Thai protesters surround Government House
Thousands of protesters broke through police cordons and surrounded Thailand’s seat of government on Wednesday, marking a symbolic moment in their three-month campaign against the establishment.
About 10,000 demonstrators converged on Government House in the capital, Bangkok, settling in for what organisers said would be several days of protests.
The student-led demonstrators are calling for the resignation of the government of former coup leader Prayuth Chan-ocha, the writing of a new constitution and an end to the harassment of political dissenters.
They are also making what were until recently unheard of demands for limits on the wealth and powers of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who spends most of his time in Germany.
On Wednesday the king’s wife, Queen Suthida, was jeered as her limousine passed within a few metres of the protests. Demonstrators cried “My tax money!” and gave her their defiant three-fingered salute, taken from the film The Hunger Games.
Trump returns to public events with ‘law and order’ speech at White House
Defiant in the face of slipping opinion polls, and determined to justify his implausible claim of a swift and full recovery from his encounter with Covid-19, Donald Trump returned to public events on Saturday with a brief “law and order” speech from a White House balcony.
![a man standing next to a clock: Photograph: REX/Shutterstock](https://www.msn.com/{"default":{"load":"default","w":"80","h":"48","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB19TMTP.img?h=480&w=799&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=488&y=210"},"size3column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"38","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB19TMTP.img?h=375&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=488&y=210"},"size2column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"38","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB19TMTP.img?h=375&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=488&y=210"}})
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Photograph: REX/Shutterstock
In a closely-watched first public appearance at a live event just six days after he left Walter Reed medical center following a three-night stay, the president delivered an 18-minute scripted address to a crowd on the South Lawn. It had been billed as “2,000 invited guests” but in reality a gathering of about 500 mostly young flag-waving supporters, some of whom appeared to be not properly wearing masks.
![Donald Trump standing in front of a building: Donald Trump removes a mask ahead of speaking from a balcony at the White House on 10 October.](https://www.msn.com/{"default":{"load":"default","w":"80","h":"48","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB19TQYC.img?h=480&w=799&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=2062&y=897"},"size3column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"38","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB19TQYC.img?h=375&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=2062&y=897"},"size2column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"38","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB19TQYC.img?h=375&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=2062&y=897"}})
© Photograph: REX/Shutterstock
Donald Trump removes a mask ahead of speaking from a balcony at the White House on 10 October.
Related: ‘A surreal reality show’: Trump’s terrible week
Trump Holds Event On Law And Order At White House
WASHINGTON, DC — Supporters lined up outside the White House South Lawn on Saturday, hoping to catch a glimpse of President Donald Trump’s first public event since he tested positive for COVID-19 just over a week ago.
Thousands are expected to attend what the Trump administration is billing as “a peaceful protest for law & order.” In an address scheduled to start around 2 p.m. ET, Trump will speak from the White House balcony, The Associated Press reported.
Watch live using the above video player or on the White House’s YouTube channel.
RELATED: Thousands Expected At Trump’s First Public Event Since Virus
All attendees were required to bring masks or masks would be provided for them, and also would be given temperature checks and asked to fill out a brief questionnaire.
Attendees were “strongly encouraged” to follow CDC guidelines, which include mask-wearing and social distancing, AP reported.
Saturday’s event comes
Trump to return to public events with ‘law and order’ address at White House
Defiant in the face of slipping opinion polls, and determined to justify his implausible claim of a full recovery from his encounter with Covid-19, Donald Trump will return to public events on Saturday with a “law and order” address to 2,000 invited guests from the White House balcony.
![Donald Trump wearing a suit and tie: Photograph: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images](https://www.msn.com/{"default":{"load":"default","w":"80","h":"48","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB19TBIt.img?h=480&w=799&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=363&y=152"},"size3column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"38","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB19TBIt.img?h=375&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=363&y=152"},"size2column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"38","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB19TBIt.img?h=375&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=363&y=152"}})
© Provided by The Guardian
Photograph: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
Related: ‘A surreal reality show’: Trump’s terrible week after his Covid diagnosis
Questions about the president’s health are still swirling following the refusal of doctors or aides to reveal when Trump last tested negative for coronavirus, and today’s lunchtime in-person event – just six days after he left Walter Reed medical center following a three-night stay – appears to counter his own government’s health guidelines over large gatherings and social distancing.
![Donald Trump wearing a suit and tie: Donald Trump walks from Marine One after arriving on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington DC, on 1 October.](https://www.msn.com/{"default":{"load":"default","w":"80","h":"48","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB19TzgE.img?h=480&w=799&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=1232&y=511"},"size3column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"38","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB19TzgE.img?h=375&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=1232&y=511"},"size2column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"38","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB19TzgE.img?h=375&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=1232&y=511"}})
© Photograph: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
Donald Trump walks from Marine One after arriving on the South Lawn of the White House in
Trump to give White House balcony speech on ‘law and order’
Trump will address guests from the White House balcony in his first public event since his COVID-19 diagnosis
President Donald Trump will address hundreds of invited guests on Saturday to discuss “law and order,” from the balcony of the White House.
Trump, who is still recovering from COVID-19, will appear before his supporters this weekend, ABC News reports. The gathering will take place on the South Lawn of the White House and highlight “remarks to peaceful protesters for law and order,” according to the official invite.
Read More: Trump tells Iran ‘if you f–k with us, we’ll do things ‘never done before’
Trump’s first public event since his diagnosis is being organized in conjunction with Blexit, the Candace Owens’ backed group which urges Black Americans to leave the Democratic Party per sources.
