ALEX WONG / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP
US President Donald Trump has responded to criticism over his Tweets supporting anti-lockdown protests in three states.
During his White House briefing, he defended his Tweets that urged to “liberate” Virginia, Minnesota and Michigan, claiming the Democratic governors are being "too tough" while implementing the stay-at-home orders.
"What they've done is very powerful. You know you could get the same result with doing a little bit less," he explained.
On Thursday, Trump said he was sympathetic to the demonstrators, but "they seem to be protesters who like me... my opinion is just about the same as all of the governors".
Several people have protested against the stay-at-home orders, claiming they are unreasonably limiting movement and affecting the economy.
This comes as the country records more than 710,000 positive cases and over 37,000 deaths.
The US and Iran failed to reach an agreement to end their war despite marathon talks that concluded on Sunday in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, jeopardising a fragile ceasefire.
Russia and Ukraine accused each other on Sunday of breaching the 32-hour ceasefire in their four-year war, reporting more than a thousand drone and shelling attacks just hours after the truce began on Saturday to mark Orthodox Easter.
At least 30 people were killed on Saturday in a stampede at the Laferriere Citadel in the northern countryside of Haiti, authorities said, warning that the death toll could rise.
A cyclone battered New Zealand's North Island on Sunday, cutting power to thousands of residents and forcing hundreds to evacuate, as officials warned conditions would worsen through the day.
Negotiations between the United States and Iran appeared to have concluded for now, Iran's government has announced early on Sunday, after a series of talks in Pakistan to end the six-week war between Washington and Tehran.