Trump news – live: President responds to accusations in John Bolton's new book as he dismisses rise in US coronavirus cases

Trump to block John Bolton's book, report says

The Trump administration is expected to file a lawsuit seeking an injunction to block the publication of The Room Where it Happened, from former National Security Advisor John Bolton.

Quoting sources familiar with the matter, ABC News is reporting that the lawsuit is expected to be filed in the coming days.

Originally scheduled for publication earlier this year, the book has been delayed by the White House's security reviews for classified information.

It is due to go on sale in a week.

Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway hopes MAGA rally attendees adhere to guidelines

Kellyanne Conway said at the White House today that she hopes Trump Tulsa rally attendees adhere to "reasonable guidelines" of temperature checks, face masks and hand sanitizer.

"It sounds like the campaign is taking steps that comport with what the CDC has said, and possibly even Tulsa, or state of Oklahoma guidelines," she said, according to CNN. "I'd have to look at that, see what phase they're in. They're pretty well along there in Oklahoma."

They'll need a lot of face masks and hand sanitizer if the campaign's guest list is as long as they say it is.

"I saw the campaign tweeted out they've got about a million RSVPs, that's quite extraordinary," she said. 

About that one million figure...

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ICYMI: Trump claims a million people requested tickets for Tulsa rally -- 2.5 times population of the city

The Independent's Oliver O'Connell takes a closer look at the gravity-defying claim that 2.5 times the population of Tusla requested tickets for Trump's rally in the city.

Trump: If coronavirus testing stopped, there wouldn't be anymore coronavirus

That's not how testing works, Donald.

Trump is seemingly back on the testing train at the White House right now saying that there would be few, if any, coronavirus cases if we just stopped testing for cases of coronavirus.

Checkmate.

Thomas Jefferson statue torn down in Portland

A statue of the third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, has reportedly been torn down and defaced with the graffiti "slave owner" at a high school in Oregon.

Images from the scene show the statue fallen and being removed after a group of protesters gathered at Jefferson High School before marching to Alberta Park on Sunday night, according to Katu.

"While KATU was covering the demonstration at the school Sunday night, our photographer's video showed that the statue's base was already spray painted, but the statue was still standing," the news outlet reported.

"It appears the statue came down after most people left for Alberta Park."

Trump economic adviser claims $600 unemployment boost is 'disincentive' to work

Donald Trump's economic adviser has claimed that the extra $600 (£477) that people are receiving in the US as a bonus to their unemployment benefits is a "disincentive to work".

Mr Kudlow, director of the United States National Economic Council, told Jake Tapper of CNN that the White House is against extending the unemployment payments in their current format, beyond July.

The $600 a week increase in unemployment benefits was agreed to as part of the CARES Act, that was created to help those who lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic.

James Crump has more on this.

President responds to accusations in John Bolton's new book

From The Independent's John T Bennett. The president tried planing doubts about a coming book from his third national security adviser, John Bolton, with whom he had a contentious split.

"Maybe he's not telling the truth. He's been known not to tell the truth, a lot," Mr Trump told reporters a week before Mr Bolton's book is due to be released.

The book is expected to reveal anecdotes that could be politically damaging to the president, with whom Mr Bolton had a number of policy disagreements and arguments.

The president raised concerns that the book might publicise classified information, calling Mr Bolton's decision to write it "highly inappropriate."

Attorney General William Barr claimed Mr Bolton's book never made it through the typical security vetting process all White Houses use for such works.

NYPD to dismantle plain-clothes anti-crime units

New York Police Commissioner Dermot Shea announced that its 600 plainclothes anti-crime officers would be reassigned.

"I would consider this in the realm of closing one of the last chapters of stop, question and frisk," he said.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Mr Shea said the officers would be moved to other duties including detective work, neighbourhood policing and other assignments.

"Thankfully, here in New York City, angry demonstrations have turned peaceful. Thoughtful discussions about reform have emerged," he said.

"We welcome reform, but we also believe that meaningful reform starts from within."

US to reduce troops in Germany until they pay Nato bills

Trump said today the number of troops in Germany would be reduced as he wasn't happy with their behind payments to Nato and the US's trade deals with the European Union.

"So we have 52,000 soldiers in Germany. It's a tremendous amount of soldiers. It's a tremendous cost to the united states. Germany as you know is very delinquent to its payment to Nato," he said.

"We're putting the number down to 25,000."

Trump on CHAZ response: Washington governor a 'stiff' and Seattle mayor 'doesn't know she's alive'

Trump said if the National Guard is not called into Seattle to remove Antifa and violent left-wing radical groups that have taken over parts the city, the federal government is "all set to go".

"We have a governor who's a stiff and we have a mayor who said 'this is going to be a love fest', and by the way these are violent people that took it over. These are not people that are nice people," Trump said today.

"I saw what went on with the hitting and the punching and the beating and all the other things going on in Seattle and you have a governor that doesn't do a damn thing about it and you have a mayor who doesn't know she's alive. Talking about 'it's going to be a love fest' this summer."

Trump said that alternative options have already been discussed with the attorney general and they have a list of 10 different actions that "will solve the problem very quickly".

"A group, Antifa and others, radical leftists, they went into a major US city, Seattle, and they took over a big percentage of that city and the press doesn't want to cover it," he said.

"The problem with what happened in Seattle is it spreads, and all of a sudden they'll say let's do some other city and let's do another one and we're not going to let it happen."

"So timing-wise we're all set to go, we're watching the process," he added.