Trump news: President tweets photo of himself wearing mask and calls Covid-19 ‘Invisible China virus’ after 140,000 Americans die

Joe Biden, who is leading Donald Trump in virtually all nation-wide polling for the 2020 election, tweeted on Sunday a graphic demonstrating how the US has dealt with the coronavirus crisis.

It came after the US president defended his handling of the pandemic, falsely claiming "we have the best mortality rate".

Donald Trump has tweeted for the first time on Monday, congratulating former Republican congressman Allen West after he unseated James Dickey to become the Texas GOP chairman.

Here is another extraordinary moment from Donald Trump's interview with Chris Wallace, who grilled the president about his claim schools in the US are teaching children "to hate their own country".

Mr Trump's justification was that, "I look at school. I watch, I read, look at the stuff".

TRUMP: Our children are taught in school to hate their own country and to believe that the men and women who built it we’re not heroes, but that were villains.

WALLACE: You said our children are taught in school to hate our country. Where do you see that?

TRUMP: I just look at – I look at school. I watch, I read, look at the stuff. Now they want to change — 1492, Columbus discovered America. You know, we grew up, you grew up, we all did, that’s what we learned. Now they want to make it the 1619 project. Where did that come from? What does it represent? I don’t even know, so.

WALLACE: It’s slavery.

TRUMP: That’s what they’re saying, but they don’t even know. They just want to make a change. Cancel culture – I hate the term, actually, but I use it

You can watch the interview in its entirety below.

Democratic congresswoman Pramila Jayapal js pushing for a cut in the Pentagon's budget by at least 10% - bringing it back to around levels in 2017. 

She wants more funding for the CDC, which receives only a tiny proportion of the funds received by the Department of Defense.

Biden targets disaffected Republican voters as Trump focuses on base

In the four months since Joe Biden effectively won the Democratic presidential nomination, he has focused on consolidating the party's divergent and often warring factions. As the closing stretch of the campaign nears, that effort will expand to include Republicans disaffected with Donald Trump.

Former Ohio governor John Kasich, a Republican and frequent Trump critic, has been approached and is expected to speak at the Democratic National Convention on Mr Biden's behalf next month, according to a person with direct knowledge of the plans who insisted on anonymity to discuss strategy. Mr Kasich is among a handful of high-profile Republicans likely to become more active in supporting Mr Biden in the fall.

Mr Trump, meanwhile, is doing virtually nothing to expand his appeal beyond his most loyal supporters. Some GOP operatives believe the suburbs are lost while a contingent of high-profile Republicans are openly questioning the president's reelection message. In an acknowledgment of the mounting challenges, Mr Trump named a new campaign manager last week.

With about 100 days until Election Day, there's time for sudden developments that could shift the trajectory of the campaign. The Friday announcement that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's cancer has returned was a reminder of the potential volatility ahead. In 2016 Mr Trump effectively used the prospect of Supreme Court appointments to win over conservatives who otherwise found him distasteful.

And in crucial battleground states such as Florida, some Democrats are concerned that Mr Biden's current standing could be a high-water mark. Some polls suggest Mr Biden's strength comes more from voters' displeasure with Mr Trump than excitement over Mr Biden, whose regular gaffes, long Washington record and recent attempts to appease progressives leave him in a tougher spot than some Democrats would like to believe.

Associated Press

Democratic House committee chairs are calling for an investigation into the aggressive behaviour of federal agents sent by the Trump administration - and opposed by local politicians - to tackle protests in Portland.

Witnesses have shared on social media multiple videos of violent conduct against peaceful protesters. 

Here CNN reports on the demands for a watchdog probe into the issue.

According to Politico, Department of Homeland Security acting secretary Chad Wolf has said agents will effectively do what they like in Portland whether local officials approve of it or not.

“I don't need invitations by the state, state mayors or state governors to do our job. We're going to do that whether they like us there or not," Mr Wolf said.

It comes amid anger at the aggressive tactics used in the city, which is experiencing weeks of anti-racism protests.

Coronavirus vaccine 'safe' and produces immune reaction, early results show

In news indirectly related to US politics, scientists at Oxford University have produced a vaccine which induces a strong immune response and appears to be safe, according to preliminary trial results.

The early stage trial, which involved 1,077 people, has found that the vaccine causes few side effects and trains the immune system to produce antibodies and white blood cells capable of fighting the virus.

The UK government has already ordered 100 million doses of the vaccine, while the US has similarly placed orders for the candidate.

Pelosi tearful as she remembers last conversation with John Lewis

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who will preside over a moment of silence for Georgia Rep. John Lewis, choked up on Monday recalling their last conversation the day before he died.

“It was a sad one,” Ms Pelosi said of their conversation on Thursday. “We never talked about his dying until that day.”

Lewis, 80, died on Friday, several months after he was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer.

Ms Pelosi was recalling on “CBS This Morning” how the civil rights icon also threw his clout to women's rights, LGBTQ rights and many other causes, when she choked up and had to pause.

“He always worked on the side of the angels and now he is with them,” Ms Pelosi said.

Associated Press

Mike Pompeo investigated for 'questionable activities'

An anonymous official who said they possess detailed evidence of Mike Pompeo’s “questionable activities” as US Secretary of State was blocked from reporting those issues within the State Department, according to a newly-public whistleblower complaint.

The complaint was released during the weekend following legal challenges by the government watchdog group American Oversight, which sued the State Department in an effort to obtain access to whistleblower complaints filed against Mr Pompeo.

A heavily-redacted four-page document, the complaint accuses Mr Pompeo of engaging in concerning activities throughout Washington, in New York and Florida and overseas — all of which the whistleblower claimed to have witnessed.

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