alternet--2020-10-02--Trump is positive for COVID-19

Trump is positive for COVID-19

President Donald Trump announced early Friday morning , shortly before 1 a.m. , that he and First Lady Melania Trump are positive for SARS-CoV-2 , the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 .
The announcement came shortly after he had confirmed that his close aide , Hope Hicks , had tested positive for the virus .
He had said he would begin a `` quarantine process '' and was still waiting for the results of a test .
But Hicks had reportedly known she was positive since Wednesday , and the White House is equipped with rapid tests , so this explanation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president is positive immediately raised concerns about the continuity of government .
Trump himself is 74 years old and at risk of heart disease , which puts him in the group of people highly susceptible to complications from the virus .
It was not immediately clear if Vice President Mike Pence has been recently tested for the virus .
Trump was also in close proximity to his competitor in the 2020 election , former Vice President Joe Biden , during the presidential debate on Tuesday .
Though they declined to have the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus , their presence together indoors raises the prospect that both candidates may be exposed to the virus .
CNN 's Dr. Jonathan Reiner had suggested prior to Trump 's official diagnosis that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , second in line to the presidency , should enter isolation given the risk to the president and Pence posed by Hicks ' infection .
The White House physician released the following letter on the news :

President Donald Trump announced early Friday morning, shortly before 1 a.m., that he and First Lady Melania Trump are positive for SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
The announcement came shortly after he had confirmed that his close aide, Hope Hicks, had tested positive for the virus. He had said he would begin a "quarantine process" and was still waiting for the results of a test. But Hicks had reportedly known she was positive since Wednesday, and the White House is equipped with rapid tests, so this explanation made little sense.
The fact that the president is positive immediately raised concerns about the continuity of government. Trump himself is 74 years old and at risk of heart disease, which puts him in the group of people highly susceptible to complications from the virus.
It was not immediately clear if Vice President Mike Pence has been recently tested for the virus. Trump was also in close proximity to his competitor in the 2020 election, former Vice President Joe Biden, during the presidential debate on Tuesday. Though they declined to have the traditional handshake out of concerns about transmitting the virus, their presence together indoors raises the prospect that both candidates may be exposed to the virus.
CNN's Dr. Jonathan Reiner had suggested prior to Trump's official diagnosis that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, second in line to the presidency, should enter isolation given the risk to the president and Pence posed by Hicks' infection.
The White House physician released the following letter on the news:


alternet--2020-10-02--Trump says he will start 'quarantine process' after bizarre claim about his COVID test

President Donald Trump announced Thursday night that he and First Lady Melania Trump will begin a `` quarantine process '' after his close aide , Hope Hicks , tested positive for the coronavirus .
His short tweet on the matter , however , left many questions .
It 's publicly known that the White House has 15-minute rapid tests for SARS-CoV-2 , the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 .
So it 's not clear why there should be any meaningful `` wait '' at all for the results of the test .
And NBC News reported that Hicks tested positive for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ announced on Thursday , first by the media .
If Hicks tested positive on Wednesday , it 's even more bizarre that the president would claim he still has to `` wait '' for the result .
It 's possible a rapid test could give a false positive that would require additional testing to confirm , but the White House has not provided any such details .
Even if the president tested negative , it could still be warranted for him to quarantine , because the quarantine period can be up to 14 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Disease Control and Prevention .
CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins pointed out that the president 's claim to be entering quarantine is also notable because , despite the fact that others he has interacted with and some close to him in the White House have tested positive for the virus , he has never gone into quarantine before .
As of this writing , the White House schedule for Friday featured the president attending an event at one of his hotels and a campaign rally in Florida , though both events would seem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

President Donald Trump announced Thursday night that he and First Lady Melania Trump will begin a "quarantine process" after his close aide, Hope Hicks, tested positive for the coronavirus.
His short tweet on the matter, however, left many questions. It's publicly known that the White House has 15-minute rapid tests for SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. So it's not clear why there should be any meaningful "wait" at all for the results of the test.
And NBC News reported that Hicks tested positive for the virus a day before it was announced on Thursday, first by the media. If Hicks tested positive on Wednesday, it's even more bizarre that the president would claim he still has to "wait" for the result.
It's possible a rapid test could give a false positive that would require additional testing to confirm, but the White House has not provided any such details. Even if the president tested negative, it could still be warranted for him to quarantine, because the quarantine period can be up to 14 days long, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins pointed out that the president's claim to be entering quarantine is also notable because, despite the fact that others he has interacted with and some close to him in the White House have tested positive for the virus, he has never gone into quarantine before.
As of this writing, the White House schedule for Friday featured the president attending an event at one of his hotels and a campaign rally in Florida, though both events would seem to be incompatible with his entering quarantine.


