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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Politics
Joe Sommerlad, Justin Vallejo, Danielle Zoellner

Trump news – live: Series of explosive allegations made against president including accusations he asked China to help him win 2020 election

A pre-publication release of John Bolton's upcoming book unleashed a flood of shocking revelations about Donald Trump's presidency, including asking Xi Jinping to help his re-election campaign and voicing his approval of Chinese internment camps for Muslims.

Trump meanwhile said he would support Colin Kaepernick's return to the NFL, and said if there was one thing he could change about his handling of race relations was his "tone".

Police reform hangs in the balance as Democrats and Republicans move forward with separate bills following the president's executive order to increasing policing standards.

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Rayshard Brooks death: Police officer Garrett Rolfe charged with murder

The Independent's Alex Woodward reports on the latest on the Rayshard Brooks investigation.

The former Atlanta police officer who killed Rayshard Brooks has been charged with 11 offences including felony murder following the death of the 27-year-old black man in a Wendy's restaurant car park.

Garrett Rolfe, who fired two shots into Mr Brooks's back on 12 June, faces life in prison if convicted. An arrest warrant has been issued.

Mr Rolfe was fired and police chief Erika Shields resigned just hours after the shooting. A second officer at the scene is cooperating as a state's witness.

Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard also announced that the former officer faces charges of aggravated assault for firing in the direction at other vehicles at the scene. Mr Howard said footage shows

Mr Rolfe kicking Mr Brooks after he had been shot.

Mr Rolfe has also been charged with seven department violations, including shooting a Taser at Mr Brooks while he ran and failing to provide timely medical aid.

Read the full story.
 
Trump had no idea UK was a nuclear power, Bolton says

In the next instalment of the gift that keeps on giving, John Bolton's new book says Trump apparently had no idea the UK was a nuclear power.

You know the background by now; former aide writes memoir, White House tries to block it, The Washington Post gets an early copy, and voila.

Here is the meat of it:

British official in Mr Trump's presence once referred to the nation as a nuclear power, to which Mr Trump replied "Oh, you are a nuclear power?" Mr Bolton maintains that the question was not asked in jest.

Read the full story below from Graig Graziosi.
 
On race relations, the one thing Trump would do differently is tone... if he could

Still on the one-on-one with Trump with Sinclair, when asked if there was one thing he would do differently personally on handling race relations issues right now.

"So I think that tone is a very important thing and I try and have a very good tone, a very moderate tone, a very sympathetic in some cases tone, but it's very important tone," he said.

"I'm at the same time fighting as hard as anybody can fight against China, against the European Union who are ripping us left and right."

He continued: "I would say that if I could I would do tone."


 
Trump would support a Colin Kaepernick return to NFL

While everyone is glued to the revelations coming out of the book The White House tried to stop, a new one-on-one interview with Trump has a few gems of its own.

In this clip with Sinclair Broadcast Group, Trump said correspondent Scott Thuman, Trump says he would support a return to the NFL for Colin Kaepernick.

"If he deserves it he should, if he has the playing ability. He started off great and then he didn't end up very great as a player," Trump said.

"He was terrific in his rookie year, I think he was very good in his second year, and then something happened so his playing wasn't up to snuff."

He continued: "As far as kneeling, I would love to see him get another shot, but obviously he has to be able to play well. If he can't play well I think it would be very unfair."


 
Trump's claims that Obama didn't reform policing came after Trump 'rolled back' Obama reforms on policing

After the dismantling of Obama-era reforms on policing, Donald Trump singled out Barak Obama and Joe Biden for failing to fix policing during their eight years in office.

Mr Trump signed an executive order at the White House on Tuesday that would, in part, ban chokeholds, create a database of excessive force complaints, and incentivise de-escalation training and the hiring of mental health experts.

Senator Chuck Schumer said that one "inadequate" executive order would not make up for the Trump administration's recent policies designed to roll back the progress made in previous years under the Obama administration.

"He said President Obama did nothing on police reform. But the fact is, they made a lot of progress, and President Trump rolled it back," Mr Schumer said.

During his Rose Garden address to announce the police reforms, Mr Trump focused on "many of the same politicians now presenting themselves as the solution are the same ones who have failed for decades on schools, jobs, justice, and crime".

"President Obama and Vice President Biden never even tried to fix this during their eight-year period. The reason they didn't try is they had no idea how to do it," he said.

Read more.
 
Trump supporter kicked off American Airlines flight for refusing to wear face mask

A "former liberal" turned Trump support was booted from an American Airlines flight for refusing to wear a face mask.

