TRUMP VETOES IRAN WAR POWERS RESOLUTION, CALLING IT AN "INSULT"

President Trump has vetoed a bipartisan resolution requiring congressional

approval for the military use of force in Iran, declaring the resolution an

"insult" crafted by Democrats to win the November election.

The veto is likely to stick, since Congress is highly unlikely to have the

votes to overturn it. In a defiant written message Wednesday, the president

explained why he vetoed the resolution. The resolution came after the U.S.

killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, and tensions between the U.S. and

Iran rose to threats of war.

"Today, I vetoed S.J. Res. 68, which purported to direct me to terminate the

use of United States Armed Forces in hostilities against Iran. This was a

very insulting resolution, introduced by Democrats as part of a strategy to

win an election on November 3 by dividing the Republican Party. The few

Republicans who voted for it played right into their hands," the president's

statement says.

The president claimed the resolution implies that his constitutional

authority to use military force is "limited to defense of the United States

and its forces against imminent attack."

"That is incorrect," the president continued. "We live in a hostile world of

evolving threats, and the Constitution recognizes that the president must be

able to anticipate our adversaries' next moves and take swift and decisive

action in response. That's what I did! Congress should not have passed this

resolution."

Senator Tim Kaine, who introduced the resolution, urged his colleagues to

override the president's veto.

COVID-19: US TELLS CHINA TO SHARE DETAILS OF PATIENT ZERO

Seeking an answer from China about the origins of the deadly coronavirus,

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday said that the US needs to know

the details of patient zero.

Slamming China for a disinformation campaign, Pompeo in an interview to Jack

Heath of The Jack Heath Radio Show also accused the WHO of failing in its

mission to provide the information to the world in a timely fashion about

the risk that was emanating from China.

"We know that this originated in Wuhan, China. That was challenged by the

Chinese at the front end. This administration was very clear we weren't

going to accept that disinformation, pushed back. I think the whole world

knows that this began and originated there in Wuhan," he said.

"Where exactly it came from, it matters. We want to know the answers to

that. There's evidence that it came from somewhere in the vicinity of the

lab, but that could be wrong. We need to get the answer to that. It matters

because we need to know where patient zero came from," he said. The US needs

it for all of the epidemiological work that needs to be done to protect

Americans today and tomorrow, he asserted.

TRUMP URGES CHINA, RUSSIA, U.S. ARMS CONTROL IN PUTIN CALL

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday called for involving China in new

arms control talks with Russia, telling Vladimir Putin that they need to

avoid a "costly arms race," the White House said.

"President Trump reaffirmed that the United States is committed to effective

arms control that includes not only Russia, but also China, and looks

forward to future discussions to avoid a costly arms race," a statement

said.

Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin spoke by phone, also discussing the global

coronavirus pandemic, the White House said.

"President Trump reiterated that the United States is working hard to care

for Americans at home and is also ready to provide assistance to any country

in need, including Russia," the statement said.

Russia and the United States - rivals during the four decades of the Cold

War - ripped up the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty this

year, blaming one another for its demise.

That deal was seen as a cornerstone of global security and its burial

sparked fears of a new arms race.

Washington is threatening to quit the 2010 New Strategic Arms Reduction

Treaty, or "New START", when it expires next year.

New START - which obliged them to halve the number of missile launchers and

set up a new verification regime - is seen as the last major deal keeping

their arsenals below the Cold War peak.

However, Mr. Trump has been pushing for China to be brought into a future

deal, arguing that Beijing's missile and nuclear capability is rapidly

expanding.

U.S. SENATORS URGE TRUMP TO TEMPORARILY SUSPEND H-1B, OTHER GUEST WORKERS

VISAS

Top Republican senators urged U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday to

suspend all new guest worker visas for 60 days and certain categories of new

guest worker visas, including H-1B, for at least a year or until

unemployment figures return to normal levels.

The unemployment figures in the U.S. have reached an all-time high due to

the coronavirus pandemic. The letter has been signed by Senators Ted Cruz,

Tom Cotton, Chuck Grassley and Josh Hawley.

"As you know, more than 33 million Americans have filed for unemployment

coverage just since mid-March, and approximately one-fifth of the American

workforce is currently out of work. This is a stunning difference compared

with the historically-low nationwide unemployment rate of just 3.5% in

February this year," they said in their letter to the president.

