(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign has severed ties with some of its pollsters after the leak of months-old surveys showed him trailing former Vice President Joe Biden in key states, according to multiple reports.The moves come ahead of the official launch of Trump’s campaign at a Tuesday rally in the battleground state of Florida, and as an NBC-Wall Street Journal poll released Sunday showed that a majority of voters are “uncomfortable” with voting for Trump. Assessments of the economy have weakened in other surveys, and the public increasingly doubts the administration’s immigration enforcement efforts.NBC News first reported that the Trump pollsters were ousted following revelations that internal campaign polling from March showed Trump trailing Biden in traditionally Democratic-leaning states such as Pennsylvania that cemented the president’s victory in 2016, as well as in swing states and some typically Republican strongholds such as Georgia.Even in the solidly Republican state of Texas, which last voted for a Democrat for president in 1976, Trump led by just 2 percentage points in the March polls, NBC said. In 2016 Trump beat Democrat Hillary Clinton in Texas by 9 percentage points.The campaign’s move, which saw the purge of three of its five pollsters, was aimed at limiting the number of outsiders who could leak unfavorable poll numbers, according to the New York Times.Biden is the front-runner in the large Democratic primary field, but his strength and Trump’s possible weakness could change greatly in the months ahead. Trump famously surprised pollsters and pundits, most of who confidently predicted right up until the 2016 election that he would lose.The Trump campaign and the White House didn’t immediately return requests for comment. Trump’s campaign manager, Brad Parscale, told the Times in a statement that the leaked figures were “ancient” and didn’t reflect current dynamics, such as the end of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.The campaign has “seen huge swings in the president’s favor” and the president isn’t trailing in any states the campaign has tested him against particular Democrats, Parscale said.Trump tweeted on Saturday that, “Despite the Greatest Presidential Harassment of all time by people that are very dishonest and want to destroy our Country, we are doing great in the Polls, even better than in 2016.”\--With assistance from Alyza Sebenius.To contact the reporter on this story: Ben Brody in Washington at btenerellabr@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Sara Forden at sforden@bloomberg.net, Ros Krasny, Mark NiquetteFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

A strong earthquake that hit Sichuan province in southern China late Monday night killed 11 people and injured 122, the local government said. The Yibin city government posted the casualty toll on its social media accounts Tuesday morning. Xinhua news agency said rescue efforts were underway in the stricken area.

Leading Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong walked free from prison Monday and vowed to join historic anti-government protests rocking the finance hub, as activists kept up pressure on the city's embattled pro-Beijing leader. Organisers said some two million people -- more than a quarter of the population -- marched in tropical heat on Sunday calling for the resignation of chief executive Carrie Lam and protesting against a bill that would have allowed extraditions to the Chinese mainland. Police commissioner Stephen Lo said late Monday that only "some people" had rioted on that day, appearing to back down from previous comments from Lam, who described the June 12 protest as an "organised riot".

NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has been orbiting the space rock known as Bennu since the start of the year. It caught up with the asteroid in late December of 2018 and successfully inserted itself into orbit around the object around New Year's day. There have been several "firsts" along the way, but its latest maneuver is the most daring yet, and it allowed the spacecraft to break yet another record.A recent tweak to its orbit has brought the probe to an orbit of just 680 meters, or around 2,230 feet from the asteroid's surface. This is now the closest that any manmade spacecraft has orbited any planetary body.It's a stellar achievement for NASA, but it's worth noting that the previous record was actually already held by the OSIRIS-REx probe. What NASA did was break its own record and set itself even farther ahead from any competition to come in the future.This new orbit, which the research team calls the Orbital B phase, will give scientists a better understanding of the asteroid's surface and hopefully allow NASA to choose a suitable location where the probe can briefly snag a sample of its material.Actually pulling off such a daring maneuver will be incredibly risky, and nobody is quite sure if the spacecraft can make it happen. This is due in large part to the incredibly messy surface of Bennu, which surprised scientists when they got their first close look. The asteroid's surface is littered with debris ranging from tiny pebbles to massive boulders, and the spacecraft's handlers now have to find the safest place on the rock from which to gather a sample.Assuming it pulls off the sample grab, the probe will then leave Bennu and return to Earth with the sample material stowed safely for scientists on Earth to examine.

