May 18, 2017 - Politics & Policy

Trump: appointment of special counsel 'divides the country'

Susan Walsh / AP

President Trump held a joint press conference with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos Thursday, and faced a series of questions on the White House's ties to Russia:

  • Was the appointment of a special prosecutor the right move, or part of a witch hunt? "I respect the move but the entire thing has been a witch hunt and there is no collusion between certainly myself and my campaign, but I can only speak for myself, the Russians- zero. I think it divides the country."
  • Did you do anything to impede the investigation into Michael Flynn? "No, no next question."
  • Do you think you've done anything criminal? "I think it's totally ridiculous, everybody says so."
  • On firing Comey: "Director Comey was very unpopular with most people... I also got a very, very strong recommendation form the Deputy Attorney General... when I made that decision I thought it would be a very bipartisan decision."
  • Border wall effectiveness: "Walls work, just ask Israel.... and we have no choice."

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Axios
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Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 9 p.m. ET: 12,220,166 — Total deaths: 553,438 — Total recoveries — 6,696,632 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 9 p.m. ET: 3,111,902 — Total deaths: 133,195 — Total recoveries: 969,111 — Total tested: 38,032,966 — Map.
  3. Public health: More young people are spreading the virus — Cases rise in 33 states — Florida reports highest single-day death toll since pandemic began.
  4. Science: World Health Organization acknowledges airborne transmission of coronavirus.
  5. 1 🐂 thing: How the world could monitor for potential pandemic animal viruses.
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Countries grapple with whether to lock back down as hotspots emerge

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Reality check: While some countries have thus far managed to keep cases under control after opening up, dozens of countries that had initially turned a corner are now seeing a worrying rebound. They have to decide if and how to return to lockdown — and whether their populations will stand for it.

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