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A26 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 2 June 2020
Trump slams governors as ‘weak,’ urges crackdown on protests

By JONATHAN LEMIRE, Trump said that "I think it's
ZEKE MILLER and time to review that again."
ALAN SUDERMAN He continued his effort to
Associated Press project strength, using in-
WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- flammatory tweets and de-
dent Donald Trump on livering partisan attacks.
Monday derided many As cities have burned night
governors as "weak" and after night and images of
demanded tougher crack- violence have dominat-
downs on burning and ed television coverage,
stealing among some dem- Trump's advisers have dis-
onstrations in the aftermath cussed the prospect of an
of violent protests in dozens Oval Office address in an
of American cities. attempt to ease tensions.
Trump spoke to governors The notion was quickly
on a video teleconference scrapped for lack of policy
that also included law en- proposals and the presi-
forcement and national dent's own seeming disin-
security officials, telling the terest in delivering a mes-
state leaders they "have to sage of unity.
get much tougher." Trump did not appear in
"Most of you are weak," public on Sunday and was
Trump said. "You have to not scheduled to on Mon-
arrest people." In this Saturday, May 30, 2020, photo, President Donald Trump walks across the South Lawn of the day either. The demonstra-
The days of protests were White House in Washington. Associated Press tions in Washington ap-
triggered by the death of peared to catch officers by
George Floyd, a black man in cities that also experi- of the National Guard as ages of fires and looting surprise. They sparked one
who died when a white enced violence, including a show for force on city and clashes with police fill- of the highest alerts at the
Minneapolis police officer New York, Philadelphia and streets. ing the nation's airwaves White House complex since
knelt on his neck for several Los Angeles. Attorney General Bill Barr, and overshadowing the the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001.
minutes. The demonstra- "You've got to arrest peo- who was also on the call, largely peaceful protests. Trump has told advisers he
tions turned violent in sev- ple, you have to track peo- told governors that a joint The protests had grown so worries about his safety,
eral cities, with looting and ple, you have to put them terrorist task force would heated Friday night that while both privately and
mayhem, and fires ignited in jail for 10 years and you'll be used to track agitators the Secret Service rushed publicly praising the work
in historic park Lafayette never see this stuff again," and urged local officials the president to an under- of the Secret Service.
Park across from the White said Trump. "We're doing it to "dominate" the streets ground bunker previously Demonstrators returned
House. The president urged in Washington, D.C. We're and control, not react to used during terrorist at- Sunday afternoon, facing
the governors to deploy going to do something that crowds. He urged the gov- tacks. off against police at Lafay-
the National Guard, which people haven't seen be- ernors to "go after trouble- On Monday, Trump also ette Park into the evening.
he credited for helping fore." makers." spoke of trying to criminal- Trump retweeted a mes-
calm the situation Sunday The president told the gov- Trump's angry exhortations ize flag-burning. The Su- sage from a conservative
night in Minneapolis. He ernors they were making at the nation's governors preme Court has conserva- commentator encourag-
demanded that similarly themselves "look like fools" came after a Sunday night tive new members since it ing authorities to respond
tough measures be taken for not calling up more of escalating violence, im- last ruled on that issue, and with greater force.q

Gilead says drug helped moderately ill coronavirus patients

be published in a medical monia but did not need ox- among those on 10 days,
journal. Remdesivir is the ygen support. All were ran- and four among patients
only treatment that's been domly assigned to get five getting standard care
shown in a rigorous experi- or 10 days of the drug plus alone. Nausea and head-
ment to help fight the coro- standard care, or standard ache were a little more
navirus. A large study led care alone. Patients and common among those on
by the National Institutes their doctors knew who the drug.
of Health recently found it was getting what, which The study has some limi-
could shorten average re- limits the objectivity of the tations, but "there was a
covery time from 15 days to results. control group which does
11 days in hospitalized pa- By the 11th day in the study, help verify that remdesivir
tients with severe disease. those on five days of rem- has some benefits," said Dr.
The drug is given through desivir were 65% more likely Radha Rajasingham, an in-
an IV and is designed to in- to improve by at least one fectious disease specialist
terfere with an enzyme the on a seven-point scale that at the University of Minne-
This is an April 30, 2020, file photo showing Gilead Sciences virus uses to copy its genet- included measures such as sota Medical Center in Min-
headquarters in Foster City, Calif. ic material. It's approved for needing treatment with a neapolis who had no role in
Associated Press treating COVID-19 in Japan breathing machine, Gilead the work.
By MARILYNN MARCHIONE five days to moderately ill, and is authorized for emer- said. Ten days of treatment Since there are limited sup-
AP Chief Medical Writer hospitalized patients with gency use in the United did not prove better than plies of the experimental
A California biotech com- COVID-19. States for certain patients. standard care alone. drug, finding benefit from
pany says its experimental Gilead Sciences gave few The company-led study in- There were no deaths five versus 10 days means
drug remdesivir improved details on Monday but volved nearly 600 patients among patients on five more people can be treat-
symptoms when given for said full results would soon who had moderate pneu- days of the drug, two ed, she added.q