thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-03--Pence Ordered U.S. Borders Closed After CDC Experts Refused

NEW YORK ( AP ) — Vice President Mike Pence in March directed the nation ’ s top disease control agency to use its emergency powers to effectively seal the U.S. borders , overruling the agency ’ s scientists who said there was no evidence the action would slow the coronavirus , according to two former health officials .
The action has so far caused nearly 150,000 children and adults to be expelled from the country .
The top Centers for Disease Control and Prevention doctor who oversees these types of orders had refused to comply with a Trump administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health reason to issue it , according to three people with direct knowledge of the doctor ’ s refusal .
Also on the phone call were Pence ’ s chief of staff , Mark Short , and Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf .
Redfield immediately ordered his senior staff to get it done , according to a former CDC official who was not authorized to discuss internal deliberations and spoke on condition of anonymity .
The CDC ’ s order covered the U.S. and Canada borders , but has mostly affected the thousands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S.-Mexico border .
Public health experts had urged the administration to focus on a national mask mandate , enforce social distancing and increase the number of contact tracers to track down people exposed to the virus .
“ That was a Stephen Miller special .
He was all over that , ” said Olivia Troye , a former top aide to Pence , who coordinated the White House coronavirus task force .
She recently resigned in protest , saying the administration had placed politics above public health .
“ There was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to push this forward.
” Title 42 of the Public Health Service Act gives federal health officials unique powers during a pandemic to take extraordinary measures to limit transmission of an infectious disease .
One of those is the ability to stop the flow of immigration from countries with high numbers of confirmed cases , a legal authority the CDC does not normally have .
Since the order went into effect on March 20 , nearly 150,000 people — including at least 8,800 unaccompanied children who are normally afforded special legal protections under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to their countries of origin without normal due process .
Many have been returned to dangerous and violent conditions in El Salvador , Honduras and Guatemala .
Miller started his campaign for the order by button-holing the coronavirus task force staff to try to get the issue on its agenda , according to Troye .
The task force did not take the issue up immediately , said Troye .
The administration had already passed a nonessential travel ban , which public health experts had largely supported .
The CDC spurned Miller ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the agency ’ s Division of Migration and Quarantine , led by Dr. Martin Cetron , refused to support the order because there was not a strong public health basis for such a drastic move , according to three people with knowledge of his decision .
White House officials were undeterred .
They turned to lawyers at CDC ’ s parent agency , the Department of Health and Human Services , and U.S. Customs and Border Protection .
In a call with CDC ’ s senior leadership , attorneys for both agencies urged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to turn people back at the borders .
Border officials said they wanted to protect their agents , and American lives .
Trump described the order as originating at CDC , when it had not .
“ The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has decided to exercise its authority ... to give Customs and Border Protection the tools it needs to prevent the transmission of the virus coming through both the northern and the southern border , ” Trump told a March 20 at coronavirus task force press briefing .
And the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ times since it first passed as a month-long temporary measure .
Mark Morgan , the acting Customs and Border Protection commissioner , has said that the expulsions were necessary to protect his agents , and that 10 CBP employees have died after contracting COVID-19 .
“ It ’ s a great — it ’ s a great feeling to have closed up the border , ” Trump said in August after being updated on border wall construction in Yuma , Arizona .
“ Now people come in , if they come in , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legally .
But they don ’ t come in like they used to , .
” Before March , Central American children who crossed into the U.S. alone were generally sent to facilities overseen by the Department of Health and Human Services .
HHS shelters are required to be state licensed , have beds and provide schooling .
Most children are eventually placed with family or friends who serve as sponsors while they await their day in court .
After witnessing a gang member murder a young man and being threatened , one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ summer and arrived at the border near El Paso on July 4 , where he was taken into government custody , detained in a hotel and told he would be deported , his father said .
He was allowed to stay after the ACLU filed a suit challenging the Title 42 expulsions and in August was reunited with his father in Texas , where he is now attending school online .
“ He was really worried they wouldn ’ t let him reunite with me , and they didn ’ t let him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ waiting for them to send him back to Honduras , ” his father , Carlos Emilio Barrera , told AP .
“ He ’ s doing better now because he ’ s taking classes in school and he ’ s hoping he will have the opportunity to one day get asylum , but he still sometimes has dreams that he ’ s back inside locked up .
”

NEW YORK (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence in March directed the nation’s top disease control agency to use its emergency powers to effectively seal the U.S. borders, overruling the agency’s scientists who said there was no evidence the action would slow the coronavirus, according to two former health officials. The action has so far caused nearly 150,000 children and adults to be expelled from the country.
The top Centers for Disease Control and Prevention doctor who oversees these types of orders had refused to comply with a Trump administration directive saying there was no valid public health reason to issue it, according to three people with direct knowledge of the doctor’s refusal.
So Pence intervened in early March. The vice president, who had taken over the Trump administration’s response to the growing pandemic, called Dr. Robert Redfield, the CDC’s director, and told him to use the agency’s special legal authority in a pandemic anyway.
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Also on the phone call were Pence’s chief of staff, Mark Short, and Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf. Redfield immediately ordered his senior staff to get it done, according to a former CDC official who was not authorized to discuss internal deliberations and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The CDC’s order covered the U.S. and Canada borders, but has mostly affected the thousands of asylum seekers and immigrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border. Public health experts had urged the administration to focus on a national mask mandate, enforce social distancing and increase the number of contact tracers to track down people exposed to the virus.
But Stephen Miller, a top aide to President Donald Trump who has been a vocal opponent of immigration, pushed for the expulsion order.
“That was a Stephen Miller special. He was all over that,” said Olivia Troye, a former top aide to Pence, who coordinated the White House coronavirus task force. She recently resigned in protest, saying the administration had placed politics above public health. “There was a lot of pressure on DHS and CDC to push this forward.”
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Title 42 of the Public Health Service Act gives federal health officials unique powers during a pandemic to take extraordinary measures to limit transmission of an infectious disease. One of those is the ability to stop the flow of immigration from countries with high numbers of confirmed cases, a legal authority the CDC does not normally have.
Public health experts say the administration’s pattern of dismissing science-based decision making in favor of political goals has endangered many, including President Donald Trump himself, who on Friday confirmed he and the first lady had tested positive for the coronavirus.
“The decision to halt asylum processes ‘to protect the public health’ is not based on evidence or science,” wrote Dr. Anthony So, an international public health expert at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, in a letter to Redfield in April. “This order directly endangers tens of thousands of lives and threatens to amplify dangerous anti-immigrant sentiment and xenophobia.”
Since the order went into effect on March 20, nearly 150,000 people — including at least 8,800 unaccompanied children who are normally afforded special legal protections under federal law — have been sent back to their countries of origin without normal due process. Many have been returned to dangerous and violent conditions in El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala.
Pence’s spokeswoman Katie Miller called the story of the phone call “false.”
“Vice President Pence never directed the CDC on this issue,” she said in an email.
Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Immigrants’ Rights Project described the order as “a complete bypass of the entire asylum system and (the) system protecting unaccompanied children.”
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“That is what the Trump administration has been trying to do for four years and they finally saw a window,” he added.
Miller started his campaign for the order by button-holing the coronavirus task force staff to try to get the issue on its agenda, according to Troye. The task force did not take the issue up immediately, said Troye. The administration had already passed a nonessential travel ban, which public health experts had largely supported. The CDC spurned Miller’s idea, too. In early March the agency’s Division of Migration and Quarantine, led by Dr. Martin Cetron, refused to support the order because there was not a strong public health basis for such a drastic move, according to three people with knowledge of his decision.
White House officials were undeterred. They turned to lawyers at CDC’s parent agency, the Department of Health and Human Services, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. In a call with CDC’s senior leadership, attorneys for both agencies urged CDC to use its public health authority to turn people back at the borders. Border officials said they wanted to protect their agents, and American lives.
By mid-March, CDC’s scientists still refused to comply. That’s when Pence and Wolf called with the message to get it done and quickly.
An HHS lawyer then wrote the order and submitted it to Redfield, who reviewed it and signed it. Redfield declined to comment through a CDC spokesperson, because the order is currently in litigation.
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“They forced us,” said a former health official involved in the process. “It is either do it or get fired,”
Trump described the order as originating at CDC, when it had not. “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has decided to exercise its authority ... to give Customs and Border Protection the tools it needs to prevent the transmission of the virus coming through both the northern and the southern border,” Trump told a March 20 at coronavirus task force press briefing.
“So we’re treating the borders equally — the northern border and the southern border,” he said. “A lot of people say that they’re not treated equally. Well, they are.”
In recent months, Trump has highlighted the decision to shut down the border as an argument for his reelection in November.
And the Title 42 order has been renewed multiple times since it first passed as a month-long temporary measure. Mark Morgan, the acting Customs and Border Protection commissioner, has said that the expulsions were necessary to protect his agents, and that 10 CBP employees have died after contracting COVID-19.
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“It’s a great — it’s a great feeling to have closed up the border,” Trump said in August after being updated on border wall construction in Yuma, Arizona. “Now people come in, if they come in, through merit, if they come in legally. But they don’t come in like they used to,.”
Before March, Central American children who crossed into the U.S. alone were generally sent to facilities overseen by the Department of Health and Human Services. HHS shelters are required to be state licensed, have beds and provide schooling. Most children are eventually placed with family or friends who serve as sponsors while they await their day in court.
Under the Title 42 order this year, the administration instead detained some migrant children in hotels, sometimes for weeks, before expelling them to their home countries. That practice, and the government’s failure to give migrant children their normal due process, are currently being challenged in court.
After witnessing a gang member murder a young man and being threatened, one 16-year-old decided to leave Honduras over the summer and arrived at the border near El Paso on July 4, where he was taken into government custody, detained in a hotel and told he would be deported, his father said. He was allowed to stay after the ACLU filed a suit challenging the Title 42 expulsions and in August was reunited with his father in Texas, where he is now attending school online.
“He was really worried they wouldn’t let him reunite with me, and they didn’t let him see anyone, so he was just waiting for them to send him back to Honduras,” his father, Carlos Emilio Barrera, told AP. “He’s doing better now because he’s taking classes in school and he’s hoping he will have the opportunity to one day get asylum, but he still sometimes has dreams that he’s back inside locked up.”
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The administration’s move not to grant migrant children their normal due process is currently being challenged in court.
“I don’t know how you could look another CDC scientist in the eye after doing this,” Dr. Josh Sharfstein, a former FDA deputy commissioner and a Johns Hopkins professor, said of Redfield. “It’s undermining the purpose of having an agency that uses evidence to protect public health.
“It’s a profound dereliction of duty for a CDC director.”
___


