Obama calls President Trump's coronavirus response an 'absolute chaotic disaster'
WASHINGTON -- Former President Barack Obama on Friday said that the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic has been an “absolute chaotic disaster” and blamed it on a “selfish” and “tribal” mindset that has become operationalized in government.“This election that’s coming up on every level is so important because what we’re going to be battling is not just a particular individual or a political party.
World War II veterans mark VE Day in Washington with President Trump
WASHINGTON — They stormed French beaches on D-Day, helped liberate a concentration camp and fought in the Battle of the Bulge.
AP: Top White House officials buried CDC report on coronavirus reopening
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The decision to shelve detailed advice from the nation’s top disease control experts for reopening communities during the coronavirus pandemic came from the highest levels of the White House, according to internal government emails obtained by The Associated Press.The files also show that after the AP reported Thursday that the guidance document had been buried, the Trump administration ordered key parts of it to be fast-tracked for approval.The trove of emails show the nation's top public health experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spending weeks working on guidance to help the country deal with a public health emergency, only to see their work quashed by political appointees with little explanation.The document, titled “Guidance for Implementing the Opening Up America Again Framework,” was researched and written to help faith leaders, business owners, educators and state and local officials as they begin to reopen.
Exclusive 1-on-1: VP Pence says he, Pres. Trump 'both negative' after valet diagnosed with COVID-19
MILWAUKEE -- Vice President Mike Pence told FOX6's Jason Calvi Thursday, May 7 he tested negative for COVID-19 after news broke that a valet serving President Donald Trump tested positive.The White House confirmed that a member of the military who serves as one of President Trump's valets tested positive for COVID-19.
Justice Department dropping Flynn's President Trump-Russia case
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department on Thursday said it is dropping the criminal case against President Donald Trump's first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, abandoning a prosecution that became a rallying cry for the president and his supporters in attacking the FBI's President Trump-Russia investigation.The action was a stunning reversal for one of the signature cases brought by special counsel Robert Mueller.
HHS awards $6M+ to expand COVID-19 testing in Wisconsin: 'Critical step in reopening America'
MILWAUKEE -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), awarded $6,050,329 on Thursday, May 7 to 16 health centers in Wisconsin, to expand COVID-19 testing.This funding for health centers is part of the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, signed into law by President Trump on April 24.
Trump administration shelves step-by-step guidance for local authorities on how, when to reopen
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Trump administration has shelved a document created by the nation's top disease investigators with step-by-step advice to local authorities on how and when to reopen restaurants and other public places during the still-raging coronavirus outbreak.The 17-page report by a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention team, titled “Guidance for Implementing the Opening Up America Again Framework,” was researched and written to help faith leaders, business owners, educators and state and local officials as they begin to reopen.It was supposed to be published last Friday, but agency scientists were told the guidance “would never see the light of day,” according to a CDC official.
President Trump's valet tests positive for coronavirus
WASHINGTON -- A member of the U.S. military who works on the White House grounds as one of President Trump’s valets has tested positive for coronavirus.
President Trump: COVID-19 task force not dismantling, just refocusing
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday reversed course on plans to wind down his COVID-19 task force, attempting to balance his enthusiasm for “reopening” the country with rising infection rates in parts of the nation.President Trump appears intent on persuading the country to accept the price of some lives lost as restrictions are eased, concerned about skyrocketing unemployment and intent on encouraging an economic rebound ahead of the November election.Democrats criticized President Trump's reopening strategy Wednesday, saying more federal support for testing and contact tracing is needed.
Government scientist says he was fired after concerns over malaria drug
WASHINGTON — A government scientist says he was ousted from his position after raising concerns that the Trump administration wanted to “flood” coronavirus hot spots like New York and New Jersey with a malaria drug that President Donald Trump was pushing despite scant scientific evidence it helped.Rick Bright, former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, filed the complaint Tuesday with the Office of Special Counsel, a government agency responsible for whistleblower complaints.
In televised town hall, President Trump predicts COVID-19 vaccine by 'end of the year'
WASHINGTON — Anxious to spur an economic recovery without risking lives, President Donald Trump on Sunday, May 3 insisted that “you can satisfy both" — see states gradually lift lockdowns while also protecting people from the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 60,000 Americans.The president, fielding questions from Americans in a virtual town hall from the Lincoln Memorial, acknowledged valid fears on both sides of the issue.
