Trump news: President accuses Democrats of holding stimulus money ‘hostage’ and awards football coach Lou Holtz the Presidential Medal of Freedom after his RNC speech
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Donald Trump has awarded famed college football coach Lou Holtz the Presidential Medal of Freedom after the coach made a speech during the Republican National Convention. During his speech, Mr Holtz called into question Joe Biden's Catholic faith.
The president's Friday press briefing also involved him accusing Democrats of holding stimulus money "hostage", with claims that $300bn in funding could be available to Americans if the Democrats would just reach a deal with the White House.
When asked about the poisoning of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, Mr Trump said he was "no proof" yet that the man was poisoned, despite Germany reporting it to be true.
Mr Trump has also denied reports that he labelled American war dead “losers” and “suckers” during a visit to Europe, where he was said to have avoided visiting a cemetery he believed was unimportant. When asked why General John Kelly, his former chief of staff, has not denied the reports, Mr Trump said that General Kelly might be one of The Atlantic's sources.
Since the report was released, journalists from The Washington Post, Associated Press, and Fox News have all independently confirmed key information. But the White House has held firm that the president never said disparaging comments against military troops.
The US president argued on Thursday that ”nobody has done what I’ve done” for war veterans, as he mocked his election opponent Mr Biden for wearing masks amid the coronavirus pandemic.
His Democratic rival condemned the president's alleged comments in a furious speech on Friday while delivering remarks on the economy and urging the president work with Congress on extending coronavirus relief. His remarks followed the release of an August jobs report showing unemployment at 8.4 per cent, still more than double February's jobless figures.
The president also criticised Mr Biden for visiting Kenosha, Wisconsin, claiming there was “nobody there” despite the candidate holding a church meeting and speaking with the family of Jacob Blake, who was left paralysed after an officer fired seven rounds into his back.
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LGBT+ Americans among worst hit by pandemic's economic impact
The economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic is having a harsher impact on LGBT+ Americans than on the general population, according to a survey.
The study, released on Friday, shows gay and trans people are 30 per cent more likely to have lost their jobs since May.
LGBT+ employees are 20 per cent more likely to have had hours reduced than their straight colleagues, a figure that rises to 44 per cent among gay and trans people of colour, according to the survey by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a US advocacy group.
Oscar Lopez reports:
Government shutdown avoided
The Trump administration has reached a deal with lawmakers in Congress to ensure the US government is funded past 30 September, vice president Mike Pence said on Friday.
The deal removes the threat of a near-term government shutdown, clearing the way fro Democrats and Republicans to focus on another coronavirus relief bill.
A Democratic aide in the U.S. House of Representatives said House speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin agreed this week to keep any stopgap funding bill free of controversial items.
Talks on the latest coronavirus packaged stalled last month, over multiple disagreements on both sides.
Reuters
Trump claims unemployment rate 'better than expected' despite dismal job figures
The US unemployment rate fell to 8.4 per cent in August, down from double-digit highs throughout the summer in the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
Unemployment dipped below 10 per cent for the first time since the onset of the crisis, when it reached a high of more than 14 per cent in April.
But unemployment is still significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels of 3.5 per cent in February, while only half of the 22 million jobs lost during the Covid-19 crisis have been recovered, according to the Bureau of Labour Statistics. Roughly 30 million Americans continue to claim unemployment benefits, according to the Department of Labour.
Despite the challenging outlook, Donald Trump hailed Friday's report and latest unemployment rate as "much better than expected".
Pentagon orders military newspaper Stars and Stripes to shut down
After more than a century covering the US military, the US Department of Defence has ordered its editorially independent Stars and Stripes to close by the end of the month.
The announcement follows a letter from a bipartisan group of Senators urging that the Pentagon continue funding the organisation, which must be dissolved entirely by January 2020, according to today's announcement.
"We urge you to take steps to preserve the funding prerogatives of Congress before allowing any such disruption to take place," the senators said. “Stars and Stripes is an essential part of our nation's freedom of the press that serves the very population charged with defending that freedom."
The move follows cuts across the parent agency of Voice of America from Donald Trump's appointee, who ousted several directors and editors who allege that the president is removing what is perceived as an "anti-Trump" bias.