The dollar held near a two-week high against its major rivals on Monday ahead of a crucial U.S. Federal Reserve meeting that many expect will lay the groundwork for an interest rate cut to bolster the world's largest economy. While strong U.S. retail sales on Friday reduced the already-low chance of an easing this week and lifted the dollar, investors are betting Fed Chairman Jerome Powell would leave the door open to future rate cuts in light of increasing economic strains. "As long as Powell does not rule out near term rate cuts, the dollar will be top heavy after the Fed meeting," said Masafumi Yamamoto, chief currency strategist at Mizuho Securities.

The revolver with which Vincent van Gogh is believed to have shot himself is to go under the hammer Wednesday at a Paris auction house.

A federal complaint says a man struck a flight attendant in the throat and then threw up during a Delta flight to Paris.

"We always urge a sober appraisal of the situation and to wait for more or less convincing evidence to appear," Peskov said on Russian television, extracts of which were published by the RIA Novosti news agency. A Japanese and a Norwegian oil tanker were targeted in attacks on Thursday in the Gulf of Oman.

Japan has protested what is says was an unauthorized Chinese maritime survey within its economic waters near disputed East China Sea islands, officials said Monday. Japan's Foreign Ministry said it lodged a protest with Beijing after a Chinese maritime research ship was seen dropping a wire-like object into the water off the northwestern coast of Japanese-controlled Senkaku islands on Sunday. China also claims the islands, which it calls Diaoyu.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called Donald Trump’s “bluff” after he misquoted her in a tweet defending himself against growing calls for his impeachment.The Democratic congresswoman told broadcaster ABC that the Democrats have “a very real risk of losing the presidency to Donald Trump” if the party does not have a candidate in 2020 who will fight for “true transformational change” in people's lives.In a tweet posted on Sunday, Mr Trump used an edited version of Ms Ocasio-Cortez’s quote to hit back at those calling for his impeachment.“'I think we have a very real risk of losing the Presidency to Donald Trump,'" tweeted Trump, citing Ms Ocasio-Cortez's quote. “I agree, and that is the only reason they play the impeach card, which cannot be legally used!”In response, the New York congresswoman tweeted: “Mr. President, you’re from Queens. You may fool the rest of the country, but I'll call your bluff any day of the week.“Opening an impeachment inquiry is exactly what we must do when the President obstructs justice, advises witnesses to ignore legal subpoenas & more.”She concluded her response with “Bye” and a waving-hand emoji.The back-and-forth between Mr Trump and Ms Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter comes as dozens of Democrats call to impeach the president, even as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has quashed the prospect of impeachment for now.In her interview with ABC's Jonathan Karl, Ms Ocasio-Cortez said Mr Trump's recent Oval Office meeting with George Stephanopoulos was the latest indication of why Mr Trump should be held accountable to “the rule of law.” During the meeting, the US president acknowledged he would consider accepting information on his political opponents from a foreign government.“I think every day that passes, the pressure to impeach grows and I think that it's justifiable, I think the evidence continues to come in,” she said.“I believe that with the president now saying he is willing to break the law to win re-election, that transcends partisanship, it transcends party lines, and this is now about the rule of law in the United States of America.”Her sentiment is reflective of a recent spike among Democratic voters pushing for impeachment. A poll released on Sunday from NBC News and the Wall Street Journal found that 48 per cent of Democratic voters back impeachment, up from 30 per cent last month. But the poll found that the nation remains largely divided on the issue, with Republican and independent voters opposing impeachment hearings.Mr Trump's tweet quoting the New York congresswoman came towards the end of a busy Sunday for him on Twitter. This saw him sending Father's Day wishes even to his “worst and most vicious critics, of which there are fewer and fewer”, sharing a video of lawmakers and pundits doubting his 2016 campaign and congratulating golfer Gary Woodland for winning the US Open.The US president also thanked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for inaugurating Trump Heights, Israel's newest town on the Golan Heights. The town is located in the same area that Trump recognised in March as being part of sovereign Israel.Ms Ocasio-Cortez also commented on the candidacy of former vice president Joe Biden on Sunday, saying that he still has some work to do to change his behaviour towards women.Asked whether she believes Mr Biden understands some of the concerns that have been raised regarding his behaviour, she said: “I think that's something that he has to kind of show the electorate."You know, I think that it is an issue where there is a struggle; I'll be completely honest.”When asked whether Mr Trump would be re-elected if the Democrats do not nominate someone who identifies as a true progressive, Ms Ocasio-Cortez warned against electing a president who advocated for “half-measures”, such as someone who would not fight for a $15 minimum wage, a tuition-free college initiative or advancing women's rights. She reiterated her concern of what that would mean for 2020.“I think we have a very real risk of losing the presidency,” she said.Washington Post