alternet--2020-10-02--Secret recording reveals a swearing and ranting Melania Trump

Stephanie Winston Wolkoff , a former top aide to First Lady Melania Trump , released a new recording of the wife of President Donald Trump on Thursday to CNN .
It showed a side of the first lady that has n't been seen in public before .
`` They say I 'm complicit , .
I 'm the same like him , I support him .
I do n't say enough , I do n't do enough , '' she said .
`` I 'm working my ass off on the Christmas stuff .
That you know , who gives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
But I need to do it , right ? ''
CNN 's Anderson Cooper , interviewing Wolkoff , noted that these comments stand in stark contrast to the Fox News view of the holiday .
The network has been warning about an attack on the holiday from liberals in the mythical `` War on Christmas '' for years now .
But what came next was even more shocking .
`` And then they say , 'Oh what about he children that , they were separated ? '
'' she said , referring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asylum seekers from their children when they crossed the U.S.-Mexico border .
`` Give me a fucking break .
Where they were saying anything when Obama did that ?
I can not go .
I was trying to get the kid reunited with the mom .
I did n't have a chance .
It needs to go through the process and through the law . ''
At another point in the recording .
Wolkoff asked her about the infamous jacket the first lady wore to visit the separate children , which said in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` I really do n't care , do u ? ''
`` I 'm driving liberals crazy , that 's for sure , '' she said .
`` And they deserve it .
You understand ?
And everybody 's like , 'oh my God , this is the worst , this is the worst , ' after , I mean , come on .
They are crazy . ''

Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former top aide to First Lady Melania Trump, released a new recording of the wife of President Donald Trump on Thursday to CNN. It showed a side of the first lady that hasn't been seen in public before.
"They say I'm complicit,. I'm the same like him, I support him. I don't say enough, I don't do enough," she said. "I'm working my ass off on the Christmas stuff. That you know, who gives a fuck about Christmas stuff and decoration? But I need to do it, right?"
CNN's Anderson Cooper, interviewing Wolkoff, noted that these comments stand in stark contrast to the Fox News view of the holiday. The network has been warning about an attack on the holiday from liberals in the mythical "War on Christmas" for years now.
But what came next was even more shocking.
"And then they say, 'Oh what about he children that, they were separated?'" she said, referring to the administration's policy of separating asylum seekers from their children when they crossed the U.S.-Mexico border. "Give me a fucking break. Where they were saying anything when Obama did that? I cannot go. I was trying to get the kid reunited with the mom. I didn't have a chance. It needs to go through the process and through the law."
At another point in the recording. Wolkoff asked her about the infamous jacket the first lady wore to visit the separate children, which said in painted white letters on the back: "I really don't care, do u?"
"I'm driving liberals crazy, that's for sure," she said. "And they deserve it. You understand? And everybody's like, 'oh my God, this is the worst, this is the worst,' after, I mean, come on. They are crazy."
Watch the clips below:'


alternet--2020-10-02--Right-wing fraudsters Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman get criminally charged in election conspiracy

Right-wing smear artists Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman will face four counts in an alleged criminal scheme to influence the 2020 election after Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed charges on Thursday .
Nessel accused the pair of intimidating voters , conspiring to break election law , using a computer to commit an election crime , and using a computer to carry out a conspiracy .
The charges center on a robocall scheme the Nessel said was an attempt to `` discourage voters from participating in the general election . ''
According to the press release , the scheme targeted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was focused on `` areas with significant minority populations . ''
Wohl previously denied to CNN that he or Burkman were involved in any robocall schemes .
`` It 's believed around 85,000 calls were made nationally , though an exact breakdown of the numbers of calls to each city or state are not available , '' according to Nessel 's office .
Similar robocalls reportedly were made in New York , Illinois , Pennsylvania , and Ohio , the last two of which are swing states in the presidential election .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to cast their ballots , telling them to not be `` finessed into giving your private information to the man '' and that they should `` beware of vote by mail . ''
The press release explained : The caller , who claims to be associated with an organization founded by Burkman and Wohl , falsely tells people that mail-in voting , in particular , will allow personal information to become part of a special database used by police to track down old warrants and by credit card companies to collect outstanding debts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will use the information to track people for mandatory vaccines .
However , none of that is true .
`` This effort specifically targeted minority voters in an attempt to deter them from voting in the November election , '' said Nessel .
`` We 're all well aware of the frustrations caused by the millions of nuisance robocalls flooding our cell phones and landlines each day , but this particular message poses grave consequences for our democracy and the principles upon which it was built .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ notorious with a series of stunts that included trying to smear former Special Counsel Robert Mueller and former Mayor Pete Buttigieg with bogus and sexual assault allegations .