Brandon Straka tweeted he was removed after pointing out to staff that wearing a mask wasn't the law, as claimed by flight attendents.



American Airlines released a statement on Monday saying the policy is to wear a mask. But not while eating or drinking. And also not if you're child, have a disability or have a medical reason.

James Crump reports.
 
Trump obsessed with sending CD of Elton John's 'Rocket Man' to Kim Jong-un, Bolton says

Donald Trump was reportedly obsessed with sending a CD of the song Rocket Man, signed by Elton John himself, to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, according to a new book that the White House is trying to block.

Former US national security adviser John Bolton makes the claims of Mr Trump "inordinate interest" in his upcoming book The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir.

Calling Kim "Little Rocket Man" was one of Mr Trump's favoured insults during a time when the two exchanged threats over North Korea's nuclear programme.

Trump didn't seem to realise Pompeo hadn't actually seen Kim Jong Un [during the trip], asking if Pompeo had handed" the CD, writes Mr Bolton. "Pompeo had not. Getting this CD to Kim remained a high priority for several months."

Read more.
 
Putin 'had to be laughing uproariously' at Trump after Helsinki summit, Bolton says

From The Independent's John T Bennett.

A former top aide to Donald Trump concluded Russian President Vladimir Putin likely was "laughing" at the US president following a 2018 summit in Helsinki.

John Bolton, Mr Trump's former national security adviser, makes the claim in a book due out next week -- unless a federal judge blocks it after the Trump administration filed a lawsuit claiming it is full of classified information.

Among Mr Bolton's claims in the book is that Mr Trump was reluctant to enact policies designed to clamp down on Russian aggression towards the United States and its interests. He does little in the tome to explain his conclusions about the American leader's feelings towards Russia and Mr Putin.

But Mr Bolton does provide a peek into White House aides' feelings about the 2018 Trump-Putin summit in Helsinki, where Mr Trump sided with the Russian leader over his own intelligence agencies about whether Moscow meddled in the 2016 US election.

Read the full story.
 
US federal government left with 63 million doses of hydroxychloroquine

The federal government was left with 63 million doses of hydroxychloroquine after the US Food and Drug Administration revoked its emergency permission for using the drug to treat the coronavirus. 

A national stockpile of the drug formed after limited studies suggested the anti-malaria drug could help against the novel virus. Donald Trump even took the drug and promoted it to Americans despite a lack of clear results on its effects. 

More and more studies, though, have determined the drug does not treat or diminish effects of Covid-19. 

The FDA has since removed its emergency declaration that allowed hospitals and doctors prescribe the drug to patients who had the virus. 

"HHS is working with the companies that donated the product to determine the available options for the product that remains in the Strategic National Stockpile," a spokesperson with the US Department of Health and Human Service told CNN. 
The drug is normal used for lupus patients or those with malaria.
Top Democrat involved in Trump impeachment inquiry lashes out at Bolton's new book

Representative Adam Schiff, a Democrat for California, reacted to some of the bombshells released in John Bolton's new book. 

Mr Bolton worked as the national security adviser for Donald Trump. 

In his book, he criticised the House impeachment inquiry into the president and said that they should've looked at all dealings Mr Trump was doing, not just Ukraine. Mr Schiff, who led the inquiry, was quick to point out that the former adviser was asked to speak in front of Congress during the impeachment inquiry but declined. 

Trump backed Xi over concentration camps for Uighur Muslims, ex-aide Bolton claims
 
More explosive accounts from former national security adviser John Bolton has been released ahead of his book launch later this week. 

The book, according to The Washington Post, also includes Donald Trump agreeing with Chinese President Xi Jinping that concentration camps to "re-educate" Ulghur Muslims was the right thing to do. 

Our report: 
 

Trump supported concentration camps for Uighur Muslims, ex-aide claims

Donald Trump told the Chinese president Xi Jinping that building concentration camps to "re-educate" Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang was the right thing to do, according to sensational claims in a new book by John Bolton, the former US national security adviser.
Trump cared little about North Korea's nuclear weapons and treated Kim Jong-un summit as publicity exercise, Bolton says
Donald Trump cared little about North Korea's nuclear arsenal when he met with Kim Jong Un and was more interested in making friends with the dictator as he treated the historic meeting as "an exercise in publicity," a former senior aide says.

"Trump told ... me he was prepared to sign a substance-free communique, have his press conference to declare victory and then get out of town," former Trump national security adviser John Bolton writes in a coming book, according to the Washington Post.

