump, promised Friday he would release emails by Hillary Clinton avidly sought by conservative activists before November 3 elections.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, facing open criticism from President Donald Trump, promised Friday he would release emails by Hillary Clinton avidly sought by conservative activists before November 3 elections. Trump, trailing in the polls and confined to the White House after a Covid-19 diagnosis, has returned to his familiar demands for the emails of his 2016 rival while she was secretary of state. Asked about Trump's rare attack on him over not finding and releasing the emails, Pompeo said in a Fox News interview: "We're gonna get there. We're going to get this information out so the American people can see it." Pressed on whether he would follow through before the vote, Pompeo said: "Doing it as fast as we can. I certainly think there will be more to see before the election." If Pompeo asks State Department employees to work on Clinton's emails, he would likely trigger questions of legality as the 1939 Hatch Act bans federal employees from most political activity. Clinton -- who is not on the ballot this year -- has acknowledged using a private email server, in violation of regulations, when she was America's top diplomat from 2009 to 2013. Then FBI chief James Comey, in the run-up to the 2016 election, found that Clinton was careless but that there was no criminal intent. The emails have animated Trump's voters, who with his encouragement would chant "Lock her up!" at his rallies in 2016. "You'll remember there was classified information on a private server. It should have never been there," Pompeo said. "Hillary Clinton should never have done that. It was unacceptable behavior." Pompeo -- who made his name as a Republican congressman with his fiery questions of Clinton over the deadly 2012 attack on the US mission in Benghazi, Libya -- has until now been one of the few aides never to cross the mercurial Trump and is known for his eager defenses of him. But Trump in a Fox Business interview Thursday said he was "not happy" with Pompeo over the emails. On Friday, Trump said Clinton should be imprisoned over the emails. A probe last year led by House Democratic lawmakers found that Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, both advisors to the president, have themselves used personal email for White House business.

Under Trump pressure, Pompeo vows to put out Clinton emails

New cases of COVID-19 in the United States hit a two-month high on Friday with over 58,000 infections of the coronavirus reported and hospitalisations in the Midwest at record levels for a fifth day in a row.

According to a Reuters analysis, ten of the 50 states reported record one-day rises in cases on Friday, including the Midwestern states of Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri and Ohio.&nbsp;

Wisconsin and Illinois recorded over 3,000 new cases for a second day in a row - a two-day trend not seen even during the height of the previous outbreak in the spring, according to Reuters data.

The Western states of Montana, New Mexico and Wyoming also reported their biggest one-day jumps in cases, as did Oklahoma and West Virginia.

Nineteen states have seen record increases in new cases so far in October.

Amid the resurgence in cases across the nation, President Donald Trump, who recently contracted COVID-19, addressed his supporters from the balcony of the White House on Saturday, a prelude to restarting his re-election campaign. He is scheduled to travel on Monday to Florida.

Trump and his administration have faced criticism for their handling of the pandemic that has claimed over 213,000 lives in the country, as well as for a lax approach to mask-wearing and social distancing in the White House.

The United States is losing on average 700 lives a day. Three states reported a record one-day increase in fatalities on Friday: Arkansas, Missouri and Montana. Health experts caution that deaths are a lagging indicator and usually rise weeks after cases climb.

The number of people who succumb to COVID-19 is expected to accelerate this winter.

The daily death rate is projected to more than triple by mid-January to 2,250, with an overall 395,000 fatalities by Feb. 1, 2021.

New cases of COVID-19 in the United States hit a two-month high on Friday with over 58,000 infections of the coronavirus reported and hospitalisations in the Midwest at record levels for a fifth day in a row.

New cases of COVID-19 in the United States hit a two-month high on Friday with over 58,000 infections of the coronavirus reported and hospitalisations in the Midwest at record levels for a fifth day in a row. According to a Reuters analysis, ten of the 50 states reported record one-day rises in cases on Friday, including the Midwestern states of Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri and Ohio. Wisconsin and Illinois recorded over 3,000 new cases for a second day in a row - a two-day trend not seen even during the height of the previous outbreak in the spring, according to Reuters data. The Western states of Montana, New Mexico and Wyoming also reported their biggest one-day jumps in cases, as did Oklahoma and West Virginia. Nineteen states have seen record increases in new cases so far in October. Amid the resurgence in cases across the nation, President Donald Trump, who recently contracted COVID-19, addressed his supporters from the balcony of the White House on Saturday, a prelude to restarting his re-election campaign. He is scheduled to travel on Monday to Florida. Trump and his administration have faced criticism for their handling of the pandemic that has claimed over 213,000 lives in the country, as well as for a lax approach to mask-wearing and social distancing in the White House. The United States is losing on average 700 lives a day. Three states reported a record one-day increase in fatalities on Friday: Arkansas, Missouri and Montana. Health experts caution that deaths are a lagging indicator and usually rise weeks after cases climb. The number of people who succumb to COVID-19 is expected to accelerate this winter. The daily death rate is projected to more than triple by mid-January to 2,250, with an overall 395,000 fatalities by Feb. 1, 2021.

Several regions sound alarm as US COVID-19 cases hit two-month high

A man was fatally shot on Saturday during dueling protests by left-wing and right-wing groups in downtown Denver.

The police, in consequence, arrested a suspect they said was working as a private security guard.

An NBC News affiliate, KUSA-TV, said on its website that the man taken arrested for the shooting was a security guard hired by the television station to provide protection to its crew.

The shooting took place in a courtyard at the Denver Art Museum during a “Patriot Rally” that was met by counter-protests by groups who dubbed their rally a “BLM-Antifa Soup Drive.”

Neither the victim nor the suspected shooter has been identified by authorities. There were no other arrests during the competing rallies.

A man was fatally shot on Saturday during dueling protests by left-wing and right-wing groups in downtown Denver. The police, in consequence, arrested a suspect they said was working as a private security guard.

A man was fatally shot on Saturday during dueling protests by left-wing and right-wing groups in downtown Denver. The police, in consequence, arrested a suspect they said was working as a private security guard. An NBC News affiliate, KUSA-TV, said on its website that the man taken arrested for the shooting was a security guard hired by the television station to provide protection to its crew. The shooting took place in a courtyard at the Denver Art Museum during a “Patriot Rally” that was met by counter-protests by groups who dubbed their rally a “BLM-Antifa Soup Drive.” Neither the victim nor the suspected shooter has been identified by authorities. There were no other arrests during the competing rallies.

Man shot dead at dueling Denver protests, suspect in custody

Democratic challenger Joe Biden has placed himself at a commanding position as the US presidential race enters its final stretch. He is leading President Donald Trump in polling and fundraising while the latter struggles to defend must-win states.

Experts are of the opinion that time is running out for Trump to change the race's trajectory -- and he is failing to capitalise on the opportunities that do exist.

Polls show Biden is leading Trump among voters 65 and older and benefits from a huge gender gap, with women overwhelmingly supporting him and men split more evenly. This is a rare feat for a Democratic nominee.

According to CNN, Biden is offering calm and steadiness amid a pandemic that has claimed more than 210,000 American lives and in the chaos created by Trump -- qualities that appeal to a broad swath of voters.

Biden's running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris of California, bested Vice President Mike Pence in their debate Wednesday night, a CNN post-debate poll found.&nbsp;

In the aftermath, Trump wasted a day by calling into a Fox Business morning show and calling Harris a "monster," blaming Gold Star families for his infection with coronavirus and saying he would not participate in his second debate against Biden. The debate was then scheduled for the next week but changed to a virtual format.

It later got cancelled.

Then again on Saturday morning, Trump returned to the campaign trail. He hosted an event at the White House, raising concerns that the virus could spread. Attendees on Saturday were largely seen wearing masks, but they were not socially distanced.

The president's physician declared him non-contagious only late Saturday night -- not however disclosing if he had finally tested negative.

And even while he addressed the crowd, he said, ""Science, medicine will eradicate the China virus once and for all, it's going to disappear. It's disappearing. I have defeated the China virus, &nbsp;This disease is going to disappear" -- discounting -- for the nth time -- the gravity of the pandemic.

All this provoked a round of politically damaging headlines and left him without what could have been a valuable opportunity to improve on his first showing against Biden in a debate next week.

Polls in recent days have found Biden with a large lead nationally -- he is ahead 57% to Trump's 41%, a CNN poll this week found -- and in the core battleground states of Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, where he would likely cross the 270 electoral vote threshold by winning three or four of the six.

(with inputs)

Democratic challenger Joe Biden has placed himself at a commanding position as the US presidential race enters its final stretch. He is leading President Donald Trump in polling and fundraising while the latter struggles to defend must-win states.

Democratic challenger Joe Biden has placed himself at a commanding position as the US presidential race enters its final stretch. He is leading President Donald Trump in polling and fundraising while the latter struggles to defend must-win states. Experts are of the opinion that time is running out for Trump to change the race's trajectory -- and he is failing to capitalise on the opportunities that do exist. Polls show Biden is leading Trump among voters 65 and older and benefits from a huge gender gap, with women overwhelmingly supporting him and men split more evenly. This is a rare feat for a Democratic nominee. According to CNN, Biden is offering calm and steadiness amid a pandemic that has claimed more than 210,000 American lives and in the chaos created by Trump -- qualities that appeal to a broad swath of voters. Biden's running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris of California, bested Vice President Mike Pence in their debate Wednesday night, a CNN post-debate poll found. In the aftermath, Trump wasted a day by calling into a Fox Business morning show and calling Harris a "monster," blaming Gold Star families for his infection with coronavirus and saying he would not participate in his second debate against Biden. The debate was then scheduled for the next week but changed to a virtual format. It later got cancelled. Then again on Saturday morning, Trump returned to the campaign trail. He hosted an event at the White House, raising concerns that the virus could spread. Attendees on Saturday were largely seen wearing masks, but they were not socially distanced. The president's physician declared him non-contagious only late Saturday night -- not however disclosing if he had finally tested negative. And even while he addressed the crowd, he said, ""Science, medicine will eradicate the China virus once and for all, it's going to disappear. It's disappearing. I have defeated the China virus, This disease is going to disappear" -- discounting -- for the nth time -- the gravity of the pandemic. All this provoked a round of politically damaging headlines and left him without what could have been a valuable opportunity to improve on his first showing against Biden in a debate next week. Polls in recent days have found Biden with a large lead nationally -- he is ahead 57% to Trump's 41%, a CNN poll this week found -- and in the core battleground states of Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, where he would likely cross the 270 electoral vote threshold by winning three or four of the six. (with inputs)

Biden enters final weeks of US presidential race in commanding position

President Donald Trump rallied hundreds of cheering supporters for a campaign-style comeback event at the White House on Saturday, jumping back into the race nine days after being stopped in his tracks by COVID-19.

Donald Trump no longer a transmission risk: White House

A new $1.8 trillion economic stimulus proposal from the Trump administration drew criticism from congressional Democrats and Republicans on Saturday, diminishing hopes for a coronavirus relief deal before the Nov. 3 election.

In a weekly letter to Democratic colleagues, Pelosi said the Trump administration`s proposal lacked a "strategic plan to crush the virus" and gave President Donald Trump too much discretion to decide how funds were allocated.

"At this point, we still have disagreement on many priorities, and Democrats are awaiting language from the Administration on several provisions as the negotiations on the overall funding amount continue," Pelosi`s letter said.

On a conference call on Saturday morning with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, multiple Republican senators criticized the price tag of the Trump administration`s proposal, a source familiar with the matter said.

Mnuchin floated the $1.8 trillion proposal in a 30-minute Friday afternoon phone conversation with Pelosi, according to the White House.

