Trump Administration

CNBC reports: President Donald Trump on Thursday tore into ousted federal scientist-turned-whistleblower Dr. Rick Bright just before Bright was set to testify before Congress that the U.S. “missed early warning signals” about the coronavirus. “I don’t know the so-called Whistleblower Rick Bright, never met him or even heard of him,” Trump tweeted Thursday morning. Bright is scheduled to testify before …

The New York Times reports: The order — which was extended for another 30 days on April 20 — was part of a broad effort, led by Stephen Miller, the architect of President Trump’s immigration agenda, to aggressively use public health laws to reduce immigration as the government battles the virus. But a new order under review by several government …

Yahoo News reports: A coronavirus test touted by President Trump and used at the White House may miss nearly half of positive cases, according to a study by New York University. The study looked at Abbott Laboratories’ ID Now molecular COVID-19 rapid test, which Trump hailed as a “whole new ballgame” at a March 30 news briefing because it boasted …

CNN reports: President Donald Trump voiced frustration Wednesday at the nation’s top infectious disease specialist after he warned a day earlier against reopening schools and businesses too quickly. “I was surprised by his answer, actually,” Trump said when asked about Dr. Anthony Fauci’s warnings during televised congressional testimony that reopening states too quickly could have dire consequences. “It’s just — …

Politico reports: The former head of GlaxoSmithKline’s vaccine division will serve as the Trump administration’s “therapeutics czar,” working to speed the development of potential coronavirus vaccines, three individuals with knowledge of the selection told POLITICO. Moncef Slaoui, who left the drugmaker in 2017 and has worked as a venture capitalist, will help coordinate the development of Covid-19 vaccines and treatments …

CNN reports: Dr. Rick Bright, the ousted director of a key federal office charged with developing medical countermeasures, will testify before Congress on Thursday that the Trump administration was unprepared for the coronavirus pandemic and warn that the the US will face “unprecedented illness and fatalities” without additional preparations. “Our window of opportunity is closing. If we fail to develop …

The Daily Beast reports: President Donald Trump and members of his coronavirus task force are pushing officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to change how the agency works with states to count coronavirus-related deaths. And they’re pushing for revisions that could lead to far fewer deaths being counted than originally reported, according to five administration officials working …

“Hitler’s chief propagandist, Goebbels, said, you know, if you tell a big enough lie and repeat it often enough, people will believe it. I think that’s what this is. They were telling lies from the get-go, and from the beginning they knew they were lies, and yet they persisted. “My big question is why, and who was in on it, …

The New York Times reports: “I’m not sure I can commit one way or the other, but right now that’s the plan,” Mr. Kushner told Time magazine in response to a question about whether the election could be postponed because of the pandemic. The opinion of a White House staff member has no bearing on when the election is held. …

CNN reports: President Donald Trump has been increasingly engaged in the legal battles unfolding across the country over the issue of vote-by-mail, urging his political advisers to take an aggressive posture to counter Democratic lawsuits on the issue. Trump met with his political aides on Thursday at the White House about the legal efforts, a source familiar with the meeting …

The Associated Press reports: The White House shelved a warning from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that coronavirus cases will likely resurge after states reopen, according to a document seen by the Associated Press. The 63-page document offers previously unpublished guidance to help officials decide when to shut facilities down again during future outbreaks of COVID-19. The White …

The New York Times reports: A federal judge overseeing the criminal case of President Trump’s former national security adviser Michael T. Flynn opened the door late Tuesday for legal experts and other outside parties to oppose the Justice Department’s motion to drop the case, suggesting he has at least some skepticism about the government’s argument that Mr. Flynn should never …

The Independent reports: As many as 147,000 people could be killed by the coronavirus in the US by early August, according to a new model frequently cited by the White House. As a tracker maintained by Johns Hopkins University suggested that at least 82,000 people in the US had perished and more than 1.35m infected, a new model predicted that …

From a lengthy interview with Time Magazine: Jared Kushner himself had previously told TIME that Trump’s pitch to voters this fall was going to focus on a booming economy. Now, Trump is trailing former Vice President Joe Biden in both national and swing-state polls. Kushner said Trump is “looking forward” to debating Biden and dismissed the polls as “inaccurate.” When …

Just in from Pew Research: As a growing number of states ease stay-at-home restrictions imposed in response to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, a majority of Americans (61%) say it is primarily the federal government’s responsibility to make sure there are enough COVID-19 tests in order to safely lift the restrictions. Fewer (37%) say it is mainly the responsibility …

Raw Story reports: Dr. Anthony Fauci on Tuesday slapped down an attempt by Sen. Rand Paul to downplay the potential negative effects of the coronavirus on children. During a Senate hearing on America’s COVID-19 response, Paul pushed Fauci to say that it will be safe to send children back to school in the fall because they are far less likely …

Media Matters has the transcript: SEN. BERNIE SANDERS: The official statistic, Dr. Fauci, is that 80,000 Americans have died from the pandemic. There are some epidemiologists who suggest the number may be 50% higher than that. What do you think? DR. ANTHONY FAUCI: I’m not sure, Sen. Sanders, if it’s going to be 50% higher, but most of us feel …

Talking Points Memo reports: Adm. Brett Giroir, who is overseeing the Trump administration’s coronavirus testing efforts, said on Tuesday that he hopes the U.S. will be testing tens of millions of people a month by the fall. “So by September, taking every aspect of development, authorization, manufacturing and supply chain into consideration, we project that our nation will be capable …

CBS News reports: Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious diseases expert, is testifying before a Senate committee Tuesday, his first appearance before Congress since March. Fauci is appearing remotely at the 10 a.m. hearing with Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the CDC, and other officials to discuss reopening the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic. Fauci told CBS News …

CNN reports: Vice President Mike Pence is taking some precautions, but stopping short of the recommended self-quarantine in the wake of his press secretary testing positive for coronavirus. Pence is “maintaining distance for the immediate future” from President Donald Trump after consulting with the White House medical unit, a senior administration official said. It is not yet clear exactly how …