Part of the US-Mexico border wall is at risk of collapsing
Part of the Trump administration’s border wall between the US and Mexico is at risk of collapsing just months after it was constructed, new engineering reports claim.
The border wall, constructed at the shore of Rio Grande, which forms part of the border between the US and Mexico, is at risk of collapsing due to construction flaws, new reports to be filed in federal court this week allege.
The wall, that stretches three miles along the river, was built earlier this year by construction company Fisher Sand and Gravel, who are based in North Dakota.
According to the documents, which were obtained by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune, sections of the wall are at risk of collapsing if erosion issues are not fixed and maintained.
'Who the heck does he think he is?' Biden blasts Trump on report on comments about military
An outraged Joe Biden, reacting to Donald Trump's alleged comments about military service members included in a piece from The Atantic, called the president's remarks "disgusting" and proof that he "is not fit to be the commander in chief."
He also took offence at the comments as the father of a veteran – Beau Biden served in the Iraq War.
"He wasn't a sucker," the Democratic presidential candidate said on Friday. "When my son volunteered and joined the US military as attorney general and went to Iraq ... he wasn't a sucker. The service men and women he served with, particularly those that didn't come home, were not losers."
He demanded that the president "humbly apologise" for his remarks, which he has flatly denied ever saying.
"Who the heck does he think he is?" Mr Biden said.
Biden tells Trump to 'get off the golf course' to address eviction crisis and economic fallout
Joe Biden condemned Donald Trump's "sheer inability and willingness to bring people to together" in his remarks on the economy, as he slammed the president for failing to act to prevent millions of Americans from a looming eviction crisis and to extend federal unemployment relief.
"Get off your golf course and out of the sand bunker," Mr Biden said. "Call the leaders together in the Oval Office. Sit with them and make a deal."
He also attacked the president over comments reported in a piece in The Atlantic revealing that he had allegedly mocked military veterans.
"If it's true ... I'd ask you all the rhetorical question," he said. "How do you feel? How would you feel if you had a kid in Afghanistan riht now? How would you feel if you lost a son, daughter, husband, wife? ... It's deplorable."
'What in God's name are we doing?': Biden suggests QAnon followers seek mental health care
Asked whether he would respond to QAnon cultists and Donald Trump's refusal to avow their beliefs, Joe Biden said people its followers should seek mental health treatment.
"I've been a big supporter of mental health," the Democratic candidate said. "I'd recommend that people who believe it should maybe take advantage while it still exists in the Affordable Care Act. It's bizarre. Totally bizarre."
He also brought up the president's conspiracy – mirroring a social media meme – that uniformed members of "antifa" boarded planes to riot in cities.
"Have you seen that plane-load of people in uniform and weapons, flying around?" Mr Biden said. "What in God's name are we doing? Look at how it makes it look around the world. It's mortifying, it's embarrassing, and it's dangerous. If the president doesn't know batter – which he has to know better – then, my lord, we are in much more trouble than I thought we are."
Driver speeds through Black Lives Matter protesters in Times Square
At least two people were reportedly injured by a car speeding through a Black Lives Matter demonstration in New York City on Thursday after the police separated protesters from supporters of Donald Trump.
It follows a series of similar incidents across the US where trucks and cars have been deliberately driven into protests — with far-right groups and activists recommending the tactic to each other and spreading memes featuring offensive slogans like “All Lives Splatter”.
The demonstration in Times Square yesterday saw a large crowd of Black Lives Matter and anti-police protesters clashing with a handful of supporters of Donald Trump, whom the police encircled for their protection.
House GOP candidate praised as an upcoming ‘star’ by Trump, posts photo of herself holding a gun next to images of ‘Squad’ members
Marjorie Taylor Greene, conservative Republican candidate for Georgia's 14th congressional district, has caused outrage online by posting a threatening image to Facebook.
The pro-Trump candidate posted a picture on Thursday morning in which she stands holding a firearm next to images of the “Squad” — representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, and Ilhan Omar.
Ms Greene describes herself in her Twitter bio as “Christian, Wife, Mom, Small Business Owner, Proud American, 100% Pro-Life, Pro-Gun, Pro-Trump, #MAGA”.
The image has now either been deleted or made private on the platform, but the accompanying post remains.
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