Wednesday morning news - September 23, 2020

Trump blasts Chinese coronavirus response in UN address » President Trump on Tuesday urged world leaders to hold China accountable for the spread of the coronavirus. 

TRUMP: The Chinese government and the World Health Organization, which is virtually controlled by China, falsely declared that there was no evidence of human to human transmission. 

Trump added that China later “falsely said people without symptoms would not spread the disease.” 

He spoke by video to a scaled-down U.N. General Assembly as America’s COVID-19 death toll topped 200,000.

China’s ambassador to the UN Zhang Jun fired back, calling the U.S. president’s accusations baseless lies. And Chinese leader Xi Jinping appeared to take a veiled swipe at the Trump administration. Xi said “No country has the right to dominate global affairs, control the destiny of others” or be the—quote—“bully or boss of the world.”

Sen. Romney supports vote on Trump Supreme Court nominee » Republican Sen. Mitt Romney on Tuesday all but assured President Trump will have the votes in the Senate to confirm his Supreme Court nominee. 

Romney said Tuesday he will vote on the president’s pick based on her merits. 

ROMNEY: When there’s a nominee of a party that is in the same party as the Senate then typically they do confirm. So the Garland decision was consistent with that, and the decision to proceed now with President Trump’s nominee is also consistent with history. 

Democrats had hoped Romney would join GOP Senators Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins in opposing a confirmation vote before the November election. 

Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, and the Democrats would need four GOP defections to block consideration. 

Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham said every Republican on his committee will back the nominee. 

GRAHAM: We’re going to report the nomination out of the committee to the floor of the United States Senate so we can vote before the election. That’s the constitutional process. 

President Trump said Tuesday that he’ll announce his pick to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Saturday.

He is considering five candidates, all women. And he reportedly met with federal judge Amy Coney Barrett at the White House on Monday. Many consider her the frontrunner for the high court nomination.

Ginsburg to lie in state atop Supreme Court steps » The body of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will lie in repose at the Supreme Court this week. And the court said it will allow a public viewing despite some coronavirus concerns. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin has more. 

KRISTEN FLAVIN, REPORTER: Ginsburg’s casket will be on public view today and tomorrow under the portico at the top of the court’s iconic steps.

Public viewing is expected to last from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. today and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. tomorrow. 

Congress made similar arrangements for a public viewing outside the Capitol after the death of Congressman John Lewis in July.

The justices will join Ginsburg’s family and friends for a private ceremony at the court this morning.

And House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Ginsburg’s body also will lie in state Friday in Statuary Hall at the Capitol. 

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

Beta drenches Texas coast » Tropical Storm Beta weakened to a tropical depression Tuesday as it parked over the Texas coast. That’s wreaking havoc in flood-prone Houston. 

Rescue volunteer Victor Doctor spoke with KTRK as he helped a woman whose car was swept away by flood waters. 

DOCTOR: She drifted over to a middle school parking lot. This is dangerous right here. So we’ve got to lift the trucks and stuff. I’m going to kayak down, put her on the kayak and walk her back in.

Beta made landfall late Monday as a tropical storm about 80 miles northeast of Corpus Cristi. 

Forecasters last night said Beta will likely be centered over Houston this morning as it continues to track northeast.

That could take the storm over Lake Charles, Louisiana—less than a month after Hurricane Laura devastated the city. Mayor Nic Hunter said Tuesday… 

HUNTER: You can imagine the tens of thousands of people that are trying to pick up their lives and put the pieces back together, to have Tropical Storm Beta now thrust onto their shoulders, it’s a lot to handle. 

Flash flood watches and warnings are likely in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi this week as Beta pushes inland.    

British prime minister announces new restrictions amid virus surge » Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned Britons on Tuesday that they should not expect to return to a normal social or work life for at least six months. That as he ordered new restrictions to try and curb a coronavirus surge. 

JOHNSON: From Thursday, all pubs, bars, and restaurants must operate a table service-only, Mr. Speaker, except for takeaways. Together with all hospitality venues, they must close at 10 p.m.

He also expanded mask requirements to those who work in retail, as well as taxi and ride-sharing services. All staff and customers at restaurants and other hospitality businesses must wear masks, except when eating or drinking. 

The U.K. on Tuesday recorded nearly 5,000 new confirmed cases in 24 hours. That was the highest daily number since early May and more than four times the figure from a month ago. 

Johnson had encouraged workers just weeks ago to go back into offices to keep city centers from becoming ghost towns, and he expressed hope that society could return to normal by Christmas.

But in a stark change of tone, he said Tuesday that “for the time being, this virus is a fact of our lives.” And he urged those who can work from home to do so.

(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, arrives for a meeting with Senate Republicans, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington. 

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