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-03--Trump's Doctors Raise Major New Questions About His COVID-19 Timeline

Speaking at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland , where Trump headed on Friday following the news of his diagnosis , the president ’ s doctors presented an upbeat picture of Trump ’ s condition .
But the conference ― and the numerous contradictions and clarifications that followed ― raised questions about the timeline of Trump ’ s diagnosis , the treatments he ’ s received and his overall health .
Physician Sean Conley referred to Trump as being “ just 72 hours into the diagnosis now , ” which would indicate the president was diagnosed with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ announce until early Friday morning that he and first lady Melania Trump had tested positive .
Doctors also revealed that Trump showed symptoms on Thursday , including a “ mild cough and some nasal congestion and fatigue.
” The president received a “ special antibody therapy ” 48 hours ago , Conley said .
The doctor was presumably referring to an “ antibody cocktail ” made by the company Regeneron , which Conley mentioned in a statement on Friday .
If Trump received the treatment 48 hours ago , that would mean he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attended multiple campaign events in Minnesota on Wednesday .
On Thursday , he went to a fundraiser in Bedminster , New Jersey , with GOP donors , where attendees ate a buffet lunch .
If the timeline Conley suggested is accurate , this would suggest that Trump attended one or more events after his diagnosis .
After the conference was over , an unnamed White House official attempted to clarify this timeline , telling reporters that when Conley said “ 72 hours ” he meant that this was “ Day 3 ” since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When a reporter asked , “ He ’ s not received any supplemental oxygen ?
” Conley replied , “ He is not on oxygen right now , that ’ s right.
” When the reporter clarified , “ Not received any at all ?
” Conley responded , “ He ’ s not needed any this morning , today , at all , that ’ s right.
” Later , a reporter said he was going to try to “ pin [ Conley ] down ” on the oxygen question one more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , no oxygen .
None at this moment , and yesterday with the team , while we were all here , he was not on oxygen.
” There ’ s also been confusion about the experimental “ antibody cocktail ” Trump received .
Conley referred to the treatment twice as a “ polyclonal ” antibody therapy in official memos .
But Saturday , a representative of Regeneron , the company that makes the treatment , said the term “ polyclonal ” is incorrect .
Another doctor , Sean Dooley , said Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were “ normal ” ; that the president was having no trouble breathing or walking ; and that he was in “ exceptionally good spirits.
” Dooley also quoted Trump as saying , “ I feel like I could walk out of here today.
” Conley said Trump had not experienced difficulty breathing at any point , and previously only had a “ little cough ” and fever and felt generally “ run down.
” When asked when the president might be released from the hospital , Conley declined to estimate a date @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well.
” “ The president ’ s vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care , ” a source described as someone “ familiar with the president ’ s health ” said .
“ We ’ re still not on a clear path to a full recovery.
” Though the source was unnamed , video taken immediately after the conference made it apparent that it was White House chief of staff Mark Meadows , The New York Times reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reporters if they could talk off the record .
The Associated Press attributed the quotes directly to Meadows .
“ The president is doing very well , ” he told the publication .
“ He is up and about and asking for documents to review .
The doctors are very pleased with his vital signs .
I have met with him on multiple occasions today on a variety of issues .
”

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President Donald Trump’s doctor told a news conference Saturday that Trump was diagnosed with the coronavirus 72 hours ago ― a day earlier than previously announced ― only to backtrack later and say he misspoke.
Speaking at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland, where Trump headed on Friday following the news of his diagnosis, the president’s doctors presented an upbeat picture of Trump’s condition. But the conference ― and the numerous contradictions and clarifications that followed ― raised questions about the timeline of Trump’s diagnosis, the treatments he’s received and his overall health.
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The Timeline
Physician Sean Conley referred to Trump as being “just 72 hours into the diagnosis now,” which would indicate the president was diagnosed with the virus on Wednesday. Trump did not announce until early Friday morning that he and first lady Melania Trump had tested positive.
Doctors also revealed that Trump showed symptoms on Thursday, including a “mild cough and some nasal congestion and fatigue.” The president received a “special antibody therapy” 48 hours ago, Conley said. The doctor was presumably referring to an “antibody cocktail” made by the company Regeneron, which Conley mentioned in a statement on Friday. If Trump received the treatment 48 hours ago, that would mean he got it midday on Thursday.
Trump attended multiple campaign events in Minnesota on Wednesday. On Thursday, he went to a fundraiser in Bedminster, New Jersey, with GOP donors, where attendees ate a buffet lunch. If the timeline Conley suggested is accurate, this would suggest that Trump attended one or more events after his diagnosis.
After the conference was over, an unnamed White House official attempted to clarify this timeline, telling reporters that when Conley said “72 hours” he meant that this was “Day 3” since Trump’s diagnosis late Thursday.
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Later Saturday afternoon, Conley himself released a memo saying he had misspoken.
“The President was first diagnosed with COVID-19 on the evening of Thursday, October 1st,” he said.
He added that Trump received the antibody treatment on Friday, Oct. 2.
Trump's physician says he "incorrectly" said this morning that POTUS was first diagnosed 72 hours ago.
He clarifies in a new memo that Trump was first diagnosed w/ covid Thursday evening https://t.co/3IYjnBeD1b pic.twitter.com/SKTH6JWJSz — Alayna Treene (@alaynatreene) October 3, 2020
Treatment
Trump’s doctors said he was not currently receiving supplemental oxygen, but repeatedly dodged questions about whether he had been on oxygen previously.
When a reporter asked, “He’s not received any supplemental oxygen?” Conley replied, “He is not on oxygen right now, that’s right.” When the reporter clarified, “Not received any at all?” Conley responded, “He’s not needed any this morning, today, at all, that’s right.”
Later, a reporter said he was going to try to “pin [Conley] down” on the oxygen question one more time. Conley answered, “Thursday, no oxygen. None at this moment, and yesterday with the team, while we were all here, he was not on oxygen.”
Following the news conference, The Associated Press reported that Trump was “administered supplemental oxygen” at the White House on Friday before he went to the hospital.
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There’s also been confusion about the experimental “antibody cocktail” Trump received. Conley referred to the treatment twice as a “polyclonal” antibody therapy in official memos. But Saturday, a representative of Regeneron, the company that makes the treatment, said the term “polyclonal” is incorrect.
“It is two monoclonal antibodies,” spokesperson Hala Mirza told CBS News.
In one of Conley’s memos, Regeneron was also misspelled as “Regeron.”
Trump’s Health
During his remarks to the press, Conley said the president is now doing “very well.”
Another doctor, Sean Dooley, said Trump’s cardiac, liver and kidney functions were “normal”; that the president was having no trouble breathing or walking; and that he was in “exceptionally good spirits.” Dooley also quoted Trump as saying, “I feel like I could walk out of here today.”
Conley said Trump had not experienced difficulty breathing at any point, and previously only had a “little cough” and fever and felt generally “run down.” When asked when the president might be released from the hospital, Conley declined to estimate a date but said Trump was doing “so well.”
Immediately following the news conference, White House pool reporters ― media members who follow the president throughout the day ― released a statement from an anonymous source that contradicted that optimism.
“The president’s vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care,” a source described as someone “familiar with the president’s health” said. “We’re still not on a clear path to a full recovery.”
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Though the source was unnamed, video taken immediately after the conference made it apparent that it was White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, The New York Times reported. The video showed Meadows asking pool reporters if they could talk off the record. The Associated Press attributed the quotes directly to Meadows.
Later in the afternoon, Meadows gave a sunnier-sounding quote to Reuters.
“The president is doing very well,” he told the publication. “He is up and about and asking for documents to review. The doctors are very pleased with his vital signs. I have met with him on multiple occasions today on a variety of issues.”
As for Trump himself, he said he was “feeling well” in a Saturday afternoon tweet praising the doctors and nurses at Walter Reed.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-03--Trump Went Through 'Very Concerning' Period After COVID-19 Diagnosis, White House Reveals