Corona police said the officer fired after being attacked "without provocation" while holding his child in a Costco store.

Former Tehran mayor and prominent reformist Mohammad Ali Najafi will stand trial next month on charges of murdering his wife, the government-run Iran newspaper said Sunday. Najafi, 67, turned himself in and confessed to shooting his second wife Mitra Ostad on May 28 at their home in northern Tehran, according to Iranian media. "On July 1, the first trial session of Mohammad Ali Najafi, former Tehran mayor, will be held at Tehran's Criminal Court," the Iran daily reported.

In something of a ridiculous and yet lighthearted story, a Pakistani politician's press briefing with journalists recently became comedic fodder after a cat filter was applied to the faces of individuals being recorded via Facebook live. The incident, which was attributed to human error, showcased regional minister Shaukat Yousafzai -- and others -- with cat ears and whiskers while talking about otherwise serious topics.The cat filter was live for a few minutes before someone noticed it and promptly removed it. But for a few glorious minutes last Friday, viewers were witness to an event seemingly lifted out of a kids-version of Black Mirror.The Guardian reports:> It was several minutes before organisers realised that the minister had acquired pointy ears. When one of his moustached party colleagues began to speak, looking earnest and holding a pen, he too was transformed into a cat.> > Party followers watching online immediately started making jokes at the expense of Pakistan's provincial Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government. They offered up a whole series of feline puns.Hardly a surprise, folks on Twitter had a field day with the minor debacle. And truth be told, using photo filters during all political events might actually persuade more people to become politically active.https://twitter.com/nailainayat/status/1139583166115540992All told, it's been interesting to see how quickly filters have evolved. Back during the early days of Instagram, for example, photo filters were relatively straight forward and simply involved adding some nice tonal effects to photos. These days, with Snapchat leading the way, photo and video filters have transformed dramatically. Today, filters have become incredibly quirky and now exist across a multitude of social networking sites and apps.

Writing in a gun possession case over whether the federal government and states can prosecute someone separately for the same crime, Thomas said the court should reconsider its standard for reviewing precedents. Thomas said the nine justices should not uphold precedents that are "demonstrably erroneous," regardless of whether other factors supported letting them stand. "When faced with a demonstrably erroneous precedent, my rule is simple: We should not follow it," wrote Thomas, who has long expressed a greater willingness than his colleagues to overrule precedents.

If South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg wins the 2020 election, he’ll be the first openly gay man to serve as president. But he says he’s “almost certain” he wouldn’t be the first gay president in U.S. history.

US seeds and pesticides maker Monsanto kept lists of around 600 key pro- and anti-pesticides figures in Germany and France alone, its German parent company Bayer said Monday amid a widening probe. Bayer has admitted the lists covered politicians, journalists and others across seven European countries and in Brussels. "Update on Monsanto stakeholder lists: until the end of last week, the firm hired by Bayer contacted all the people on the German and French lists," Bayer's press department tweeted.

The chief salesman for Airbus says his company already has the technology to fly passenger planes without pilots at all — and is working on winning over regulators and travelers to the idea. Christian Scherer also said in an interview with The Associated Press on Monday that Airbus hopes to be selling hybrid or electric passenger jets by around 2035. While the company is still far from ready to churn out battery-operated jumbo jets, Scherer said Airbus already has "the technology for autonomous flying" and for planes flown by just one pilot.

At minimum, Iran and America need a hotline to deconflict their military forces and avert a serious escalation. But that has been rejected before.

A young black bear was shot and killed by Oregon officials after becoming so habituated to humans that people reportedly took selfies with it.