Trump’s team ‘denied warnings’ of pandemic

Former US president Barack Obama took a veiled swipe on Tuesday at his successor Donald Trump, chastising those who have "denied warnings" of a deadly coronavirus pandemic and cautioning against ignoring the consequences of climate change.

The popular two-term Democrat took to social media as the Trump administration finalized a controversial rollback of Obama-era vehicle fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions standards that were aimed at slowing global warming.

"We’ve seen all too terribly the consequences of those who denied warnings of a pandemic," Obama posted on Twitter. "We can’t afford any more consequences of climate denial. All of us, especially young people, have to demand better of our government at every level and vote this fall."

The Republican leader’s government has faced stark criticism for failing to heed early global alarms about the virus outbreak, after death tolls began to spike in places like China and Italy. The United States now has more than 165,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, the most worldwide, and the US death toll has surged past 3,400 -- exceeding China’s official toll. Obama’s tweet included a link to a story about the Trump administration’s new rules.

In a statement, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation were rolling back "costly, increasingly unachievable fuel economy and vehicle CO2 emissions standards."