The new White House package was higher than an earlier $1.6 trillion Mnuchin offer and closer to the $2.2 trillion the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives passed last week.

White House spokeswoman Alyssa Farah said the administration wanted to keep spending below $2 trillion but was eager to enact a fresh round of direct payments to individuals as well as aid for small businesses and airlines. 
Friday marked the third straight day of talks between Pelosi and Mnuchin.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in Congress, said on Friday he doubted lawmakers would pass a package before Nov. 3, although he has not directly participated in the talks.

"The proximity to the election and the differences of opinion over what is needed at this particular juncture are pretty vast," McConnell told a news conference.

There was no immediate comment on Saturday from the Treasury, White House, or McConnell`s office.

A new $1.8 trillion economic stimulus proposal from the Trump administration drew criticism from congressional Democrats and Republicans on Saturday, diminishing hopes for a coronavirus relief deal before the Nov.

A new $1.8 trillion economic stimulus proposal from the Trump administration drew criticism from congressional Democrats and Republicans on Saturday, diminishing hopes for a coronavirus relief deal before the Nov. 3 election. In a weekly letter to Democratic colleagues, Pelosi said the Trump administration`s proposal lacked a "strategic plan to crush the virus" and gave President Donald Trump too much discretion to decide how funds were allocated. "At this point, we still have disagreement on many priorities, and Democrats are awaiting language from the Administration on several provisions as the negotiations on the overall funding amount continue," Pelosi`s letter said. On a conference call on Saturday morning with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, multiple Republican senators criticized the price tag of the Trump administration`s proposal, a source familiar with the matter said. Mnuchin floated the $1.8 trillion proposal in a 30-minute Friday afternoon phone conversation with Pelosi, according to the White House. The new White House package was higher than an earlier $1.6 trillion Mnuchin offer and closer to the $2.2 trillion the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives passed last week. White House spokeswoman Alyssa Farah said the administration wanted to keep spending below $2 trillion but was eager to enact a fresh round of direct payments to individuals as well as aid for small businesses and airlines. Friday marked the third straight day of talks between Pelosi and Mnuchin. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in Congress, said on Friday he doubted lawmakers would pass a package before Nov. 3, although he has not directly participated in the talks. "The proximity to the election and the differences of opinion over what is needed at this particular juncture are pretty vast," McConnell told a news conference. There was no immediate comment on Saturday from the Treasury, White House, or McConnell`s office.

Trump's stimulus proposal draws opposition from congressional Democrats and Republicans

US President Donald Trump is no longer contagious, nine days after being stopped in his tracks by Covid-19, his physician said in a statement released late Saturday.

"This evening I am happy to report that in addition to the President meeting CDC criteria for the safe discontinuation of isolation, this morning's COVID PCR sample demonstrates, by currently recognised standards, he is no longer considered a transmission risk to others," the president's physician Sean Conley said in the statement.

To this end, he will hold two more campaign rallies next week -- Tuesday in Pennsylvania, a battleground state key to his reelection hopes, and in Iowa on Wednesday.

The president's physician, who has been accused of a lack of transparency with the public, said it had been 10 days since Trump first began showing symptoms of the new coronavirus. He was hospitalised one day later, on October 2.

Tests showed there was "no longer evidence of actively replicating virus," and that Trump's viral load was "decreasing," Conley continued -- though he did not state that the president is now Covid-free.

Trump is fever-free and his symptoms have "improved," Conley said, adding that he would continue to monitor the president as he "returns to an active schedule."

Trump, who stayed in the hospital for three days before returning to the White House, has been pushing to jump back on the campaign trail.

He trails his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, badly in the polls with less than a month before the election on November 3.

In his first public address after recovering from coronavirus, Trump on Saturday told his supporters that he was "feeling great" from the White House balcony.

"Our nation will defeat the China virus, the vaccine is coming in record time, it is coming very soon," the US president said, adding," I am thankful to everyone who prayed for my health."

"Science, medicine will eradicate the China virus once and for all, it's going to disappear. It's disappearing," Trump asserted. "I have defeated the China virus, &nbsp;This disease is going to disappear."

(with inputs)

US President Donald Trump is no longer contagious, nine days after being stopped in his tracks by Covid-19, his physician said in a statement released late Saturday.

US President Donald Trump is no longer contagious, nine days after being stopped in his tracks by Covid-19, his physician said in a statement released late Saturday. "This evening I am happy to report that in addition to the President meeting CDC criteria for the safe discontinuation of isolation, this morning's COVID PCR sample demonstrates, by currently recognised standards, he is no longer considered a transmission risk to others," the president's physician Sean Conley said in the statement. To this end, he will hold two more campaign rallies next week -- Tuesday in Pennsylvania, a battleground state key to his reelection hopes, and in Iowa on Wednesday. The president's physician, who has been accused of a lack of transparency with the public, said it had been 10 days since Trump first began showing symptoms of the new coronavirus. He was hospitalised one day later, on October 2. Tests showed there was "no longer evidence of actively replicating virus," and that Trump's viral load was "decreasing," Conley continued -- though he did not state that the president is now Covid-free. Trump is fever-free and his symptoms have "improved," Conley said, adding that he would continue to monitor the president as he "returns to an active schedule." Trump, who stayed in the hospital for three days before returning to the White House, has been pushing to jump back on the campaign trail. He trails his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, badly in the polls with less than a month before the election on November 3. In his first public address after recovering from coronavirus, Trump on Saturday told his supporters that he was "feeling great" from the White House balcony. "Our nation will defeat the China virus, the vaccine is coming in record time, it is coming very soon," the US president said, adding," I am thankful to everyone who prayed for my health." "Science, medicine will eradicate the China virus once and for all, it's going to disappear. It's disappearing," Trump asserted. "I have defeated the China virus, This disease is going to disappear." (with inputs)

Trump 'no longer a transmission risk', to hold two rallies next week

Throughout its 208-year history, The New England Journal of Medicine has remained staunchly nonpartisan. The world’s most prestigious medical journal has never supported or condemned a political candidate.

Until now.

In an editorial signed by 34 editors who are U.S. citizens (one editor is not) and published Wednesday, the journal said the Trump administration had responded so poorly to the coronavirus pandemic that it “have taken a crisis and turned it into a tragedy.”

The journal did not explicitly endorse Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee, but that was the only possible inference, other scientists noted.

The editor-in-chief, Dr. Eric Rubin, said the scathing editorial was one of only four in the journal’s history that were signed by all of the editors. The NEJM’s editors join those of another influential journal, Scientific American, who last month endorsed Biden, the former vice president.

The political leadership has failed Americans in many ways that contrast vividly with responses from leaders in other countries, the NEJM said.

In the United States, the journal said, there was too little testing for the virus, especially early on. There was too little protective equipment, and a lack of national leadership on important measures like mask wearing, social distancing, quarantine and isolation.

There were attempts to politicize and undermine the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the journal noted.

As a result, the United States has had tens of thousands of “excess” deaths — those caused both directly and indirectly by the pandemic — as well as immense economic pain and an increase in social inequality as the virus hit disadvantaged communities hardest.

The editorial castigated the rejection of science by the administration of President Donald Trump, writing, “Instead of relying on expertise, the administration has turned to uninformed ‘opinion leaders’ and charlatans who obscure the truth and facilitate the promulgation of outright lies.”

The uncharacteristically pungent editorial called for change: “When it comes to the response to the largest public health crisis of our time, our current political leaders have demonstrated that they are dangerously incompetent. We should not abet them and enable the deaths of thousands more Americans by allowing them to keep their jobs.”

Scientific American, too, had never before endorsed a political candidate. “The pandemic would strain any nation and system, but Trump’s rejection of evidence and public health measures have been catastrophic,” the journal’s editors said.

The NEJM, like all medical journals these days, is deluged with papers on the coronavirus and the illness it causes, COVID-19. Editors have struggled to reconcile efforts to insist on quality with a constant barrage of misinformation and misleading statements from the administration, said Dr. Clifford Rosen, associate editor of the journal and an endocrinologist at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts.

“Our mission is to promote the best science and also to educate,” Rosen said. “We were seeing anti-science and poor leadership.”

Mounting public health failures and misinformation had eventually taken a toll, said Rubin, editor-in-chief of The New England Journal of Medicine.

“It should be clear that we are not a political organization,” he said. “But pretty much every week in our editorial meeting there would be some new outrage.”

“How can you not speak out at a time like this?” he added.

Dr. Thomas H. Lee, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a member of the journal’s editorial board, did not participate in writing or voting on the editorial.

But “to say nothing definitive at this point in history would be a cause for shame,” he said.

Medical specialists not associated with the NEJM applauded the decision.

“Wow,” said Dr. Matthew K. Wynia, an infectious disease specialist and director of the Center for Bioethics and Humanities at the University of Colorado. He noted that the editorial did not explicitly mention Biden, but said it was clearly “an obvious call to replace the president.”

There is a risk that such a departure could taint the NEJM’s reputation for impartiality. While other medical journals, including JAMA, the Lancet and The British Medical Journal, have taken political positions, the NEJM has dealt with political issues in a measured way, as it did in a forum published in October 2000 in which Al Gore and George W. Bush answered questions on health care.

But it is hard to imagine such a deliberative debate in today’s acrimonious atmosphere, said Dr. Jeremy Greene, a professor of medicine and historian of medicine at Johns Hopkins University.

The Trump administration, he said, had demonstrated “a continuous, reckless disregard of truth.”

“If we want a forum based on matters of fact, it strikes me that no form of engagement could work,” Greene added.

Throughout its 208-year history, The New England Journal of Medicine has remained staunchly nonpartisan. The world’s most prestigious medical journal has never supported or condemned a political candidate.

Throughout its 208-year history, The New England Journal of Medicine has remained staunchly nonpartisan. The world’s most prestigious medical journal has never supported or condemned a political candidate. Until now. In an editorial signed by 34 editors who are U.S. citizens (one editor is not) and published Wednesday, the journal said the Trump administration had responded so poorly to the coronavirus pandemic that it “have taken a crisis and turned it into a tragedy.” The journal did not explicitly endorse Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee, but that was the only possible inference, other scientists noted. The editor-in-chief, Dr. Eric Rubin, said the scathing editorial was one of only four in the journal’s history that were signed by all of the editors. The NEJM’s editors join those of another influential journal, Scientific American, who last month endorsed Biden, the former vice president. The political leadership has failed Americans in many ways that contrast vividly with responses from leaders in other countries, the NEJM said. In the United States, the journal said, there was too little testing for the virus, especially early on. There was too little protective equipment, and a lack of national leadership on important measures like mask wearing, social distancing, quarantine and isolation. There were attempts to politicize and undermine the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the journal noted. As a result, the United States has had tens of thousands of “excess” deaths — those caused both directly and indirectly by the pandemic — as well as immense economic pain and an increase in social inequality as the virus hit disadvantaged communities hardest. The editorial castigated the rejection of science by the administration of President Donald Trump, writing, “Instead of relying on expertise, the administration has turned to uninformed ‘opinion leaders’ and charlatans who obscure the truth and facilitate the promulgation of outright lies.” The uncharacteristically pungent editorial called for change: “When it comes to the response to the largest public health crisis of our time, our current political leaders have demonstrated that they are dangerously incompetent. We should not abet them and enable the deaths of thousands more Americans by allowing them to keep their jobs.” Scientific American, too, had never before endorsed a political candidate. “The pandemic would strain any nation and system, but Trump’s rejection of evidence and public health measures have been catastrophic,” the journal’s editors said. The NEJM, like all medical journals these days, is deluged with papers on the coronavirus and the illness it causes, COVID-19. Editors have struggled to reconcile efforts to insist on quality with a constant barrage of misinformation and misleading statements from the administration, said Dr. Clifford Rosen, associate editor of the journal and an endocrinologist at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. “Our mission is to promote the best science and also to educate,” Rosen said. “We were seeing anti-science and poor leadership.” Mounting public health failures and misinformation had eventually taken a toll, said Rubin, editor-in-chief of The New England Journal of Medicine. “It should be clear that we are not a political organization,” he said. “But pretty much every week in our editorial meeting there would be some new outrage.” “How can you not speak out at a time like this?” he added. Dr. Thomas H. Lee, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a member of the journal’s editorial board, did not participate in writing or voting on the editorial. But “to say nothing definitive at this point in history would be a cause for shame,” he said. Medical specialists not associated with the NEJM applauded the decision. “Wow,” said Dr. Matthew K. Wynia, an infectious disease specialist and director of the Center for Bioethics and Humanities at the University of Colorado. He noted that the editorial did not explicitly mention Biden, but said it was clearly “an obvious call to replace the president.” There is a risk that such a departure could taint the NEJM’s reputation for impartiality. While other medical journals, including JAMA, the Lancet and The British Medical Journal, have taken political positions, the NEJM has dealt with political issues in a measured way, as it did in a forum published in October 2000 in which Al Gore and George W. Bush answered questions on health care. But it is hard to imagine such a deliberative debate in today’s acrimonious atmosphere, said Dr. Jeremy Greene, a professor of medicine and historian of medicine at Johns Hopkins University. The Trump administration, he said, had demonstrated “a continuous, reckless disregard of truth.” “If we want a forum based on matters of fact, it strikes me that no form of engagement could work,” Greene added.

