Donald Trump is facing swift backlash from Democrats — and even some Republicans — who say he is attempting to unconstitutionally bypass Congress after coronavirus relief negotiations stalled on Capitol Hill.
Critics decried the president latest measures, which he announced on Saturday from his golf club in New Jersey after the US Senate hit an impasse on the negotiations for a new coronavirus relief package, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer warning: “If you’re a social security recipient or Medicare recipient, you better watch out if President Trump is re-elected.” The orders were also described by Republican Ben Sasse as "unconstitutional slop."
Meanwhile, the president's top economic adviser seemed to have a difficult time explaining the specific details behind his latest executive orders in a cringeworthy interview with CNN's Dana Bash, forcing the journalist to switch topics after saying: “Okay, we’ll move on because I think this is not what the president said and it’s a bit confusing, and I think the fact that it’s not entirely known is very telling.”
The executive orders would cut additional government unemployment benefits provided during the pandemic from $600 to $400, and offer a payroll tax holiday for millions of Americans, which Mr Trump said he would make permanent if reelected in November.
But none of that was entirely clear when Larry Kudlow, the White House’s director of the National Economic Council, spoke to CNN’s Dana Bash on Sunday morning.
Mr Kudlow asserted the president’s orders on unemployment benefits would actually provide $800 to Americans who lost work due to the pandemic — even though Mr Trump’s measures would offer just half of that amount.
He went on to claim Americans would receive as much as $1,200 under the new measures when asked when the first relief checks would be received, saying: “I don’t want to be as specific as you might hold me to it, as you should, but I think it’s going to be in a couple of weeks, and I think it’s going to come to about $1,200 per person — that’s a huge wage increase.”
The economic adviser’s answer did not provide a specific timeline, or include the fact that the federal government will only pay $400 while requiring states to pay 25 percent. Moreover, it is not possible for someone on unemployment benefits to earn a “wage increase” as they are not working and have no wages to begin with.
“You keep saying $1,200 per person, are you talking about in addition to the unemployment that they’re already getting?” Ms Bash asked Mr Kudlow.
“No, that’s the payroll — no, I’m sorry, I beg your pardon, the $1,200 will come from the payroll tax deferral, on top of this — yeah, I’m sorry,” Mr Kudlow responded.
He then once again asserted that unemployment benefits would amount to “$800 bucks,” leaving the anchor appearing confused.
“$800 or $400?” she asked.
“No, it should be four — it should be $800,” Mr Kudlow said. “If the states step up, we’re prepared to match, that should come out $400 federal, $400 states.”
Ms Bash then moved on from the issue, telling Mr Kudlow: “Okay, we’ll move on because I think this is not what the president said and it’s a bit confusing, and I think the fact that it’s not entirely known is very telling.”
Check out The Independent's live updates and coverage below:
Trump antagonises major conservative donor
Some Republicans fear that Donald Trump has put his campaign funding in jeopardy by antagonising a major conservative donor, writes Chris Riotta.
In a phone call last week, Mr Trump allegedly asked Sheldon Adelson, the 87-year-old business magnate, why he was not doing more to help his reelection campaign, according to a report published in Politico.
However, Mr Adelson had already pledged at least $100m to fund Mr Trump and his allies' reelection.
The phone call came after several national surveys showed that the incumbent president is falling behind the presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden in key states such as Wisconsin and Michigan.
US to cut troop numbers in Afghanistan
Defence secretary Mark Esper has said that the US intends to cut the number of troops in Afghanistan to "less than 5,000" by the end of November.
In an interview on Saturday, Mr Esper added detail to plans announced by Donald Trump earlier this week.
The US currently has around 8,600 troops stationed in the country.
The popular social media platform TikTok will reportedly sue the Trump administration after the president decided to ban the app in the US from September.
The platform, which is owned by the Beijing-based firm ByteDance, could bring a lawsuit as early as Tuesday in California.
The move comes after Donald Trump signed an order on Thursday to prevent US citizens from having “any transaction” with ByteDance, thereby banning Tiktok, which is one of the most popular apps with young people in the US.
Mr Trump has claimed in recent months that the app was sending American user data back to the Chinese government.
Tiktok’s parent company firmly denies the claims, saying all user data does not leave the US.
Ukrainian president says his country will not interfere in US election
Volodymyr Zelensky said late on Saturday that his country will not meddle in the US’ internal politics.
The Ukrainian president tweeted: "#Ukraine did not and will not allow itself to interfere in the elections and thus harm our trusting and sincere partnership with the #USA."
The former comic actor, who won a majority last year, added: "Never, under any circumstances, it's acceptable to meddle in another country's sovereign elections.”
Mr Zelensky also urged Ukraine politicians to avoid actions that could be connected to the US elections.
His comments came after Ukraine was unwittingly involved in the impeachment of Donald Trump, who had urged Ukraine to bring an investigation against former vice president Joe Biden.
Macron says US sanctions in Lebanon could play into hands of Iran
French President Emmanuel Macron has told Donald Trump that US sanctions against Hezbollah could inadvertently help those they are supposed to weaken.
As part of a number of sanctions against Iran, Washington has sought to block the global funding of the Shi’ite group Hezbollah, which is backed by Tehran.
The call between the French and US presidents happened on Friday, ahead of a conference of world leaders on Sunday which will discuss aid to Lebanon after the deadly explosions there on Tuesday.
According to one official, Mr Macron suggested that Mr Trump should “reinvest” in Lebanon to rebuild it.
"He told him that in the case of Lebanon, the fact is that the policy of pressure or abstention from the United States and some Gulf countries could actually play into the hands of those they are targeting, Iran and Hezbollah," the official said.
"So it was an invitation to President Trump to reinvest the Lebanese question, because the situation is serious and we should not abandon Lebanon to those the United States are meant to target through their sanction policy," he added.
British prime minister Boris Johnson and the king of Jordan will be among the representatives that will take part in the aid conference, scheduled for later on Sunday.
Twitter approaches TikTok to express interest in acquiring its US operations
Twitter is interested in acquiring the US operations of the popular social media platform TikTok and has approached its Chinese owner, two sources told Reuters.
This follows Donald Trump’s decision to ban the video-sharing app in the US from next month.
The president has given ByteDance, the Chinese company which owns the video-sharing app, 45 days to sell its US operations.
However, it remains unclear whether Twitter Inc could outbid Microsoft Corp and secure a deal.
Referring to the possible purchase, Erik Gordon, a professor at the University of Michigan, said: "Twitter will have a hard time putting together enough financing to acquire even the U.S. operations of TikTok. It doesn't have enough borrowing capacity.”
"If it (Twitter) tries to put together an investor group, the terms will be tough. Twitter's own shareholders might prefer that management focus on its existing business", he added.
Trump signs multiple executive orders for coronavirus relief, setting up potential legal battle with Democrats
Donald Trump has tried to sidestep Congress by signing multiple executive orders for coronavirus relief, writes Chris Riotta.
The orders, which were signed by the president on Saturday, would extend benefits for unemployed Americans and give a payroll tax holiday to those who earn less than $100,000 among other measures.
However, one of the orders lowers unemployment payments from $600 to $400 a week.
Mr Trump claimed that Democrats “have refused” to accept Covid-19 stimulus packages, despite Congress offering billions in relief funds through the HEROES Act, which passed in May.
Republicans have proposed a $1 trillion plan, which Democrats think should be increased.
It is expected that Mr Trump’s decision to take things into his own hands will spark a legal challenge from Democrat leaders on Capitol Hill.
US coronavirus infections top 5 million
More than five million people have now tested positive for coronavirus in the US, the most of any country in the world.
This means that one in every 66 residents has become infected with the virus.
The country's death toll currently stands at more than 160,000, almost a quarter of the world's total.
The five-million mark was reached on the day that Donald Trump signed executive orders aimed at providing coronavirus relief to some Americans.
Hillary Clinton mocks journalist's mistake
Hillary Clinton has mocked The New York Times and one of its columnists for forgetting that she ran on a mixed-gender ticket in the 2016 presidential election.
The paper’s Opinion Twitter account said in a now-deleted message that 1984 was the last time a man and a woman had run on a Democratic party ticket.
“It’s hard to fathom, but it has been 36 years since a man and a woman ran together on a Democratic Party ticket," part of the tweet read.
The column also made the same mistake, which has now been amended.
In response, Hillary Clinton tweeted that either she and her running partner Tim Kaine had been hallucinating four years ago or the journalist Maureen Dowd had taken pot.
“Either @TimKaine and I had a very vivid shared hallucination four years ago or Maureen had too much pot brownie before writing her column again,” she wrote.
The Independent’s Dave Maclean has more on the story here:
US official arrives in Taiwan in trip condemned by China
Alex Azar, the US Secretary of Health and Human Services, arrived in Taiwan on Sunday in the highest-level American visit since 1979, when Washington broke off ties with Taipei in favour of Beijing.
Mr Azar is expected to meet Taiwan’s president and will also sign a memorandum of understanding on health cooperation.
China, which does not view America’s growing relationship with Taiwan favourably, has threatened to take countermeasures against the US official's trip.
Under Donald Trump’s presidency, the US has strengthened its support for the democratic island and has increased arms sales to Taipei.
Afghanistan agrees to release 400 Taliban prisoners to begin peace talks
Afghanistan’s grand assembly announced on Sunday that it would release 400 Taliban prisoners so that peace talks could start.
The decision comes under election-year pressure from Donald Trump, who wants to allow American forces to return home from the country.
As part of the resolution, the Afghan assembly, or Loya Jirga, said in a statement: "In order to remove an obstacle, allow the start of the peace process and an end of bloodshed, the Loya Jirga approves the release of 400 Taliban.”
Ashraf Ghani, the country’s president, added: "Today, I will sign the release order of these 400 prisoners."
Their release will fulfil the government’s pledge of releasing 5,000 Taliban prisoners.
Macron to host online donor conference for Lebanon
French president Emmanuel Macron will host Donald Trump and other world leaders on Sunday in a UN-endorsed video conference to raise funds for Lebanon, following the devastating explosion there on Tuesday.
The conference comes after 158 were killed and more than 6,000 were injured in a blast at the city’s port.
The tragedy has worsened Lebanon’s economic crisis, with some economists warning that the incident could lead the country to lose 25 per cent of its GDP.
Speaking about the international response, Mr Macron, who was the first leader to visit Beirut after the disaster, told crowds in the Lebanese capital earlier this week: “I guarantee you, this (reconstruction) aid will not go to corrupt hands.”
Mr Trump has expressed the US’ desire to offer assistance.
"Everyone wants to help!" he tweeted.
Riots in Portland continue
Police declared a riot in Portland, Oregon, late on Saturday and forced protesters away from a police union building that some demonstrators had set on fire.
The violent protests came more than a week after the withdrawal of federal agents, who had been sent to the city by the Trump administration to quell the demonstrations.
Two police officers were hospitalised in attempts to clear the crowd on Saturday evening, after a group of protesters set the Portland Police Association building on fire.
The gatherings this week have been much smaller than those last month, when thousands of people took to the streets to protest every night for around two weeks.
The success of the 2020 presidential election could hinge on the US Postal Service, with the pandemic forcing states to expand voting by mail as a safe alternative to in-person polling.
Operational changes imposed by the service's new leader have led to mail backlogs across the US as rumours of additional cutbacks swirl, fueling worries about the November vote.
"It seems like they're just trying to turn customers away from the post office," said Jim Sizemore, president of the American Postal Workers Union chapter in the Cincinnati region. He said his offices were behind on deliveries because of new rules specifying when mail can go out.
Postal leaders want at least a $10bn infusion from Congress.
Trailing in the polls, President Trump has been sowing public distrust in the Postal Service's ability to adequately deliver ballots and has, without evidence, said allowing more people to vote by mail will result in rampant corruption.
The agency's new leader, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a major donor to Trump, has pushed cost-cutting measures to eliminate overtime pay and hold mail until the next day if postal distribution centres are running late.
In West Virginia, Sini Melvin, president of an American Postal Workers Union chapter, said: "It's like they're setting us up for failure."
Leading Democrats criticise Trump's coronavirus relief policies
House speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer have strongly condemned Donald Trump for the executive orders he signed on coronavirus relief.
The policies included extending unemployment benefits, preventing evictions during the pandemic and a payroll tax holiday for those earning less than $100,000.
The Democrats say the president has not offered a generous enough coronavirus package to tackle the economic and health crises facing lower-income households.
In a tweet, Ms Pelosi described the president's announcements on Saturday as "meagre" and said they will "provide little real help for families".
She also released a joint statement with Mr Schumer after Mr Trump laid out his policies at a press conference at his golf resort in New Jersey on Saturday.
Under the executive orders the president signed, Mr Trump lowered employment benefits from $600 to $400 a week.
"We're disappointed that instead of putting in the work to solve Americans’ problems, the President instead chose to stay on his golf course to announce unworkable, weak & narrow policy announcements to slash the unemployment benefits that millions desperately need and endanger seniors’ Social Security & Medicare," the statement said.
USAID official says $15m donation will not be under control of Lebanese government
A top USAID officials says that a $15m donation it is giving to Lebanon will reach those who need it most and will not go through the country's government, following the devastation caused by an explosion in Beirut on Tuesday.
Before he headed to Beirut, John Barsa said on Sunday that assistance would be given to medical authorities at the American University of Beirut and the American Lebanese University.
The US is also offering emergency meals via the World Food Programme for about 300,000 people affected by the blast, according to US officials.
The orders were described as “unconstitutional slop” in a statement sent to The Independent from Ben Sasse (R-NE), one of the rare Senate Republicans who has spoken out against the president despite receiving his endorsement.
“The pen-and-phone theory of executive lawmaking is unconstitutional slop,” the statement read. “President Obama did not have the power to unilaterally rewrite immigration law with DACA, and President Trump does not have the power to unilaterally rewrite the payroll tax law.”
He added: “Under the Constitution, that power belongs to the American people acting through their members of Congress.”
Republican leadership has refused to hold a vote on the Democrats’ HEROES Act, a $3 trillion stimulus package, and failed to come up with a bill that would pass a vote before previous relief measures expired for millions of Americans last week.
