Trump news: President claims 'Operation Warp Speed' will find coronavirus vaccine by end of year as Space Force makes White House debut
White House tells press to investigate 'Obamagate' claims as troll army 'Keyboard Warriors' get presidential approval
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump has claimed that his administration would take "warp speed" action to develop a coronavirus vaccine for Americans by end of the year — despite experts warning that his timeline would take a "miracle" — during remarks at the White House on Friday, as nearly every state begins to "reopen" amid the public health crisis that has led to the deaths of more than 85,000 people.
Mr Trump's optimism — propelled by a flag unveiling for his beloved Space Force and the creation of a "super duper missile" — had ramped up by Friday afternoon as he claimed that his administration was "looking at" making a virus vaccine free.
The president also claimed the US economy would be "amazing" by the fourth quarter moments after reports revealed that retail sales have plummeted 16 per cent, following business closures across the US in the wake of the pandemic.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany meanwhile said that Barack Obama's administration left Mr Trump with a "thin packet" for a pandemic response when he left office more three years ago, though it was Mr Trump who dissolved the national security team responsible for responding to outbreaks.
She also called on the press to "investigate" the president's Obamagate conspiracy theory on Mr Trump's behalf after she was asked directly what crimes were committed by Mr Trump's predecessor.
When pressed, Ms McEnany mentioned one potential crime: The leaking of the identity of Michael Flynn, the president's former national security adviser, to reporters.
Mr Trump also applauded his “Keyboard Warriors” for promoting his conspiracy, to which Mr Obama himself responded (indirectly) with a one word tweet: “Vote”.
On Thursday, Mr Trump called on Senator Lindsay Graham to force the former president to testify at a Senate hearing, but the Republican senator denied his request, saying it would set a "bad precedent" and "open up a can of worms".
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Nasa makes landmark announcement about plan to return to the moon
Nasa has made a landmark announcement about its plan to return to the Moon and onto Mars, revealing that it has begun negotiating the "Artemis Accords".
The accords are a set of agreements that would require any country that plans to work with the US to return to the lunar surface to agree to a host of principles. The accords are named in keeping with the Artemis programme, which is the plan to send the first woman and next man to the Moon by 2024.
They would include a commitment to be transparent in their work, to only explore space for "peaceful purposes", and to guarantee they would work together to save any astronauts that came into danger during a mission.
Andrew Griffin reports:
Trump claims US will have an 'amazing' 4th quarter as retail sale fall 16 per cent
Donald Trump spoke in the Rose Garden of the White House on Friday to discuss his administration's plan to push the development of the coronavirus vaccine in the coming months.
He opened the briefing by boasting what is to come for the US economy in the fourth quarter, as a majority of states begin their reopening processes.
According to Mr Trump, the US was set to have an "amazing" resurgence. But economists have warned it could take up to a decade for the US to fully recover from the coronavirus pandemic. It was announced on Friday that retail sales cross the US have fallen 16 per cent after stores were forced to close in-store services and Americans halted spending.
The unemployment rate also soared to 14.7 per cent in April, a number only expected to grow in the coming months.
Donald Trump's megalomania and Boris Johnson's incompetence have increased the coronavirus death toll Patrick Cockburn with his take:
Trump claims the US is 'back' amid coronavirus pandemic without a vaccine
The Trump administration has turned its focus on developing and administering a coronavirus vaccine in its latest response to the novel virus.
When speaking about the topic on Friday, the president claimed "warp speed" action toward delivering vaccine doses by the end of 2020.
"We're getting ready so that we get the good word that we have the vaccine, we have the formula, we have what we need, we're ready to go... It's risky, it's expensive, but we'll be saving massive amounts of time, we'll be saving years if we do this properly," Mr Trump said.
"When a vaccine is ready, the US government will deploy every plane, truck and soldier required to help distribute it to the American people as quickly as possible," he added.
Experts have warned developing a vaccine in that time frame could be risky for the public, specifically if necessary safety precautions are sidelined to speed up the process. It was initially estimated a vaccine could be developed in 12 to 18 months, an already expedited deadline that concerned experts.
“I want to make one thing clear: vaccine or no vaccine, we’re back," Mr Trump claimed, which could be a statement to cover his administration in case it was unable to develop the vaccine by the end of the year.
Health officials have warned life in the US would not be able to completely return to normal until a vaccine was made available to the public against Covid-19.
Nancy Pelosi calls GOP tax law a 'scam' while defending Democrats coronavirus bill
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House Democrats are expected by late Friday evening to pass the $3trn bill even though top Senate Republicans have called it "dead on arrival" in the upper chamber. White House aides say Donald Trump would not sign it into law. That means it has will have no life left in Washington and no chance to become law, though Ms Pelosi crafted the bill and is bringing it to the floor to give Democratic members a chance to vote for some of their biggest priorities in an election year.
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Space Force makes its Oval Office debut
In what's either a tribute to or ripoff of the Star Fleet logo, the flag for Donald Trump's Space Force — the sixth and somehow very real branch of the US armed forces — has been unfurled inside the White House.
Moments after declaring "warp speed" production for a coronavirus vaccine that's not likely to be available to Americans until 2021, the flag's unveiling is the first time in more than 70 years that a commander in chief has been presented with a new military flag.
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