In a first, New England Journal of Medicine joins never-Trumpers

President Donald Trump’s order to his secretary of state to declassify thousands of Hillary Clinton’s emails, along with his insistence that his attorney general issue indictments against Barack Obama and Joe Biden, takes his presidency into new territory — until now, occupied by leaders with names like Putin, Xi and Erdogan.

Trump has long demanded — quite publicly, often on Twitter — that his most senior cabinet members use the power of their office to pursue political enemies. But his appeals this week, as he trailed badly in the polls and was desperate to turn the national conversation away from the coronavirus, were so blatant that one had to look to authoritarian nations to make comparisons.

He took a step even Richard Nixon avoided in his most desperate days: openly ordering direct immediate government action against specific opponents, timed to serve his reelection campaign.

“There is essentially no precedent,” said Jack Goldsmith, who led the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel under President George W. Bush and has written extensively on presidential powers. “We have a norm that developed after Watergate that presidents don’t talk about ongoing investigations, much less interfere with them.”

“It is crazy and it is unprecedented,” said Goldsmith, now a professor at Harvard Law School, “but it’s no different from what he has been saying since the beginning of his presidency. The only thing new is that he has moved from talking about it to seeming to order it.”

Trump’s vision of the presidency has always leaned to exercising the absolute powers of the chief executive, a writ-large version of the family business he presided over. “I have an Article II,” he told young adults last year at a Turning Point USA summit, referring to the section of the Constitution that deals with the president’s powers, “where I have the right to do whatever I want as president, but I don’t even talk about that.”

Now he is talking about it, almost daily. He is making it clear that prosecutions, like vaccines for the coronavirus, are useless to him if they come after Nov. 3. He has declared, without evidence, that there is already plenty of proof that Obama, Biden and Clinton, among others, were fueling the charges that his campaign had links to Russia — what he calls “the Russia hoax.” And he has pressured his secretary of state to agree to release more of Clinton’s emails before the election, reprising a yearslong fixation despite having defeated her four years ago.

Presidential historians say there is no case in modern times where the president has so plainly used his powers to take political opponents off the field — or has been so eager to replicate the behavior of strongmen. “In America, our presidents have generally avoided strongman balcony scenes — that’s for other countries with authoritarian systems,” Michael Beschloss, the presidential historian, wrote on Twitter after Trump returned from the hospital where he received COVID-19 treatment and removed his mask, while still considered contagious, as he saluted from the White House balcony.

Long ago, White House officials learned how to avoid questions about whether the president views his powers as fundamentally more constrained than those of the authoritarians he so often casts in admiring terms, including Vladimir Putin of Russia, Xi Jinping of China and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey. They have something in common: Trump’s State Department has criticized all three for corrupting the justice systems in their countries to pursue political enemies.

(Russia, the State Department complained in its 2019 Human Rights report, engaged in a “crackdown on political opposition and other critics before and after presidential elections that Vladimir Putin won.” Turkey, it said the same year, has conducted the “arbitrary arrest and detention of tens of thousands of persons, including former opposition members of parliament.” In recent weeks. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has been particularly outspoken about the state’s use of a new national security law to arrest activists and political opponents of the Chinese Communist Party.)

Pompeo has always bristled when reporters have asked him to explain what the world should believe when it reads Trump’s most authoritarian-sounding tweets. He answers that what distinguishes the United States is that it is a “rule of law” nation, and then often turns the tables on his questioners, charging that even raising the issue reveals that the reporters are partisans, not journalists, intent on embarrassing Trump and the United States.

But his anger is often wielded as a shield, one that keeps him from publicly grappling with the underlying question: How can Washington take on other authoritarians around the world — especially China, Pompeo’s nemesis — for abusing state power when the president of the United States calls for political prosecutions and politically motivated declassifications?

“We’ve never seen anything like this in an American election campaign,” said R. Nicholas Burns, a former undersecretary of state who is now an informal adviser to Biden. “It reduces our credibility — we look like the countries we condemn for nondemocratic practices before an election.”

“I have worked for nine secretaries of state,” Burns said. “I cannot imagine any of them intervening in an election as blatantly as what we are seeing now. Our tradition is that secretaries of state stay out of elections. If they wanted to release Hillary Clinton’s emails, they could have done it in 2017, 2018 or 2019. It is an abuse of power by Donald Trump and Mike Pompeo.”

Another career diplomat who served as both ambassador to Russia and deputy secretary of state, William J. Burns, said that what Trump had ordered is “exactly the kind of behavior I saw so often in authoritarian regimes in many years as an American diplomat.”

“In dealing with Putin’s Russia or Erdogan’s Turkey, we would have protested and condemned such actions,” he said. “Now it’s our own government that’s engaging in them.

“The result,” said Burns, now the president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, “is the hollowing out of our institutions at home and deep corrosion of our image and influence abroad.”

In the current cases, it is unclear whether Trump will get his wish — or whether his loyal appointees will slow-walk his requests. There is some evidence they are already looking for escape hatches.

Pompeo, the administration’s most conspicuous ideologue, Trump’s most vocal loyalist and a lawyer, was clearly taken aback when the president expressed displeasure, saying he was “not happy” that the State Department had not released emails sent through Clinton’s home server.

“You’re running the State Department, you get them out,” the president told Fox Business in an interview this week. “Forget about the fact that they were classified. Let’s go. Maybe Mike Pompeo finally finds them.”

Pompeo, one of his aides said Saturday, was in a box: The complaint about Clinton’s home server was that she was risking exposing classified emails by not using the State Department email system — a system Russia had already infiltrated — yet Trump was demanding that they be released in full. Just days before, he had announced, over Twitter, that he was using his executive power to declassify all of them, without redactions.

“We’ve got the emails,” Pompeo responded on Fox News. “We’re getting them out. We’re going to get all this information out so the American people can see it.”

But he also hinted that many of Clinton’s emails, mostly those that were stored on the State Department’s own system, have already been posted on the agency’s website, after an unusually diligent effort by the department to respond to Freedom of Information Act requests from Trump’s supporters. (They are often heavily redacted — to the point of containing no content — despite the president’s order to the contrary.)

“We’re doing it as fast as we can,” Pompeo told Dana Perino, a Fox News anchor who once served as President Bush’s press secretary. “I certainly think there’ll be more to see before the election.”

Pompeo clearly understands the problem: Even if he makes all of them public, they are unlikely to satisfy the president. Last year, the State Department’s own inspector general found that while Clinton had risked compromising classified information, she did not systematically or deliberately mishandle her emails.

William Barr may face an even greater challenge in satisfying the president. No attorney general since John Mitchell, who served Nixon and brought conspiracy charges against critics of the Vietnam War, bent the Justice Department more in a president’s direction. And Nixon himself, while urging the IRS to audit political opponents, stopped short of publicly calling for individual prosecutions. Yet in February, Barr told ABC News that Trump “has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case.” At the same time, he complained that the president’s tweets about the Justice Department “make it impossible for me to do my job.”

Now, clearly, the president has asked Barr to act in a criminal case — and not in a quiet phone call. Instead, he did it on Twitter and Fox News, expressing his deep disappointment with his second attorney general, for essentially the same reason he fired his first one, Jeff Sessions: insufficient blind loyalty.

His complaint appears to have been driven by Barr’s warning to the White House and other officials that there are likely to be no indictments before the election from the investigation being run by John Durham, the U.S. attorney in Connecticut. Durham is searching for evidence that the inquiry into Russia was a politically motivated effort to undercut his presidency.

Trump says the case is clear-cut. He told Rush Limbaugh, the conservative radio host to whom he gave the Presidential Medal of Freedom during the last State of the Union address, that Durham has had “plenty of time to do it.”

“Unless Bill Barr indicts these people for crimes — the greatest political crime in the history of our country — then we’ll get little satisfaction, unless I win,” Trump said on Fox Business.

“If we don’t win,” he said, “that whole thing is going to be dismissed.”

President Donald Trump’s order to his secretary of state to declassify thousands of Hillary Clinton’s emails, along with his insistence that his attorney general issue indictments against Barack Obama and Joe Biden, takes his presidency into new territory — until now, occupied by leaders with names like Putin, Xi and Erdogan.