BETHESDA , Md .
( AP ) — President Donald Trump went through a “ very concerning ” period Friday and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care as he battles the coronavirus at a military hospital , White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said Saturday .
The comments came after it was revealed that Trump was administered supplemental oxygen Friday morning at the White House before he was transported to the hospital , although staff insisted he had only mild symptoms .
Trump ’ s doctors , for their part , painted a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health in a press conference at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center .
But the briefing by Navy Commander Dr. Sean Conley and other doctors raised more questions than it answered .
Conley left murky the issue of whether the president needed supplemental oxygen and declined to discuss exactly when he fell ill. Conley also revealed that Trump began exhibiting “ clinical indications ” of COVID-19 on Thursday afternoon , earlier than previously known .
According to a person familiar with Trump ’ s condition , Trump was administered oxygen at the White @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the military hospital .
The person was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity , While Conley said the president was not currently on oxygen , he refused to say whether the president had ever been on oxygen , despite repeated questioning .
“ Thursday no oxygen .
None at this moment .
And yesterday with the team , while we were all here , he was not on oxygen , ” Conley said .
He said that Trump ’ s symptoms , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now resolving and improving.
” Trump is 74 years old and clinically obese , putting him at higher risk of serious complications from a virus that has infected more than 7 million people nationwide and killed more than 200,000 people in the U.S .
The administration has consistently been less than transparent about the president ’ s health as the virus spread inside the White House .
Aides declined to share basic health information about the president , including a full accounting of his symptoms , what tests he ’ s undertaken and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a close aide to Trump had been infected came from the media , not the White House .
In a memo released late Friday , Conley did report that Trump had been treated at the hospital with remdesivir , an antiviral medication , after taking another experimental drug at the White House .
He added that Trump is “ doing very well ” and is “ not requiring any supplemental oxygen.
” Conley declined to say when Trump had last been tested before he was confirmed to have COVID-19 late Thursday .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into the diagnosis , putting the confirmation of the infection to Wednesday .
Conley later clarified that Trump was administered an accurate test for the virus on Thursday afternoon , after White House aide Hope Hicks was confirmed to be positive and Trump exhibited unspecified “ clinical indications ” of the virus .
The White House said Trump was expected to stay at the hospital for “ a few days ” and he would continue to work from the hospital ’ s presidential suite , which is equipped to allow him to keep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to accessibility to tests and equipment , the decision was made , at least in part , with the understanding that moving him to the hospital later , if he took a turn for the worse , could send a worrying signal .
On Saturday , Conley said Trump ’ s blood oxygen level is 96 % , which is in the normal range .
The two experimental drugs he has received , given through an IV , have shown some promise against COVID-19 .
On Friday , he was given a single @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is testing to supply antibodies to help his immune system fight the virus .
Friday night , he began a five-day course of remdesivir , a Gilead Sciences drug currently used for moderately and severely ill patients .
The drugs work in different ways ― the antibodies help the immune system rid the body of virus and remdesivir curbs the virus ’ ability to multiply .
“ We ’ re maximizing all aspects of his care , ” attacking the virus in multiple ways , Conley said .
“ I didn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was any possibility it would add value to his care .
”

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BETHESDA, Md. (AP) — President Donald Trump went through a “very concerning” period Friday and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care as he battles the coronavirus at a military hospital, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said Saturday.
The comments came after it was revealed that Trump was administered supplemental oxygen Friday morning at the White House before he was transported to the hospital, although staff insisted he had only mild symptoms.
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Trump’s doctors, for their part, painted a rosy picture of the president’s health in a press conference at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. But the briefing by Navy Commander Dr. Sean Conley and other doctors raised more questions than it answered.
Conley left murky the issue of whether the president needed supplemental oxygen and declined to discuss exactly when he fell ill. Conley also revealed that Trump began exhibiting “clinical indications” of COVID-19 on Thursday afternoon, earlier than previously known.
According to a person familiar with Trump’s condition, Trump was administered oxygen at the White House on Friday before he was transported to the military hospital. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity,
Conley, updating the nation on the president’s condition from Walter Reed on Saturday afternoon, said Trump had been fever-free for 24 hours.
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While Conley said the president was not currently on oxygen, he refused to say whether the president had ever been on oxygen, despite repeated questioning.
“Thursday no oxygen. None at this moment. And yesterday with the team, while we were all here, he was not on oxygen,” Conley said. He said that Trump’s symptoms, including a cough and nasal congestion “are now resolving and improving.”
“He’s in exceptionally good spirits,” said another doctor, Sean Dooley.
Trump is 74 years old and clinically obese, putting him at higher risk of serious complications from a virus that has infected more than 7 million people nationwide and killed more than 200,000 people in the U.S.
The administration has consistently been less than transparent about the president’s health as the virus spread inside the White House. Aides declined to share basic health information about the president, including a full accounting of his symptoms, what tests he’s undertaken and the results. The first word that a close aide to Trump had been infected came from the media, not the White House.
In a memo released late Friday, Conley did report that Trump had been treated at the hospital with remdesivir, an antiviral medication, after taking another experimental drug at the White House. He added that Trump is “doing very well” and is “not requiring any supplemental oxygen.”
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Conley declined to say when Trump had last been tested before he was confirmed to have COVID-19 late Thursday. He initially suggested that Trump was 72 hours into the diagnosis, putting the confirmation of the infection to Wednesday. Conley later clarified that Trump was administered an accurate test for the virus on Thursday afternoon, after White House aide Hope Hicks was confirmed to be positive and Trump exhibited unspecified “clinical indications” of the virus.
The White House said Trump was expected to stay at the hospital for “a few days” and he would continue to work from the hospital’s presidential suite, which is equipped to allow him to keep up his official duties. In addition to accessibility to tests and equipment, the decision was made, at least in part, with the understanding that moving him to the hospital later, if he took a turn for the worse, could send a worrying signal.
On Saturday, Conley said Trump’s blood oxygen level is 96%, which is in the normal range. The two experimental drugs he has received, given through an IV, have shown some promise against COVID-19. On Friday, he was given a single dose of a drug Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. is testing to supply antibodies to help his immune system fight the virus.
Friday night, he began a five-day course of remdesivir, a Gilead Sciences drug currently used for moderately and severely ill patients. The drugs work in different ways ― the antibodies help the immune system rid the body of virus and remdesivir curbs the virus’ ability to multiply.
“We’re maximizing all aspects of his care,” attacking the virus in multiple ways, Conley said. “I didn’t want to hold anything back if there was any possibility it would add value to his care.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-03--Attorney Steve Barnes Of Cellino & Barnes Dies In Plane Crash

NEW YORK ( AP ) — Personal injury attorney Steve Barnes , whose law firm Cellino & Barnes was known on two coasts for its catchy TV jingle , was killed Friday in a small plane crash in western New York .
Barnes , a registered pilot , died along with his niece , Elizabeth Barnes , his longtime law partner told The Associated Press .
The single-engine Socata TBM-700 crashed at about 11:45 a.m. in a wooded area near Pembroke , New York , authorities said , as it neared the end of a flight from Manchester , New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ significant loss for the legal community , ” Barnes ’ law partner Ross Cellino said .
“ He was always a fearless advocate for his clients.
” Steve Barnes , a former partner in one of the most well-known personal injury law firms in the U.S. , was flying a small plane when it crashed in upstate New York , killing him and a passenger .
https : //t.co/yF2dC07ie6 — The New York Times ( @ nytimes ) October 3 , 2020 Neighbors described the plane making a loud , whining noise , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exploding , Genesee County Sheriff William Sheron said .
He said the plane had been destined for Buffalo .
The plane was registered to a corporation that shares an address with Cellino & Barnes , records showed .
Cellino & Barnes began as small firm in Buffalo but became well known in New York City and beyond for its ubiquitous advertising on billboards and on television .
Its old-time jingle , in which the law firm ’ s phone number was put to song , has been the subject of a sketch on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ TV host jokes for years .
Broadway actors in 2018 posted viral videos of themselves singing the jingle in what was dubbed the “ Cellino & Barnes Challenge.
” The law firm ’ s principal lawyers , Barnes and Cellino , appeared together in the advertisements , but had a falling out in recent years and battled each other in court .
The National Transportation Safety Board said it was investigating the cause of the crash .
NTSB spokesman Terry Williams said the agency would release its initial report within seven to 10 @ @

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NEW YORK (AP) — Personal injury attorney Steve Barnes, whose law firm Cellino & Barnes was known on two coasts for its catchy TV jingle, was killed Friday in a small plane crash in western New York.
Barnes, a registered pilot, died along with his niece, Elizabeth Barnes, his longtime law partner told The Associated Press.
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The single-engine Socata TBM-700 crashed at about 11:45 a.m. in a wooded area near Pembroke, New York, authorities said, as it neared the end of a flight from Manchester, New Hampshire.
“His passing is a significant loss for the legal community,” Barnes’ law partner Ross Cellino said. “He was always a fearless advocate for his clients.”
Steve Barnes, a former partner in one of the most well-known personal injury law firms in the U.S., was flying a small plane when it crashed in upstate New York, killing him and a passenger. https://t.co/yF2dC07ie6 — The New York Times (@nytimes) October 3, 2020
Neighbors described the plane making a loud, whining noise, then dropping into a wooded area and exploding, Genesee County Sheriff William Sheron said. He said the plane had been destined for Buffalo.
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The plane was registered to a corporation that shares an address with Cellino & Barnes, records showed.
Cellino & Barnes began as small firm in Buffalo but became well known in New York City and beyond for its ubiquitous advertising on billboards and on television.
Its old-time jingle, in which the law firm’s phone number was put to song, has been the subject of a sketch on Saturday Night Live, and other late-night TV host jokes for years. Broadway actors in 2018 posted viral videos of themselves singing the jingle in what was dubbed the “Cellino & Barnes Challenge.”
The law firm’s principal lawyers, Barnes and Cellino, appeared together in the advertisements, but had a falling out in recent years and battled each other in court.
Barnes is survived by his longtime partner, fellow attorney Ellen Sturm, and three children.
“All of us at Cellino & Barnes are deeply saddened,” Cellino said.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-03--Read The Latest On Trump’s Health And The Spread Of COVID-19 Among Republicans

“ I came here , wasn ’ t feeling so well , ” he said in the video , which he posted to his Twitter account on Saturday .
“ I feel much better now .
We ’ re working hard to get me all the way back.
” In a news conference Saturday , doctors treating Trump would not clearly answer whether or not Trump was given oxygen but said he was not currently on oxygen and was breathing normally .
But not all of them were there .
Top White House aide Hope Hicks , for example , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rally Trump held Wednesday in Minnesota .
She traveled with the president aboard Air Force One and was quarantined in the plane on the ride back before getting tested .
“ The president ’ s vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning , and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care .
We ’ re still not on a clear path to a full recovery.
” “ I just received word that I am positive for COVID-19 , ” Christie wrote in a tweet Saturday .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ my friends and colleagues who have reached out to ask how I was feeling in the last day or two .
I will be receiving medical attention today and will keep the necessary folks apprised of my condition.
” The physicians also did not disclose if Trump was on oxygen at any point this week , saying only that he is not currently on oxygen or having difficulty breathing .

