A new book by journalist Bob Woodward says US President Donald Trump seemed to understand the severity of the pandemic, even as he was downplaying the COVID-19 threat to Americans. Trump had insisted earlier this year that the virus was no worse than the seasonal flu and that the U-S government had it totally under control. But Woodward says in a February phone call with Trump, the president stressed the deadly nature of the novel coronavirus. Trump is also quoted as saying, ``It's also more deadly than even your strenuous flu.'' Trump told Woodward on March 19 that he deliberately minimized

Wildfires are raging unchecked across parts of the western United States as winds sweep the region. More than 14,000 firefighters are on the lines California's fires from the Sierra Nevada to the San Francisco Bay region and south to San Diego County. In Washington, more acres burned in a single day than firefighters usually see all year. Fires also have forced people to flee in Oregon and Idaho. A temperature plunge helped slow wildfires in the Rocky Mountains. The National Weather Service says critical fire weather conditions are continuing on Wednesday but winds will diminish by Thursday.

A 59 year old south Florida woman is dead following an argument with her son over orange juice, an air conditioner remote and the use of her car. Luis Pages told police he ``he lost it'' during the Sunday evening argument and shot 59 year old Miriam Gonzalez multiple times in their North Miami Beach home. 29 year old is charged with one count of second-degree murder and is being held without bond. Pages told investigators he tried to shoot himself too, but was out of bullets. He then called 911. When an officer arrived Pages told him, ``take me to jail.''

President Donald Trump says he's committed to helping Kenosha, Wisconsin, and is promising more federal resources for police and small businesses. US President Donald Trump says Kenosha, Wisconsin, ``would have been burnt to the ground by now'' if he hadn't deployed the National Guard to quell demonstrations over the police shooting of a Black man.Trump is visiting the city over the objections of some state and local leaders, fearful that he will increase tensions. The city saw unrest after a police officer shot Jacob Blake seven times in the back on Aug. 23. Blake's family says the 29 year o

The NBA and its players have agreed the playoffs will resume tomorrow. NBA players want change that makes their communities safer. They want people to vote hopefully in their home arenas. And they want to keep playing basketball. Teams returned to the court Friday after the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association agreed on commitments that made players comfortable continuing. The two sides say they are going to immediately establish a social justice coalition, made up of players, coaches and owners, that will push for meaningful police and criminal justice reform. Play stopped Wed

The Reverend Al Sharpton says tens of thousands came to the Lincoln Memorial today as Dr. Martin Luther King Junior did 57 years ago to say they are tired of broken promises. Protesters are calling for police reform and marking the anniversary of King's 1963 ``I Have a Dream'' speech. Sharpton told the crowd that enough is enough saying ``If we have to march every day we will get your knee off our neck.'' Sharpton says demonstrators want action, including Senate passage of a bill, named for the late John Lewis, to protect voting rights.

US President Donald Trump is urging people to pay attention to local officials and get out of the path of hurricane Laura, which is now a powerful Category 4 storm. There are fears Laura will come ashore with a six-metre storm surge that forecasters say would be deadly and capable of submerging entire towns. Laura is expected to make landfall tonight near the Texas-Louisiana state line with top winds of more than 200-kilometres an hour. Thousands of Gulf Coast residents fled inland from an approaching hurricane deemed "unsurvivable" by forecasters, heeding warnings from leaders in two states

Police in Antioch, Illinois have arrested a teenager on suspicion of first-degree intentional homicide after two people were shot to death during another night of Black Lives Matter protests in nearby Kenosha, Wisconsin. A man was caught on cellphone video opening fire in the street with a semi-automatic rifle and could be heard saying ``I just killed somebody.'' Video also shows police apparently letting a young man walk past them with a rifle over his shoulder as people yelled for him to be arrested because he had shot people.

The death of a police officer's wife in the Miami area is being considered an accident. 56 year old Clara Paulino climbed into the backseat of her husband's marked SUV Friday to find something and got trapped inside when the doors closed and the self-locking device engaged. She was trapped for about four hours on a hot afternoon as her husband slept after finishing a midnight shift. The SUV has a cage that separates the back seat from the front seat and has bars on the windows and doors that can only be opened from the outside.