The letter, dated May 7, specifically calls for suspension of all

non-immigrant guest worker visas for the next 60 days, followed by a

continued suspension of certain categories of new non-immigrant guest worker

visas for a year or until the national unemployment figures return to normal

levels.

"To protect unemployed Americans in the early stages of economic recovery,

we urge you to suspend all non-immigrant guest worker visas for the next 60

days," the senators said.

Exceptions to this suspension should be rare, limited to time-sensitive

industries such as agriculture and issued only on a case-by-case basis, when

the employers can demonstrate that they have been unable to find Americans

to take the jobs, the senators wrote.

NETANYAHU SECURES BACKING TO FORM NEW ISRAELI GOVERNMENT

Israel's president on Thursday tasked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with

forming a new government after lawmakers endorsed a coalition pact with his

election rival, a government statement said.

"A letter assigning the task of forming a government to Benjamin Netanyahu

was just sent to the prime minister's office and the office of the speaker

of the Knesset (parliament) was also informed," it said in English.

Mr. Netanyahu formally received the support of a majority of lawmakers to

lead a new government earlier in the day, paving the way for a controversial

power-sharing deal with rival-turned-partner Benny Gantz.

Israel's parliament, the Knesset, had passed legislation early on Thursday

approving a new coalition government framework for Mr. Netanyahu and Mr.

Gantz to share the premiership and end a year-long political deadlock.

The legislation, which passed easily in a 72-36 vote, comes a day after

Israel's Supreme Court ruled that it would not intervene in the new

arrangement or prevent Mr. Netanyahu from leading the government despite a

corruption indictment against him.

The decision essentially ended the country's prolonged political stalemate

and prevented Israel from being plunged into a fourth consecutive election

in just over a year.

TRUMP SAYS WILL TEST FOR COVID-19 DAILY AFTER MILITARY AIDE TESTS POSITIVE

After his military aide tested positive for coronavirus, U.S. President

Donald Trump on Thursday said he would undergo the COVID-19 test every day.

A military aide of Mr. Trump, whom officials described as a personal valet,

tested positive for coronavirus. The President said he had very little

contact with him.

"I have had very little contact, personal contact, with this gentleman. I

know who he is. Good person. But I have had very little contact. (Vice

President) Mike (Pence) has had very little contact with him. But Mike was

tested and I was tested. We were both tested," Mr. Trump told reporters in

the Oval Office of the White House.

Responding to questions, Mr. Trump said he, the Vice President and other

staff of the White House would be tested for coronavirus every day.

"I just had a test. In fact, I had one yesterday and one today, and it is

negative. Mike just had a test and it is negative," he said.

"But they do the tests and it just shows you that the fallacy - it is what I

have been saying - testing is not a perfect art. No matter what you do,

testing is not a perfect art. So we test once a week. Now we are going to go

testing once a day. But even when you test once a day, somebody could -

something happens where they catch something," the President said.

CORONAVIRUS: RUSSIAN HOSPITAL STAFF 'WORKING WITHOUT MASKS'

As coronavirus spreads more widely in Russia's provinces, hospitals - often

old and ill-equipped - have become infection "hot spots". The number of

medical workers getting sick, and dying, is growing.

President Putin admitted that there was a shortage of PPE and ordered an

increase in production. But even now, many Russian healthcare staff are

scared to complain publicly about having to work without proper protection.

VE DAY: BERLIN MARKS END OF WW2 WITH UNPRECEDENTED HOLIDAY

Berliners have been given an unprecedented public holiday on Friday, to mark

the end of World War Two but also liberation from Nazi rule.

Not since reunification has a German city acknowledged 8 May as a day of

liberation and some Berliners are unaware of the date's significances.

A street party and several events have been cancelled because of the

coronavirus pandemic.

The holiday is one-off and is not being held outside Berlin.

But there are growing calls for a public holiday to be held across Germany.

For some, particularly in areas of the old West Germany, 8 May has long been

associated with defeat in World War Two. Many families preferred to draw a

veil over the period, both those who had suffered persecution as well as

those who hadn't.

In the areas of the old communist East Germany, 8 May was taught as "Day of

Liberation" from the Nazi regime by the victorious Red Army. Post-war Berlin

itself was divided into four sectors - the Soviets in the east and the US,

French and British in the west.

In the latter years of the West German state, the date was also seen as

marking liberation from the Nazi regime but nowadays more significantly as

the rebirth of democracy.

The only national public holiday currently marking German history is 3

October, which celebrates the date of reunification in 1990.