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The coronavirus continues to rage through President Donald Trump’s inner circle and high-level Republican politics. Trump is hospitalized after testing positive for the virus. He and first lady Melania Trump announced their results Friday after appearing at a slew of events during the week, including a presidential debate, a fundraiser at his Bedminster resort and a White House Rose Garden ceremony to nominate Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. Many people who attended these events, including top Republican senators, have also tested positive for the virus. Trump is one of the more than 7.45 million Americans who have contracted the coronavirus since Chinese officials implemented the first coronavirus lockdown in the city of Wuhan in January. More than 210,000 Americans have died from the disease, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
HuffPost reporters are tracking Trump’s progress and the outbreaks stemming from events at which he appeared in the last week.
Read the latest updates below. (To see the latest updates, you may need to refresh the page. All times are Eastern. For earlier updates on the pandemic, go here.)
Trump asserted that he plans to be ready for his second debate with Democratic rival Joe Biden — originally scheduled for next week — despite still recovering from the coronavirus.
“I am looking forward to the debate on the evening of Thursday, October 15th in Miami. It will be great!” he tweeted.
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“FEELING GREAT!” he said in another tweet.
Future presidential debates were thrown into limbo with Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis, which he revealed in the early hours of Friday morning. While the timeline of his illness is not entirely clear, the president’s doctor, Sean Conley, said in a press conference on Saturday that the seven-to-10-day mark is most important to watch. That mark appears to line up with the next scheduled debate.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it is safe for someone who’s had COVID-19 to be around others if it has been at least 10 days since the onset of symptoms, the patient has been fever-free for 24 hours and the patient’s other symptoms are improving.
Trump returned to the White House on Monday evening from Walter Reed, where he was flown for treatment after developing a high fever.
— Sara Boboltz
A military staffer directly assigned to support President Donald Trump in the White House tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend, CNN and The New York Times reported.
The aide, who has not been publicly identified, is the latest addition to the growing list of White House personnel and members of Trump’s inner circle who have contracted the virus. Others include first lady Melania Trump, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany and at least three Republican senators.
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Trump was released from Walter Reed medical center on Monday after a three-day stay to treat his coronavirus infection. His doctors warned Trump is “not out of the woods” yet, even though he claims to be feeling very well.
— Hayley Miller
President Trump on Tuesday relaunched what appeared to be his normal Twitter routine during his first morning back at the White House following his three-day hospitalization at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
In a series of tweets, Trump falsely accused Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden of being in favor of abortion “right up until the time of birth and beyond” and praised Americans for having “learned to live” with the flu and the coronavirus, which has killed more than 210,000 people in the United States.
“Flu season is coming up!” he tweeted. “Many people every year, sometimes over 100,000, and despite the Vaccine, die from the Flu. Are we going to close down our Country? No, we have learned to live with it, just like we are learning to live with Covid, in most populations far less lethal!!!”
Medical experts have warned that this year’s flu season, coupled with potential surges of coronavirus cases, could overwhelm the nation’s health care system. Roughly 22,000 people in the U.S. died from the flu during the 2019-2020 flu season.
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Getting a flu shot — especially this year — is “really important,” one doctor told WVNS-TV last month. “The flu vaccine will help to decrease the severity of the illness if you still get the flu but it will actually also help to decrease the burden on our health care system that is already being stressed.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends getting a flu shot by the end of October.
— Hayley Miller
Thirteen restaurant staffers are in quarantine after catering a fundraising dinner for President Donald Trump at a private home in Minnesota, the restaurant said.
The staffers for Murray’s Restaurant, a steakhouse in downtown Minneapolis, worked at the fundraiser Wednesday at the Lake Minnetonka home of Marty Davis, CEO of quartz countertop manufacturer Cambria.
“Our staff was there to work the party only and at no point did any staff come in close proximity to the president,” the restaurant said in a statement. The restaurant said staffers will be given a COVID-19 test.
About 40 guests paid $200,000 a couple to meet the president and hear him speak. One guest said they had to stay in their cars and await the results of a coronavirus test before entering the home for the event.
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— Liza Hearon
Shortly after he arrived back at the White House on Monday evening, President Donald Trump released a video downplaying COVID-19 and defending his actions leading up to his infection.
“Don’t let it dominate you. Don’t be afraid of it. You’re going to beat it,” he said of a disease that’s killed more than 209,000 Americans under his watch.
He repeated the sentiment several times. “Don’t let it take over your lives. Don’t let that happen,” he said as he made a push for the economy to reopen, despite the advice of public health officials.
“Nobody that’s a leader would not do what I did,” he said, referring to himself going “back to work.”
The coronavirus outbreak at the White House is believed to be linked to a celebratory event Trump hosted at the Rose Garden on Sept. 26.
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“I know there’s a risk. There’s a danger, but that’s OK,” he said. “And now I’m better, and maybe I’m immune, I don’t know.
― Lydia O’Connor
President Donald Trump left Walter Reed hospital late Monday and returned to the White House, where he was filmed promptly removing his mask.
The president has coronavirus and is likely contagious. His mask removal flouts his own administration’s guidelines on preventing the spread of the coronavirus and puts anyone in his vicinity, including White House staffers, at risk.
More than a dozen people in Trump’s circle have tested positive for the coronavirus in recent days, including two White House residence housekeepers. (The workers reportedly did not come in direct contact with Trump or the rest of the first family.)
— Sarah Ruiz-Grossman
President Donald Trump left Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Monday, three days after he said he had tested positive for COVID-19.
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The president left the hospital wearing a mask and walked to a waiting vehicle without taking questions from the press. He gave a thumbs up before heading to Marine One to go home to the White House.
Questions remain about the president’s health despite his stay in the hospital. White House physician Sean Conley said he is doing well, but “he may not entirely be out of the woods yet.”
— Nick Visser
The White House won’t do any contact tracing related to a COVID-19 outbreak believed to be linked to a large event in the Rose Garden 10 days ago, a person familiar with the matter told The New York Times.
According to the Monday report, the White House is doing little to investigate the scope and source of a coronavirus outbreak affecting President Donald Trump and several members of his staff. The likely source of this new cluster of cases, experts say, is an event Trump held in the Rose Garden to celebrate his nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court.
So far, the source told the Times, the White House has gotten in touch only with people who came in close contact with Trump in the two days leading up to his Thursday evening diagnosis. The source also said that Trump’s administration has pushed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention out of the contact tracing process.
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― Lydia O’Connor
President Donald Trump claims to be on the mend after COVID-19 landed him in the hospital Saturday, and Democratic nominee Joe Biden hopes he’ll put that newfound energy to use implementing a national policy to contain the coronavirus instead of just “tweeting campaign messages.”
Speaking Monday in Miami, Biden called on Trump to “listen to the scientists” and support a nationwide mask mandate.
“My prayers continue to be with the President and the First Lady for their health and safety as they, like so many American families, are dealing with COVID-19,” Biden said. “I was glad to see the President speaking and recording videos over the weekend.”
“Now that he’s busy tweeting campaign messages,” Biden added, “I would ask him to do this: Listen to the scientists. Support masks. Support a mask mandate nationwide. Require masks in every federal building and facility, and in interstate travel. Urge every governor and mayor to do the same. We know it saves lives.”
— Ryan Grenoble
Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris will have a plexiglass barrier between them during Wednesday’s debate, Politico reported Monday.
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The Commission on Presidential Debates approved the measure, according to the report. Harris’ campaign supported it and Pence’s opposed.
“If Sen. Harris wants to use a fortress around herself, have at it,” said Katie Miller, a Pence spokesperson. Miller had COVID-19 earlier this year.
― Paige Lavender
President Donald Trump on Monday defended his decision to leave the hospital by car so he could wave to supporters, even though he was still being treated for COVID-19.
Despite his infection and symptoms, Trump decided on Sunday to surprise his supporters who had gathered outside of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he has been receiving treatment for the coronavirus. The president was seen wearing a mask and waving to the crowd from the back of a black SUV, while a driver and a passenger sat in the front seats wearing personal protective equipment.
Trump did not notify the White House press pool that he was going to step outside the hospital for a photo-op, a dangerous decision for the commander-in-chief to make while he battles a virus that has already killed more than 209,000 people in the U.S. News outlets pointed out Trump’s irresponsibility toward both his own health and the health of his security detail.
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“It is reported that the Media is upset because I got into a secure vehicle to say thank you to the many fans and supporters who were staying outside of the hospital for many hours, and even days, to pay their respect to their President,” Trump tweeted Monday. “If I didn’t do it, Media would say RUDE!!!”
A White House doctor said earlier on Sunday that Trump’s blood oxygen levels had dropped below normal twice during the previous day. The doctor also said the president is being administered dexamethasone ― a steroid that many medical experts have said is reserved for more severe cases of COVID-19.
Trump has said he will leave hospital on Monday evening.
— Sanjana Karanth
President Donald Trump tweeted Monday that he plans to leave Walter Reed National Military Medical Center at 6:30 p.m.
“Feeling really good!” he wrote. “Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life. We have developed, under the Trump Administration, some really great drugs & knowledge. I feel better than I did 20 years ago!”
His announcement comes a day after he briefly left the hospital to wave to supporters from a car.
― Lydia O’Connor
Two White House residence staff members who tested positive for COVID-19 worked in housekeeping, reported The New York Times. They worked on the third floor and did not come in direct contact with President Donald Trump or his family.
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The two housekeeping staff members were reportedly told to use “discretion” in discussing their positive COVID-19 test results.
More than a dozen people in Trump’s inner circle have tested positive for the virus in the last few days, including at least two Republican lawmakers, the White House press secretary, and several other people who attended the Sept. 26 event at the White House’s Rose Garden for Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court nomination.
— Sarah Ruiz-Grossman
Pastor Who Attended Rose Garden Event For Barrett Tests Positive ― 10/5/20, 2:10 p.m. ET A California pastor is one of the latest attendees of a packed White House Rose Garden event held Sept. 26 to test positive for the coronavirus, New York Magazine reported. Greg Laurie, the senior pastor for Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California, reportedly told church officials on Sunday of his diagnosis. He is experiencing mild symptoms and quarantining at home, New York Magazine reported. Laurie participated the National Prayer March in Washington on Sept. 26 before heading over to the Rose Garden later that day for Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court nomination ceremony. At least eight other people have tested positive for the virus since attending the Rose Garden event, including President Trump, first lady Melania Trump, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany and two Republican senators. Vice President Mike Pence attended both the National Prayer March and the Rose Garden event. He has reported testing negative for the virus every day since Trump revealed his diagnosis Friday. ― Hayley Miller
White House aides Chad Gilmartin and Karoline Leavitt have tested positive for the coronavirus, making them the latest members of President Trump’s inner orbit to reveal such a diagnosis, multiple outlets reported Monday.
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Gilmartin has been working in the West Wing since May as principal assistant press secretary. He is the cousin of White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany’s husband, MLB pitcher Sean Gilmartin. Leavitt is an assistant press secretary.
Earlier Monday, McEnany announced that she too had tested positive for the virus, three days after Trump was hospitalized for COVID-19. Several other members of the White House communications office have tested positive in recent days as well, reported Bloomberg News.
― Hayley Miller
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany is the latest member of Trump’s inner circle to test positive for COVID-19.
McEnany said Monday that she is asymptomatic and will be self-quarantining.
On Thursday and Sunday, McEnany briefed reporters without wearing a face mask.
—Marina Fang
President Trump’s condition continues to improve as he heads into his fourth day of being hospitalized with the coronavirus, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told Fox News on Monday.
“Spoke to the president this morning,” Meadows said. “He continued to improve overnight and is ready to get back to a normal working schedule. He will meet with his doctors and nurses this morning to make further assessments of his progress.”
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“We are still optimistic that he will be able to return to the White House later today,” he added.
Though Trump’s medical team has said the president is doing “very well,” some medical experts have suggested that Trump’s condition may be more serious than his doctors are letting on. White House physician Sean Conley announced Sunday that Trump’s blood oxygen level had dropped below 95% ― an important threshold ― on Friday and Saturday. This prompted Trump’s doctors to give him dexamethasone, a steroid that has been shown to reduce deaths among critically ill COVID-19 patients in a clinical trial.
― Hayley Miller
Attorney General William Barr reportedly received four negative COVID-19 test results since Friday morning, when President Donald Trump announced that he tested positive for the virus.
Despite his negative results, including from Sunday, the attorney general plans to self-quarantine “for now,” Justice Department spokesperson Kerri Kupec told CNN and MSNBC on Sunday. Kupec said he is expected to return to the department midweek.
Barr recently came in close contact with members of Trump’s inner circle who have tested positive for COVID-19, including former White House adviser Kellyanne Conway. The attorney general attended the Sept. 26 ceremony in which Trump formally nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court — an event that is quickly revealing itself to be the source of many high-level figures’ coronavirus infections.
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— Sanjana Karanth
