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VOA NEWS

February 14, 2020

This is VOA news. I'm David Byrd.

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But the executive director of the World Health Organization Emergencies Programme said Thursday that most of the newly reported cases are related to a period going back over days and weeks even retrospectively reported cases some times going back to the beginning of the outbreak.

"We need to be very careful when interpreting any extremes. Be it in incubation period, be it in daily numbers, we must take all numbers into account, we must look at all numbers seriously but we also must try and interpret what those numbers mean and not react directly to the number itself."

Ryan says countries still have an opportunity to prepare for the potential spread of the virus. He says [getting clinical drugs of] getting clinical trials of drugs and vaccines underway as quickly as possible is of great urgency.

Attorney General William Barr says that President Donald Trump has to stop his tweets about the Justice Department. AP's Tim McGuire reports.

Attorney General William Barr tells ABC's Pierre Thomas "I think it's time to stop the tweeting about Department of Justice criminal cases."

Barr says Trump's tweets have done real damage. "... people in the department, our men and women here, about cases pending in the department and about judges before whom we have cases, make it impossible for me to do my job ...."

The ABC interview comes after Barr overruled his own prosecutors who recommended Trump's longtime confidant Roger Stone be sentenced seven to nine years in prison and then he took the extraordinary step of lowering the amount or not offering an amended number.

That is Tim McGuire.

And this is VOA news.

The U.S. Senate-backed legislation Thursday to limit President Trump's ability to wage war against Iran rebuking the president after a strike against an Iranian military commander and Tehran's retaliation last month raised fears of a broader conflict.

Eight Republicans joined with Democrats to pass the resolution by a 55-45 vote.

The measure was authored by Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, who says Trump must win approval from Congress before engaging in further military action against Iran.

"The president of the United States - this president and every president - always needs the ability to defend the United States against imminent attack without asking for anybody's permission. I think the world knows we will do that. This body, though, is the body that needs to decide if we go on offense and engage in military action and guess that the world knows we'll do that, too."

The Democratic-controlled House passed a separate non-binding war powers resolution last month. The House could take up the Senate resolution later this month. But President Trump has promised to veto it.

The leader of Italy's right-wing league party Matteo Salvini claims he and his former government were all in it together when the decision was made to deny the disembarkation of migrants from a coast guard ship. [AP] or as [a] Adam Reed of Reuters reports.

Salvini appeared at a news conference, not holding back at naming those others involved.

"The days when I blocked the ship before the disembarkation was a shared decision, agreed with Conte, Di Maio, Bonafede and Toninelli."

Salvini denied entry for the over 100 migrants on board the ship until European Union countries agreed to take them in.

If found guilty, he could eventually face up to 15 years in jail, although a resolution is not expected anytime soon due to Italy's complicated legal system.

That's Adam Reed of Reuters.

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Thursday the United States and the Taliban have negotiated a proposal for a seven-day reduction in violence.

Speaking at a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, Esper said he had had a series of productive meetings with allies about the proposals and the way forward. But he warned the agreement could change.

"It is our view that seven days for now is sufficient, but in all things, our approach to this process will be conditions-based."

The Taliban had issued an ultimatum Wednesday to Washington, demanding a reply to their offer of a seven-day reduction of violence and threatening to walk away from the negotiating table if they didn't get it.

For more, log on to the VOA website voanews.com. I'm David Byrd, VOA news.