President Donald Trump’s order to his secretary of state to declassify thousands of Hillary Clinton’s emails, along with his insistence that his attorney general issue indictments against Barack Obama and Joe Biden, takes his presidency into new territory — until now, occupied by leaders with names like Putin, Xi and Erdogan. Trump has long demanded — quite publicly, often on Twitter — that his most senior cabinet members use the power of their office to pursue political enemies. But his appeals this week, as he trailed badly in the polls and was desperate to turn the national conversation away from the coronavirus, were so blatant that one had to look to authoritarian nations to make comparisons. He took a step even Richard Nixon avoided in his most desperate days: openly ordering direct immediate government action against specific opponents, timed to serve his reelection campaign. “There is essentially no precedent,” said Jack Goldsmith, who led the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel under President George W. Bush and has written extensively on presidential powers. “We have a norm that developed after Watergate that presidents don’t talk about ongoing investigations, much less interfere with them.” “It is crazy and it is unprecedented,” said Goldsmith, now a professor at Harvard Law School, “but it’s no different from what he has been saying since the beginning of his presidency. The only thing new is that he has moved from talking about it to seeming to order it.” Trump’s vision of the presidency has always leaned to exercising the absolute powers of the chief executive, a writ-large version of the family business he presided over. “I have an Article II,” he told young adults last year at a Turning Point USA summit, referring to the section of the Constitution that deals with the president’s powers, “where I have the right to do whatever I want as president, but I don’t even talk about that.” Now he is talking about it, almost daily. He is making it clear that prosecutions, like vaccines for the coronavirus, are useless to him if they come after Nov. 3. He has declared, without evidence, that there is already plenty of proof that Obama, Biden and Clinton, among others, were fueling the charges that his campaign had links to Russia — what he calls “the Russia hoax.” And he has pressured his secretary of state to agree to release more of Clinton’s emails before the election, reprising a yearslong fixation despite having defeated her four years ago. Presidential historians say there is no case in modern times where the president has so plainly used his powers to take political opponents off the field — or has been so eager to replicate the behavior of strongmen. “In America, our presidents have generally avoided strongman balcony scenes — that’s for other countries with authoritarian systems,” Michael Beschloss, the presidential historian, wrote on Twitter after Trump returned from the hospital where he received COVID-19 treatment and removed his mask, while still considered contagious, as he saluted from the White House balcony. Long ago, White House officials learned how to avoid questions about whether the president views his powers as fundamentally more constrained than those of the authoritarians he so often casts in admiring terms, including Vladimir Putin of Russia, Xi Jinping of China and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey. They have something in common: Trump’s State Department has criticized all three for corrupting the justice systems in their countries to pursue political enemies. (Russia, the State Department complained in its 2019 Human Rights report, engaged in a “crackdown on political opposition and other critics before and after presidential elections that Vladimir Putin won.” Turkey, it said the same year, has conducted the “arbitrary arrest and detention of tens of thousands of persons, including former opposition members of parliament.” In recent weeks. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has been particularly outspoken about the state’s use of a new national security law to arrest activists and political opponents of the Chinese Communist Party.) Pompeo has always bristled when reporters have asked him to explain what the world should believe when it reads Trump’s most authoritarian-sounding tweets. He answers that what distinguishes the United States is that it is a “rule of law” nation, and then often turns the tables on his questioners, charging that even raising the issue reveals that the reporters are partisans, not journalists, intent on embarrassing Trump and the United States. But his anger is often wielded as a shield, one that keeps him from publicly grappling with the underlying question: How can Washington take on other authoritarians around the world — especially China, Pompeo’s nemesis — for abusing state power when the president of the United States calls for political prosecutions and politically motivated declassifications? “We’ve never seen anything like this in an American election campaign,” said R. Nicholas Burns, a former undersecretary of state who is now an informal adviser to Biden. “It reduces our credibility — we look like the countries we condemn for nondemocratic practices before an election.” “I have worked for nine secretaries of state,” Burns said. “I cannot imagine any of them intervening in an election as blatantly as what we are seeing now. Our tradition is that secretaries of state stay out of elections. If they wanted to release Hillary Clinton’s emails, they could have done it in 2017, 2018 or 2019. It is an abuse of power by Donald Trump and Mike Pompeo.” Another career diplomat who served as both ambassador to Russia and deputy secretary of state, William J. Burns, said that what Trump had ordered is “exactly the kind of behavior I saw so often in authoritarian regimes in many years as an American diplomat.” “In dealing with Putin’s Russia or Erdogan’s Turkey, we would have protested and condemned such actions,” he said. “Now it’s our own government that’s engaging in them. “The result,” said Burns, now the president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, “is the hollowing out of our institutions at home and deep corrosion of our image and influence abroad.” In the current cases, it is unclear whether Trump will get his wish — or whether his loyal appointees will slow-walk his requests. There is some evidence they are already looking for escape hatches. Pompeo, the administration’s most conspicuous ideologue, Trump’s most vocal loyalist and a lawyer, was clearly taken aback when the president expressed displeasure, saying he was “not happy” that the State Department had not released emails sent through Clinton’s home server. “You’re running the State Department, you get them out,” the president told Fox Business in an interview this week. “Forget about the fact that they were classified. Let’s go. Maybe Mike Pompeo finally finds them.” Pompeo, one of his aides said Saturday, was in a box: The complaint about Clinton’s home server was that she was risking exposing classified emails by not using the State Department email system — a system Russia had already infiltrated — yet Trump was demanding that they be released in full. Just days before, he had announced, over Twitter, that he was using his executive power to declassify all of them, without redactions. “We’ve got the emails,” Pompeo responded on Fox News. “We’re getting them out. We’re going to get all this information out so the American people can see it.” But he also hinted that many of Clinton’s emails, mostly those that were stored on the State Department’s own system, have already been posted on the agency’s website, after an unusually diligent effort by the department to respond to Freedom of Information Act requests from Trump’s supporters. (They are often heavily redacted — to the point of containing no content — despite the president’s order to the contrary.) “We’re doing it as fast as we can,” Pompeo told Dana Perino, a Fox News anchor who once served as President Bush’s press secretary. “I certainly think there’ll be more to see before the election.” Pompeo clearly understands the problem: Even if he makes all of them public, they are unlikely to satisfy the president. Last year, the State Department’s own inspector general found that while Clinton had risked compromising classified information, she did not systematically or deliberately mishandle her emails. William Barr may face an even greater challenge in satisfying the president. No attorney general since John Mitchell, who served Nixon and brought conspiracy charges against critics of the Vietnam War, bent the Justice Department more in a president’s direction. And Nixon himself, while urging the IRS to audit political opponents, stopped short of publicly calling for individual prosecutions. Yet in February, Barr told ABC News that Trump “has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case.” At the same time, he complained that the president’s tweets about the Justice Department “make it impossible for me to do my job.” Now, clearly, the president has asked Barr to act in a criminal case — and not in a quiet phone call. Instead, he did it on Twitter and Fox News, expressing his deep disappointment with his second attorney general, for essentially the same reason he fired his first one, Jeff Sessions: insufficient blind loyalty. His complaint appears to have been driven by Barr’s warning to the White House and other officials that there are likely to be no indictments before the election from the investigation being run by John Durham, the U.S. attorney in Connecticut. Durham is searching for evidence that the inquiry into Russia was a politically motivated effort to undercut his presidency. Trump says the case is clear-cut. He told Rush Limbaugh, the conservative radio host to whom he gave the Presidential Medal of Freedom during the last State of the Union address, that Durham has had “plenty of time to do it.” “Unless Bill Barr indicts these people for crimes — the greatest political crime in the history of our country — then we’ll get little satisfaction, unless I win,” Trump said on Fox Business. “If we don’t win,” he said, “that whole thing is going to be dismissed.”

Taking page from authoritarians, Trump turns power of state against political rivals

US President Donald Trump's reelection bid has received an unusual vote of support -- from the Taliban.&nbsp;

The Trump campaign, however, rejected the group's support.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told CBS News in an interview that they hoped Trump wins the election and winds up US military presence in Afghanistan.

The Taliban also expressed concern over the US president's recent coronavirus infection.

"When we heard about Trump being COVID-19 positive, we got worried for his health, but seems he is getting better," another Taliban senior leader told CBS News.

To this end, Tim Murtaugh, the Trump campaign spokesman, told CBS News: "The Taliban should know that the president will always protect American interests by any means necessary."

The Islamist group's endorsement comes a day after Trump's announcement that the US would withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by Christmas.

"We should have the small remaining number of our brave men and women serving in Afghanistan home by Christmas," Trump tweeted Wednesday in the run up to face Democratic challenger Joe Biden in the presidential election.

The Taliban welcomed the agreement.

The Trump administration signed a pact with the Taliban in February in which the US and its allies said the US troops would withdraw by the spring of 2021 if the former broke away from al Qaeda and negotiated a power-sharing deal with Afghan government rivals.

The US invaded Afghanistan in 2001 following the September 11 terrorist attacks and toppled the Taliban regime.

The Afghan government and Taliban representatives are currently holding an intra-Afghan dialogue in Qatar to negotiate a peace agreement.

(with inputs)

US President Donald Trump's reelection bid has received an unusual vote of support -- from the Taliban. The Trump campaign, however, rejected the group's support.

US President Donald Trump's reelection bid has received an unusual vote of support -- from the Taliban. The Trump campaign, however, rejected the group's support. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told CBS News in an interview that they hoped Trump wins the election and winds up US military presence in Afghanistan. The Taliban also expressed concern over the US president's recent coronavirus infection. "When we heard about Trump being COVID-19 positive, we got worried for his health, but seems he is getting better," another Taliban senior leader told CBS News. To this end, Tim Murtaugh, the Trump campaign spokesman, told CBS News: "The Taliban should know that the president will always protect American interests by any means necessary." The Islamist group's endorsement comes a day after Trump's announcement that the US would withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by Christmas. "We should have the small remaining number of our brave men and women serving in Afghanistan home by Christmas," Trump tweeted Wednesday in the run up to face Democratic challenger Joe Biden in the presidential election. The Taliban welcomed the agreement. The Trump administration signed a pact with the Taliban in February in which the US and its allies said the US troops would withdraw by the spring of 2021 if the former broke away from al Qaeda and negotiated a power-sharing deal with Afghan government rivals. The US invaded Afghanistan in 2001 following the September 11 terrorist attacks and toppled the Taliban regime. The Afghan government and Taliban representatives are currently holding an intra-Afghan dialogue in Qatar to negotiate a peace agreement. (with inputs)

Trump receives an unusual endorsement from Taliban for reelection bid

What looks like an extraordinary situation for the U.S. Politics, is just a temporary set up to hold election duties during a crisis. From running parliaments to educating children- World has adapted to the new 'virtual' norm. In fact, U.S. had its first 'virtual' debate in 1960s. WION reports

US Election 2020: Was Nixon & Kennedy debate virtual?

Uncertainty over upcoming #PresidentialDebates as Donald Trump & Joe Biden's campaign teams offer duelling proposals. Commission on Presidential debates has refused to change updated format & trump backed out from debating virtually. What now?

US Election 2020: Fate of Presidential debates hangs loose

Donald Trump wants to hold an in-person rally in Arizona & dodges the questions on his COVID-19, again. Meanwhile, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden & Mike pence take their campaigns to the battleground state of Arizona. WION reports.

US Election 2020: Campaign rallies on full swing

A city that never sleeps is facing the biggest economic blow in decades. After surviving the high crimes of 1970s, the aftermaths of 9/11 & the recession of 2007, Times Square is facing the biggest economic blow of COVID-19.

US Election 2020: New York City waits for a lifeline

U.S. facing political blows, almost every day now. With the election day inching closer, the battle for the White House is getting murkier. Here's a quick wrap on the last 2 weeks of political storms.

US Election 2020: Range of political storms in a span of 2 weeks

Watch this special episode of WION-VOA Co-Production over US Election 2020: A civil Vice Presidential debate..

US Election 2020: A civil Vice Presidential debate | WION-VOA Co-Production

Donald Trump could return to the campaign trail as soon as Saturday. The doctors say the US President has completed his treatment. But, will Trump be able to make it to the second debate? WION's Palki Sharma tells you more.

US Election: Trump could return to the campaign trail by Saturday | Gravitas

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Saturday said a new $1.8 trillion economic stimulus proposal from the Trump administration "amounted to one step forward, two steps back" and would need changes to get support from congressional Democrats.

In a weekly letter to Democratic colleagues, Pelosi said the Trump administration`s proposal lacked a "strategic plan to crush the virus" and gave President Donald Trump too much discretion to decide how funds were allocated.

"At this point, we still have disagreement on many priorities, and Democrats are awaiting language from the Administration on several provisions as the negotiations on the overall funding amount continue," Pelosi`s letter said.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-raises-stimulus-offer-to-usd-18-trillion-days-after-halting-negotiations-334269">Also read:&nbsp;Trump raises stimulus offer to USD 1.8 trillion days after halting negotiations</a>

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin floated the $1.8 trillion proposal in a 30-minute Friday afternoon phone conversation, according to the White House.

The new White House package was higher than an earlier $1.6 trillion Mnuchin offer and closer to the $2.2 trillion that the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives passed last week.