Former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign said Sunday evening that the Democratic presidential nominee again tested negative for COVID-19 after he began regular testing following news Friday of President Donald Trump’s positive test result.
“Vice President Biden underwent PCR testing for COVID-19 today, and COVID-19 was not detected,” the campaign said, according to a pool report. The campaign said Saturday that it will disclose the results of every coronavirus test the candidate takes from now on.
Axios reporter Alexi McCammond said that the pool “was given no additional guidance” after asking the campaign if Biden was tested once or twice.
Biden previously said he was tested twice before going to Michigan on Friday, the day Trump announced he was infected with the virus.
The campaign reportedly also didn’t give guidance about the last time Biden received a negative COVID-19 test result before this one. The nominee told reporters Sunday morning that he did not get tested on Saturday.
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— Sanjana Karanth
Trump Leaves Hospital To Surprise Supporters Outside Walter Reed — 10/04/20, 5:50 p.m. ET
Despite his sickness and infection, Trump decided to surprise his supporters gathered outside Walter Reed National Military Medical Center as he recovers from the novel coronavirus.
Early Sunday evening, Trump tweeted a video message to his followers saying that he was “going to pay a little surprise to some of the great patriots out on the street.”
Shortly after, reporters tweeted videos of Trump wearing a mask and waving from the back of a black SUV with a driver and passenger in the front seats wearing personal protective equipment.
Trump drives by the press and supporters outside Walter Reed hospital. pic.twitter.com/3phtKthqTH — Philip Crowther (@PhilipinDC) October 4, 2020
Trump has spent the last three days at Walter Reed after he and first lady Melania Trump contracted the virus.
Earlier Sunday, a White House doctor said Trump’s blood oxygen level dropped below normal to 93% twice on Saturday.
— Carla Russo
New Jersey health officials said Sunday that more than 200 guests may have been exposed to COVID-19 during President Donald Trump’s campaign fundraiser on Thursday, just hours before the administration announced his diagnosis.
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The state’s Department of Health tweeted that it has finally received enough information to contact trace those who attended the high-dollar event at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster. The White House supplied New Jersey officials with the names of at least 206 individuals, not including staff working at the golf course.
Previously, reports said that Trump had come into contact with 100 people at the fundraiser and seemed “lethargic,” a common symptom of the virus. A senior aide to Gov. Phil Murphy (D) told HuffPost on Friday afternoon that the state was still waiting for the full roster of everyone who attended the event.
Health officials said they’re reaching out to the attendees to make them aware of potential COVID-19 exposure, and recommending that the individuals self-monitor for any symptoms and quarantine if they were in close contact with Trump, who is currently hospitalized due to the virus. Health officials in Somerset County are interviewing club staff to assess how much contact they had with Trump and his staff, and providing appropriate health recommendations.
“The contact tracing process is ongoing. Attendees that are seeking a test should consider waiting at least 5-7 days from the event. While the risk is low, a negative test earlier than that time cannot definitively rule out that COVID-19 will not develop,” the state’s Health Department tweeted on Sunday. “Those who are concerned that they were in close contact should quarantine for 14 days. New Jersey officials have been informed that the federal government is also conducting contact tracing.”
— Sanjana Karanth
Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen Pence, on Sunday tested negative again for the coronavirus days after President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump revealed they contracted the virus, the vice president’s office reported.
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The Trump campaign has said Pence, who is tested daily for the virus, will continue to campaign following Trump’s hospitalization on Friday.
Pence is scheduled to face off against Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris of California on Wednesday in Salt Lake City.
— Hayley Miller
President Donald Trump’s blood oxygen level twice dipped below 95% — an important threshold — including a transient dip to 93% on Saturday, White House physician Sean Conley said Sunday.
A normal blood oxygen level ― which indicates the oxygen saturation of someone’s blood ― usually ranges from 95% to 100%, according to the Mayo Clinic.
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In response to the second blood oxygen level drop, Trump’s medical team administered dexamethasone, a steroid that has been shown to save the lives of people seriously ill with COVID-19 in a clinical trial.
Despite the transient blood oxygen level drops, Trump’s doctors said during a news conference Sunday that the president is doing “very well.” Conley said he hopes to discharge Trump “as early as tomorrow.””
Read more here.
— Hayley Miller
President Trump feels “very well” but will likely remain hospitalized for “a period of time” following his coronavirus diagnosis, national security adviser Robert O’Brien said Sunday.
“I think he’s going to stay at [Water Reed National Military Medical Center] for at least another period of time,” O’Brien said during an appearance on CBS’s “Face The Nation.”
“Day 7 and 8 are the critical days,” he added, referring to the timeline of Trump’s infection. “I think the doctors want to make sure they’re there for the president.”
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NEWS: National Security Adviser @robertcobrien tells @margbrennan that @realdonaldtrump “Will stay at Walter Reed for a period of time,” adds that the “president feels very well” pic.twitter.com/in7Z6FuGkq — Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) October 4, 2020
Trump and his doctors said Saturday that the president is feeling well and is continuing to govern from the hospital. Trump’s condition caused his aides to be “very concerned” on Friday as the president suffered a fever and his blood oxygen level dropped rapidly.
Trump is not yet “out of the woods” but doctors are “cautiously optimistic” about his recovery, White House physician Dr. Sean Conley said in a statement late Saturday.
— Hayley Miller
President Trump is “doing well” and “governing actively” as he heads into the third day of being hospitalization after contracting the coronavirus, Trump campaign adviser Steve Cortes told “Fox News Sunday.”
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Cortes on Sunday defended members of Trump’s family who refused to wear masks during Tuesday’s presidential debate. Attendees of the event were required to wear masks, per rules agreed upon by both the Trump and Biden campaigns ahead of the debate.
First lady Melania Trump, Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump entered the debate hall wearing masks but took them off after being seated. An official from the Cleveland Clinic, the health security adviser for the debates, reminded the Trumps of the mask policy, but they still refused to wear them.
“We believe in masks,” Cortes said Sunday. “We also believe in some element of individual choice. People were distanced and they had been tested.”
But host Chris Wallace pushed back: “No, Steve, they weren’t distanced, and there were rules, and there was no freedom of choice. They broke the rules.”
Trump announced he and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for coronavirus early Friday morning.
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— Hayley Miller
Trump’s doctors were “very concerned” about the president on Friday when he had a fever and his blood oxygen level “had dropped rapidly,” White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told Fox News’ Jeanine Pirro on Saturday.
“The doctors said he’s not out of the woods the next 48 hours or so,” Meadows said. “But he’s made unbelievable improvements from yesterday morning when I know a number of us ― the doctor and I ― were very concerned.”
He added: “The biggest thing that we see is, with no fever now and with him doing really well with his oxygen saturation level. Yesterday morning, we were real concerned with that he had a fever and his blood oxygen level had dropped rapidly.”
Mark Meadows on Fox News: "Biggest thing that we see is with no fever now, and with him doing really well with his oxygen saturation level -- yesterday morning we were concerned with that. He had a fever, and his blood oxygen level had dropped rapidly." pic.twitter.com/hwrv0bj1QG — Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) October 4, 2020
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Trump had a fever of 103 degrees and experienced heart palpitations on Friday night, Vanity Fair reported Saturday, citing sources familiar with his condition. The heart palpitations may have been a side effect of the experimental antibody treatment Trump received, the magazine said.
― Hayley Miller
White House aide Nick Luna has tested positive for COVID-19, extending the list of people in Trump’s inner circle who have contracted the coronavirus, Bloomberg News reported Saturday.
Luna, who serves as a personal attendant to Trump and runs Oval Office operations, accompanied Trump on his trip to Cleveland for the presidential debate on Tuesday and also traveled with Trump aboard Air Force One to his rally in Minnesota on Wednesday.
― Hayley Miller
Trump had a fever of 103 degrees and experienced heart palpitations on Friday night, Vanity Fair reported Saturday, citing sources familiar with his condition.
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The heart palpitations may have been a side effect of the experimental antibody treatment Trump received, the magazine said. Trump’s doctors said earlier the president had received “special antibody therapy” following his COVID-19 diagnosis.
— Dominique Mosbergen
In a video message from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center where he’s undergoing treatment, Trump thanked the medical staff at the hospital and said he was feeling “better.”
“I came here, wasn’t feeling so well,” he said in the video, which he posted to his Twitter account on Saturday. “I feel much better now. We’re working hard to get me all the way back.”
Trump added that he wasn’t out of the woods just yet, noting the “real test” is what happens over the next few days.
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— Dominique Mosbergen
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — President Donald Trump’s ally who announced on Twitter Saturday that he tested positive for COVID-19 — said in a follow-up tweet that he checked himself into Morristown Medical Center in Morristown, New Jersey, as a “precautionary measure.”
Christie said he was “feeling good” and only had “mild symptoms” but decided to go to the hospital because of his history of asthma.
— Dominique Mosbergen
Contradicting the rosy picture painted by President Donald Trump’s doctors about the president’s health, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said Saturday that Trump went through a “very concerning” period after his COVID-19 diagnosis was revealed on Friday.
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Meadows said the next 48 hours will be critical for the president’s care.
Trump is currently undergoing treatment for the coronavirus at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
— Dominique Mosbergen
Attorney General William Barr said he doesn’t plan to quarantine after coming into contact with multiple people in President Donald Trump’s orbit who tested positive for the coronavirus.
Barr tested negative for the virus on Friday but has been in close contact with several White House staffers who tested positive.
— Sebastian Murdock
President Donald Trump was given supplemental oxygen at the White House on Friday before he went to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, a source told The Associated Press.
In a news conference Saturday, doctors treating Trump would not clearly answer whether or not Trump was given oxygen but said he was not currently on oxygen and was breathing normally.
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— Sebastian Murdock
Many of the top officials coming down with COVID-19 are linked to President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nomination event in the White House Rose Garden, including first lady Melania Trump, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and former senior adviser Kellyanne Conway.
But not all of them were there. Top White House aide Hope Hicks, for example, began displaying symptoms shortly before a campaign rally Trump held Wednesday in Minnesota. She traveled with the president aboard Air Force One and was quarantined in the plane on the ride back before getting tested.
Find a list of the people in Trump’s orbit who recently tested positive for the virus here.
— Sara Boboltz
The White House pool, the group of reporters who follow President Donald Trump throughout the day, passed along a statement on the president’s health from a source on background:
“The president’s vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning, and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care. We’re still not on a clear path to a full recovery.”
— Paige Lavender
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) tested positive for the coronavirus.
“I just received word that I am positive for COVID-19,” Christie wrote in a tweet Saturday. “I want to thank all of my friends and colleagues who have reached out to ask how I was feeling in the last day or two. I will be receiving medical attention today and will keep the necessary folks apprised of my condition.”
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Christie attended a White House event on Sept. 26, when President Donald Trump announced the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. Video showed that he and others in the Rose Garden mingled without masks during the event.
Christie also interacted with Trump during debate preparation last week.
— Sebastian Murdock
Dr. Sean Conley, President Donald Trump’s physician, said in a news conference Saturday that he is doing “very well” 72 hours into his diagnosis.
That timeline means Trump was positive as early as Wednesday. Trump attended campaign events on Thursday and did not disclose that he and the first lady tested positive for COVID-19 until early Friday morning.
Another doctor said Trump received an antibody therapy about 48 hours ago, which would be Thursday morning.
The physicians also did not disclose if Trump was on oxygen at any point this week, saying only that he is not currently on oxygen or having difficulty breathing.
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Conley said the medical team assisting with Trump’s care is “extremely happy” with his progress, noting the president’s “mild cough, fatigue and nasal congestion” are improving. He said Trump has been fever-free for more than 24 hours.
— Paige Lavender
Members of the Secret Service — who rarely speak critically of the presidents they serve — reportedly expressed “anger and frustration” to colleagues Friday, worried that President Donald Trump’s actions have put them at risk of contracting the coronavirus, too.
“He’s never cared about us,” one agent told a friend, who spoke to The Washington Post.
Another agent reportedly said, “This administration doesn’t care about the Secret Service. It’s so obvious.”
Secret Service agents complained about not being tested for the virus after returning from rallies with the president in recent weeks, the Post reported. Trump held three rallies in the days leading up to his positive test result.— Sara Boboltz
Pences Test Negative Again — 10/3/20, 10:51 a.m. ET White House officials said Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen both tested negative for COVID-19 on Saturday morning, according to Fox News. — Paige Lavender
Dr. Sean Conley will speak from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where the president is currently hospitalized, to give an update on Trump’s condition at 11 a.m. ET.
—Paige Lavender
Trump’s presidential campaign announced Friday afternoon that “all previously announced campaign events involving the President’s participation are in the process of being moved to virtual events or are being temporarily postponed.” Trump had already canceled a scheduled rally in Florida Friday night.
In addition, any events involving the president’s immediate family will also be “temporarily postponed,” and campaign events in general “will be considered on a case-by-case basis,” Trump’s campaign manager Bill Stepien said in a statement.
— Marina Fang
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, have both tested negative for the coronavirus, their physician said Friday.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-04--'Weekend Update' Doesn't Tiptoe Around President And His COVID-19 Diagnosis

