Trump clashes with Fox News interviewer over false claim about Biden

Challenged by an interviewer about his claim Joe Biden wants to defund the police, Donald Trump called for a copy of the policy charter Biden agreed with Bernie Sanders and released this week. The document did not prove his claim.

Related: 'The guy stinks and he’s a racist': Anthony Scaramucci on Donald Trump

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Coronavirus US: Covid-19 cases rise in 41 states as total number nears 3.5m – live updates

Mary Trump’s tell-all book set a sales record for Simon & Schuster, Trump’s publisher said in a statement about the book, which was released on Tuesday.

According to Simon & Schuster, the book sold more than 950,000 copies through Tuesday, setting a new company record.

Simon & Schuster says Mary Trump’s book “sold a total of more than 950,000 copies through Tuesday, July 14, the first day the book went on sale.” It’s a company record.

Related: Mary Trump’s book: eight of its most shocking claims about the president

Despite the rising number of coronavirus cases in Georgia, the state’s Republican governor, Brian Kemp, issued an executive order yesterday that voids local mask mandates.

The order encourages residents to wear masks, but it goes on to state, “Any state, county, or municipal law, order, ordinance, rule, or regulation that requires persons to wear face coverings, masks, face shields, or any other Personal Protective Equipment while in places of public accommodation or on public property are suspended.”

It is officially official. Governor Kemp does not give a damn about us. Every man and woman for himself/herself. Ignore the science and survive the best you can.

In #Savannah, we will continue to keep the faith and follow the science. Masks will continue to be available!

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‘Nervously optimistic’: Democrats eye blue wave but 2016 memories are fresh

Joe Biden is polling well ahead of Donald Trump, potentially putting more states in play – but complacency has been banished

Less than four months out from the November election, the Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has been consistently polling ahead of Donald Trump.

The president’s approval numbers remain underwater, and Democrats believe they can seriously compete in traditionally red states including Texas, as Trump faces sustained criticism for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and the economic crisis linked to it, as well as the ongoing anti-racism protests against police brutality.

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Fauci says White House’s ‘bizarre’ attacks on him damage Trump – live

The Twitter accounts of major public figures and corporations, including Joe Biden, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and Apple appear to have been hacked as part of a bitcoin scam Wednesday. Twitter said it was looking into the situation.

Related: Twitter accounts of Biden, Musk and other prominent figures apparently hacked in bitcoin scam

My colleague Vivian Ho reports from San Francisco:

California recorded its largest number of coronavirus infections in a single day on Tuesday, amid efforts to halt reopening statewide.

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Coronavirus US: 61,492 new cases recorded, second highest day on record – live updates

This is Joan Greve in Washington, taking over for Martin Belam.

The latest challenge in the country’s coronavirus crisis centers on whether schools should reopen this fall, with the president and many of his advisers pushing for schools to resume in-person instruction.

Adm. Brett Giroir has been doing the TV round this morning, and gave a pretty snappy response when he was asked about the accusation that Donald Trump retweeted yesterday that the CDC and “most” doctors were lying about the coronavirus outbreak.

Asked directly on NBC’s Today whether the CDC and other doctors are lying, Giroir, a top member of the White House coronavirus task force, said that mistakes have been made and that public guidance is updated when more is learned about the virus, “but none of us lie. We are completely transparent with the American people.”

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California reverses coronavirus reopenings for businesses’ indoor operations – live

Hi all - Sam Levin here, taking over our live coverage for the rest of the day, writing from Los Angeles, which is returning to strict closures for a number of industries, as Covid infections, hospitalizations and deaths continue to surge here.

Business owners in LA have told me that it’s been particularly painful to restart and then shut down again, and that they have been pouring money into making their indoor operations safe, with little certainty about when they can properly reopen. Here’s more from my colleague Vivian Ho on the state of the crisis and new restrictions across California:

Related: California rolls back reopening of bars, restaurants and indoor venues

That’s it from me today. My west coast colleague, Sam Levin, will take over the blog for the next few hours.

