10 things you need to know today: September 5, 2020

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1. Multiple outlets confirm Trump called dead, captured U.S. troops 'losers'
2. Biden passionately condemns Trump's reported comments about troops
3. Coronavirus vaccine developers to jointly pledge adherence to safety
4. White House memo instructs federal agencies to nix racial sensitivity trainings
5. U.S. COVID-19 death toll could rise to 410,000 by January, model projects
6. Trump says Stars and Stripes won't lose funding
7. Unemployment rate declines to 8.4 percent in August
8. U.S.-brokered deal between Balkan rivals seen as diplomatic victory for Israel
9. Mississippi prosecutors drop charges against Curtis Flowers
10. Mulan and Tenet to test future of pandemic debuts this weekend

published 5 September 2020

1. Multiple outlets confirm Trump called dead, captured U.S. troops 'losers'

President Trump denied reporting from The Atlantic that said he repeatedly called U.S. military personnel captured or killed in battle "losers" and "suckers," but multiple outlets corroborated the report on Friday, including Fox News. The Associated Press and The Washington Post confirmed the comments, saying Trump begged out of a trip to pay respects to U.S. World War I dead at Aisne-Marne American Cemetery outside Paris because "it's filled with losers" and "suckers." Fox News' Jennifer Griffin reports that while planning a July 4th military parade, Trump was opposed to including "wounded guys," saying, "that's not a good look" and "Americans don't like that." White House Press Secretary Kaleigh McEnany claimed the reporting had been "debunked," saying it was "based on four cowardly anonymous sources, who probably do not even exist."

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden strongly rebuked President Trump on Friday and called for him to apologize for "disgusting" remarks he allegedly made about U.S. troops. Referring to reports that Trump described U.S. troops killed in battle as "losers" and "suckers," Biden called the reported comments "deplorable." Biden's late son, Beau Biden, served in Iraq. "When my son volunteered and joined the United States military as the attorney general and went to Iraq for a year, won the bronze star and other commendations, he wasn't a sucker," Biden said. "The service men and women he served with, particularly those who did not come home, were not losers." He added, "I'm always cautioned not to lose my temper. This may be as close as I've come in this campaign."

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In a draft of a joint statement, several major drug makers, including Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Moderna, pledged not to seek government approval for their COVID-19 vaccines — many of which are already in large clinical trials — until they have been proven safe and effective, The Wall Street Journal reports. The statement is still being finalized, but could reportedly be made public as soon as next week. The Journal notes the pledge is "an unusual joint move among rivals," which comes amid concerns that the companies and the U.S. government may be rushing to approve a vaccine. "We believe this pledge will help ensure public confidence in the COVID-19 vaccines that may ultimately be approved and adherence to the rigorous scientific and regulatory process by which they are evaluated," the draft statement says.

In a letter sent to executive branch agencies Friday, White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought said President Trump has directed him to "ensure that federal agencies cease and desist from using taxpayer dollars to fund" racial sensitivity training sessions, which he described as "divisive" and "un-American." The OMB is instructing agencies to identify all contracts "related to any training on 'critical race theory,' 'white privilege,' or any other training or propaganda effort that teaches or suggests" the United States is "an inherently racist or evil country" or that "any race or ethnicity is inherently racist or evil." Once those contracts are identified, the letter says, the agencies should work within the confines of the law to cancel them. The letter comes after months of protests against racial injustice in the U.S.

The University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation this week forecast that by Jan. 1, the COVID-19 death toll in the U.S. will rise to 410,451. That would be about 225,000 more COVID-19 deaths. The IHME says it expects the daily COVID-19 death rate in the U.S. to rise to nearly 3,000 a day in December, citing "seasonality and declining vigilance of the public." The researchers pointed to face masks as a key way to lower the death toll, but noted mask use has declined in recent weeks. Additionally, the IHME says that if a "herd immunity strategy" were pursued, and "no further government intervention is taken from now to January," the COVID-19 death toll could increase to 620,000.

President Trump on Friday said that funding for Stars and Stripes, the United States military newspaper, would not be cut. Under Defense Department budget plans, the paper would cease both print and online publication by Sept. 30, but Trump will seemingly reverse that. Stars and Stripes "will continue to be a wonderful source of information to our great military," Trump tweeted. A senior administration official confirmed to The New York Times that Trump decided to back Stars and Stripes after aides showed him news reports blaming him for shuttering the publication. The president's announcement comes after multiple reports that he insulted American service members who were killed in the country's wars. Trump has denied those reports.

The U.S. unemployment rate declined to 8.4 percent in August as the economy added 1.4 million jobs, the Labor Department said on Friday. The unemployment rate was down from 10.2 percent in July, and this was the first time it has been below 10 percent since the coronavirus crisis began in the United States. Economists were anticipating the unemployment rate would decline to 9.8 percent. Hiring, however, has slowed after the economy previously added 1.7 million jobs in July and 4.8 million jobs in June. About 238,000 of the jobs added in August were temporary Census workers. Of the 22 million jobs lost in the U.S. amid the COVID-19 pandemic, about half have been recovered.

The White House on Friday brokered an agreement normalizing economic relations between Serbia and Kosovo two decades after the two sides fought a war, but the negotiations were heavily tied to Israel, as well. In the deal, Serbia became the first European country to transfer its embassy to Jerusalem, while the Muslim-majority Kosovo will recognize Israel. In exchange, Israel will recognize Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008, but is still seeking to further legitimize its statehood. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Kosovo will also open its embassy in Jerusalem, making it the first Muslim-majority country to do so. The move is viewed as the latest effort by the Trump administration to bolster Israel's international ties. Recently, the White House helped Israel and the United Arab Emirates normalize relations.

Mississippi prosecutors on Friday dropped their case against Curtis Flowers, a Black man from Mississippi who had been tried an unprecedented six separate times for a 1996 murder. Flowers has spent 23 years in prison, many of them on death row. Flowers, whose case vaulted into the public consciousness through the American Public Media podcast In the Dark, was released from prison on bail last year after the U.S. Supreme Court reversed his latest conviction. Now, there will be no seventh trial. "Today, I am finally free from the injustice that left me locked in a box for nearly 23 years," Flowers said in a statement released by his attorneys. The prosecution has received criticism over the years, largely stemming from allegations of racial discrimination in jury selection.

Two major movies that were repeatedly delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic have both made their debuts in the United States on a key weekend for the entertainment industry. Tenet, the first major blockbuster film to be released during the pandemic, debuted in the U.S. on Thursday in the 75 percent of movie theaters that have reopened, though it's unclear how willing American audiences will be to return. Mulan, meanwhile, debuted on Disney+ on Friday for $30 after Disney skipped a U.S. theatrical release due to the pandemic. Experts have their eye on how each film performs, which could determine whether movies scheduled for the coming months are either released into theaters, released at home, or delayed into 2021.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.