It took everything the “ Weekend Update ” anchors had not to careen into total tastelessness when dealing with the news that President Donald Trump tested positive for COVID-19 .
For one thing , they had so little time to work out something super delicate .
“ Say what you will about 2020 , but it ’ s got moves , “ quipped Colin Jost on the “ Saturday Night Live ” faux news program .
It “ was a lot for to process a day before we came on the air after four months off.
” Michael Che conceded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issue : “ This is weird .
A lot of people on both sides are saying there ’ s nothing funny about Trump being hospitalized with coronavirus — even though he mocked the safety precautions for the coronavirus — and they ’ d be wrong.
” It ’ s just “ so on the nose , ” Che couldn ’ t help but notice .
“ It ’ d be like if I were making fun of people who wear belts and then my pants just immediately fell down.
” He added : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want the president to die , obviously .
Actually , I wish him a very lengthy recovery.
” Jost noted a suddenly softer Trump , who tweeted the word “ love ” ( with three exclamation points ) in a message Friday about the support he ’ s getting .
“ It sounds like they ’ re cutting his hydroxychloroquine ” — the drug Trump has touted — “ with a little bit of molly , ” Jost noted , referring to ecstasy .

It took everything the “Weekend Update” anchors had not to careen into total tastelessness when dealing with the news that President Donald Trump tested positive for COVID-19.
For one thing, they had so little time to work out something super delicate.
“Say what you will about 2020, but it’s got moves,“ quipped Colin Jost on the “Saturday Night Live” faux news program. It “was a lot for to process a day before we came on the air after four months off.”
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Michael Che conceded as he tried to joke about the issue: “This is weird. A lot of people on both sides are saying there’s nothing funny about Trump being hospitalized with coronavirus — even though he mocked the safety precautions for the coronavirus — and they’d be wrong.”
It’s just “so on the nose,” Che couldn’t help but notice. “It’d be like if I were making fun of people who wear belts and then my pants just immediately fell down.”
He added: “Look, I don’t want the president to die, obviously. Actually, I wish him a very lengthy recovery.”
Jost noted a suddenly softer Trump, who tweeted the word “love” (with three exclamation points) in a message Friday about the support he’s getting.
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“It sounds like they’re cutting his hydroxychloroquine” — the drug Trump has touted — “with a little bit of molly,” Jost noted, referring to ecstasy.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-04--After Exposure To Trump, GOP Lawmakers Skirt Rules To Hop Commercial Flight

Three Republican Minnesota congressmen skirted regulations and hopped aboard a commercial airline amid fears they had been exposed to COVID-19 via President Donald Trump on Air Force One .
Representatives Pete Stauber , Tom Emmer and Jim Hagedorn were on a Delta Air Lines flight Friday night heading back to Minnesota from Washington , dodging restrictions on passengers suspected of recent exposure to COVID-19 , The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported .
The men had been on Air Force One with Trump flying from Washington to Minnesota and back just two days earlier and knew he announced very early Friday that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump may actually have already tested positive on Wednesday , the day the men were with him , according to an initial statement by White House physician Dr. Sean Conley .
Passengers likely exposed to COVID-19 in the previous 14 days can not travel on Delta , according to the airline ’ s policy .
Exposure is defined as face-to-face contact or sustained contact for more than 15 minutes less than six feet apart with someone who has the virus .
Hagedorn said on Twitter that he had tested negative for COVID Friday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exposure aren ’ t often accurate .
He also argued that their interaction with Trump did not breach the airline ’ s restrictions , according to The Associated Press .
Yet the lawmakers were apparently concerned enough about the potential exposure that they informed Delta of their situation , according to Hagedorn .
A Delta spokesperson indicated the airline decided to allow the men to skirt the rules because the aircraft was only 40 % full and no passenger protested , the Tribune reported .
It ’ s unclear how many , if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the situation .
One flyer told the Tribune that he and his fiancee were not told , and would have left the plane had they known .
The men “ deliberately put the health and safety of their fellow passengers at serious risk , ” Martin said in a statement .
“ As these congressmen know , medical experts have said that a negative test soon after exposure is nearly meaningless.
” Their “ disregard for the well-being of their fellow passengers is staggering , ” he added .