Mr Bolton writes that ahead of the big North Korea summit, Mr Trump insisted on giving Kim gifts that violated US sanctions on the country. US officials were forced to waive those sanctions, he contends.
John T Bennett reports: 
 

Trump cared little about North Korea's nuclear weapons and treated summit as publicity exercise, Bolton says

President was fixated on getting an autographed CD of Elton John's "Rocket Man" to Hermit Kingdom's dictator
Covid-19 cases increase in Tulsa ahead of rally

Tulsa, Oklahoma, has reported an increase in coronavirus cases in recent days leading up to President Donald Trump's rally on Saturday. 
 
The city reported 96 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, according to the Tulsa Health Department. This was a new daily record for the area. 
Attendees of the president's rally were asked to sign a waiver prior to attending that prevented them from suing the campaign if they were to contract the novel virus from the rally.  
Biden accuses self-styled 'wartime president' Trump of raising white flag over coronavirus
 
In remarks at a campaign event in Darby, Pennsylvania, Joe Biden delivered a scathing attack on President Donald Trump's response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The former vice president said that while Mr Trump styles himself as a wartime president against an invisible enemy, unlike other wartime leaders he takes no responsibility, exercises no leadership and has now surrendered.

"Instead of leading the charge to defeat the virus he just basically waved a white flag and has retreated," Mr Biden said.

Oliver O'Connell has more on this story: 
 

Biden accuses self-styled 'wartime president' Trump of raising white flag over coronavirus

In remarks at a campaign event in Darby, Pennsylvania, Joe Biden delivered a scathing attack on President Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. The former vice president said that while Mr Trump styles himself as a wartime president against an invisible enemy, unlike other wartime leaders he takes no responsibility, exercises no leadership and has now
 
 
 
 
 Trump asked China president to help him win 2020 election, new Bolton book claims
Donald Trump "pleaded" with Chinese President Xi Jinping to help him win reelection in 2020 by purchasing more US farming products, Mr Trump's former national security advisor John Bolton has claimed in his new book set to be released next week.

The breaking news here: 
 

Trump asked China president to help him win 2020 election, new Bolton book claims

Donald Trump "pleaded" with Chinese President Xi Jinping to help him win reelection in 2020 by purchasing more US farming products, Mr Trump's former national security advisor John Bolton has claimed in his new book set to be released next week. At a one-on-one meeting at a multilateral summit in Japan in the summer of 2019, Mr Xi expressed his dissatisfaction with some
Kellyanne Conway says 'peacefully protesting' outside shows people can attend a MAGA rally indoors

​John T Bennett has the report: 

 

Kellyanne Conway says 'peacefully protesting' outside shows people can attend a MAGA rally indoors

County's top health official calls indoor rally a 'huge risk factor' as Ms Conway promises 'everybody a mask, hand sanitiser, a thermometer check' at event
 

 
If Governor Cuomo really wants to get through to New Yorkers, he needs to use these tricks from cognitive psychology

Christopher Seneca​ with his analysis:
 
US police reform hangs in the balance as Democrats and Republicans move ahead with separate bills
 
The Democratic-controlled House and the Republican-controlled Senate are expected to vote on two separate policing reform bills next week, setting the stage for a high-stakes negotiation on subsequent compromise legislation that lawmakers from both parties are anxious to present to Donald Trump by the 4 July holiday.

As the nation continues to grieve over the deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta, Breonna Taylor in Louisville, and others, there are glimmers of hope in Washington for just such a deal.

"If we are going to make law on this issue in the United States Senate, it will have to be a bipartisan effort," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Wednesday.
 
Griffin Connolly with the full report: 
 

US police reform hangs in the balance as Democrats and Republicans move ahead with separate bills

Lawmakers from both parties hope to get a compromise deal on Trump's desk by the 4 July holiday
White House says rally attendees assume some of the 'risk' when attending but that's 'part of life'

Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany was questioned about the concerns over the president's Tulsa, Oklahoma, rally on Saturday. 
According to a reporter with PBS, the press secretary said attendees were assuming some of the "risk" involved with attending the rally during a pandemic. She said this risk was just "part of life" but added there were pre-cautions the president and his team were putting in place. 
Attendees were required to sign a waiver before purchasing their ticket for the rally. 

 Trump's trade representative says UK-US deal 'almost impossible' before 2020 election
 
Oliver O'Connell with the breaking news: 
 

Trump's trade representative says UK-US deal 'almost impossible' before 2020 election

A UK-US trade deal is highly unlikely to be approved before the US election in November, according to Donald Trump’s chief trade representative. Speaking before the House Ways and Means Committee, United States Trade Representative Ambassador Robert Lighthizer said that such an agreement is “almost impossible” by the 2020 election. This raises the prospect that the president,
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