White House spokeswoman Alyssa Farah said the administration wanted to keep spending below $2 trillion but was eager to enact a fresh round of direct payments to individuals as well as aid small businesses and airlines.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/election-less-than-a-month-away-trump-leans-on-barr-and-pompeo-for-a-lift-334254">Also read:&nbsp;Election less than a month away, Trump leans on Barr and Pompeo for a lift</a>

Friday marked the third straight day of talks between Pelosi and Mnuchin.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in Congress, said on Friday he doubted lawmakers would pass a package before the Nov. 3 election, although he has not directly participated in the talks.

"The proximity to the election and the differences of opinion over what is needed at this particular juncture are pretty vast," McConnell told a news conference in his home state of Kentucky.

There was no immediate comment on Saturday from the Treasury, White House, or McConnell`s office.

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Saturday said a new $1.8 trillion economic stimulus proposal from the Trump administration "amounted to one step forward, two steps back" and would need changes to get support from congressional Democrats.

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Saturday said a new $1.8 trillion economic stimulus proposal from the Trump administration "amounted to one step forward, two steps back" and would need changes to get support from congressional Democrats. In a weekly letter to Democratic colleagues, Pelosi said the Trump administration`s proposal lacked a "strategic plan to crush the virus" and gave President Donald Trump too much discretion to decide how funds were allocated. "At this point, we still have disagreement on many priorities, and Democrats are awaiting language from the Administration on several provisions as the negotiations on the overall funding amount continue," Pelosi`s letter said. Also read: Trump raises stimulus offer to USD 1.8 trillion days after halting negotiations Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin floated the $1.8 trillion proposal in a 30-minute Friday afternoon phone conversation, according to the White House. The new White House package was higher than an earlier $1.6 trillion Mnuchin offer and closer to the $2.2 trillion that the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives passed last week. White House spokeswoman Alyssa Farah said the administration wanted to keep spending below $2 trillion but was eager to enact a fresh round of direct payments to individuals as well as aid small businesses and airlines. Also read: Election less than a month away, Trump leans on Barr and Pompeo for a lift Friday marked the third straight day of talks between Pelosi and Mnuchin. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in Congress, said on Friday he doubted lawmakers would pass a package before the Nov. 3 election, although he has not directly participated in the talks. "The proximity to the election and the differences of opinion over what is needed at this particular juncture are pretty vast," McConnell told a news conference in his home state of Kentucky. There was no immediate comment on Saturday from the Treasury, White House, or McConnell`s office.

Pelosi says Trump stimulus proposal is 'one step forward, two steps back'

Donald Trump will resume campaigning on Saturday after being sidelined by a case of COVID-19, but Second Presidential debate against his election opponent Joe Biden was cancelled because Trump refused to participate.

Donald Trump to resume campaigning, Second Presidential debate cancelled

The US government and AstraZeneca Plc have struck a deal to develop and secure supplies of up to 100,000 doses of COVID-19 antibody treatment.

This antibody treatment would be a similar class of drug that was used in treating US President Donald Trump. He was treated with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals' antibody drug last week. The president also released a video on Twitter touting its benefits.

The Trump administration has awarded $486 million to the pharmaceutical giant.

The agreement, under Operation Warp Speed, is meant for developing a monoclonal antibody cocktail that can prevent COVID-19, especially in high-risk population like those over 80 years old.

AstraZeneca said it was planning to supply up to 100,000 doses starting toward the end of 2020 and that the US government could acquire up to an additional one million doses in 2021 under a separate agreement.

Regeneron signed a $450 million deal in July to sell Operation Warp Speed enough doses of its antibody treatment, REGN-COV2, to treat around 300,000 people.

AstraZeneca plans to evaluate the treatment, AZD7442, which is a cocktail of two monoclonal antibodies, in two studies.

One trial will evaluate the safety and efficacy of the experimental treatment to prevent infection for up to 12 months in about 5,000 participants, while the second will evaluate post-exposure preventative and pre-emptive treatment in roughly 1,100 participants.

The US government and AstraZeneca Plc have struck a deal to develop and secure supplies of up to 100,000 doses of COVID-19 antibody treatment. This antibody treatment would be a similar class of drug that was used in treating US President Donald Trump.

The US government and AstraZeneca Plc have struck a deal to develop and secure supplies of up to 100,000 doses of COVID-19 antibody treatment. This antibody treatment would be a similar class of drug that was used in treating US President Donald Trump. He was treated with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals' antibody drug last week. The president also released a video on Twitter touting its benefits. The Trump administration has awarded $486 million to the pharmaceutical giant. The agreement, under Operation Warp Speed, is meant for developing a monoclonal antibody cocktail that can prevent COVID-19, especially in high-risk population like those over 80 years old. AstraZeneca said it was planning to supply up to 100,000 doses starting toward the end of 2020 and that the US government could acquire up to an additional one million doses in 2021 under a separate agreement. Regeneron signed a $450 million deal in July to sell Operation Warp Speed enough doses of its antibody treatment, REGN-COV2, to treat around 300,000 people. AstraZeneca plans to evaluate the treatment, AZD7442, which is a cocktail of two monoclonal antibodies, in two studies. One trial will evaluate the safety and efficacy of the experimental treatment to prevent infection for up to 12 months in about 5,000 participants, while the second will evaluate post-exposure preventative and pre-emptive treatment in roughly 1,100 participants.

US, AstraZeneca strike deal for COVID-19 antibody treatment touted by Trump

The young environment activist Greta Thunberg has lent support to the&nbsp;Democratic candidate and former Vice President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;in the upcoming <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/us-election">US elections</a>.

Thunberg has tried to stay away from participating in the politics. However, this time, she claims the elections are different.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/allan-lichtman-the-man-who-has-correctly-predicted-us-election-since-1984-334317">Also read|&nbsp;Allan Lichtman: The man who has correctly predicted US election since 1984</a>

"I never engage in party politics. But the upcoming US elections is above and beyond all that." the 17-year-old tweeted.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I never engage in party politics. But the upcoming US elections is above and beyond all that. 
From a climate perspective it’s very far from enough and many of you of course supported other candidates. But, I mean…you know…damn! 
Just get organized and get everyone to vote <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Biden?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Biden</a> <a href="https://t.co/gFttFBZK5O">https://t.co/gFttFBZK5O</a>
— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) <a href="https://twitter.com/GretaThunberg/status/1314900271332458496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

The Swedish activist took to Twitter to openly lend her support to&nbsp;Joe Biden, instead of the current US President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-donald-trump-or-joe-biden-astrologers-predict-the-next-president-333963">Also read|&nbsp;US election 2020: Trump or Biden? Astrologers predict the next President</a>

"From a climate perspective it’s very far from enough and many of you of course supported other candidates. But, I mean…you know…damn!," she said.

"Just get organized and get everyone to vote #Biden," she added.

Thunberg's support towards&nbsp;Biden&nbsp;was expected by the experts as the activist and&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;have not been on each other's favourite list for the past few years.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/getting-warmer-trump-acknowledges-human-role-in-climate-change-331687">Also read|&nbsp;'Getting warmer': Trump acknowledges human role in climate change</a>

Once&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;even tweeted, "So ridiculous. Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill!"

He had also earned a "How dare you?" from&nbsp;Thunberg&nbsp;after the president tweeted, "She seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future."

Trump&nbsp;had recently finally acknowledged climate change despite repeated warnings.&nbsp;Biden, on the other hand, had reached out to&nbsp;Thunberg&nbsp;to discuss about climate change and has often applauded the 17-year-old's commitment towards the cause.

The young environment activist Greta Thunberg has lent support to the Democratic candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden in the upcoming US elections. Thunberg has tried to stay away from participating in the politics.

The young environment activist Greta Thunberg has lent support to the Democratic candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden in the upcoming US elections. Thunberg has tried to stay away from participating in the politics. However, this time, she claims the elections are different. Also read| Allan Lichtman: The man who has correctly predicted US election since 1984 "I never engage in party politics. But the upcoming US elections is above and beyond all that." the 17-year-old tweeted. I never engage in party politics. But the upcoming US elections is above and beyond all that. From a climate perspective it’s very far from enough and many of you of course supported other candidates. But, I mean…you know…damn! Just get organized and get everyone to vote #Biden https://t.co/gFttFBZK5O — Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) October 10, 2020 × The Swedish activist took to Twitter to openly lend her support to Joe Biden, instead of the current US President Donald Trump. Also read| US election 2020: Trump or Biden? Astrologers predict the next President "From a climate perspective it’s very far from enough and many of you of course supported other candidates. But, I mean…you know…damn!," she said. "Just get organized and get everyone to vote #Biden," she added. Thunberg's support towards Biden was expected by the experts as the activist and Trump have not been on each other's favourite list for the past few years. Also read| 'Getting warmer': Trump acknowledges human role in climate change Once Trump even tweeted, "So ridiculous. Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill!" He had also earned a "How dare you?" from Thunberg after the president tweeted, "She seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future." Trump had recently finally acknowledged climate change despite repeated warnings. Biden, on the other hand, had reached out to Thunberg to discuss about climate change and has often applauded the 17-year-old's commitment towards the cause.

US election 2020: Greta Thunberg urges people to vote for Joe Biden

Dr Anthony Fauci, Director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and member of White House's coronavirus task force said on Saturday that the White House ceremony to unveil judicial nominee Amy Coney Barrett was a 'super spreader' event for coronavirus infection.

US President Donald Trump officially nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to Supreme Court in a White House ceremony. The event was held in the Rose Garden of the White House. The event was attended by number of White House aides and allies of Donald Trump. Attendees were not seen wearing masks in a close gathering.

The event was held on September 26, and Trump himself got infected with coronavirus on October 2. Number of other aides of Trump were subsequently found to be positive for the infection.

Dr Anthony Fauci said that data (of mask-wearing) spoke for itself.

"We had a super-spreader event in the White House and it was in a situation where people were crowded together and were not wearing masks. So the data speak for themselves," Dr Fauci was quoted by CBS News as saying.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-says-he-is-medication-free-describes-coronavirus-battle-334171">Trump says he is 'medication-free,' describes coronavirus battle</a>

By Thursday, these White House aides of Donald Trump were on the list of those infected with coronavirus. 
&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Counselor to the President Hope Hicks: Tested positive on October 1.</li>
	<li>Senior Adviser Stephen Miller: Tested positive on October 6.</li>
	<li>Director of Oval Office Operations Nick Luna: Tested positive on October 3.</li>
	<li>Assistant Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt: Tested positive on October 6.</li>
	<li>Assistant Press Secretary Jalen Drummond: Tested positive on October 6.</li>
	<li>Assistant Press Secretary Chad Gilmartin: Tested positive over the weekend of October 3/4.</li>
	<li>White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany: Tested positive on October 5.</li>
	<li>Assistant Press Secretary Harrison Fields: Tested positive, confirmed Thursday, October 8.</li>
</ul>

 
Donald Trump was on the receiving end as soon as he tweeted on October 2 that him and his wife Melania Trump were coronavirus positive. He has faced criticism for his handling of coronavirus pandemic in the US. He has been denounced for downplaying the outbreak in its early days.

Dr Anthony Fauci, Director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and member of White House's coronavirus task force said on Saturday that the White House ceremony to unveil judicial nominee Amy Coney Barrett was a 'super spreader' event for coronavirus infection.