Three Republican Minnesota congressmen skirted regulations and hopped aboard a commercial airline amid fears they had been exposed to COVID-19 via President Donald Trump on Air Force One.
Representatives Pete Stauber, Tom Emmer and Jim Hagedorn were on a Delta Air Lines flight Friday night heading back to Minnesota from Washington, dodging restrictions on passengers suspected of recent exposure to COVID-19, The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.
The men had been on Air Force One with Trump flying from Washington to Minnesota and back just two days earlier and knew he announced very early Friday that he had tested positive for COVID-19. Trump may actually have already tested positive on Wednesday, the day the men were with him, according to an initial statement by White House physician Dr. Sean Conley.
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Passengers likely exposed to COVID-19 in the previous 14 days cannot travel on Delta, according to the airline’s policy. Exposure is defined as face-to-face contact or sustained contact for more than 15 minutes less than six feet apart with someone who has the virus.
Hagedorn said on Twitter that he had tested negative for COVID Friday morning, though quick tests soon after exposure aren’t often accurate. He also argued that their interaction with Trump did not breach the airline’s restrictions, according to The Associated Press. Yet the lawmakers were apparently concerned enough about the potential exposure that they informed Delta of their situation, according to Hagedorn.
Stauber and Emmer also tweeted that they had tested negative earlier Friday.
You flew home commercial?! — Allison (@alliwhtt) October 3, 2020
A Delta spokesperson indicated the airline decided to allow the men to skirt the rules because the aircraft was only 40% full and no passenger protested, the Tribune reported. It’s unclear how many, if any, passengers were fully informed of the situation.
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One flyer told the Tribune that he and his fiancee were not told, and would have left the plane had they known.
Democratic Farm-Labor Party Chair Ken Martin slammed the congressmen for flying on the commercial flight.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-04--Challenger Jaime Harrison Faces Sen. Lindsey Graham Behind Plexiglass In First Debate

COLUMBIA , S.C. ( AP ) — In their first debate in a race that has shattered fundraising records and become among the more closely watched Senate contests of this cycle , U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison drew multiple contrasts between their campaigns but also both portrayed themselves as willing to work across the aisle to achieve legislative progress .
After Harrison — an associate Democratic National Committee chairman and former lobbyist — said Saturday night that he and his wife were still paying off their student loans , Graham snapped back that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Harrison ’ s income from released tax returns , “ You ’ re a multimillionaire , and you can ’ t pay off your student loans ?
” Harrison described himself as willing to work with Republicans on a variety of issues , describing when , as state Democratic chairman , he became close friends with his GOP counterpart .
He also critiqued the longtime lawmaker ’ s previous support of 12-year term limits and added , “ I do believe the ultimate term limit is in the power of the people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opening statement and throughout nearly every answer of the hourlong debate , Graham worked in his support for a conservative judiciary and particularly Amy Coney Barrett , whom he called a “ buffer to liberalism ” he hoped “ won ’ t be treated like Kavanaugh ” in her upcoming confirmation hearings .
It was Graham ’ s fiery 2018 defense of Brett Kavanaugh that helped cement his now-close relationship with Trump , as well as renew support with some who hadn ’ t seen Graham as conservative enough to represent South Carolina @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , also riled up liberals he now says are pouring $ 100 million into Harrison ’ s campaign and groups supporting him , to try to oust Graham .
“ Where the hell is all this money coming from ?
” Graham asked .
“ This is about liberals hating my guts when I stood up for Kavanaugh .
This is about me helping President Trump.
” “ Senator , you said ‘ use my words against me , ’ ” Harrison said , referencing Graham ’ s 2018 comments on the subject @ @ @ @ @ @ @ judicial nominee should be approved during the last year of an election .
... How good is your word ?
” Graham , pointing several times to his support of two of President Barack Obama ’ s Supreme Court nominees , said Barrett “ is going to be confirmed because the president has the constitutional authority to do it.
” The ongoing pandemic also played a role , both on stage and in debate structuring .
No members of the public were allowed to attend the event at Allen University , a historically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign staff inside were spread out and required to complete questionnaires declaring no exposure to or symptoms of coronavirus .
After several senators announced testing positive for COVID-19 , Republican leaders on Saturday announced a refrain from legislative work until Oct. 19 that leadership says won ’ t derail Barrett ’ s hearings , set to begin Oct. 12 .
With two committee members recently contracting the coronavirus , Graham said Friday that senators could attend virtually .
The candidates spoke from podiums 13 feet apart .
Harrison ’ s podium was shielded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a plexiglass partition , something the campaign said was used in accordance with federal recommendations that anyone in close contact with someone infected with COVID-19 should quarantine for 14 days .
Both candidates say they tested negative Friday , but Graham has recently met with other Senate Republicans — several of whom have tested positive for the coronavirus — as well as with Trump , currently hospitalized with COVID-19 .
“ It ’ s not just about me , it ’ s about the people in my life that I have to take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two boys , my wife , my grandma , ” Harrison said .
Asked later about the number of public officials recently contracting COVID , Graham reiterated a commitment to keep the economy and government working amid the pandemic and noting , “ The virus is a problem that came out of China , not Trump Tower.
” Officials with Harrison ’ s campaign said they raised $ 340,000 during the debate and the hour that followed it .
Graham ’ s campaign said they “ don ’ t discuss those numbers.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ debate Oct. 9 .

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — In their first debate in a race that has shattered fundraising records and become among the more closely watched Senate contests of this cycle, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison drew multiple contrasts between their campaigns but also both portrayed themselves as willing to work across the aisle to achieve legislative progress.
In his pursuit of a fourth term, Graham — chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee — also argued the case for his chief congressional goal at the moment: the confirmation of President Donald Trump’s latest Supreme Court nominee.
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After Harrison — an associate Democratic National Committee chairman and former lobbyist — said Saturday night that he and his wife were still paying off their student loans, Graham snapped back that, given what he’s seen of Harrison’s income from released tax returns, “You’re a multimillionaire, and you can’t pay off your student loans?”
Harrison described himself as willing to work with Republicans on a variety of issues, describing when, as state Democratic chairman, he became close friends with his GOP counterpart. He also critiqued the longtime lawmaker’s previous support of 12-year term limits and added, “I do believe the ultimate term limit is in the power of the people here in South Carolina.”
In response, Graham promoted himself as a conservative unafraid to work with Democrats, mentioning issues like immigration, and telling voters, “You can limit my term on Nov. 3 if you’d like.”
From his opening statement and throughout nearly every answer of the hourlong debate, Graham worked in his support for a conservative judiciary and particularly Amy Coney Barrett, whom he called a “buffer to liberalism” he hoped “won’t be treated like Kavanaugh” in her upcoming confirmation hearings.
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It was Graham’s fiery 2018 defense of Brett Kavanaugh that helped cement his now-close relationship with Trump, as well as renew support with some who hadn’t seen Graham as conservative enough to represent South Carolina. That moment, Graham said Saturday, also riled up liberals he now says are pouring $100 million into Harrison’s campaign and groups supporting him, to try to oust Graham.
“Where the hell is all this money coming from?” Graham asked. “This is about liberals hating my guts when I stood up for Kavanaugh. This is about me helping President Trump.”
Harrison, 44, castigated Graham, 65, for what he characterized as contradictory positions on whether it’s appropriate to fill Supreme Court vacancies in a presidential election year.
“Senator, you said ‘use my words against me,’” Harrison said, referencing Graham’s 2018 comments on the subject. “Your promise was that no judicial nominee should be approved during the last year of an election. ... How good is your word?”
Graham, pointing several times to his support of two of President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominees, said Barrett “is going to be confirmed because the president has the constitutional authority to do it.”
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The ongoing pandemic also played a role, both on stage and in debate structuring. No members of the public were allowed to attend the event at Allen University, a historically Black institution in Columbia. Media and campaign staff inside were spread out and required to complete questionnaires declaring no exposure to or symptoms of coronavirus.
After several senators announced testing positive for COVID-19, Republican leaders on Saturday announced a refrain from legislative work until Oct. 19 that leadership says won’t derail Barrett’s hearings, set to begin Oct. 12. With two committee members recently contracting the coronavirus, Graham said Friday that senators could attend virtually.
The candidates spoke from podiums 13 feet apart. Harrison’s podium was shielded on the side closest to Graham by a plexiglass partition, something the campaign said was used in accordance with federal recommendations that anyone in close contact with someone infected with COVID-19 should quarantine for 14 days.
If you don’t know @harrisonjaime the man who is about to send @LindseyGrahamSC home...please just watch this and know HE BROUGHT HIS OWN SAFETY PLEXIGLAS TO THE DEBATE.pic.twitter.com/GUfbcXTQy4 — Jeffrey Lieber (@JeffLieber) October 4, 2020
Both candidates say they tested negative Friday, but Graham has recently met with other Senate Republicans — several of whom have tested positive for the coronavirus — as well as with Trump, currently hospitalized with COVID-19.
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Of his partition, Harrison said he was taking every precaution to keep himself and his loved ones safe.
“It’s not just about me, it’s about the people in my life that I have to take care of, as well, my two boys, my wife, my grandma,” Harrison said.
Asked later about the number of public officials recently contracting COVID, Graham reiterated a commitment to keep the economy and government working amid the pandemic and noting, “The virus is a problem that came out of China, not Trump Tower.”
Officials with Harrison’s campaign said they raised $340,000 during the debate and the hour that followed it. Graham’s campaign said they “don’t discuss those numbers.” The two men are next scheduled to debate Oct. 9.
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Meg Kinnard can be reached at https://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP.
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AP’s Advance Voting guide brings you the facts about voting early, by mail or absentee from each state: https://interactives.ap.org/advance-voting-2020/


