Trump Names Adam Telle Acting U.S. Army Secretary 
Two Palestinian Teenagers Killed in West Bank Violence 
Lula’s Lead Over Flavio Bolsonaro Narrows Ahead of Brazil Election 
Iran Strikes U.S. Bases in Kuwait as Hormuz Tensions Rise 
Trump Seeks Europe Repayment for U.S. Ukraine Military Aid 
Milei Threatens Falkland Oil Firms With Sanctions 
Iran War Civilian Toll Rises After U.S. Strikes Hit Wedding 
Lula Runs Cautious Brazil Election Campaign as Bolsonaro Narrows Poll Gap 
USS Abraham Lincoln Arrives in Thailand After Record 200 Days at Sea 
Maduro Seeks Dismissal of US Drug Trafficking Charges 
Ed Markey Wins Massachusetts Democratic Senate Primary 
Australia, US Move to Expand Defence Ties in Indo-Pacific 
US-Iran Conflict Escalates With New Strikes Near Hormuz 
Nicaragua Congress Backs Reform Banning Opposition Parties 
Zelenskiy Orders Probe Into Kyiv SBU-HUR Shootout 
Pacific Islands Forum Seeks Unified Condemnation of China Missile Test 
Add as a preferred source on Google
The Trump administration is mainly criticized for its slow response to the coronavirus, with Donald Trump pinning the blame on China for mishandling the pandemic. In the latest White House press conference, Trump claims that he has seen proof that the coronavirus originated in a lab in Wuhan.
CNN reports that during the White House press conference, the press asked Trump on whether or not he has seen any evidence that would back up his claim that the coronavirus started in the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and the president said yes he did. When asked why he was confident that the pandemic came as a result of a lab accident, Trump appeared to step back and say that he could not say why nor was he allowed to disclose the reason why.
This is a stark contradiction to the statement made by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence that was released hours prior to the press conference. The statement revealed that there has been no assessment made that the coronavirus originated in a lab in Wuhan. The statement also said that an investigation is still being done to trace the origin of the virus whether it came from direct contact with infected animals or a lab accident. Nevertheless, they believe that the coronavirus was not man-made. The Trump administration has since pressured the intelligence officials to determine the exact origin.
Following the remarks, Trump returned to criticizing the World Health Organization for being very pro-China. Trump said that the WHO was acting like the public relations agency for China. “...and this country pays them $500 million a year, and China pays them $38 million a year,”
“Whether it’s a lot or more, it doesn’t matter, but still, they shouldn’t be making excuses when people make horrible mistakes, especially mistakes that are causing hundreds of thousands of people all over the world to die. I think the World Health Organization should be ashamed of themselves,” said Trump.
The United States remains to be the worst-hit country of the pandemic. Over one million Americans are infected with the virus, with the death toll reaching 63,000. The country is also expected to start the process of reopening as Trump previously announced that he will not be extending the lockdown period after the end of April.