Dr Anthony Fauci, Director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and member of White House's coronavirus task force said on Saturday that the White House ceremony to unveil judicial nominee Amy Coney Barrett was a 'super spreader' event for coronavirus infection. US President Donald Trump officially nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to Supreme Court in a White House ceremony. The event was held in the Rose Garden of the White House. The event was attended by number of White House aides and allies of Donald Trump. Attendees were not seen wearing masks in a close gathering. The event was held on September 26, and Trump himself got infected with coronavirus on October 2. Number of other aides of Trump were subsequently found to be positive for the infection. Dr Anthony Fauci said that data (of mask-wearing) spoke for itself. "We had a super-spreader event in the White House and it was in a situation where people were crowded together and were not wearing masks. So the data speak for themselves," Dr Fauci was quoted by CBS News as saying. Also Read | Trump says he is 'medication-free,' describes coronavirus battle By Thursday, these White House aides of Donald Trump were on the list of those infected with coronavirus. Counselor to the President Hope Hicks: Tested positive on October 1. Senior Adviser Stephen Miller: Tested positive on October 6. Director of Oval Office Operations Nick Luna: Tested positive on October 3. Assistant Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt: Tested positive on October 6. Assistant Press Secretary Jalen Drummond: Tested positive on October 6. Assistant Press Secretary Chad Gilmartin: Tested positive over the weekend of October 3/4. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany: Tested positive on October 5. Assistant Press Secretary Harrison Fields: Tested positive, confirmed Thursday, October 8. Donald Trump was on the receiving end as soon as he tweeted on October 2 that him and his wife Melania Trump were coronavirus positive. He has faced criticism for his handling of coronavirus pandemic in the US. He has been denounced for downplaying the outbreak in its early days.

White House ceremony for Amy Coney Barrett was a 'superspreader' event: Dr Fauci

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/october-15-presidential-debate-between-trump-and-biden-cancelled-334158">October 15 presidential debate between Trump and Biden cancelled</a>

The planned October 15 debate between US President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden has officially been called off | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/october-15-presidential-debate-between-trump-and-biden-cancelled-334158">READ MORE</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/azerbaijan-armenia-agree-on-ceasefire-from-october-10-noon-334161">Azerbaijan, Armenia agree on ceasefire from October 10 noon</a>

Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to halt fighting over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh from noon October 10, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Saturday | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/azerbaijan-armenia-agree-on-ceasefire-from-october-10-noon-334161">READ MORE</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-to-hold-in-person-event-saturday-and-hit-campaign-trail-monday-biden-calls-it-reckless-334159">Trump to hold in-person event Saturday and hit campaign trail Monday; Biden calls it 'reckless'</a>

US President Donald Trump is slated to give a public speech at the White House Saturday for the first time since testing positive for the coronavirus | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-to-restart-public-speeches-biden-calls-it-reckless-334159">READ MORE</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/hurricane-delta-weakens-after-making-landfall-in-storm-battered-louisiana-334163">Hurricane Delta weakens after making landfall in storm-battered Louisiana</a>

Hurricane Delta weakened on Friday after making landfall in a corner of Louisiana state repeatedly battered by storms this year, packing maximum sustained winds of 90 miles per hour (150 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center said | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/hurricane-delta-weakens-after-making-landfall-in-storm-battered-louisiana-334163">READ MORE</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-to-hold-huge-military-parade-amid-coronavirus-crisis-334169">North Korea to hold huge military parade amid coronavirus crisis</a>

North Korea is expected to parade its latest and most advanced weapons through the streets of Pyongyang on Saturday, as the coronavirus-barricaded country celebrates the 75th anniversary of leader Kim Jong Un's ruling party | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-to-hold-huge-military-parade-amid-coronavirus-crisis-334169">READ MORE</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/accused-militia-members-arraigned-on-domestic-terrorism-charges-in-michigan-334165">Accused militia members arraigned on domestic terrorism charges in Michigan</a>

Six men arrested on suspicion of taking part in a plot by armed extremists to kidnap Michigan's governor have been arraigned on domestic terrorism and weapons charges | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/accused-militia-members-arraigned-on-domestic-terrorism-charges-in-michigan-334165">READ MORE</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/white-house-ceremony-for-amy-coney-barrett-was-a-superspreader-event-dr-fauci-334172">White House ceremony for Amy Coney Barrett was a 'superspreader' event: Dr Fauci</a>

Dr Anthony Fauci, Director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and member of White House's coronavirus task force said on Saturday that the White House ceremony to unveil judicial nominee Amy Coney Barrett was a 'super spreader' event for coronavirus infection | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/white-house-ceremony-for-amy-coney-barrett-was-a-superspreader-event-dr-fauci-334172">READ MORE</a>

October 15 presidential debate between Trump and Biden cancelled The planned October 15 debate between US President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden has officially been called off | READ MORE Azerbaijan, Armenia agree on ceasefire from October 10 noon Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to halt fighting over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh from noon October 10, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Saturday | READ MORE Trump to hold in-person event Saturday and hit campaign trail Monday; Biden calls it 'reckless' US President Donald Trump is slated to give a public speech at the White House Saturday for the first time since testing positive for the coronavirus | READ MORE Hurricane Delta weakens after making landfall in storm-battered Louisiana Hurricane Delta weakened on Friday after making landfall in a corner of Louisiana state repeatedly battered by storms this year, packing maximum sustained winds of 90 miles per hour (150 kph), the U.

October 15 presidential debate between Trump and Biden cancelled The planned October 15 debate between US President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden has officially been called off | READ MORE Azerbaijan, Armenia agree on ceasefire from October 10 noon Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to halt fighting over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh from noon October 10, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Saturday | READ MORE Trump to hold in-person event Saturday and hit campaign trail Monday; Biden calls it 'reckless' US President Donald Trump is slated to give a public speech at the White House Saturday for the first time since testing positive for the coronavirus | READ MORE Hurricane Delta weakens after making landfall in storm-battered Louisiana Hurricane Delta weakened on Friday after making landfall in a corner of Louisiana state repeatedly battered by storms this year, packing maximum sustained winds of 90 miles per hour (150 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center said | READ MORE North Korea to hold huge military parade amid coronavirus crisis North Korea is expected to parade its latest and most advanced weapons through the streets of Pyongyang on Saturday, as the coronavirus-barricaded country celebrates the 75th anniversary of leader Kim Jong Un's ruling party | READ MORE Accused militia members arraigned on domestic terrorism charges in Michigan Six men arrested on suspicion of taking part in a plot by armed extremists to kidnap Michigan's governor have been arraigned on domestic terrorism and weapons charges | READ MORE White House ceremony for Amy Coney Barrett was a 'superspreader' event: Dr Fauci Dr Anthony Fauci, Director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and member of White House's coronavirus task force said on Saturday that the White House ceremony to unveil judicial nominee Amy Coney Barrett was a 'super spreader' event for coronavirus infection | READ MORE

Morning news brief: Trump to restart public speeches, Azerbaijan and Armenia agree on ceasefire, and more

US President Donald Trump will hold an in-person event on the White House lawns for the first time since contracting the viral disease on Saturday, and hit the election campaign trail from Florida on Monday.

The president took to Twitter to announce his decision to return to campaigning. "Will be in Sanford, Florida, on Monday for a very BIG RALLY!" he wrote on the microblogging site.

"Will be in Sanford, Florida on Monday for a very BIG RALLY!" he&nbsp;tweeted.

The events come despite continued questions over how sick Trump was and how complete his recovery is now, with White House officials refusing to answer basic queries including when the president first contracted the virus and whether he has tested negative since.

Saturday's speech, which a senior administration official said would be on Trump's favoured theme of "law and order," will give him a chance to dispel lingering doubts about his health.&nbsp;

The crowd will be on the South Lawn of the White House, while the president will speak from the balcony. All attendees will be required to wear masks and have their temperature checked.

This also comes in the backdrop of the Commission on Presidential Debates saying the next Thursday's debate was scrapped, leaving an October 22 event the final Trump-Biden showdown before election day on November 3.

Seeking to project strength and improved health, Trump had refused to participate in next week's scheduled debate after organizers shifted it to an online format out of coronavirus concerns.

That prompted accusations of bias from Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh, who said "there is no medical reason to stop" the October 15 debate from proceeding.

Biden, however, does not concur with the idea of a public appearance so soon after contracting the deadly virus and has called the president's behaviour "reckless."

At a drive-in style event in Las Vegas, Biden slammed the president.&nbsp;

"His reckless personal conduct since his diagnosis, the destabilizing effect it's having on our government, is unconscionable," Biden said.

"He didn't take the necessary precautions to protect himself or others... How can we trust him to protect this country?"

As he boarded his campaign plane he offered a message for those attending Trump's public events: "Good luck. I wouldn't show up unless you had a mask and were distanced."

After Trump spent months mocking Biden for staying at home during the pandemic, ironically it is Biden who has barnstormed swing states this week.

He visited Arizona Thursday and campaigned Friday in Nevada. Trump won both states in 2016 but they are now narrowly tilting Democratic in polls.

On Friday, Trump also gave a marathon interview to right-wing talk radio host Rush Limbaugh in which he said the experimental Regeneron antibody cocktail that he took as part of therapeutic treatment was "a cure."

In fact, there is no cure and still no approved vaccine for the coronavirus.

Trump repeatedly asserted that he feels fine and he has been backed up by&nbsp;statements from presidential physician Sean Conley.

But in his Limbaugh interview, Trump suggested for the first time that he had been close to death, had it not been for his therapeutic drug regimen.

"I'm talking to you today because of it. I could have been a bad victim," he said.

According to Conley, Trump is now fit for a "safe return to public engagement" from Saturday.

Polls show Biden leads heavily in key demographics including women and the elderly, prompting analysts to talk increasingly of a possible landslide victory. Trump's biggest liability -- overwhelming public dissatisfaction over his handling of the pandemic -- has returned as the headline issue of the campaign thanks to his own infection.

Adding to the pressure, Democrats who control the House of Representatives unveiled plans for a commission to investigate a president's fitness for the job -- a move clearly meant to jab at Trump.

(with inputs)

US President Donald Trump will hold an in-person event on the White House lawns for the first time since contracting the viral disease on Saturday, and hit the election campaign trail from Florida on Monday.

