Tag Archives: Trump administration

The Las Vegas Journal-Review reports: A Nevada man has been charged with fraudulently obtaining nearly $2 million in federal Paycheck Protection Program money, meant for struggling small businesses, to purchase luxury cars and two luxury condominiums in Las Vegas. Federal prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s office in Nevada said, in an unsealed criminal complaint that charges Jorge Abramovs with one …

CBS News reports: Dr. Deborah Birx, the former coordinator of the Trump White House’s Coronavirus Task Force, says nothing in her four decades of public service prepared her for the chaotic Trump White House or the politically charged handling of the pandemic, telling “Face the Nation” she “always” considered quitting her post. In an interview to air on Sunday’s “Face …

Fox News reports: A long list of authors and other publishing professionals are calling on their industry to effectively refuse book deals with anyone who worked in former President Trump’s administration. “As members of the writing and publishing community of the United States, we affirm that participation in the administration of Donald Trump must be considered a uniquely mitigating criterion …

CNN reports: In the immediate hours following Biden being sworn into office on Wednesday, sources with direct knowledge of the new administration’s Covid-related work told CNN one of the biggest shocks that the Biden team had to digest during the transition period was what they saw as a complete lack of a vaccine distribution strategy under former President Donald Trump, …

The Washington Post reports: Five prominent anti-vaccine organizations that have been known to spread misleading information about the coronavirus received more than $850,000 in loans from the federal Paycheck Protection Program, raising questions about why the government is giving money to groups actively opposing its agenda and seeking to undermine public health during a critical period. The groups that received …

The Wall Street Journal reports: Operation Warp Speed leaders waited more than two months to approve a plan to distribute and administer Covid-19 vaccines proposed by U.S. health officials, administration officials said, leaving states with little time to implement a mass-vaccination campaign amid a coronavirus surge. State and local officials had been clamoring for months for help preparing for the …

The New York Times reports: Vice President Mike Pence telephoned Vice President-elect Kamala Harris Thursday to congratulate her and offer his belated assistance — filling a leadership role all but abdicated by President Trump, who is planning to fly out of the capital shortly before Joseph R. Biden Jr. is sworn in next week. The Pence-Harris conversation, relayed by two …

The New York Times reports: As America slogs through this grimmest of winters, there is no relief in the daily tabulations of Covid-19 deaths: More than 4,400 were reported across the United States on Tuesday, according to a New York Times database, a number once unimaginable. Yet even as the disease touches thousands of families, the nation is distracted by …

Reuters reports: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo cancelled his Europe trip at the last minute on Tuesday after Luxembourg’s foreign minister and top European Union officials declined to meet him, European diplomats and other people familiar with the matter said. The Europeans snubbed Washington’s top envoy days after the storming of the U.S. Capitol by thousands of supporters of …

Mediaite reports: “Do you believe the president is able to discharge the duties of his office?” Stephanopoulos asked. Azar said the insurrection at the Capitol was an “assault on democracy,” but he sidestepped the core question with a call for a peaceful transfer of power. Stephanopoulos stayed on the topic by noting that Trump faces impeachment if not removed through …

Axios reports: Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf will step down from his position, Fox News first reported and Axios has confirmed. Word of Wolf’s departure comes a week before the inauguration and the massive security concerns following the Capitol siege. Wolf’s announcement follows last week’s departure of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, among numerous administration …

USA Today reports: Former White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” TV show Sunday that he doesn’t currently know “what’s going on inside the Oval Office now” and “inside the president’s head” following riots this week in Washington, D.C. Mulvaney announced his resignation Thursday as President Donald Trump’s special envoy to Northern Ireland after …

CNN reports: The US reported more than 4,000 Covid-19 deaths Thursday — the most virus-related deaths the country has reported in one day since the pandemic’s start. It’s the third day in a row of record daily deaths from the disease, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, while the number of people who have been infected topped more than …

Axios reports: Some top remaining administration officials are preparing to resist any unlawful or dangerous orders in the closing days of Trump’s presidency, senior administration officials with direct knowledge of the sensitive conversations tell Axios. Why it matters: After Trump incited protesters to storm the Capitol on Wednesday, there’s a near universal view among top officials that he is unfit …

USA Today reports: Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao will resign from her position, according to a source with knowledge of the decision. Chao, who is married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is the first Cabinet secretary to resign after pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol Wednesday in an attempt to halt the counting of Electoral College votes. “Yesterday, our …

NBC News reports: President Donald Trump’s former chief of staff and current special envoy to Northern Ireland said Thursday that he’s resigning from his diplomatic post. “I called [Secretary of State] Mike Pompeo last night to let him know I was resigning from that. I can’t do it. I can’t stay,” Mick Mulvaney told CNBC in an exclusive interview. “Those …

CNN reports: As the United States reported its highest single day of Covid-19 deaths, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned the overall toll could exceed 430,000 by the end of the month. The US reported 3,963 coronavirus deaths Wednesday, bringing the overall toll to 361,123 people in the US, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. In …

The New York Times reports: The Trump administration has embarked on an 11th-hour bid to undo some civil rights protections for minority groups, which could have a ripple effect on women, people with disabilities and L.G.B.T. people, according to a draft document, in a change that would mark one of the most significant shifts in civil rights enforcement in generations. …

The Independent reports: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted out a series of upbeat posts on Friday about how America is full of “swagger” since he’s been top diplomat, furthering speculation he’s eyeing a run for president in 2024. “We’re so much safer today than four years ago,” secretary Pompeo began. “Over the coming days, I’m going to lay out …

PBS NewsHour reports: The U.S. continued to surpass other countries in COVID-19 cases as it reached 20 million at the start of the new year, according to data kept by Johns Hopkins University. America exceeded the mark Friday, less than a week after the country reached 19 million cases. COVID-19 deaths have also increased in the country, now totaling more …