Trump news: Under-fire postmaster general says he has 'no intention' of returning mail sorting machines
Senate committee interrogates US Postal Service chief as GOP prepares for 2020 convention
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Donald Trump said he would send law enforcement officers to polling locations for this November's presidential election in comments branded "an attack on America" by a former White House ethics chief.
“We're going to have sheriffs, and we're going to have law enforcement, and we're going to have hopefully US attorneys, and we're going to have everybody and attorney generals (sic),” Mr Trump told Fox News after host Sean Hannity asked if he would have "poll watchers".
Meanwhile, his Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said on Friday there was “no intention” to return mail sorting machines that were removed in recent weeks, after it was reported that at least 671 machines were removed in critical voting states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, Florida, Wisconsin and Georgia, among others.
The postmaster general said those machines were “not needed”, while adding that he supports vote-by-mail efforts amid the pandemic.
Mr DeJoy, who has overseen sweeping cuts at the agency following his appointment by the president in June, told a US Senate committee he would be voting by mail in fall elections and insisted that the "American people should feel comfortable that the Postal Service will deliver on this election" despite the president's constant threats to undermine the agency.
On Friday, the president and his family held a funeral service for his brother Robert Trump, who died on 16 August. He was 71. The president held a service in the East Room of the White House.
A group of anti-Trump Republicans have meanwhile seized on the arrest of former Trump campaign chief and senior White House adviser Steve Bannon, who has pleaded not guilty to fraud in an an alleged US-Mexico border wall crowdfunding scheme. He is the subject of an advert targeting Fox News views during next week's 2020 Republican National Convention.
GOP officials and the president are preparing for the event following Joe Biden's official nomination as the Democrats' nominee after his party's week-long convention, during which Democrats and several Republicans condemned the current administration and the president's response to the coronavirus pandemic and economic fallout.
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Trump will troll Biden with Scranton event
On Joe Biden’s big day, Donald Trump is planning to show up in his rival’s old backyard.
In a piece of campaign trolling, the Republican president will stage an event just outside Biden’s birthplace in Scranton, Pennsylvania, mere hours before Biden formally accepts the Democratic nomination for president.
The event points to the importance of Pennsylvania as a battleground state – and to the urgency of the president's effort to close the gap in the polls. The Trump campaign has been concerned about an exodus of suburban voters, particularly women, in the areas around Philadelphia.
The Biden campaign dismissed Trump’s visit as a lame campaign gambit. Spokesman Andrew Bates said: This sideshow is a pathetic attempt to distract from the fact that Trump’s presidency stands for nothing but crises, lies, and division.”
Trump administration ‘must correct mistakes’, says China as Hong Kong suspends legal cooperation
Hong Kong will suspend an agreement on mutual legal assistance with the US, China’s foreign ministry said on Thursday, in a tit-for-tat response to Washington ending some agreements with Hong Kong.
The US State Department notified Hong Kong on Wednesday that Washington had suspended or terminated three bilateral agreements with the semi-autonomous city following China’s imposition of a sweeping national security law.
“China urges the US to immediately correct its mistakes,” foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a news briefing on Thursday as he announced the suspension of the agreement on legal assistance.
‘Finest convention speech in modern history’: Media reacts to Obama address
NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell described Barack Obama’s DNC speech as “an unprecedented takedown of a President by predecessor” – all the more remarkable since he has managed to avoid direct attacks in the past few years. “No more. He believes the future of democracy is at stake.”
Politico’s Ryan Lizza called it “the finest convention speech in modern history”, adding: “Spell-binding, chilling, optimistic, beautifully written, and expertly delivered.”
Plenty of commentators picked up on the note of desperation in the warnings about the future of democracy. “He’s always been so hopeful in his words, but tonight he made it clear that if we don’t act, we can lose our country,” said CNN’s Keith Boykin.
New York magazine’s Jonathan Chait said it was the first time he had seen Obama “scared”, writing: “This is the first time I have ever seen him express fear.”
Iran unveils missiles named after generals killed in US strike
Iran has unveiled two new missiles, according to state TV, amid heightened tensions with the US. State TV said officials unveiled the two new missiles on Thursday – National Defence Industry Day in Iran.
They are named after top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis – killed outside Baghdad’s international airport in a US strike in January.