US President Donald Trump will hold an in-person event on the White House lawns for the first time since contracting the viral disease on Saturday, and hit the election campaign trail from Florida on Monday. The president took to Twitter to announce his decision to return to campaigning. "Will be in Sanford, Florida, on Monday for a very BIG RALLY!" he wrote on the microblogging site. "Will be in Sanford, Florida on Monday for a very BIG RALLY!" he tweeted. The events come despite continued questions over how sick Trump was and how complete his recovery is now, with White House officials refusing to answer basic queries including when the president first contracted the virus and whether he has tested negative since. Saturday's speech, which a senior administration official said would be on Trump's favoured theme of "law and order," will give him a chance to dispel lingering doubts about his health. The crowd will be on the South Lawn of the White House, while the president will speak from the balcony. All attendees will be required to wear masks and have their temperature checked. This also comes in the backdrop of the Commission on Presidential Debates saying the next Thursday's debate was scrapped, leaving an October 22 event the final Trump-Biden showdown before election day on November 3. Seeking to project strength and improved health, Trump had refused to participate in next week's scheduled debate after organizers shifted it to an online format out of coronavirus concerns. That prompted accusations of bias from Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh, who said "there is no medical reason to stop" the October 15 debate from proceeding. Biden, however, does not concur with the idea of a public appearance so soon after contracting the deadly virus and has called the president's behaviour "reckless." At a drive-in style event in Las Vegas, Biden slammed the president. "His reckless personal conduct since his diagnosis, the destabilizing effect it's having on our government, is unconscionable," Biden said. "He didn't take the necessary precautions to protect himself or others... How can we trust him to protect this country?" As he boarded his campaign plane he offered a message for those attending Trump's public events: "Good luck. I wouldn't show up unless you had a mask and were distanced." After Trump spent months mocking Biden for staying at home during the pandemic, ironically it is Biden who has barnstormed swing states this week. He visited Arizona Thursday and campaigned Friday in Nevada. Trump won both states in 2016 but they are now narrowly tilting Democratic in polls. On Friday, Trump also gave a marathon interview to right-wing talk radio host Rush Limbaugh in which he said the experimental Regeneron antibody cocktail that he took as part of therapeutic treatment was "a cure." In fact, there is no cure and still no approved vaccine for the coronavirus. Trump repeatedly asserted that he feels fine and he has been backed up by statements from presidential physician Sean Conley. But in his Limbaugh interview, Trump suggested for the first time that he had been close to death, had it not been for his therapeutic drug regimen. "I'm talking to you today because of it. I could have been a bad victim," he said. According to Conley, Trump is now fit for a "safe return to public engagement" from Saturday. Polls show Biden leads heavily in key demographics including women and the elderly, prompting analysts to talk increasingly of a possible landslide victory. Trump's biggest liability -- overwhelming public dissatisfaction over his handling of the pandemic -- has returned as the headline issue of the campaign thanks to his own infection. Adding to the pressure, Democrats who control the House of Representatives unveiled plans for a commission to investigate a president's fitness for the job -- a move clearly meant to jab at Trump. (with inputs)

Trump to hold in-person event Saturday and hit campaign trail Monday; Biden calls it 'reckless'

US President Donald Trump said he was "medication free" and revealed more details of his fight with Covid-19 in a televised interview aired Friday, one week after he was hospitalized with the virus.

The president appeared on Fox's Tucker Carlson Tonight for what the White House described as an on-air "medical evaluation" conducted remotely by Fox contributor doctor Marc Siegel.

"Right now I'm medication-free, I'm not taking any medications as of, you know, probably eight hours ago," Trump told Siegel.

It was unclear when the interview, which Carlson said was filmed by a White House camera crew, was taped.&nbsp;

Trump's doctors had previously said they have given him an aggressive cocktail of therapeutic drugs including the steroid dexamethasone, usually associated with serious Covid-19 cases.

Trump also said he had been tested again for the virus.

"I have been retested and I haven't even found out numbers or anything yet but I've been retested, and I know I'm at either the bottom of the scale or free," he said.&nbsp;

He said he did not know when his next test would be, adding that it was "probably tomorrow... they test every couple of days."

Trump said the virus had sapped his energy levels, adding he "didn't feel very vital."

He also said he "didn't have a problem with breathing." His doctors have said he was put on supplemental oxygen at least twice, and the president later said that lung tests had shown "some congestion in there."

Trump said he did not know where he had contracted the virus, adding: "It's highly contagious. That's one thing you learn, this is a contagious disease."

US President Donald Trump said he was "medication free" and revealed more details of his fight with Covid-19 in a televised interview aired Friday, one week after he was hospitalized with the virus.

US President Donald Trump said he was "medication free" and revealed more details of his fight with Covid-19 in a televised interview aired Friday, one week after he was hospitalized with the virus. The president appeared on Fox's Tucker Carlson Tonight for what the White House described as an on-air "medical evaluation" conducted remotely by Fox contributor doctor Marc Siegel. "Right now I'm medication-free, I'm not taking any medications as of, you know, probably eight hours ago," Trump told Siegel. It was unclear when the interview, which Carlson said was filmed by a White House camera crew, was taped. Trump's doctors had previously said they have given him an aggressive cocktail of therapeutic drugs including the steroid dexamethasone, usually associated with serious Covid-19 cases. Trump also said he had been tested again for the virus. "I have been retested and I haven't even found out numbers or anything yet but I've been retested, and I know I'm at either the bottom of the scale or free," he said. He said he did not know when his next test would be, adding that it was "probably tomorrow... they test every couple of days." Trump said the virus had sapped his energy levels, adding he "didn't feel very vital." He also said he "didn't have a problem with breathing." His doctors have said he was put on supplemental oxygen at least twice, and the president later said that lung tests had shown "some congestion in there." Trump said he did not know where he had contracted the virus, adding: "It's highly contagious. That's one thing you learn, this is a contagious disease."

Trump says he is 'medication-free,' describes coronavirus battle

Many have been trying to predict the result of the upcoming US elections, but all eyes are now set on the predictions of one man:&nbsp;Allan Lichtman.

A history professor, Allan Lichtman, is one of those rare experts who has correctly predicted all the US elections since 1984.

This year, the race to the White House is between the current US President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;and his Democratic rival and former Vice President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-donald-trump-or-joe-biden-astrologers-predict-the-next-president-333963">Also read|&nbsp;US election 2020: Trump or Biden? Astrologers predict the next President</a>

The two are running against each other to become the&nbsp;46th President of the United States of America — which will also set a record of being the oldest President of the US.

13 Keys

Lichtman has created a system called 'The Keys to the White House' — more popularly known as the '13 Keys' model.

This model is a very basic and simple, yet an important way of predicting the&nbsp;election&nbsp;results.&nbsp;Lichtman has devised 13 questions or topics which he answers on True/False basis and thus predicts the next&nbsp;President.

As per this model, if majority questions are answered as true, then the current&nbsp;President&nbsp;gets to keep his room in the&nbsp;White House,&nbsp;and if not then it is time for a new face to represent the superpower.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions-blogs/the-twitter-president-donald-trump-and-his-political-history-328458">Also read|&nbsp;The Twitter President: Donald Trump and his political history</a>

The 13 topics on which he mulls are: Midterm Gains, No contest during nominations, Incumbent President seeking re-elections, No third party contesting the elections, Strong short term economy, &nbsp;Strong long term economy, Major policy change, Scandals, Foreign/military failure, Foreign/military success, No social unrest, Charisma of the President, Charisma of the challenger.

The winner of 2020

So many astrologers, numerologists, ecnomic experts, political leaders and many more have been studying, polling and trying to predict who will be winner of the&nbsp;US elections&nbsp;this year.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/donald-trump-vs-joe-biden-which-celebrity-is-backing-whom-in-the-us-presidential-elections-333505">Have a look|&nbsp;Donald Trump Vs Joe Biden: Which celebrity is backing whom in the US presidential elections</a>

However,&nbsp;Lichtman has given his answer.

"Donald Trump will become the first sitting President since Bill Clinton defeated George H W Bush in 1992 to lose a re-election bid,"&nbsp;Lichtman predicted.

As per the expert Historian, this year he observed seven false and six true for the questions in his '13 Keys' model. So, as per the rules of the model — which has never been wrong —&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;will have to pack up his stuff and leave the&nbsp;White House.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-what-happens-if-a-us-presidential-candidate-dies-before-the-election-333986">Also read|&nbsp;US election 2020: What happens if a US presidential candidate dies before the election</a>

"The secret is keeping your eye on the big picture of incumbent strength and performance. And don't pay any attention to the polls, the pundits, the day-to-day ups and downs of the campaign. And that's what the keys gauge. The big picture," Lichtman defended his prediction in an interview with the American channel CNN.

He also added that one of the biggest reasons for&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;losing to "sleepy Joe"&nbsp;will be the President's poor handling of the novel&nbsp;coronavirus&nbsp;— which he also contracted last week but claims to have recovered.

"He was in pretty good shape going into 2020 and then, as you point out, America was hit with the pandemic, the cries for social and racial justice, and Donald Trump reverted to his 2016 playbook where he was the challenger. But you can't talk your way out of it when it's your record," he told LBC in an interview.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/mark-ruffalo-naomi-campbell-sarah-silverman-and-others-go-nude-to-spread-awareness-about-mail-in-voting-333608">Also read|&nbsp;Mark Ruffalo, Naomi Campbell, Sarah Silverman and others go nude to spread awareness about mail-in voting</a>

He also added that&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;and the current members of the Republican party have had one of the rare times when a massive fortune of economy and a probable win was reversed within months due to one issue.&nbsp;Lichtman also added that things cannot go back to looking greener within few weeks time for&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;and that will cause his downfall in the upcoming elections&nbsp;that are scheduled for November 03.

However, people are calling&nbsp;US elections 2020&nbsp;to be one of the most unpredictable elections in the history of the US. So, not everyone is betting on&nbsp;Lichtman's predictions this year. But whether or not&nbsp;Lichtman will be able to continue his 35 years plus strike will be revealed soon.

Many have been trying to predict the result of the upcoming US elections, but all eyes are now set on the predictions of one man: Allan Lichtman. A history professor, Allan Lichtman, is one of those rare experts who has correctly predicted all the US elections since 1984.

Many have been trying to predict the result of the upcoming US elections, but all eyes are now set on the predictions of one man: Allan Lichtman. A history professor, Allan Lichtman, is one of those rare experts who has correctly predicted all the US elections since 1984. This year, the race to the White House is between the current US President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival and former Vice President Joe Biden. Also read| US election 2020: Trump or Biden? Astrologers predict the next President The two are running against each other to become the 46th President of the United States of America — which will also set a record of being the oldest President of the US. 13 Keys Lichtman has created a system called 'The Keys to the White House' — more popularly known as the '13 Keys' model. This model is a very basic and simple, yet an important way of predicting the election results. Lichtman has devised 13 questions or topics which he answers on True/False basis and thus predicts the next President. As per this model, if majority questions are answered as true, then the current President gets to keep his room in the White House, and if not then it is time for a new face to represent the superpower. Also read| The Twitter President: Donald Trump and his political history The 13 topics on which he mulls are: Midterm Gains, No contest during nominations, Incumbent President seeking re-elections, No third party contesting the elections, Strong short term economy, Strong long term economy, Major policy change, Scandals, Foreign/military failure, Foreign/military success, No social unrest, Charisma of the President, Charisma of the challenger. The winner of 2020 So many astrologers, numerologists, ecnomic experts, political leaders and many more have been studying, polling and trying to predict who will be winner of the US elections this year. Have a look| Donald Trump Vs Joe Biden: Which celebrity is backing whom in the US presidential elections However, Lichtman has given his answer. "Donald Trump will become the first sitting President since Bill Clinton defeated George H W Bush in 1992 to lose a re-election bid," Lichtman predicted. As per the expert Historian, this year he observed seven false and six true for the questions in his '13 Keys' model. So, as per the rules of the model — which has never been wrong — Trump will have to pack up his stuff and leave the White House. Also read| US election 2020: What happens if a US presidential candidate dies before the election "The secret is keeping your eye on the big picture of incumbent strength and performance. And don't pay any attention to the polls, the pundits, the day-to-day ups and downs of the campaign. And that's what the keys gauge. The big picture," Lichtman defended his prediction in an interview with the American channel CNN. He also added that one of the biggest reasons for Trump losing to "sleepy Joe" will be the President's poor handling of the novel coronavirus — which he also contracted last week but claims to have recovered. "He was in pretty good shape going into 2020 and then, as you point out, America was hit with the pandemic, the cries for social and racial justice, and Donald Trump reverted to his 2016 playbook where he was the challenger. But you can't talk your way out of it when it's your record," he told LBC in an interview. Also read| Mark Ruffalo, Naomi Campbell, Sarah Silverman and others go nude to spread awareness about mail-in voting He also added that Trump and the current members of the Republican party have had one of the rare times when a massive fortune of economy and a probable win was reversed within months due to one issue. Lichtman also added that things cannot go back to looking greener within few weeks time for Trump and that will cause his downfall in the upcoming elections that are scheduled for November 03. However, people are calling US elections 2020 to be one of the most unpredictable elections in the history of the US. So, not everyone is betting on Lichtman's predictions this year. But whether or not Lichtman will be able to continue his 35 years plus strike will be revealed soon.

