Trump news: President’s niece slams him over reports he called war dead ‘losers’ and ‘suckers’ as ex-FBI agent says agency wondered if he was ‘Manchurian candidate’
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Donald Trump's niece Mary Trump has become the latest to slam the president for a report that said he allegedly mocked American veterans as "losers" and "suckers". In a tweet, Ms Trump shared a picture of her father, Mr Trump's brother, who served in the National Guard.
This comes after Captain Chelsey "Sully" Sullenberger posted a series of tweets calling Mr Trump "disgusting" for allegedly speaking against war heroes. Mr Sullenberger, who is known for saving 155 passengers on a commercial flight by landing the plane on the Hudson River, spoke about how both he and his father served for the US.
Democratic candidate Joe Biden also reacted negatively to The Atlantic's report, saying he believed the report to be true and thought Mr Trump was "unfit" for the presidency.
Mr Biden told reporters on Friday that Mr Trump’s comments, if true, are “deplorable”. The Trump administration has dismissed the report as false.
Following the report, a Fox News reporter independently confirmed key points from The Atlantic's report. Mr Trump slammed the reporter and called for them to be fired.
But Mr Trump found support among Osama bin Laden's niece on Saturday, after she gave her first public interview. Noor bin Ladin told the New York Post that she believed another 9/11-inspired attack could happen if Mr Biden were to win in November. Mr Trump, in her opinion, would be the only one to prevent that type of attack.
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Trump boasts accomplishments with military in an effort to discredit The Atlantic's report
In a series of tweets, the president listed his accomplishments with the US military since taking on the presidency.
Donald Trump claimed he fixed a "broken VA" and fought for "military pay raises".
Then he said that one "slimeball reporter" made up a "horrible charge" against him.
Mr Trump went on to then bring up John McCain, stating that the Republican politician and veteran supported a previous report against the president. His choice to bring up Mr McCain is an interesting one, as the president previously said on camera that he thought Mr McCain was a loser because he was captured during his time in Vietnam.
Since The Atlantic's report was released about disparaging comments the president allegedly said about military troops, the president has faced severe backlash.
Mr Trump and the White House has denied the report, but key points have been confirmed by The Washington Post, AP, and Fox News.
Michael Cohen says Trump 'would start a war' to stay in office come after November's election
Donald Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen has warned about the lengths the president might to to in order to stay in power if he were to lose in the November presidential election.
"Donald Trump will do anything and everything within which to win," Cohen told NBC News while promoting his upcoming book.
"I believe that includes manipulating the ballots, I believe that he would even go so far as to start a war in order to prevent himself from being removed from office," he added. "My biggest fear is that there will not be a peaceful transition of power in 2020."
Donald Trump has previously stated he might not accept the election results depending on what happens. He has also consistently claimed the election will be "rigged" if voters are allowed to cast their ballots by mail amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Cohen, who used to be a outspoken Trump supporter, has since turned against his former client. He was sentenced to three years in prison on campaign-finance crimes related to work he did for the president.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Cohen is serving the rest of his sentence from his New York City home and is expected to be released in November 2021.
His new book, Disloyal, is out next week.
US surgeon general tells states to be ready for November vaccine 'just in case'
US Surgeon General Dr Jerome Adams has said that states should prepare to distribute a coronavirus vaccine as early as 1 November "just in case" it is ready.
"We've always said that we are hopeful for a vaccine by the end of this year or beginning of next year," Dr Adams told ABC News on Friday.
"That said, it's not just about having a vaccine that is safe and effective – it's about being ready to distribute it," he added.
In a report obtained the the New York Times, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has asked public health officials in states to prepare to distribute a coronavirus vaccine by late October or early November. This comes as three US coronavirus vaccines enter into the final phase of human trials.
Here is more details into the race to develop a coronavirus vaccine:
US records more than 50,000 new coronavirus cases
The United States recorded 50,502 new coronavirus cases and 965 deaths from the novel virus on Friday, according to Johns Hopkins University.
This tipped the US to more than 6.2 million cases since the start of the pandemic. In grim news, the US is also nearly closer to 190,000 deaths, as it sits at 187,755 deaths, as of Saturday morning.