Here’s where the day stands so far:

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Donald Trump: Joe Biden is a ‘puppet of the militant left’ – video

Donald Trump has claimed that ‘nobody will be safe’ in a Joe Biden presidency in a rhetorical escalation as he seeks to reboot his struggling re-election campaign. Speaking at an event in Florida, Trump called his likely Democratic rival a ‘puppet’ of senator Bernie Sanders and representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

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Trump claims storm, not turnout concerns, ‘forced’ him to cancel New Hampshire rally – live

Trump did an interview with Telemundo’s Jose Diaz-Balart during his trip to Florida today, and the interview will air at 6:30 pm ET.

#EXCLUSIVA: El presidente @realDonaldTrump habla con Noticias Telemundo.

Es su primera entrevista a un medio en español desde que empezó la pandemia del #coronavirus.

Más de la entrevista de @jdbalart con #DonaldTrump a las 6:30 p.m. y en https://t.co/YkVub31ilq pic.twitter.com/PxI37eWFeL

Trump is holding a rountable on supporting the people of Venezuela in Doral, Florida, where many Venezuelan immigrants reside.

But the president’s remarks took a turn for the blatantly political when he attacked his opponent, Joe Biden, as a “puppet” of the “radical left.”

LIVE: “Joe Biden is a puppet of Bernie Sanders, AOC, the militant left, the people that want to rip down statues … they want to rip down statues to Jesus.” @RealDonaldTrump said during a roundtable on Supporting the People of Venezuela in Doral, Florida pic.twitter.com/ynPhLWpyXM

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Trump’s taxes may be released to grand jury, supreme court rules – live

Chief justice John Roberts wrote the 7-2 opinion that the president is not categorically immune from grand jury requests. Both supreme court justices nominated by Trump, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, sided with the majority.

“Two hundred years ago, a great jurist of our Court established that no citizen, not even the President, is categorically above the common duty to produce evidence when called upon in a criminal proceeding,” Roberts wrote in the decision.

The supreme court has issued its decision in one case involving subpoenas for Trump’s financial records.

The justices issued a 7-2 decision that the president’s tax returns and business records may be turned over to a grand jury in New York.

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US reaches 3m confirmed Covid-19 cases as Pence pushes for schools to reopen – live

Nine in 10 Americans believe that racism and police violence are problems in the country, a Guardian/Opinium Research poll has found, a sign that public opinion is shifting away from the views put forward by Donald Trump.

The US president has been criticised for relentlessly stoking white fear and grievance in recent weeks, putting him at odds with Black Lives Matter anti-racism protests that have swept the nation following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May.

Related: Nine out of 10 Americans say racism and police brutality are problems, poll finds

Donald Trump, who has villanized and denigrated Mexican migrants and threatened Mexico with tariffs, took a different tone with Obrador today.

During the meeting, when two protectionist presidents were ironically touting a trade deal, celebrating the US-Mexico-Canada trade deal, both leaders had cordial words for each other.

Trump launched his 2016 campaign by calling Mexicans rapists.

He's spread racism against our Latino community ever since.

We need to work in partnership with Mexico.

We need to restore dignity and humanity to our immigration system.

That's what I'll do as President.

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US is ‘still knee deep in first wave’ of coronavirus, warns Fauci – live

The tell-all book due out shortly from Mary Trump, the niece of the president, tells of a family divided by trauma.

The Trump family failed to block the book after court efforts failed to stop publisher Simon & Schuster printing and distributing it, even though a restraining order was ongoing against Mary Trump herself, the daughter of Donald Trump’s late oldest brother.

In response to the news that New York state has sanctioned Deutsche Bank, the bank put out a statement by a spokesperson.

We acknowledge our error in onboarding Epstein in 2013 and the weakness in our processes, and have learnt from our mistakes and shortcomings. Immediately following Epstein’s arrest, we contacted law enforcement and offered our full assistance with their investigation.