At Donald Trump’s direction, secretary of state Mike Pompeo will travel to the UN on Thursday to notify the world body that the US is invoking the “snapback” mechanism in the Security Council resolution that endorsed the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
‘Vote like your life depends on it’: Billie Eilish backs Biden
Billie Eilish admonished Donald Trump and encouraged her young fans to register to vote and back Joe Biden during an appearance at the virtual Democratic National Convention.
The 18-year-old singer said: “You don't need me to tell you things are a mess – Donald Trump is destroying our country and everything we care about.
“We need leaders who will solve problems like climate change and Covid – not deny them. Leaders who will fight against systemic racism and inequality.
“And that starts by voting for someone who understands how much is at stake, someone who is building a team that shares our values. It starts with voting against Donald Trump and for Joe Biden.
“Silence is not an option and we cannot sit this one out. We all have to vote like our lives and the world depend on it - because they do. The only way to be certain of our future is to make it ourselves. Please register. Please vote.”
Afterwards, Biden wrote on Twitter: “I’ll just say what Billie Eilish said: vote like your life depends on it.”
Billie Eilish addresses DNC (AP)
Facebook removes thousands of QAnon pages
Facebook has removed thousands of accounts, groups, pages, and advertisements related to the QAnon conspiracy theory.
The social media giant said that over 790 groups, 100 Pages and 1,500 ads tied to QAnon from Facebook were taken down. Additional restrictions were placed on over 1,950 Groups and 440 Pages on Facebook, as well as over 10,000 Instagram accounts.
Asked about QAnon theories on Wednesday, Donald Trump said: “You know, if I can help save the world from some problems, I’m willing to do it, I’m willing to put myself out there.”
The president said people in the movement “like me very much … which I appreciate”.
‘It’s hard to get excited about something virtually’
Millions of Americans have watched the Democrats’ socially-distanced, four-day celebration of nominee Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris – and don’t seem to miss the packed audience of hyped-up political activists.
Laura DeGroff Simoes of New Hampshire, who voted in the Democratic primary but considers herself an independent, said it’s been a welcome change. “There was much more diversity represented, there were different languages. I loved seeing the backdrop of where people were from.”
Lynn Hart, a South Dakota farmer said she would have been in Milwaukee, the original site of the convention, as a first-time Democratic delegate. “I can sit here in my shorts, T-shirt or my pajamas and pick and choose who I listen to,” he said.
Republicans are watching, too. Carol Wessel Boyer of Troy, Missouri, has been active in GOP politics for decades. “They’re just not going to get the enthusiasm you normally pick up from a convention,” Boyer said. “It’s hard to get excited about something virtually.”
Republicans will get their shot next week. Donald Trump is due to give his nomination acceptance speech at the White House. But GOP convention planners have said little else little about the details of their programming or format.
Kamala Harris waves to supporters at DNC (Getty)
Everything you need to know about mail-in and absentee ballots
The president has frequently lashed out at the idea that the general election will be conducted largely through mail-in voting – claiming it could lead to massive voter fraud, allow for foreign interference, and is indicative of a Democratic plot to steal the election.
Turmoil at the US Postal Service (USPS) is causing some Democrats and local election officials to rethink their vote-by-mail strategies for November’s election, shifting emphasis to drop boxes and early voting that bypass the post office.
Graig Graziosi has this guide to the controversy:
Trump explodes at Obama’s convention speech
Donald Trump followed up his all-caps Twitter rant against Barack Obama with a video of his own press conference delivered hours before the speech, in which he blamed Obama and Joe Biden for so ruining the country that he felt compelled to run for office himself.
“Probably if they did a good job I wouldn’t have even run. I would’ve been very happy, I enjoyed my previous life very much. But they did such a bad job that I stand before you as president.”
Andrew Naughtie has more on why Obama gets under Trump’s skin.
US and China agree to hold trade talks, says Beijing
China and the US have agreed to hold trade talks “in the coming days” to evaluate the progress of their Phase 1 trade deal six months after it took effect in February, the Chinese commerce ministry said on Thursday.
Ministry spokesman Gao Feng made the comments at a weekly briefing held online, but did not elaborate.
They followed Tuesday’s remarks by White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows that no new high-level trade talks were scheduled, though both sides were in touch about implementing the Phase 1 deal.
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