Trump Administration

The New York Post reports: Dr. Deborah Birx, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, was asked by host Chris Wallace on “Fox News Sunday” about crowds that gathered at Michigan’s state capitol from a “public health standpoint.” “It’s devastatingly worrisome to me personally because if they go home and, in fact, their grandmother or their grandfather who …

They’ve been signaling this shift all week: The White House plans to shift its coronavirus messaging toward boosting the economy and highlighting “success stories” of businesses, reducing its public emphasis on health statistics, according to two officials familiar with the planning. Driving the news: The Coronavirus Task Force — and the doctors who’ve become household names, Deborah Birx and Anthony …

The Washington Post reports: The White House is blocking Anthony S. Fauci from testifying before a House subcommittee investigating the coronavirus outbreak and response, arguing that it would be “counterproductive” for him to appear next week while in the midst of participating in the government’s response to the pandemic. The White House issued a statement about Fauci’s testimony shortly after …

The Washington Post reports: Vice President Pence’s office has threatened to retaliate against a reporter who revealed that Pence’s office had told journalists they would need masks for Pence’s visit to the Mayo Clinic — a requirement Pence himself did not follow. Pence’s wife, Karen Pence, said in an interview with Fox News on Thursday that he was unaware of …

Deadline reports: White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Friday did something her predecessor never did: She held an official press briefing. “I will never lie to you. You have my word on this,” she said in response to a question. She also told reporters that they do plan to continue the briefings and she will announce “timing forthcoming.” For …

Reuters reports: President Donald Trump’s new spokeswoman, Kayleigh McEnany, is to face reporters for the first time in the White House Briefing Room on Friday, something her predecessor never did during a nine-month stint as press secretary. During past administrations, a White House press secretary holding a formal briefing would hardly be news, but it’s an oddity in the current …

The Hill reports: “Fox News Sunday” anchor Chris Wallace said Friday he was surprised to see people “rallying” behind ex-national security adviser Michael Flynn, arguing the former Trump administration official should not have lied to the FBI. Wallace, who was speaking on Fox News, said Flynn erred in speaking to the FBI voluntarily shortly after President Trump was elected. “Did …

The Washington Post reports: Publicly traded companies have received more than $1 billion in funds meant for small businesses from the federal government’s economic stimulus package, according to data from securities filings compiled by The Washington Post. Nearly 300 public companies have reported receiving money from the fund, called the Paycheck Protection Program, according to the data compiled by The …

Politico reports: Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is continuing to garnish the wages of federal student loan borrowers who fall behind on payments even though Congress suspended the practice in the economic rescue package, according to a new lawsuit. An upstate New York woman who works as a home health aide for less than $13 an hour claimed in the lawsuit, …

NBC News reports: The federal government placed orders for well over 100,000 new body bags to hold victims of COVID-19 in April, according to internal administration documents obtained by NBC News, as well as public records. The biggest set was earmarked for purchase the day after President Donald Trump projected that the U.S. death toll from the coronavirus might not …

The Hill reports: President Trump’s new press secretary Kayleigh McEnany will brief reporters for the first time in the White House briefing room on Friday. The White House issued an updated guidance late Thursday announcing a formal on-camera briefing with the press secretary in the James S. Brady Briefing Room on Friday at 2 p.m., marking the first such occurrence …

Mediaite reports: President Donald Trump stated at the daily White House coronavirus press conference that he would consider rehiring his former national security advisor, Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. “What they did to General Flynn was a disgrace,” Trump said on Thursday afternoon when asked by Fox News White House correspondent John Roberts …

Axios reports: Vice President Mike Pence told reporters Thursday that following the release of new FBI documents, he is “more inclined to believe” that former national security adviser Michael Flynn unintentionally lied to him in 2017 about the nature of his conversation with former Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Why it matters: Flynn was forced to resign for misleading Pence and …

CNBC reports: Vice President Mike Pence wore a mask during a visit to an Indiana facility making ventilators Thursday, two days after igniting a storm of criticism for failing to put on a mask for a tour of the renowned Mayo Clinic despite coronavirus restrictions there. Pence was touring the General Motors plant in Kokomo, Indiana, with Transportation Secretary Elaine …

The Christian Post reports: A leading secular legal group says the Department of Housing and Urban Development has agreed to pay $17,800 after settling a lawsuit related to Secretary Dr. Ben Carson’s participation in a Bible study and his daily schedule that might include a Bible study. The Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation announced that it, along with the Citizens …

The Associated Press reports: Karen Pence, the wife of Vice President Mike Pence, is defending his decision to not wear a mask during a recent visit to the Mayo Clinic, saying he was unaware of the hospital’s coronavirus policy until after he left. In an appearance on Fox News Channel on Thursday morning, Mrs. Pence said the vice president was …

Bloomberg News reports: Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said he expects meatpacking plants to reopen in “days not weeks” under President Donald Trump’s executive order invoking the Defense Production Act. Slaughterhouse workers should begin receiving more protective gear and access to coronavirus testing “virtually immediately,” Perdue said Thursday in a telephone interview. The USDA has “already begun” working on orders to …

The Washington Post reports: Senior U.S. officials are beginning to explore proposals for punishing or demanding financial compensation from China for its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, according to four senior administration officials with knowledge of internal planning. The move could splinter already strained relations between the two superpowers at a perilous moment for the global economy. Senior officials across …

Buzzfeed News reports: On March 27, as emergency rooms in New York and across the country began filling with coronavirus patients struggling to breathe, President Donald Trump posted on Twitter to urge Ford and General Motors to “START MAKING VENTILATORS, NOW!” One of the thousands of replies that the tweet attracted struck an equally urgent tone: “We can supply ICU …

The New York Times reports: Last summer, on his final day of work at the nation’s consumer finance watchdog agency, a career economist sent colleagues a blunt memo. He claimed that President Trump’s appointees at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau had manipulated the agency’s research process to justify altering a 2017 rule that would have sharply curtailed high-interest payday loans. …