The Department of Financial Services factual findings on Danske Estonia and FBME, like our own internal investigation, identified various deficiencies in our oversight and monitoring of the banks that used our clearing services. There was no intentional effort by anyone within the bank to facilitate unlawful activity...while the settlement reflects our upmost [sic] cooperation and transparent engagement with our regulator, it also shows how important it is to continue investing in our controls and enhancing our anti-financial crime capabilities.

Just got the following statement from @DeutscheBank spokesman Dan Hunter ––> pic.twitter.com/NpmzXuujcb

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White House claims US is ‘a leader’ in coronavirus fight despite rise in many states – live

Trump is still tweeting away, now insisting schools must reopen in the fall, despite concerns about the spread of coronavirus once in-person classes resume.

“SCHOOLS MUST OPEN IN THE FALL!!!” the president tweeted moments ago.

SCHOOLS MUST OPEN IN THE FALL!!!

Nascar driver Bubba Wallace has responded to Trump’s tweet suggesting he should apologize after a noose was found in his garage.

Wallace, the only top black driver in Nascar, addressed his response “to the next generation and little ones following my foot steps.”

To the next generation and little ones following my foot steps..#LoveWins pic.twitter.com/tVaV3pkdLe

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Trump claims ‘Russian bounty’ story is hoax as pressure for answers grows – live updates

Donald Trump is criticizing New York City’s plan to paint “Black Lives Matter” on 5th Avenue outside Trump Tower — calling it a “symbol of hate.”

NYC is cutting Police $’s by ONE BILLION DOLLARS, and yet the @NYCMayor is going to paint a big, expensive, yellow Black Lives Matter sign on Fifth Avenue, denigrating this luxury Avenue. This will further antagonize New York’s Finest, who LOVE New York & vividly remember the....

National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien has said that both the CIA and Pentagon did pursue intelligence assessments that suggested Russia had offered bounties for killing US troops in Afghanistan, and that US intelligence briefed international allies, as the administration steps up its defense of the handling of the military bounty scandal.

“We had options ready to go,” O’Brien said on a Fox news show. But added: “It may be impossible to get to the bottom of it.”

American servicemembers are being targeted with Russian bounties. As a Marine, I'm disgusted that nothing's been done about it. Mitch, you get regular security briefings. What did you know and when did you know it?

Man up and tell the truth. #MoscowMitch

Analysis: The only people dismissing the Russia bounties intel: The Taliban, Russia and Trump https://t.co/hbWx8PitRX

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Governor signs historic bill to remove Confederate emblem from Mississippi flag – live

Colorado, Utah and Oklahoma are having primaries today.

Here’s what we’re watching:

Bernie Sanders wants lawmakers to cut the US military budget by 10%. In an opinion piece published in the Guardian, he writes:

At this unprecedented moment in American history – a terrible pandemic, an economic meltdown, people marching across the country to end systemic racism and police brutality, growing income and wealth inequality and an unstable president in the White House – now is the time to bring people together to fundamentally alter our national priorities and rethink the very structure of American society.

In that regard, I have been disturbed that for too long, Democrats and Republicans have joined together in passing outrageously high military budgets while ignoring the needs of the poorest people in our society. If we are serious about altering our national priorities, then there is no better place to begin with than taking a hard look at the bloated $740bn military budget that is coming up for a vote in the Senate this week.

Related: A 10% cut to the US military budget would help support struggling Americans | Bernie Sanders

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Supreme court strikes down abortion restriction in major victory for campaigners – live

A vigil held in the memory of Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old who black man who was killed by police in Aurora, Colorado, turned violent when police pepper began to pepper spray the crowd, saying that those at the vigil were unlawfully gathering in front of a police station.

Here’s a look at the scene:

Jacksonville, Florida, the city that is slated to host the Republican National Convention in August, announced that it will adopt a mandatory mask requirement for all indoor locations where social distancing is not possible.

That makes things a bit awkward since the Republican National Committee actually moved its convention to Jacksonville after the state it was supposed to be held in, North Carolina, said it would likely impose some restrictions to shrink the size of the convention. North Carolina governor Roy Cooper said he could not agree to guarantees Donald Trump and the Republican National Committee were seeking that would allow the convention to be the big, people-packed convention it was planned to be.

