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’s New Hampshire rally delayed by weather, White House claims

White House says Saturday event postponed due to tropical storm despite weather forecasts showing area not expected to be affected

Donald Trump has postponed a planned campaign rally in New Hampshire, the White House said, citing bad weather.

The president was set to appear at a campaign event in Portsmouth on Saturday night, as the number of new coronavirus cases in the US continued to hit record daily highs this week and polls continued to show his popularity faltering.

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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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Ghislaine Maxwell requests bail release due to ‘unprecedented’ Covid-19 risks

  • Maxwell awaits trial over alleged involvement in Epstein crimes
  • Lawyers in court papers ask for Maxwell be released on bail

Ghislaine Maxwell should be released on bail while awaiting trial for her alleged involvement in Jeffrey Epstein’s child sex trafficking ring because of “the Covid-19 crisis and its impact on detained defendants”, the British socialite’s lawyers argued in Manhattan federal court papers filed on Friday.

Maxwell, 58, was arrested on 2 July at her Bradford, New Hampshire, home. She faces up to 35 years in federal prison if convicted.

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Eminem criticises non-mask wearers on new rap track

Collaboration with Kid Cudi takes aim at people spreading Covid-19 by not wearing masks

Eminem has entered the debate about face masks in a collaboration with Kid Cudi, tackling an issue that is the subject of fierce disagreement in the US and UK.

The single, The Adventures of Moon Man and Slim Shady, is the first time the two rappers have joined forces. They reflect on rehab and recovery as well as current events including police brutality and the coronavirus pandemic.

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WHO’s Covid-19 inquiry is a shrewd move in a sea of disinformation

Its findings should illuminate global responses amid conspiracy theories and Trump’s mudslinging

In the world of epidemiology it’s sometimes said that pandemics are lived forwards and understood backwards.

We encounter them head-on, chaotically, trying to fathom the disease in real time even while trying to mitigate its impact. Lessons generally come later as the evidence accumulates.

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Médecins Sans Frontières is ‘institutionally racist’, say 1,000 insiders

Medical charity accused of shoring up colonialism and white supremacy in its work

The medical NGO Médecins Sans Frontières is institutionally racist and reinforces colonialism and white supremacy in its humanitarian work, according to an internal statement signed by 1,000 current and former members of staff.

The statement accused MSF of failing to acknowledge the extent of racism perpetuated by its policies, hiring practices, workplace culture and “dehumanising” programmes, run by a “privileged white minority” workforce.

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New York City mayor helps paint Black Lives Matter mural outside Trump Tower – video

Bill de Blasio on Thursday helped to paint the large, bright yellow mural on Fifth Avenue in front of Trump Tower in Manhattan. Similar murals have been painted on New York City streets and in other US cities including Washington DC, Raleigh in North Carolina, and Oakland in California. The Black Lives Matter movement gained momentum after the death of George Floyd who was killed by police in Minneapolis in May.

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Security video shows Naya Rivera and son renting boat in California – video

Authorities have released footage of the former Glee star renting a boat with her four-year-old son before she went missing on 7 July. The search for Rivera has switched from a rescue to a recovery mission, with the authorities saying they presume the 33-year-old drowned while boating on Lake Piru north of Los Angeles.

Rivera played the high school cheerleader Santana Lopez in the TV series until 2015

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Coronavirus live news: Bolivia leader tests positive as Australia limits returnees

Venezuelan Socialist party boss also tests positive; Brazil president Bolsonaro ‘in good health’; record new cases in Australian state of Victoria

Reuters is reporting that a clinical trial in Japan of Fujifilm Holdings Corp’s Avigan drug yielded inconclusive results as a treatment of Covid-19.

The drug, which has been shown to cause birth defects in animal studies, has already been approved as a Covid-19 treatment in Russia and India.

So, welcome to our coronavirus live coverage. For those of you wanting your news straight, here’s a summary of the top lines of the day, with link to key pieces for you to investigate further at your leisure:

The UK has rejected the chance to join the European Union’s coronavirus vaccine programme due to ministers’ concerns over “costly delays”, according to sources.

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Coronavirus: Bogotá to re-enter strict lockdown – as it happened

WHO reports worrying rise; second Venezuelan minister tests positive; Brazil records 1,200 more deaths

This blog is closed – keep following coronavirus news at our new live blog.

US prison officials have announced California will release up to 8,000 people from state prisons to curb the spread of Covid-19 throughout the institutions.