Can Pelosi Invoke 25th Amendment To Remove Trump From White House? What The Law States, How It’s Implemented
KEY POINTS
- President Trump has been given two experimental treatments and a powerful steroid to treat COVID-19
- Pelosi questioned Trump’s recent behavior, saying he appears to be in an “altered state”
- Trump responded, calling Pelosi crazy
Democratic lawmakers say they are concerned about President Donald Trump’s mental state following treatment for COVID-19 and introduced legislation Friday to create a commission to determine if the president is fit for office under the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
The discussion comes just 24 days before the Nov.3 election.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said there never has been a good time to set up the commission but the current situation has focused everyone’s attention.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi denied this is just another attempt by Democrats to go around the voting process.
“This is not about President Trump. He will face the judgment of voters. But he shows the need to create
White House says rising COVID-19 cases not disrupting U.S. government
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The rise in COVID-19 cases among officials in Washington is not disrupting the U.S. government, the White House said on Tuesday, as the nation’s top military leaders moved into quarantine and at least two more White House staffers were reported to have been infected.
Asked if the spread of the novel coronavirus among staff in the Trump administration and Republican U.S. senators was harming the federal government’s ability to function, spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany, speaking from isolation after testing positive herself, told Fox Business Network: “Not in the slightest.”
“We are regularly meeting,” although some staff must attend remotely, she said.
DC government unable to connect with White House on outbreak
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© Alex Brandon
President Trump salutds as he stood on the Blue Room Balcony upon returning to the White House on Monday evening.
![Donald Trump wearing a suit and tie: President Trump salutds as he stood on the Blue Room Balcony upon returning to the White House on Monday evening.](https://www.msn.com/{"default":{"load":"default","w":"80","h":"53","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB19JEDD.img?h=533&w=799&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=2189&y=801"},"size3column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"42","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB19JEDD.img?h=417&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=2189&y=801"},"size2column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"42","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB19JEDD.img?h=417&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=2189&y=801"}})
President Trump made the stunning announcement that he and First Lady Melania Trump had tested positive for COVID-19 early Friday. Here’s what we know:
♦ President Trump left Walter Reed Monday and urged people not to be “afraid” of COVID-19, the disease that has killed more than 200,000 Americans since the spring, as his doctors told reporters that he met discharge criteria but is not yet out of the woods.
♦ At least eight people who attended a White House ceremony on Sept. 26 have tested positive for COVID-19: the president, Melania Trump, Kellyanne Conway, Utah Senator Mike Lee, North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, Rev. John Jenkins, the president of Notre Dame, Chris Christie, and press secretary Kayleigh McEnany.
♦
Kyrgyz protesters take government house, free ex-leader after after post-vote clashes
Protesters seized Kyrgyzstan’s seat of government and freed a jailed former president on Tuesday after demonstrations against an election marred by vote-buying accusations spiralled into violent clashes with police.
Opposition supporters hit the streets of the capital Bishkek the previous evening to demand the resignation of pro-Russian President Sooronbay Jeenbekov and a re-run of Sunday’s poll.
Police used water cannon, stun grenades and tear gas to disperse protesters attempting to force their way through the gates of the building that houses the former Soviet republic’s parliament and presidential offices.
Photos published by Radio Free Europe later showed protesters strolling around the building unhindered.
A crowd of around 2,000 people then forced their way into the nearby National Security Committee building, where former president Almazbek Atambayev was jailed.
Adil Turdukuov, an activist and ally of Atambayev who witnessed the release said the ex-leader was freed “without force or use of any
House Speaker Michael Madigan says it’s not ‘ethically improper’ to find government jobs for people. Here’s what he’s failing to mention.
For years, Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan has defended his aggressive push to land political allies and their friends and family on taxpayer-funded payrolls, but rarely has he waxed as philosophically about it as he did last week in a three-page letter.
© Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune/TNS
Speaker of the House Michael J. Madigan (D) 22nd District talks with House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R) 82nd District before a debate at Illinois House to vote on a bill raising statewide minimum wage during session at the State Capitol in Springfield on Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019.
![Michael Madigan wearing a suit and tie: Speaker of the House Michael J. Madigan (D) 22nd District talks with House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R) 82nd District before a debate at Illinois House to vote on a bill raising statewide minimum wage during session at the State Capitol in Springfield on Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019.](https://www.msn.com/{"default":{"load":"default","w":"80","h":"53","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB19DvbW.img?h=533&w=799&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=959&y=693"},"size3column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"42","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB19DvbW.img?h=417&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=959&y=693"},"size2column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"42","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB19DvbW.img?h=417&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=959&y=693"}})
© Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune/TNS
Speaker of the House Michael J. Madigan (D) 22nd District watches as Illinois House votes on a bill raising statewide minimum wage during session at the State Capitol in Springfield on Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019.
![Michael Madigan standing in front of a door: Speaker of the House Michael J. Madigan (D) 22nd District watches as Illinois House votes on a bill raising statewide minimum wage during session at the State Capitol in Springfield on Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019.](https://www.msn.com/{"default":{"load":"default","w":"80","h":"52","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB19DbbF.img?h=518&w=799&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=1765&y=717"},"size3column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"40","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB19DbbF.img?h=405&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=1765&y=717"},"size2column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"40","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB19DbbF.img?h=405&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=1765&y=717"}})
Facing intense pressure from a federal investigation into ComEd’s bribes-for-favors scandal