At 5 p.m. today, the City of Jacksonville will be adopting a mandatory mask requirement for public & indoor locations, and in other situations where individuals cannot socially distance.

Please continue to practice personal responsibility to help stop the spread of this virus. pic.twitter.com/dcAuolVMyZ

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Joe Biden: Donald Trump presidency has been ‘a gift to Putin’ – video

The Democrats' presidential nominee criticises Trump after reports the US president failed to act on intelligence briefings that Russia was offering bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing US troops. The story was first reported in the New York Times. 'If the Times report is true ... Donald Trump has continued his embarrassing campaign of deference and debasing himself before Vladimir Putin,' Biden said.

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If Donald Trump’s down, how dirty will he fight to win?

Protest and pandemic are hurting the US president in the polls. His inability to gauge the national mood could be his undoing

Looked at objectively, it’s an odd choice. On 3 November, the American public, whose median age is around 38 and whose makeup is increasingly ethnically and racially diverse, will be asked to pick one of two elderly white men, each well into his 70s, to run the country for the next four years.

If one of the candidates was much younger – think Bill Clinton versus George HW Bush in 1992 – it might be a big deal. But since both Donald Trump and Joe Biden are relatively old, any negative impact will likely cancel itself out. If Biden wins, he will, at 78, be the oldest president ever to take office, breaking the previous record set by Trump who was a mere 70 in 2017.

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European Union reportedly set to ban US travelers over Covid-19 concerns – as it happened

We’re ending our live coverage for the day, thanks for following along. A summary of some key events:

California’s governor has granted clemency to 21 prisoners as Covid-19 outbreaks have continued to infect thousands behind bars in an escalating public health crisis.

Gavin Newsom, who has faced mounting pressure to release people en masse from state prisons, announced Friday that he is granting commutations to 21 people, a move that reduces their sentences and creates a potential path for their release. He also announced pardon grants for 13 people, a step that restores some rights for those who have already served sentences.

There's growing pressure on @GavinNewsom to grant clemency to elderly + vulnerable women who are domestic violence survivors and at high risk of death in prison.

I spoke directly with some of them. LISTEN to their own words ⬇️ (thread):https://t.co/btI8Ns7wMw #SixNineteen

Patricia Wright has terminal liver cancer, is currently in chemotherapy and likely has months to live. She told me she just wants to see her children and grandchildren before she dies: pic.twitter.com/0ydwwgCem1

Related: California governor grants clemency to 21 prisoners as thousands infected with Covid-19

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‘He’s like a child’: Biden attacks Trump’s coronavirus response – video

Joe Biden on Thursday travelled to must-win Pennsylvania to attack Donald Trump for what the former vice-president characterised as trying to gut healthcare protections during a pandemic. Biden, who was born in the Pennsylvania rust-belt city of Scranton, has mostly stayed put in his Delaware home in recent months amid coronavirus concerns but has slowly resumed some campaigning. He headed to Lancaster to try to weaken the Republican president's standing with swing-state voters

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Senate Democrats block Republican police reform bill – live

Speaking at his joint press conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda, Trump confirmed he would be drawing down the US troop presence in Germany.

The US president told reporters gathered in the Rose Garden that his administration would reduce troop numbers in Germany from 52,000 to 25,000 and would probably then send some of those troops to Poland.

"They'll be paying for the sending of additional troops" -- Trump announces that Poland has bought US troops that have been stationed in Germany pic.twitter.com/4DnhvNQrcv

Trump does Putin's bidding by blaming Obama and Joe Biden for Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2014 pic.twitter.com/MvYiK7W62Z

A grand jury has indicted three men on murder charges in connection to the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, who was fatally shot while jogging in a Georgia neighborhood.

Cobb district attorney Joyette M. Holmes announced that a Glynn county grand jury has indicted Travis McMichael, Greg McMichael and William R. Bryan on malice and felony murder charges in the February 23 death of Arbery.

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