Officials on Friday announced three separate efforts, approved by the governor, Gavin Newsom, that they say will decrease the prison population by 8,ooo by the end of August. The measures mark the largest release efforts the state administration has taken since Covid-19 began to circulate among prison staff and incarcerated people.

Related: California to release up to 8,000 prisoners to curb spread of coronavirus

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Disney World set to reopen at weekend despite coronavirus surge in Florida

State recorded a record high of 120 Covid-19 deaths on Wednesday and is seeing one of the largest outbreaks in the US

Disney World is set to begin reopening in Florida this weekend despite surging numbers of new coronavirus cases in the state.

Two of the entertainment giant’s Orlando theme parks, Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, will open their gates on Saturday to guests with pre-booked reservations, with Epcot and Hollywood Studios following suit on 15 July. The four parks, along with the numerous hotels of the Disney World resort, have been closed since mid-March.

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US imposes sanctions on senior Chinese officials over Uighur abuses

Mike Pompeo says US ‘will not stand idly by’ over abuses of ethnic minorities in China’s western region of Xinjiang

The United States has imposed sanctions on three senior officials of the Chinese Communist party, including a member of the ruling politburo, for alleged human rights abuses targeting ethnic and religious minorities in the western part of the country.

Secretary of state Mike Pompeo said in a statement: “The United States will not stand idly by as the Chinese Communist party carries out human rights abuses targeting Uighurs, ethnic Kazakhs and members of other minority groups in Xinjiang, to include forced labor, arbitrary mass detention, and forced population control, and attempts to erase their culture and Muslim faith.”

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New York City mayor helps paint ‘Black Lives Matter’ outside Trump Tower

Slogan painted on Fifth Avenue a week after president tweeted it would be ‘a symbol of hate’

New York City’s mayor, Bill de Blasio, took part in painting “Black Lives Matter” in front of Trump Tower in Manhattan on Thursday, a week after Donald Trump tweeted it would be “a symbol of hate”.

De Blasio was flanked by his wife, Chirlane McCray, and the Rev Al Sharpton as he helped paint the racial justice rallying cry in giant yellow letters on Fifth Avenue in front of Trump Tower. Activists watching chanted: “Whose streets? Our streets!”

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Trump’s ex-fixer Michael Cohen back in custody over early-release rule breach

Bureau of Prisons says Cohen, who was released in May over coronavirus concerns, ‘refused conditions of home confinement’

Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, was returned to federal prison on Thursday, after balking at certain conditions of the home confinement he was granted because of the coronavirus pandemic.

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

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Top US general vows response if military confirms reports of Russian bounties

Gen Mark Milley tells lawmakers Pentagon is investigating reports Russia paid for attacks on US soldiers in Afghanistan

America’s top general has said military intelligence agencies are working to corroborate reports of Russia paying Taliban fighters bounties for killing US soldiers and vowed a response if they were confirmed.

Gen Mark Milley, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, told the House armed services committee, that the Pentagon was committed to discovering whether Russian military intelligence had paid for attacks on American soldiers in Afghanistan.

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Fauci says states with surging Covid-19 cases should pause reopening efforts

Public health expert made remark after US set world record for most new Covid-19 cases reported in one day

As the US set a world record for most Covid-19 cases in one day, with 60,000 reported on Wednesday, Dr Anthony Fauci, a senior member of the White House coronavirus taskforce, said states needed to pause reopening efforts.

Related: Some Republican senators to skip national convention due to pandemic

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

Court also rules in a separate decision that the president does not have to turn over his financial records to Congress

The supreme court has ruled that a Manhattan grand jury may have access to some of Donald Trump’s financial documents, dealing a major blow to the president in his fight to keep his tax records secret – although the records were not expected to become public ahead of the November election.

Prosecutors in New York had sought the documents as part of an investigation into whether Trump had improperly handled hush payments, including one to the pornographic film actor star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.

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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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Coronavirus live news: WHO says pandemic still accelerating as global review announced

WHO appoints committee to evaluate response to Covid-19 crisis; Serbia considers new lockdown after second night of riots; Infections worldwide pass 12m

As Covid-19 cases continue to surge in states throughout the US, another 1.3 million Americans filed for unemployment last week, highlighting the grim reality that any type of economic recovery may be far off, writes Lauren Aratani for Guardian US.

While the number of new unemployment filings has decreased significantly since it peaked in April at 6 million people filing in one week, it has remained above a million each week since forced shutdowns began.

Related: Another 1.3m Americans file for unemployment as states back away from reopening plans

Here’s a roundup of the key global coronavirus developments so far:

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