Allan Lichtman: The man who has correctly predicted US election since 1984

Six men arrested on suspicion of taking part in a plot by armed extremists to kidnap Michigan's governor have been arraigned on domestic terrorism and weapons charges.

A seventh accused awaits extradition from South Carolina, authorities said on Friday. All seven were described by prosecutors as members or associates of an anti-government militia group called the Wolverine Watchmen.

They were taken into custody late on Wednesday as part of a joint state-federal investigation.

They are accused of conspiring to abduct Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat who has clashed sharply with Republican US&nbsp;President Donald Trump over her COVID-19 public health orders.

Prosecutors say the men also sought to single out law enforcement officers for intimidation, made threats of violence to incite civil unrest, and trained for an operation to storm the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing and take government officials hostage.

Each of the seven men named in criminal complaints filed is charged with providing material support for terrorist acts and possessing a firearm in the commission of a felony - both punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Two of them - Pete Musico, 46, and Joseph Morrison, 26 - were additionally charged with belonging to a criminal gang and with committing a threat of terrorism. At their arraignment on Thursday, Musico and Morrison were each ordered to remain jailed on a $10 million cash bond, the attorney general's office said in a statement.

Bond for each of the four others was set at $250,000. Michigan prosecutors are working to extradite the seventh defendant from South Carolina, where he was arrested, the statement said. He, too, is charged with gang membership.

Various additional pretrial court proceedings were set for later this month, but no mention was made of any pleas being entered.

In addition to the seven suspects held on state charges, six men were arrested on federal charges of conspiring to kidnap the governor, for which they could face life in prison if convicted.

Michigan, a key swing state in the 2020 presidential race, became a focus of agitation earlier this year by Trump and his supporters, including various militia groups, who opposed strict stay-at-home orders imposed by Whitmer to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

At least three of the defendants charged by the state were among hundreds of protesters, many carrying weapons, who entered the Michigan capitol on April 30 as state lawmakers debated Whitmer's request to extend her emergency public health authority. Photos show all three men were armed.

Whitmer accused Trump of inflammatory rhetoric that they said has fostered a climate of racism and political extremism. Trump lashed back by calling Whitmer the "lockdown queen" while denying he was encouraging violence or racism.

(with inputs)

Six men arrested on suspicion of taking part in a plot by armed extremists to kidnap Michigan's governor have been arraigned on domestic terrorism and weapons charges.

Six men arrested on suspicion of taking part in a plot by armed extremists to kidnap Michigan's governor have been arraigned on domestic terrorism and weapons charges. A seventh accused awaits extradition from South Carolina, authorities said on Friday. All seven were described by prosecutors as members or associates of an anti-government militia group called the Wolverine Watchmen. They were taken into custody late on Wednesday as part of a joint state-federal investigation. They are accused of conspiring to abduct Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat who has clashed sharply with Republican US President Donald Trump over her COVID-19 public health orders. Prosecutors say the men also sought to single out law enforcement officers for intimidation, made threats of violence to incite civil unrest, and trained for an operation to storm the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing and take government officials hostage. Each of the seven men named in criminal complaints filed is charged with providing material support for terrorist acts and possessing a firearm in the commission of a felony - both punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Two of them - Pete Musico, 46, and Joseph Morrison, 26 - were additionally charged with belonging to a criminal gang and with committing a threat of terrorism. At their arraignment on Thursday, Musico and Morrison were each ordered to remain jailed on a $10 million cash bond, the attorney general's office said in a statement. Bond for each of the four others was set at $250,000. Michigan prosecutors are working to extradite the seventh defendant from South Carolina, where he was arrested, the statement said. He, too, is charged with gang membership. Various additional pretrial court proceedings were set for later this month, but no mention was made of any pleas being entered. In addition to the seven suspects held on state charges, six men were arrested on federal charges of conspiring to kidnap the governor, for which they could face life in prison if convicted. Michigan, a key swing state in the 2020 presidential race, became a focus of agitation earlier this year by Trump and his supporters, including various militia groups, who opposed strict stay-at-home orders imposed by Whitmer to curb the spread of the coronavirus. At least three of the defendants charged by the state were among hundreds of protesters, many carrying weapons, who entered the Michigan capitol on April 30 as state lawmakers debated Whitmer's request to extend her emergency public health authority. Photos show all three men were armed. Whitmer accused Trump of inflammatory rhetoric that they said has fostered a climate of racism and political extremism. Trump lashed back by calling Whitmer the "lockdown queen" while denying he was encouraging violence or racism. (with inputs)

Accused militia members arraigned on domestic terrorism charges in Michigan

The planned October 15 debate between US President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden has officially been called off. The organisers' decision came a day after Trump rejected a decision by the nonpartisan commission organising it to change its format to a virtual event to guard against the spread of COVID-19.

The debate, originally scheduled as a town hall-style encounter in Miami, was intended to be the second of three presidential debates. The final one is planned for October 22 in Nashville, Tennessee.

After Trump refused to take part in the October 15 debate, Biden scheduled a televised town hall-style event for himself that evening.

The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) said in an emailed statement: "It is now apparent there will be no debate on October 15, and the CPD will turn its attention to preparations for the final presidential debate scheduled for October 22."

Trump announced last Friday that he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus and spent three days hospitalised receiving treatment before being released on Monday. The Republican president, seeking re-election on November 3, on Thursday called the format change in which he and Biden were to participate from remote locations "ridiculous" and said it would be a waste of his time to take part.

Trump's campaign on Friday accused the commission, headed by a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, "biased" toward Biden.

"There is no medical reason to stop the October 15 debate in Miami from proceeding as scheduled, since the President will be healthy and ready to debate," Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said, alluding to Trump's coronavirus infection.

The commission said both candidates have agreed to participate in the October 22 debate and would be subject to required coronavirus testing, mask-wearing and social distancing protocols.

"It's shameful that Donald Trump ducked the only debate in which the voters get to ask the questions - but it's no surprise," Biden campaign spokesman Andrew Bates said.

Trump has faced criticism for his handling of the pandemic, as well as for a lax approach to mask-wearing and social distancing in the White House and - in recent days - confusing messages about how ill he has been.

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll showed Americans steadily losing confidence in how Trump has managed the pandemic, with his net approval rating on the issue hitting a new low.

Questions remain about whether Trump is still contagious. The White House has declined to say when Trump last tested negative for the virus. But Trump, eager to get back on the campaign trail despite his bout with COVID-19, is set to give remarks to supporters outdoors at the White House on Saturday, and hold a rally in Florida two days later.

In the chaotic first debate, Trump constantly interrupted and talked over both Biden and the moderator.

The planned October 15 debate between US President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden has officially been called off. The organisers' decision came a day after Trump rejected a decision by the nonpartisan commission organising it to change its format to a virtual event to guard against the spread of COVID-19.

The planned October 15 debate between US President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden has officially been called off. The organisers' decision came a day after Trump rejected a decision by the nonpartisan commission organising it to change its format to a virtual event to guard against the spread of COVID-19. The debate, originally scheduled as a town hall-style encounter in Miami, was intended to be the second of three presidential debates. The final one is planned for October 22 in Nashville, Tennessee. After Trump refused to take part in the October 15 debate, Biden scheduled a televised town hall-style event for himself that evening. The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) said in an emailed statement: "It is now apparent there will be no debate on October 15, and the CPD will turn its attention to preparations for the final presidential debate scheduled for October 22." Trump announced last Friday that he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus and spent three days hospitalised receiving treatment before being released on Monday. The Republican president, seeking re-election on November 3, on Thursday called the format change in which he and Biden were to participate from remote locations "ridiculous" and said it would be a waste of his time to take part. Trump's campaign on Friday accused the commission, headed by a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, "biased" toward Biden. "There is no medical reason to stop the October 15 debate in Miami from proceeding as scheduled, since the President will be healthy and ready to debate," Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said, alluding to Trump's coronavirus infection. The commission said both candidates have agreed to participate in the October 22 debate and would be subject to required coronavirus testing, mask-wearing and social distancing protocols. "It's shameful that Donald Trump ducked the only debate in which the voters get to ask the questions - but it's no surprise," Biden campaign spokesman Andrew Bates said. Trump has faced criticism for his handling of the pandemic, as well as for a lax approach to mask-wearing and social distancing in the White House and - in recent days - confusing messages about how ill he has been. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll showed Americans steadily losing confidence in how Trump has managed the pandemic, with his net approval rating on the issue hitting a new low. Questions remain about whether Trump is still contagious. The White House has declined to say when Trump last tested negative for the virus. But Trump, eager to get back on the campaign trail despite his bout with COVID-19, is set to give remarks to supporters outdoors at the White House on Saturday, and hold a rally in Florida two days later. In the chaotic first debate, Trump constantly interrupted and talked over both Biden and the moderator.

October 15 presidential debate between Trump and Biden cancelled

A US Judge on Friday blocked the order of limiting the&nbsp;vote drop-off point per county to one for the upcoming <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/us-election">US elections</a>.

The authorities this year are encouraging people to opt for mail-in voting rather than the in-person approach that is usually followed, to make sure the elections do not add to the increasing number of coronavirus cases in the US.

However, the US President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;is not a fan of this new approach as he feels this can leave room for manipulation of votes.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/inside-the-trump-campaigns-strategy-to-make-voting-a-tooth-and-nail-fight-334209/amp">Also read:&nbsp;Inside the Trump campaign’s strategy to make voting a tooth-and-nail fight</a>

Following Trump's thought process, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, said the number of drop-off points should be limited to guarantee voter security.

Judge Robert Pitman, on Friday, ruled that limitation will force many people to travel long distances to find a drop-off point, which can make them vulnerable to catching the virus and can also discourage people from voting.

Therefore, Pitman has blocked the Governor's order and has asked the authorities to co-operate with the American voters and encourage them to safely cast their votes.

In Texas, resgietred voters over&nbsp;65, people who have a disability, are in jail or who will be out of town on election day ly ones who will be allowed to vote by post. Therefore, the Judge feels that the Governor's order will add to the problems of these voters, instead of helping them.

A US Judge on Friday blocked the order of limiting the vote drop-off point per county to one for the upcoming US elections. The authorities this year are encouraging people to opt for mail-in voting rather than the in-person approach that is usually followed, to make sure the elections do not add to the increasing number of coronavirus cases in the US.

A US Judge on Friday blocked the order of limiting the vote drop-off point per county to one for the upcoming US elections. The authorities this year are encouraging people to opt for mail-in voting rather than the in-person approach that is usually followed, to make sure the elections do not add to the increasing number of coronavirus cases in the US. However, the US President Donald Trump is not a fan of this new approach as he feels this can leave room for manipulation of votes. Also read: Inside the Trump campaign’s strategy to make voting a tooth-and-nail fight Following Trump's thought process, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, said the number of drop-off points should be limited to guarantee voter security. Judge Robert Pitman, on Friday, ruled that limitation will force many people to travel long distances to find a drop-off point, which can make them vulnerable to catching the virus and can also discourage people from voting. Therefore, Pitman has blocked the Governor's order and has asked the authorities to co-operate with the American voters and encourage them to safely cast their votes. In Texas, resgietred voters over 65, people who have a disability, are in jail or who will be out of town on election day ly ones who will be allowed to vote by post. Therefore, the Judge feels that the Governor's order will add to the problems of these voters, instead of helping them.

US election 2020: Texas Judge blocks Governor's order to limit drop-off points

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