Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

As it happenedended

Trump news - live: Administration sues over Bolton book as criticism grows over president's police reform executive order

Follow the latest updates

Justin Vallejo,Chris Riotta,Joe Sommerlad
Tuesday 16 June 2020 23:52 BST
Comments
Trump claims that Oklahoma has a very low coronavirus number

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Donald Trump's administration sued to block the release of John Bolton's upcoming White House memoir, saying it was "rife with classified information."

The White House defended Trump's executive orders on police reform as Democrats critised the measures as "weak" and "inadequate".

Mike Pence, meanwhile, defended the president's upcoming rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, insisting Trump has the right to gather supporters after falsely claiming the state successfully "flattened the curve."

Please allow a moment for our liveblog to load

Biden linking up with 'former boss' for virtual fundraiser

Barack Obama is joining Diamond Joe next Tuesday for a "virtual grassroots fundraiser," the first time the two have appeared together since Obama endorsed his former deputy in April.

Here's more from Andrew Naughtie on friends reunited.

Joe Sommerlad16 June 2020 12:30

US FDA revokes emergency use of malaria drug Trump promoted as coronavirus cure

The likes of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine have flown off the shelves in recent months after they were touted by the US president to treat and even prevent the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, which triggered a global pandemic after an outbreak in Wuhan, China at the end of last year.

But now the Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA) has backed away from its endorsement, having already warned against their "known risks", which can include nerve damage, heart rhythm problems and low blood pressure.

Trump previously revealed he was taking hydroxychloroquine, a drug that can be used to treat malaria and, in some cases, rheumatoid arthritis and other ailments, as part of an apparent effort to prevent himself from contracting the coronavirus.

Chris Riotta has more on this.

Joe Sommerlad16 June 2020 12:50

Sharpiegate: Investigation says weather agency violated scientific integrity policies during Trump's Hurricane Dorian map scandal

The head of the US agency that warns of dangerous weather violated its policy on scientific integrity with a statement last year backing a tweeted forecast by the president about the path of a hurricane, according to a report released on Monday.

Trump wrote on Twitter on 1 September that Alabama would be among US states that would "most likely be hit (much) harder than anticipated" by Hurricane Dorian, then one of the most powerful Atlantic storms on record.

Within minutes, the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Birmingham, Alabama, responded by saying that Alabama would not see any impacts from Dorian.

After days of controversy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), part of the Commerce Department headed by Wilbur Ross, released a statement on 6 September saying the Birmingham tweet was "inconsistent with probabilities from the best forecast products available at the time."

A report conducted on NOAA’s behalf by a panel set up by the non-partisan National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA), found the NOAA's acting administrator, Neil Jacobs, and its former deputy chief of staff and communications director, Julie Kay Roberts, violated the agency’s scientific integrity policy with the statement.

In a memo posted along with the report on the NOAA's website, Stephen Volz, the NOAA official responsible for scientific integrity, said the NAPA panel found the pair did so "intentionally, knowingly, or in reckless disregard" of the code of conduct.

In his memo, Volz said Jacobs and Roberts did not believe it was a good idea to release a statement, but "felt significant external pressure to do so."

The controversy became known as "Sharpiegate," after Trump displayed a modified NOAA map to depict the storm threatening Alabama.

The New York Times reported last year that Ross threatened to fire top employees after the Birmingham office contradicted Trump and that then acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney had directed Ross to order the NOAA to disavow the NWS tweet.

Joe Sommerlad16 June 2020 13:10

Trump now undeniably a ‘fascist’ after George Floyd response, say longtime sceptics

The president having peaceful protesters tear-gassed for the sake of a photo opportunity is the last straw for outspoken critics like Robert Reich and Masha Gessen, who now believe they have no choice but to use the "F word" to describe the occupant of the Oval Office.

Joe Sommerlad16 June 2020 13:30

Ilhan Omar’s father dies due to coronavirus complications

Andrew Naughtie has this on the tragic loss of the Minnesota Democratic congresswoman's father, who brought his family to the US as refugees from Somalia in 1995 and lived to see his daughter become one of the first Muslim women to enter the House of Representatives.

Joe Sommerlad16 June 2020 13:50

Demonstrator shot during protest over Spanish conquistador's statue in New Mexico

A man has been shot in Albuquerque as crowds attempted to dismantle a bronze statue of Spanish conquistador Juan de Onate positioned outside the city museum.

Gino Spocchia has this report on the incident, with the man in hospital in a critical but stable condition, according to local authorities.

Joe Sommerlad16 June 2020 14:10

Trump hails retail boom after reopening

The president is out early championing some positive economic news as the states' hasty reopening from the pandemic yields the bounceback he badly needs to make the case for his re-election.

Here's some handy background on that data from CNN's flagship breakfast show:

Joe Sommerlad16 June 2020 14:30

Mike Pence says campaign has 'right' to hold Tulsa rally despite coronavirus fears

The vice president has been on Fox and Friends this morning, saying he is "very confident" Trump's arena rallies can resume safely despite the risk of spreading Covid-19 and citing the right to peaceably assemble for good measure.

 

He's also badly flubbed an elementary question on racial inequality and discrimination.

Joe Sommerlad16 June 2020 14:45

Don Jr forced to delete tweet attacking Democrats over NYPD 'bleach poisoning'

The president's eldest son never misses an opportunity to bash the Democrats - no matter how spurious the connection - and rarely scrutinises the facts before posting.

He's now been forced to delete a tweet tying them to the suspected "bleach poisoning" of three NYPD officers, who were taken ill after visiting Shake Shack, which has subsequently seen the chain been absolved of all guilt following a "thorough investigation" into the still-murky incident.

Here's Gino Spocchia with more.

Joe Sommerlad16 June 2020 15:05

Tucker Carlson in vicious tirade against Black Lives Matter

The Fox News host - whom I saw described earlier as a "human boat shoe" - has been raging against the popularity of the racial equality and justice movement on his show, his ire piqued yesterday by the NYPD's decision to do away with its entire plainclothes division in a nod to reform.

Carlson attempted to smear the cause as a mob of angry looters and arsonists in one particularly deplorable segment, which was aimed squarely at inciting fear among Trump's conservative base, conveniently boosting the president's own "law and order" platform in the process.

Joe Sommerlad16 June 2020 15:25

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in