Trump news: Michael Flynn case dropped as president claims protesters want to tear down statues of Jesus

WHO expects global coronavirus case numbers to reach 10 million by next week

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has updated its estimated coronavirus case numbers as countries continue to report increased numbers. 

"More than 9.1 million cases of Covid-19 have now been reported to WHO, and more than 470,000 deaths. In the first month of this outbreak, less than 10,000 cases were reported to WHO. In the last month, almost 4 million cases have been reported," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a briefing Wednesday.

He added the WHO now expects cases to reach 10 million by next week at the current infection rate. 

"This is a sober reminder that even as we continue research into vaccines and therapeutics, we have an urgent responsibility to do everything we can with the tools we have now to suppress transmission and save lives," he added. 

Dr Mike Ryan, WHO executive director of the health emergencies program, also spoke during the briefing and said countries in the Americas were not showing a decline in cases. 

"Unfortunately, the pandemic for many countries in the Americas has not peaked. They are not reaching a low level of transmission within which we can achieve a sustainable exit from public health and social measures," Dr Ryan said. 

Coronavirus 'spiralling out of control' in US as 26 states report increase in average daily cases

The coronavirus pandemic in the US is "spiralling out of control," experts have warned, with at least 26 states recording an increase in cases compared to last week.

California recorded 5,019 new cases on Monday, a record rise of the state's daily case number for the fourth time in a week. In Florida, officials announced 3,289 confirmed new cases in a day as infections surpassed 100,000.

Meanwhile, the governor of Texas urged people to stay home and to wear masks if they leave the house as state's infections tally also rose.

Louise Hall with the report: 

Democrats ask for Sergeant of Arms to remove Republican representative from Barr hearing

The House-led Democrats have asked for the Sergeant of Arms to remove Representative Louie Gohmert, a Republican of Texas, from the House Judiciary Committee's hearing about Attorney General Bill Barr. 

During the hearing, the committee called former Attorney General Donald Ayer to testify about Mr Barr and his performance in his position. 

Mr Gohmert decided to rap incessantly on his desk to deter the witness from him statement and cause a distraction. 

Democrats threatened to remove Mr Gohmert from the hearing if the behaviour continued. 

Trump calls for James Comey to 'apologise" to Michael Flynn 

Donald Trump celebrated today the news of the appeals court ordering a judge to dismiss the case against Michael Flynn. 

In a recent tweet, the president asked if former FBI Director James Comey was going to apologise to Mr Flynn following the news. 

Mr Flynn pleaded guilty to "wilfully and knowingly" making false statements to the FBI in 2019. He then later attempted to withdraw that guilty plea. 

Biden leads Trump in Ohio among registered voters, new poll states

Ohio will be a key battleground state for the 2020 election, according to a Quinnipiac University poll of the state's registered voters. 

It found former Vice President Joe Biden was leading President Donald Trump at 46 per cent to 45 per cent of the votes. 

Among Democrats, Biden received 93 per cent of the vote. Mr Trump won with Republicans by 92 per cent of the vote. Independents still remained divided in the state, with 44 per cent of votes going to Mr Trump and 40 per cent going to Mr Biden. 

The poll also broke down the voters based on the issues they supported. Mr Trump lead when it came to the economy, with 53 per cent saying they trusted him compared to 43 per cent for Mr Biden. 

But Mr Biden lead in all other areas, which included handling a crisis, coronavirus, race relations, and healthcare. 

The voters were also polled on Mr Trump's job approval rating, as just 44 per cent approved of the job he was doing while 53 per cent disapproved. 

 Letters of immigrants detained by ICE during coronavirus made public: 'We may die and are afraid'

 Almost 200 pages of handwritten letters have opened a window into the alleged living conditions of illegal immigrants held in US federal detention centres during the coronavirus pandemic.

During a three-month lawsuit seeking their release from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in South Florida, the US District Court received personal missives from about 100 detainees.

"We may die and are afraid," their collective note said, according to The Miami Herald.

Justin Vallejo reports: 

Trump suggests protesters want to pull down statues of Jesus Christ

The president held a briefing in the White House's Rose Garden on Wednesday with Poland President Andrzej Duda. 

At one point, Mr Trump suggested protesters wanted to tear down statues of figures such as Jesus Christ, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln. 

Protesters have targeted statues of figures largely in connection with the Confederate Army. But other statues have also faced criticism if they honoured someone who previously owned slaves. 

One statue of Abraham Lincoln in Washington DC also sparked backlash because of how a former slave was imagined in the statue. There have been no reports of people tearing down statues of Jesus Christ. 

Trump revives unproven conspiracy theory that Obama administration 'spied' on his campaign

Reviving his so-far unproven "Obamagate" conspiracy theory, Donald Trump on Wednesday again contended the Obama administration "spied" on his 2016 campaign.

"The Obama administration spied on a campaign," the president said several times during brief remarks alongside his Polish counterpart in the Oval Office.

John T Bennett reports: 

Mongolia delivers PPE equipment to US as Covid-19 infections soar

The nation of Mongolia has delivered 60,000 items of personal protective equipment to America, as coronavirus infections in the US continue to soar.

The total known infections in the US has now reached 2.3m, with more than 120,000 deaths. On Tuesday, officials said new daily infections had reached their highest level for two months, with at least 34,700 cases.

Andrew Buncombe with the story:

FDA and USDA issue joint statement say people cannot contract Covid-19 from food

The United States Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration issued a joint statement regarding food safety amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

"The United States understands the concerns of consumers here domestically and around the world who want to know that producers, processors and regulators are taking every necessary precaution to prioritize food safety especially during these challenging times. However, efforts by some countries to restrict global food exports related to Covid-19 transmission are not consistent with the known science of transmission," Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn said.

"There is no evidence that people can contract Covid-19 from food or from food packaging. The U.S. food safety system, overseen by our agencies, is the global leader in ensuring the safety of our food products, including product for export," the statement added added.