US President Donald Trump has instructed Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer to "make a deal" with the protesters who have been demonstrating against her decision to prolong the state's coronavirus lockdown measures.

While the atmosphere has been fraught in Michigan's state capitol, President Trump suggested that the matter could be resolved quite easily in a tweet on Friday.

It comes after crowds of protesters, some carrying weapons, attended the state capitol in Lansing on Thursday to voice their opposition to the state of emergency being prolonged. The measures have now provoked weeks of protests in Michigan.

The demonstration in the capitol prompted a frantic reaction amongst Democrats and in the mainstream media, with many attempting to portray it as a white nationalist insurrection.

Michigan's state house and senate voted against extending the emergency order which was due to expire at midnight on Thursday. However, following those votes Governor Whitmer, a Democrat and a staunch Trump critic, signed three new executive orders, which she said were necessary in order to "continue fighting Covid-19 and save lives."

The move sparked an outcry from lawmakers and residents with Rep. Lee Chatfield, speaker of the Michigan House, arguing that the governor had failed to uphold the democratic process.

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The Cuban government has released photos of damage from an early-morning shooting at its Washington DC embassy, calling for answers from US investigators after a man was arrested for allegedly firing at the building.

© Twitter / Cancillería de Cuba / CubaMINREXDamage to Cuba's Washington embassy after a gunman opened fire on the building

Officers responded to the shooting in the Adams-Morgan neighborhood around 2am local time on Thursday after neighbors reported hearing gunfire. While no injuries have been reported, authorities told reporters they believe the man was targeting the embassy. His motives remain unclear.

The suspect was charged with assault with intent to kill, possession of an unregistered firearm and ammunition, and possession of a high-capacity magazine, a US Secret Service spokeswoman told reporters on Thursday.

The Cuban government issued a press release on Thursday demanding to know the "identity and motives of the individual who carried out this aggression and the circumstances surrounding the event," reminding Washington that it is obligated to protect the mission against not only "intrusion or damage" but also "impairment of its dignity."

© Agence France-Presse/GettyInvestigators found a black jacket and blanket at the scene, but it's not immediately clear if they're related to the crime

Photos taken at the scene showed police searching through an SUV parked at the location. The Metropolitan Police Department and the US Secret Service are investigating the incident.

A Texas man accused of opening fire outside the Cuban Embassy in Washington early Thursday morning was arrested and charged with assault with intent to kill, the authorities said, reporting damage to the building but no injuries.

The police and Secret Service officers were called to the scene at about 2:10 a.m., after receiving reports of gunfire by the embassy, the police said. There, officers found a man with an "assault-style rifle," said Brianna Jordan, a spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police Department. He was "taken into custody without incident," she said.

She identified the man as Alexander Alazo, 42, of Aubrey, Texas, and said he had been charged with assault with intent to kill. It was not immediately clear whether he had a lawyer.

"Our initial investigation indicates that the subject was shooting toward a foreign embassy building," Ms. Jordan said, adding that both the police and the Secret Service were investigating the incident.

Weighing in on sexual assault allegations against Joe Biden, US President Donald Trump said he knows all about being falsely accused and urged his Democrat rival to address them publicly, as mainstream media mostly kept silent.

Biden, who locked down the Democratic presidential nomination earlier this month, has been accused of sexual assault on his Senate staffer Tara Reade back in 1993. While both Biden and most mainstream media outlets have been happy to ignore the allegations, additional revelations bolstering Reade's case in recent days have made that difficult.

Asked about the claims during a White House event on Thursday, Trump urged Biden to respond to Reade.

"I think he should respond, it could be false accusations," he told reporters. "I know all about false accusations. I've been falsely charged numerous times, and there is such a thing."

But I don't know, I can't speak for Biden, I can only say that I think he should respond, I think he should answer them.

The president then brought up Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, whose confirmation in 2018 was almost derailed by claims of sexual assault eagerly embraced by Democrats and the media, in marked contrast to their silence when Biden is concerned.

"He was falsely charged. What happened with him is an absolute disgrace to our country," Trump said, referring to Kavanaugh. "This is a fine man. I saw a man suffering so unfairly."

Reade - a Democrat herself - has come forward with a more detailed and corroborated claim than Kavanaugh's accuser Christine Blasey-Ford, but while Democrats back then insisted the Supreme Court nominee was guilty until proven innocent and all women should always be believed, they suddenly remembered due process when it came to Biden.

Earlier in the day, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) addressed the allegations by saying "Joe Biden is Joe Biden" and calling Barack Obama's vice-president the "personification of hope and optimism and authenticity for our country — a person of great values."

Meanwhile, MSNBC host Chris Hayes was treated like a heretic and faced a torrent of abuse and calls for his firing, for merely mentioning the allegations on his show.

In saying Biden ought to respond to the charges, Trump may have been aware that his rival has already scheduled an appearance with a friendly outlet to do just that. He will be interviewed on Friday morning on NBC, by 'Morning Joe' Scarborough and his wife Mika, both outspoken Trump foes.