US officials: China 'intentionally concealed' coronavirus' severity to stock up on medical supplies
WASHINGTON — U.S. officials believe China covered up the extent of the coronavirus outbreak — and how contagious the disease is — to stock up on medical supplies needed to respond to it, intelligence documents show.Chinese leaders “intentionally concealed the severity” of the pandemic from the world in early January, according to a four-page Department of Homeland Security report dated May 1 and obtained by The Associated Press.
At Lincoln Memorial, President Trump to take public's pandemic queries
WASHINGTON — Anxious for an economic recovery, President Donald Trump prepared to field Americans' questions about decisions by some states to allow nonessential businesses to reopen while other states are on virtual lockdown due to the coronavirus.After more than a month of being cooped up at the White House, President Trump was returning from a weekend at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland and planned to participate in a “virtual” town hall, hosted Sunday night by Fox News Channel, from inside the Lincoln Memorial.“Hopefully our Country will soon mend,” President Trump tweeted.
Back in session: Senate to reopen Monday amid coronavirus risk, House stays away
WASHINGTON — The Senate will reopen on Monday as the coronavirus crisis rages and the House stays shuttered, a risky strategy that leaves Congress as divided as the nation.It's a politically and physically fraught move by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, convening 100 senators at the U.S. Capitol during a pandemic.
White House blocking Fauci testimony, panel spokesman says
WASHINGTON — A spokesman for a key House panel said Friday that the White House has blocked Dr.
New White House press secretary McEnany holds 1st briefing
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's new spokeswoman, Kayleigh McEnany, vowed on Friday not to lie to reporters as she made her debut at the first White House briefing by a press secretary in more than a year.“I will never lie to you,” McEnany told reporters. “You have my word on that.”McEnany, who joined the White House last month, took the stage behind a podium that had quite literally been collecting cobwebs before the president began the practice of holding his own daily briefings due to the coronavirus.McEnany said she has daily interactions with the president and sees it as her “mission” to convey his mindset to the public.During past administrations, a White House press secretary holding a formal briefing would hardly be news.
Sex assault allegation raises questions for Biden, Democrats
WASHINGTON — A sexual assault allegation is Joe Biden's first big challenge as the Democrats' presidential nominee, fueling Republican attacks and leaving many in his own party in an uncomfortable bind.Biden's campaign has denied the allegation from his former Senate staffer Tara Reade, who has said Biden assaulted her in the basement of a Capitol Hill office building in the 1990s.
Army defends decision to have West Point graduation: 'We can’t telecommute to combat'
WASHINGTON — The Army's top leaders on Thursday defended their decision to bring 1,000 cadets back to the Military Academy at West Point for graduation, where President Donald Trump is slated to speak, saying that despite the coronavirus risk students would have had to return anyway to prepare for their next duty assignment.The announcement has been criticized as a political move to get President Trump on stage at the academy, where he hasn't yet given a graduation address.
President Trump predicts 'spectacular' rebound as economy plunges
WASHINGTON — Trying to dispel economic gloom, President Donald Trump said Thursday that he’s anticipating a major rebound in the coming months and a “spectacular” 2021.While economists are warning of serious long-term damage as the country plunges into recession because of the coronavirus, President Trump is predicting a strong fourth quarter thanks to pent-up demand.“I think we can actually surpass where we were,” President Trump told reporters in the Oval Office while allowing he was relying on his gut.“I feel it,” he said. “I think sometimes what I feel is better than what I think, unfortunately or fortunately.”President Trump’s comments came during a meeting with New Jersey Gov.
2 Georgia men drank cleaning products to fight COVID-19
ATLANTA -- Two Georgia men were hospitalized after drinking cleaning products hoping to prevent a coronavirus infection, officials said.Georgia Poison Control Director Gaylord Lopez told FOX 5 that one man drank bleach and the other ingested a mixture of household cleaners, beer, medication, and mouthwash over the weekend.Lopez says both Atlanta men, who have a history of mental health issues, have been discharged after psychiatric observation and are expected to be okay.During a White House briefing last Thursday, President Donald Trump inquired whether ingesting disinfectants could treat the coronavirus.