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[View in browser]( [Alternate text] Daily briefing May 27, 2021 Todayâs essential news from the source you trust This morningâs headlines Boris Johnson is [not a âfit and proper personâ to lead Britain]( through the coronavirus pandemic, after committing a string of âdisastrousâ mistakes that caused tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths, his former right-hand man Dominic Cummings has said. In a remarkable seven-hour evidence session before a parliamentary inquiry, Mr Cummings said the prime minister had dismissed Covid-19 as a âscare storyâ in the early months of the outbreak, ordering the first English lockdown at least three weeks too late in March 2020 and then resisting scientistsâ pleas to reimpose restrictions in the autumn. Mr Johnson repeatedly said he wanted to be like âthe mayor in Jawsâ who kept beaches open despite shark attacks and when finally forced to authorise the second lockdown in October said he would rather see âbodies pile highâ than do the same again, the former Downing Street adviser told MPs. Answering questions from the House of Commons health and science committees, Mr Cummings painted a picture of chaos and disarray in No 10 as the threat of Covid emerged from China in January 2020. Coronavirus is [going to do âweirdâ things and âsuper mutant virusesâ may emerge](, an expert has warned. Ravi Gupta, professor of clinical microbiology at the University of Cambridge, said that while this would not necessarily be a bad thing, the virus would try to become more efficient at transmission as more people are protected. He added that coronavirus is unpredictable and we should not be overconfident at any stage. Asked about how to prepare for future variants, Prof Gupta told a press briefing: âI think we have good vaccines, now we need to keep the pressure on vaccine designers, manufacturers to adapt vaccines.â He added: âSecondly, the virus is going to do some weird things. I mean, this is just the beginning. I think itâs going to recombine, you're going to get super mutant viruses, I believe.â [Eight people were killed in a mass shooting]( during a union meeting at a train yard in San Jose, California, on Wednesday. Santa Clara County sheriff Laurie Smith said officers ran into the building as shots were being fired in âheroics that resulted in a diminished loss of lifeâ. A fire was reported around the time of the shooting at the alleged gunmanâs San Jose house, about nine miles from the main railway crime scene, according to a firefighter who attended the scene. The FBI and bomb squad were also investigating the building. Authorities reportedly found gasoline and hundreds of rounds of ammunition inside. . We need your support The Independent employs over 100 journalists around the world to bring you news you can trust. Please consider showing your support with a contribution. [Contribute]( . Top stories [Eric Carle, author of âThe Very Hungry Caterpillarâ, dies at 91]( [Hillsborough police trial collapses as judge rules no case to answer over âcover-upâ]( [Teacher suspended in Prophet Muhammad image row reinstated]( . . Stories chosen for you - [Keir Starmer refuses 14 times to tell Piers Morgan if he has taken drugs]( - [Is there anything Cummings could say that would make people angry with Boris? | Chris Stevenson]( - [Switzerland ends talks toward sweeping new accords with EU]( - [What is the âscout mindsetâ? The self-help technique for making better decisions]( - [Opinion: The government cannot ignore unfair evictions forever]( . News you can trust The Independent has a 100% NewsGuard trust rating [NewsGuard] [Find out more]( . If you can spare two minutes weâd love to hear your [feedback]( on our newsletters [Alternate text] Join the conversation or follow us [Twitter]( [Facebook]( Please do not reply directly to this email You are currently registered to receive The Independent's News email.
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