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-04--'A Symbol Of Your Own Failures': Jake Tapper Takes It To Trump

Now Trump and several in his circle who have followed his lead have become sick with COVID-19 themselves .
“ @ @ @ @ @ and recovery and a long life , ” Tapper told those who have contracted the @ @ @ @ @ have to note the tragedy here .
It is horrible and awful and profound.
” @ @ @ @ @ Tapper concluded : “ Sick and in isolation , Mr. President , you have become @ @ @ @ @ failures — failures of recklessness , ignorance , arrogance — the same failures you have @ @ @ @ @ of us.
” He added : “ Get well , and please , for the @ @ @ @ @ ’ t get to go to Walter Reed , get well and get it together.
@ @ @ @ @ the video up top .

Now Trump and a growing number of top Republicans who have followed his lead have become sick with COVID-19 themselves.
“I wish you all health and recovery and a long life,” Tapper told those who have contracted the virus. “But we have to note the tragedy here. It is horrible and awful and profound.”
Speaking directly to Trump, Tapper concluded: “Sick and in isolation, Mr. President, you have become a symbol of your own failures — failures of recklessness, ignorance, arrogance — the same failures you have been inflicting on the rest of us.”
He added: “Get well, and please, for the rest of us who don’t get to go to Walter Reed, get well and get it together.”
Check it out in the video up top.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-04--Horrified Walter Reed Attending Physician Slams Trump's Drive-By Risk To Secret Service

An attending physician at Walter Reed Medical Center blasted the “ astounding irresponsibility ” of President Donald Trump , saying he put the lives of Secret Service agents at risk to wave at his fans from his motorcade on Sunday .
Trump made a spur-of-the-moment decision to briefly leave the hospital where ’ s he being treated for COVID-19 to do a “ surprise ” drive-by in the presidential SUV to wave to supporters — whom he called “ great patriots ” — gathered outside .
“ Every single person in the vehicle during that completely unnecessary Presidential ‘ drive-by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for 14 days , ” Dr. James Phillips tweeted .
Two Secret Service agents could be seen inside the presidential SUV with Trump .
All three wore masks .
“ They might get sick .
They may die .
For political theater .
Commanded by Trump to put their lives at risk for theater .
This is insanity , ” Phillips said of the agents accompanying Trump .
But Phillips — the head of Disaster and Operational Medicine in the Emergency Medicine Department of the George Washington University School of Medicine — noted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protect against chemical attacks .
“ The risk of COVID-19 transmission inside is as high as it gets , ” other than during medical procedures , he added .
Every single person in the vehicle during that completely unnecessary Presidential “ drive-by ” just now has to be quarantined for 14 days .
They might get sick .
They may die .
For political theater .
Commanded by Trump to put their lives at risk for theater .
This is insanity .
— Dr. James P. Phillips , MD ( @ DrPhillipsMD ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not only bulletproof , but hermetically sealed against chemical attack .
The risk of COVID19 transmission inside is as high as it gets outside of medical procedures .
The irresponsibility is astounding .
My thoughts are with the Secret Service forced to play .
— Dr. James P. Phillips , MD ( @ DrPhillipsMD ) October 4 , 2020 “ President Trump took a short , last-minute motorcade ride to wave to his supporters outside and has now returned to the Presidential Suite inside Walter Reed , ” deputy White House press @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The president tweeted a video message about his “ surprise , ” and insisted that he had “ learned a lot about COVID , ” adding : “ I get it.
” His motorcade photo-op was also harshly criticized by the White House Correspondents Association , which called for transparency amid a medical crisis threatening the president .
“ It is outrageous for the president to have left the hospital — even briefly — amid a health crisis without a protective pool present to ensure that the American people know where their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” association President Zeke Miller said in a statement .
“ Now more than ever , the American public deserves independent coverage of the president so they can be reliably informed about his health.
” Trump has run a high fever and his oxygen levels have dropped twice while battling the coronavirus , White House Dr. Sen Conley revealed Sunday .
“ He ’ s not out of the woods , ” Conley warned .
Trump risked the lives of the Secret Service personnel who were in the drive-by SUV with him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They will need to quarantine for 14 days , doctors say .
— Stephen King ( @ StephenKing ) October 4 , 2020 Will no high ranking official in this administration resign in protest to focus public attention on Trump ’ s lunacy ?
Secret Service Dir .
Murray started as an agent & ran the Washington Field Office before becoming Director .
He owes his people better leadership than this .
https : //t.co/6H1DA7R5Jt — Joyce Alene ( @ JoyceWhiteVance ) October 4 , 2020 The Trump stunt of driving out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Lafayette Park stunt with Bible .
Recklessly endangering others for a narcissistic photo op .
Think of the endangered Secret Service agents in the car with him putting their lives on the line for a photo op !
— Norman Ornstein ( @ NormOrnstein ) October 4 , 2020

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An attending physician at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center blasted the “astounding irresponsibility” of President Donald Trump, saying he put the lives of Secret Service agents at risk to wave atto his fans from his motorcade on Sunday.
Trump made a spur-of-the-moment decision to briefly leave the hospital where he was being treated for COVID-19 to do a “surprise” drive-by in the presidential SUV to wave to supporters — whom he called “great patriots” — gathered outside.
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“Every single person in the vehicle during that completely unnecessary Presidential ‘drive-by’ just now has to be quarantined for 14 days,” Dr. James Phillips tweeted.
Two Secret Service agents could be seen inside the presidential SUV with Trump. All three wore masks.
“They might get sick. They may die. For political theater. Commanded by Trump to put their lives at risk for theater. This is insanity,” Phillips said of the agents accompanying Trump.
Phillips — the head of Disaster and Operational Medicine in the Emergency Medicine Department of the George Washington University School of Medicine — noted that the SUV is hermetically sealed to protect against chemical attacks.
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“The risk of COVID-19 transmission inside is as high as it gets,” other than during medical procedures, he added.
Every single person in the vehicle during that completely unnecessary Presidential “drive-by” just now has to be quarantined for 14 days. They might get sick. They may die. For political theater. Commanded by Trump to put their lives at risk for theater. This is insanity. — Dr. James P. Phillips, MD (@DrPhillipsMD) October 4, 2020
That Presidential SUV is not only bulletproof, but hermetically sealed against chemical attack. The risk of COVID19 transmission inside is as high as it gets outside of medical procedures. The irresponsibility is astounding. My thoughts are with the Secret Service forced to play. — Dr. James P. Phillips, MD (@DrPhillipsMD) October 4, 2020
The White House confirmed that the trip was a “last-minute” decision. Reporters weren’t told it was happening.
“President Trump took a short, last-minute motorcade ride to wave to his supporters outside and has now returned to the Presidential Suite inside Walter Reed,” deputy White House press secretary Judd Deere said in a statement.
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The president tweeted a video message about his “surprise,” and insisted that he had “learned a lot about COVID,” adding: “I get it.”
His motorcade photo-op was also harshly criticized by the White House Correspondents Association, which called for transparency amid a medical crisis threatening the president.
“It is outrageous for the president to have left the hospital — even briefly — amid a health crisis without a protective pool present to ensure that the American people know where their president is and how he is doing,” association President Zeke Miller said in a statement.
“Now more than ever, the American public deserves independent coverage of the president so they can be reliably informed about his health.”
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Trump has run a high fever and his oxygen levels have dropped twice while battling the coronavirus, White House Dr. Sean Conley revealed Sunday. “He’s not out of the woods,” Conley warned.
Trump drives by the press and supporters outside Walter Reed hospital. pic.twitter.com/3phtKthqTH — Philip Crowther (@PhilipinDC) October 4, 2020
Other observers were also stunned that Trump put Secret Service agents’ lives at risk for a stunt.
Why is a sick President riding in an SUV waving to supporters outside Walter Reed, jeopardizing the Secret Service agents inside the car with him? — Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) October 4, 2020
Trump risked the lives of the Secret Service personnel who were in the drive-by SUV with him. Lives risked for a publicity stunt. They will need to quarantine for 14 days, doctors say. — Stephen King (@StephenKing) October 4, 2020
Will no high ranking official in this administration resign in protest to focus public attention on Trump’s lunacy? Secret Service Dir. Murray started as an agent & ran the Washington Field Office before becoming Director. He owes his people better leadership than this. https://t.co/6H1DA7R5Jt — Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) October 4, 2020
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The Trump stunt of driving out of the hospital is so reminiscent of the Lafayette Park stunt with Bible. Recklessly endangering others for a narcissistic photo op. Think of the endangered Secret Service agents in the car with him putting their lives on the line for a photo op! — Norman Ornstein (@NormOrnstein) October 4, 2020