'Vulgar contempt for those who served': Captain Sully criticises Trump for reportedly calling fallen soldiers 'suckers'
Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger has joined other veterans and military families reacting to the reports Donald Trump allegedly called fallen soldiers "suckers" and "losers".
Captain Sullenberger, who saved 155 passengers in 2009 when he landed a damaged plane in what's become known as the "Miracle on the Hudson", slammed the president in a series of tweets.
Full report here:
Trump and allies have spent $58m on legal bill and compliance work, report says
Donald Trump and his affiliated political groups have spent at least $58.4m from donations they've received on legal and compliance work since the president first sought office in 2015.
The New York Times collaborated with the nonpartisan Campaign Finance Institute in the report, which looked into the spending for Mr Trump to cover his legal bills related to his time as a political candidate and president. But the figures also include when these donations went to Mr Trump's own personal legal battles.
Expenses paid by campaign donations included $1m in damages from a former campaign staffer who accused the president of sexual discrimination and harassment. New York lawyers were paid $1.5m to work on that case and others for the Trump campaign.
Other legal costs included the legal staff needed during the Russia investigation and the Mr Trump fighting to block a California law that would've required him to release his tax returns.
Most of the bills were footed by donations obtained by Mr Trump and the Republican Party. They came from the Republican National Convention's (RNC) "recount account", which was created in 2014 to allow for larger contributions from individuals of political parties.
Under campaign finance laws, it is allowed for political candidates to use donations to pay for legal expenses. But The New York Times has reported that Mr Trump used the funds for personal and business interests as well.
Osama bin Laden's niece claims 9/11-inspired attack could happen if Trump loses the election
Osama bin Laden's niece has claimed that another 9/11-inspired attack could happen if Joe Biden is elected president, and she says only Donald Trump could prevent it.
"ISIS proliferated under the Obama/Biden administration, leading to them coming to Europe. Trump has shown he protects America and us by extension from foreign threats by obliterating terrorists at the root and before they get a chance to strike," Noor bin Ladin, 33, told the New York Post in her first-ever interview.
Her branch of the family uses the spelling "Ladin" instead of "Laden", like what was used by her infamous uncle, according to the publication.
Ms bin Ladin, who lives in Switzerland, said she's always been "an American by heart" and would be putting her support behind Mr Trump for the 2020 presidential election.
Full report here:
Joe Biden will win the election – but Mike Pence will win overall Carli Pierson with her take:
Obama joins leaders asking people to wear masks over holiday weekend
Barack Obama has implored Americans to wear a mask over Labour Day weekend to prevent another surge of the coronavirus.
President Donald Trump also made a similar statement during his press conference on Friday evening.
"We ask all Americans to remain vigilant, especially over Labour Day," Mr Trump said. "We need everybody to be careful, to apply common sense."
Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading doctor, has also requested that Americans follow social distancing and mask guidelines when celebrating the weekend.
These suggestions come after there was a coronavirus case surge after Memorial Day weekend. Experts are pressing for guidelines to be followed by Americans to prevent another potential surge.
Kamala Harris says she would not trust Trump alone on a coronavirus vaccine
Democratic vice president candidate Kamala Harris spoke to CNN about the coronavirus vaccine in an interview to air on Sunday.
In a released clip, Ms Harris said she would not trust Donald Trump alone if a coronavirus vaccine were to come available ahead of the November election.
"I will say that I would not trust Donald Trump and it would have to be a credible source of information that talks about the efficacy and the reliability of whatever he's talking about," she said,
Ms Harris added that she thinks it's going to a be an "issue for all of us" if the coronavirus vaccine actually become available in October or November.
This comes after the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told public health officials to prepare states to distribute a vaccine as early as late-October.
Currently, three US vaccines are in the final phase of human trials for their vaccines, but this final phase normally takes two years to finish.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has indicated that it would consider issuing emergency authorisation to a coronavirus vaccine if the benefits outweighed the risks. But experts have expressed concerns that politics could be playing a part in the push to get a vaccine out by November.
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