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Added on the 08/01/2018 16:08:02 - Copyright : Wochit
Dr. Fauci met with President-elect Joe Biden's transition team on Thursday. Fauci will continue in his role under the Biden administration at the National Institutes of Health. Fauci said they discussed “a variety of Covid-related topics.” Fauci said he has spoken previously with Biden's incoming White House chief of staff, Ron Klain. Fauci added that his Thursday meeting will likely be the first of a series of transition meetings with the team. He also said he fully expects to remain in his role as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
US President Donald Trump walked out in the middle of his scheduled interview with CBS News' '60 Minutes' on Tuesday. CNN reports that not only did Trump fail to complete his interview, he also didn't return for an appearance he was supposed to tape with Vice President Mike Pence. Trump sat down at the White House with host Lesley Stahl for about 45 minutes, then abruptly ended the interview. Sources say he told the network he believed they had enough material to use. Stahl previously said that in 2016, then-candidate Trump admitted his attacks on the press were meant to discredit negative stories that emerged about him. He said, 'You know why I do it? I do it to discredit you all and demean you all so when you write negative stories about me, no one will believe you.' He said that. Lesley Stahl
Last week, US National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien said the US would reduce the number of US troops in Afghanistan from 4,500 down to 2,500 by year's end. O'Brien added that the drawdown would take place, regardless of the conditions on the ground. But on Sunday, America's most senior general publicly pushed back at O'Brien's remarks, calling them 'speculation.' Robert O'Brien, or anyone else, can speculate as they see fit, I am not going to engage in speculation, I'm going to engage in the rigorous analysis of the situation based on the conditions and the plans that I'm aware of in my conversations with the President. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley The mixed messages from the Pentagon and the White House come as the Taliban launched a major military offensive against the Afghan government. The attack prompted US military aircraft to carry out a series of airstrikes against Taliban fighters in recent days.
The White House says US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have spoken about Gaza in their first conversation for nearly a month amid reports of tensions between the leaders. "The two leaders also reviewed the situation in Gaza and the shift to targeted operations that will enable the flow of increasing amounts of humanitarian assistance while keeping the military pressure on Hamas and its leaders," US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby tells reporters in a press briefing. IMAGES
The White House warns that time is running out to fund Ukraine's fight against Russia's invasion, after hardline Republicans in Congress blocked US aid for Kyiv. SOUNDBITE
The arraignment of former US President Donald Trump in a Manhattan criminal court in a hush-money payment case "is not something that is a focus" of US President Joe Biden, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says in Washington. SOUNDBITE