Trump Administration

We should be so lucky: White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said Sunday that he was “glad Mr. Obama has a new job as Joe Biden’s press secretary.” The comment came after ABC’s George Stephanopoulos asked Navarro to respond to the former president saying during a commencement address that things are “screwed up” because leaders are doing “what feels good, …

Reuters reports: Authorities are not seeing spikes in coronavirus cases in places that are reopening but are seeing increases in some areas that remain closed, U.S. health secretary Alex Azar said on Sunday. “We are seeing that in places that are opening; we’re not seeing this spike in cases,” Azar said on CNN’s “State of the Union” program. “We still …

The Hill reports: Stephen Moore, a member of the White House coronavirus economic task force, said he thinks the “worst economic news” has passed and urged Democratic governors and mayors to expedite the reopening of their respective states and cities amid the pandemic. “The problem is we still have New York. And we have California. And we have Michigan and …

CNBC reports: President Donald Trump fired the State Department’s inspector general on the recommendation of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a White House official said Saturday. Trump fired State Department Inspector General Steve Linick Friday night, notifying Congress of the decision in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Trump, who has targeted several government agency watchdogs in the past …

The New York Times reports: The acting intelligence chief announced a reorganization of the National Counter-Terrorism Center on Friday, part of an effort to reduce the size of the office overseeing the nation’s spy agencies. Richard Grenell, the acting director of national intelligence, has been racing against the clock to make changes to his office before his appointment ends and …

The Hill reports: President Trump told reporters at the White House Friday that his administration is “looking at” making coronavirus vaccines free to the public. “We’re looking at that actually,” Trump told reporters before departing for Camp David when asked if he thought vaccines should be free. He did not offer his personal opinion on the matter. The Trump administration …

Mediaite reports: During Friday’s White House press briefing, CBS News correspondent Steven Portnoy pressed Kayleigh McEnany on President Donald Trump’s comments about “Obamagate” crimes. “The president suggested people should be jailed for what he suggested earlier in the week was a very obvious crime,” he said. “You’re an attorney and the president’s spokesperson. Perhaps you could lay out the elements …

CNN reports: A top adviser and lawyer for President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign has a history of pushing anti-gay positions, including linking the legalization of same-sex marriage to bestiality and pedophilia. Jenna Ellis, an attorney who previously served as the director of public policy at the socially conservative James Dobson Family Institute, has also repeatedly attacked the Supreme Court’s 2003 …

Yahoo News reports: Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ revised federal guidelines on how sexual assault allegations should be handled on college and K-12 campuses is the target of a federal lawsuit filed Thursday, claiming the changes would “inflict significant harm” on victims and “dramatically undermine” their civil rights. The suit, filed on behalf of four advocacy groups for sexual assault survivors, …

Mediaite reports: White House trade adviser Peter Navarro on Thursday blasted Dr. Rick Bright as a “deserter in the war on the China Virus” for criticizing the federal government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. “He’s not just a disgruntled employee, in my judgment. He is a deserter in the war on the China virus,” Navarro said in an interview with …

The Washington Post reports: Weeks before a Republican donor and top White House ally becomes postmaster general, the U.S. Postal Service has quietly launched a review of its package delivery contracts and lost its last senior official who was not appointed by President Trump. The moves, confirmed by six people with knowledge of the Postal Service’s inner workings but not …

Politico reports: The administration sent a report outlining its transition activities to two congressional committees on Wednesday night, announcing it has created a transition planning group — the White House Transition Coordinating Council, which will advise executive departments and agencies on preparation for a potential transition — and detailing other aspects of a handoff between administrations. The administration has also …

NBC News reports: A private jet company founded by a donor to President Donald Trump received nearly $27 million in government funding under a program run by the Treasury Department, according to government filings. Clay Lacy Aviation, a private jet charter company based in Van Nuys, California, that serves wealthy executives and celebrities, received the government grant as part of …

USA Today reports: Former immunologist at the Department of Health and Human Services Rick Bright expressed concern that the nation is rushing too quickly on a vaccine for coronavirus, risking a vaccine being used before a full assessment is made of its efficacy. He called the hope that a vaccine could be available in 12 to 18 months an “aggressive …

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 …