Trump news: President shrugs off White House shooting mid-briefing as he doubles down on wild Covid claims and attacks Biden's faith

Secret Service reportedly shoots suspect as president repeats false claim about children and coronavirus

Trump's top economic adviser appears extremely confused over new unemployment executive orders

Donald Trump was whisked out of his daily weekday press briefing by a Secret Service officer following a shooting outside the White House on Monday.

The US Secret Service confirmed that law enforcement had shot a person blocks away from the White House, prompting the president to abruptly end a press briefing as he was escorted to the Oval Office.

He returned several minutes later announcing that a person had been shot and sent to a nearby hospital

The president continued to falsely claim that children are nearly immune from coronavirus, despite a new report that found nearly 100,000 young people were infected within the last two weeks of July alone, as schools prepare to open across the US.

Last week, Facebook and Twitter removed videos shared by the president in which he claimed that children are "virtually immune" from Covid-19, though Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reports show that children are as vulnerable to being able to transmit the virus as adults.

As lawmakers debate additional emergency relief legislation for millions of Americans during a looming eviction crisis and mass unemployment, the president has faced intense scrutiny from Democrats challenging the constitutionality of a series of executive orders that undermine congressional efforts.

Treasury Secretary told reporters that states can access extended unemployment relief "in the next week or two" despite governors signalling that the federal government, not the states, should be responsible for the additional funds.

Secretary Mnuchin also said he has not met with Democrats to repair the stalled emergency relief funding talks, despite House Democrats authoring and passing legislation to do so and meeting Republican resistance, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's accusation that Democrats are "obstructing" relief efforts.

"If they want to meet and want to negotiate and have a new proposal, we'll be happy to meet," Mr Mnuchin said.

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Key Points

• White House boasts Trump's coronavirus response
• President pushes for student athletes to play
• Trump denies Mt. Rushmore claims
• China imposes sanctions on US officials 
• Record numbers giving-up US citizenship 

[10 August 2020 18:15 · Danielle Zoellner]

White House adviser claims executive orders are the work of 'the lord' - but video reveals Trump was not a fan when Obama used them

A top adviser to Donald Trump claims the "lord" joined forces with America's founders to create executive orders in a devine preemptive strike against partisan bickering.

"[The] lord and the Founding Fathers created executive orders because of partisan bickering and divided government," Peter Navarro told NBC News on Sunday. "That's what we have here, but the president has taken action."

He was referring to executive orders Mr Trump signed over the weekend after White House officials and congressional Democratic leaders failed to strike a deal on a fifth coronavirus relief package.

John T Bennett with the full story: 

[10 August 2020 18:38 · Danielle Zoellner]

Trump announces his acceptance speech is narrowed to two locations

Donald Trump and his team was now considering two locations for where he would accept the presidential candidate nomination for the GOP: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; and the White House. 

Critics have pushed back at the president hosting the speech at the White House because it could be in violation of the Hatch Act. The act is a federal law that prohibits employees in the government from participating in some forms of political activity.

Although this act excludes the vice president and president, other employees work on-site at the White House, so holding the speech there with some of the staff involved in the set up could be in violation. Mr Trump has said it would not be in violation of the act. 

[10 August 2020 19:02 · Danielle Zoellner]

  ↵Canadians are vandalising cars with US plates in anger over border crossings to escape coronavirus

Canadian residents are vandalising cars with US license plates in an attempt to deter American tourists from visiting the country, amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Some Canadian citizens have targeted cars with US license plates in various different ways, including keying vehicles and harassing drivers, after the borders between the two countries closed for tourists on 31 March, according to the New York Times.

They reported that in the four months since the border closed to US tourists only four drivers with American plates have been questioned about why they are entering Canada, and after noticing US cars in their country, some residents took action into their own hands.

James Crump reports: 

[10 August 2020 19:25 · Danielle Zoellner]

Trump pushes for student athletes to play in the fall

The president has been active on Twitter on Monday. 

One of his many tweets involved student athletes and the fall season for sports. Donald Trump said athletes have worked "too hard" for their seasons to get cancelled. 

 

His tweet comes after the Big Ten presidents voted against playing sports in the fall over coronavirus concerns. A formal announcement is expected on Tuesday, but this would make the Big Ten the first conference to cancel the upcoming athletic season. Thus far only individual colleges have decided not to allow sports for the upcoming season. 

[10 August 2020 19:40 · Danielle Zoellner]

Trump demands college athletes play despite Big 10 reportedly cancelling football season amid rising US coronavirus cases Jack Rathborn with more details into the college football season: 

[10 August 2020 20:05 · Danielle Zoellner]

Catholic bishop rejects idea Trump is 'pro-life', saying president is 'only concerned about himself'

 A Kentucky bishop has claimed Donald Trump cannot be pro-life, because he is "only concerned about himself".

Reverend John Stowe, the Lexington Diocese Bishop in Kentucky, questioned the president's stance on abortion during a Facebook Live panel with Catholic organisation Pax Ramona.

"For this president to call himself pro-life, and for anybody to back him because of claims of being pro-life, is almost willful ignorance," the reverend said when asked about the church's role in November's presidential election.

James Crump reports: 

[10 August 2020 20:13 · Danielle Zoellner]

White House press secretary boasts about Trump's coronavirus response

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany has again boasted about Donald Trump's response to the coronavirus during a press briefing on Monday. 

"We have done more testing than any country in the world ... This president is securing a vaccine at the fastest rate ever for a novel pathogen," she said, highlighting the Trump administration's accomplishments. 

But the White House did not address the fact that the US hit 160,000 deaths from the novel virus over the weekend. This milestone is far greater than any other country's death toll, with cases and hospitalisations also rising in states across the US. 

Ms McEnany also defended Mr Trump signing multiple executive orders over the weekend regarding the coronavirus stimulus package, calling it "entirely within the executive capacity of the president." 

She then listed off different acts and laws that could potentially give the president the authority to issue the executive orders. 

[10 August 2020 20:26 · Danielle Zoellner]

Trump administration 'deeply concerned' over Belarus' presidential election 

Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany expressed this concern during her press briefing on Monday. 

She said the administration was "deeply concerned" about the "severe restrictions on ballot access" for citizens. Other concerns mentioned by Ms McEnany included "intimidation of opposition candidates" and "detention of peaceful protesters and journalists". 

"We urge the Belarusian government to respect the right to peacefully assemble and to refrain from use of force," Ms McEnany said.  

[10 August 2020 20:45 · Danielle Zoellner]

Trump says US 'will have a deal with Iran within four weeks' if he is re-elected​

Donald Trump has promised a new nuclear deal with Iran "within four weeks" if he is re-elected in November, according to a video of his remarks from inside a New Jersey fundraiser.

Footage from a campaign fundraiser on Sunday show the president addressing a crowd of packed-in supporters, none of whom appear to be wearing masks or socially distanced while at the home of a friend of the president who died from coronavirus.

Videos obtained by Jewish Insider show dozens of supporters at the Jersey Shore home of Stanley Chera, who died following Covid-19-related illness in April.

Alex Woodward reports: 

[10 August 2020 21:08 · Danielle Zoellner]

'They've had enough of everything': Record numbers of Americans are giving up their US citizenship

Record numbers of Americans are renouncing their citizenship according to numbers reported by a New York accountancy firm.

Bambridge Accountants reports that 5,816 people gave up US citizenship in the first half of 2020 -- a 1,210 per cent increase on the previous six months in which only 444 cases were recorded.

The first two quarters of 2020 also rank as having the first and second highest numbers on record at 2,909 and 2,907 respectively.

Oliver O'Connell has the full story: