While Donald Trump meets with governors and members of Congress to signal that America is ready to "reopen" amid the coronavirus pandemic, moving faster than public health officials have warned, he has instead found that the virus has reached the White House, while the number of infections in states that have eased quarantine measures continues to climb.
On Friday, the president revealed that a second White House staffer, the press secretary for vice president Mike Pence, has tested positive for Covid-19. The news briefly halted the departure Mr Pence's flight to Iowa as those that had been in contact with the aide deplaned, according to reports.
Katie Miller, who also is married to the president's adviser close Stephen Miller, was diagnosed following reports that Mr Trump's valet has also tested positive. Their diagnosis means that much of the West Wing has been exposed to the virus.
Meanwhile, the president joined eight Second World War veterans for a brief wreath-laying to mark 75 years since VE Day. White House officials described the veterans as “choosing nation over self” by taking part in the ceremony.
The president also called into Fox News on Friday morning, a day after the Department of Justice dropped its case against Michael Flynn despite his guilty plea for lying to the FBI during the course of a two-year congressional investigation into Russian interference in the president's campaign in 2016.
During a string of rambling answers, he made a wild and unsubstantiated claim that Barack Obama and Joe Biden had tried to undo his 2016 election win, and as catastrophic job losses were announced, said he would “bring back” the US economy.
He also suggested that Sean Hannity, the controversial Fox News host, should be given the equivalent of a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage, a day after telling reporters who earned the accolades for their coverage of the Russia scandal to return theirs.
His appearance on the network followed unprecedented unemployment reports that morning, revealing more than 20 million Americans had lost their jobs last month and an unemployment rate nearing 15 per cent.
The latest figures show that record unemployment has effectively wiped out economic and job gains made over the last decade, which the president has touted during his term.
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Donald Trump accused Obama administration Justice Department officials of “treason” as the agency moved to drop all charges against his first national security adviser, retired Army General Michael Flynn, writes John T Bennett.
“The Obama administration Justice Department was a disgrace,” the president said in the Oval Office. “It’s treason. It’s treason.”
The president slammed those who were at the top of DOJ and the FBI in the late days of the Obama administration, who began looking at Mr Flynn’s contacts with Russians and his private business dealings, “dishonest” and “crooked”.
The president is due on Fox News shortly - at 8am his time. Expect the Flynn/Russia/Mueller saga to be re-litigated...
Vladimir Putin sent telegrams to Donald Trump and Boris Johnson on Friday suggesting they rekindle their nations' wartime cooperation to solve today's problems.
Moscow is keen to rebuild relations with Washington frayed by election hacking allegations to Syria. But ties with Britain remain strained following the novichok poisonings in Salisbury. Sergei Lavrov spoke to his British counterpart Dominic Raab on Wednesday when, according to Moscow, they agreed to try to improve cooperation.
Mr Putin and Mr Trump say they worked closely together to agree a global oil production cuts deal, and spoke by phone on Thursday when Trump offered to supply Russia with medical equipment to help fight the new coronavirus.
The president is plainly in a combative mood this morning, following the dropping of the DOJ case against Michael Flynn.
The wearing of face masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus has become a health imperative for most, and a political statement for some, but Donald Trump seems adamant not to wear one — reportedly because he thinks he would look ridiculous, writes Oliver O'Connell.
Mr Trump has been mask averse for weeks. Within minutes of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announcing its updated mask recommendations, he said, “I don’t think that I’m going to be doing it.”
Douglas Wigdor told The Associated Press he was not currently being paid for his work with Ms Reade. His firm also denied there was a political motivation behind his decision to represent Ms Reade in her accusations against the president's 2020 election challenger.
"We have decided to take this matter on because every survivor has the right to competent counsel," the firm said in a statement.
A German intelligence analysis has reportedly cast doubt on US claims that coronavirus originated in a Chinese laboratory.
German spies believe the loud allegations emanating from Washington are an attempt to distract from the Trump administration's failures on Covid-19, Der Spiegel magazine reported on Friday.
Mike Pompeo said on Sunday there was "a significant amount of evidence" that the coronavirus had emerged from a Chinese laboratory, but did not dispute US intelligence agencies' conclusion that it was not man-made.
Spiegel said Germany's BND spy agency had asked members of the US-led "Five Eyes" intelligence alliance for evidence to support the accusation. None of the alliance's members, the US, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, wanted to support Mr Pompeo's claim, it said.
Despite promises that the state would make decisions based on data, Arizona has ended its partnership with a group of scientists who predict that the virus has not yet reached its peak, writes Oliver O'Connell.
Republican Governor Doug Ducey has announced that restrictions on some businesses would be lifted soon, saying that the state is “headed in the right direction”.
However, the team of experts projects that the state is not heading in the direction that Mr Ducey believes it is, and that the peak of coronavirus cases has not yet been reached — it may be at least two weeks away, on 22 May.
"Most people knew from the beginning" that the Russia probe was a "total hoax", Mr Trump has claimed in his Fox News interview.
He said he hoped his political opponents "pay a big price some day in the not-too-distant future" for having investigated his campaign.
Fox News has asked Mr Trump about his reaction to some of the quotes revealed by the Russia probe transcripts. In particularly, former DNI James Clapper's admission he never saw direct evidence of the Trump campaign's collusion with Moscow.
"Thousands" more previously secret papers relating to the Russia probe are to be released, Mr Trump says.
A Fox host says to Mr Trump that if his claim that the Obama administration "tried to undo his presidency" was true then it would be the "biggest political scandal of all time" - prompting a further outpouring of allegations and insults from Mr Trump.
"Sleepy Joe was involved in this also. Other people around president Obama were deeply involved also," Mr Trump said, but did not give any evidence. He said only that more details would emerge later.
He then managed to turn the conversation to his claimed renewal of the US military.
Transcripts from 57 closed-door congressional hearings from a two-year investigation into Russian interference in Donald Trump‘s 2016 campaign have been released, moments after the Justice Department dropped charges against key figure Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.
Documents include previously unreleased transcripts from hearings with the president’s family members – including Donald Trump Jr and Jared Kushner – and other Trump allies.
Impossible to imagine most journalists getting access to a world leader like this and conducting the interview in this manner.
Mr Trump is now praising Fox hosts and suggesting Sean Hannity should receive the TV equivalent of a Pulitzer Prize for his presenting.
Mr Trump says he took lessons from how Richard Nixon dealt with officials in his administration. The difference between him and Nixon, he said, was that he was not guilty and did not have "tapes all over the place".
What is the country's status now? the president is asked.
"Our country is getting back to work," Mr Trump says. But he quickly pivots to people who have criticised him and says coronavirus is a "smarter enemy" than them.
He adds: "Our tests are the best tests."
Mr Trump also admits the pandemic has been "tough" and insists that China ought to have stopped the outbreak "at source".
"They poisoned 180 countries," one of the hosts tells Mr Trump, and asks the president where his relationship with China is going.
"I don't believe it was [released] on purpose," the president says of coronavirus, saying he suspected "incompetence".
He also accuses the World Health Organisation of being "a puppet for China".
"What World Health got away with is unbelievable," Mr Trump adds.
If Joe Biden's campaign asked for rapid coronavirus testing machines the Trump administration would provide them "100%", the president said.
The president has lashed out at a judge who jailed a hairdresser for breaching lockdown. The salon owner is a "great representative" for many people who want to get back to work, Mr Trump said.
He also claims some state officials are keeping their regions locked down in order to hurt him politically, with no evidence.
