Trump schedules Putin call on suspected plague case in Siberia

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he has scheduled a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss a suspected plague case at a Siberian research institute, following the death of an employee there. Trump said he expects to report on the discussion as soon as Wednesday. The employee of the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute died last week, with Russian authorities attributing the death to pneumonia of unknown cause while investigating a possible plague link. Trump said Washington is in "very deep discussions" over the situation and offered US assistance to Russia. The World Health Organization said the risk outside Russia is "very low" and drew distinctions from the Covid-19 pandemic. Russian health officials said contact tracing and testing showed no dangerous pathogens in any contacts, and the epidemiological situation remains stable.