Right-wing smear artists Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman will face four counts in an alleged criminal scheme to influence the 2020 election after Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed charges on Thursday.
Nessel accused the pair of intimidating voters, conspiring to break election law, using a computer to commit an election crime, and using a computer to carry out a conspiracy.
The charges center on a robocall scheme the Nessel said was an attempt to "discourage voters from participating in the general election." According to the press release, the scheme targeted urban areas, including Detroit, and was focused on "areas with significant minority populations."
Wohl previously denied to CNN that he or Burkman were involved in any robocall schemes.
"It's believed around 85,000 calls were made nationally, though an exact breakdown of the numbers of calls to each city or state are not available," according to Nessel's office. Similar robocalls reportedly were made in New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, the last two of which are swing states in the presidential election.
The robocall allegedly attempted to make voters afraid to cast their ballots, telling them to not be "finessed into giving your private information to the man" and that they should "beware of vote by mail." The press release explained:
The caller, who claims to be associated with an organization founded by Burkman and Wohl, falsely tells people that mail-in voting, in particular, will allow personal information to become part of a special database used by police to track down old warrants and by credit card companies to collect outstanding debts. The caller also deceptively claims the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will use the information to track people for mandatory vaccines. However, none of that is true.
"This effort specifically targeted minority voters in an attempt to deter them from voting in the November election," said Nessel. "We're all well aware of the frustrations caused by the millions of nuisance robocalls flooding our cell phones and landlines each day, but this particular message poses grave consequences for our democracy and the principles upon which it was built."
Burkman and Wohl have made themselves notorious with a series of stunts that included trying to smear former Special Counsel Robert Mueller and former Mayor Pete Buttigieg with bogus and sexual assault allegations.


alternet--2020-10-02--Trump aide Hope Hicks tests positive for the coronavirus: reports

Hope Hicks , a top aide to President Donald Trump , has tested positive for the coronavirus , Bloomberg News reported first on Thursday .
`` There was no indication that the president has contracted the virus , the people said , '' reporters Jennifer Jacobs and Jordan Fabian wrote .
`` Hicks traveled with Trump aboard Air Force One to and from the presidential debate on Tuesday . ''
Shortly after the news broke , the New York Times ' Maggie Haberman confirmed the report .
Monic Alba of NBC News noted that Hicks had been recently photographed leaving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump has previously come into contact with people who were later found to have been infected with the virus .
In March , he interacted with a Brazilian official who tested positive .
National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien was also found to have contracted the virus that causes COVID-19 in July .
At Tuesday 's presidential debate , former Vice President Joe Biden criticized Trump for not taking the virus seriously enough and for continuing to hold large rallies , which risk major outbreaks .
Trump falsely claimed that the events have only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in fact held indoor rallies which pose a much greater risk .
Following an indoor Trump rally in Tulsa , Oklahoma , attendee and former GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain was hospitalized for COVID-19 and subsequently died from the infection .

Hope Hicks, a top aide to President Donald Trump, has tested positive for the coronavirus, Bloomberg News reported first on Thursday.
"There was no indication that the president has contracted the virus, the people said," reporters Jennifer Jacobs and Jordan Fabian wrote. "Hicks traveled with Trump aboard Air Force One to and from the presidential debate on Tuesday."
Shortly after the news broke, the New York Times' Maggie Haberman confirmed the report.
Monic Alba of NBC News noted that Hicks had been recently photographed leaving Air Force One without a mask.
Trump has previously come into contact with people who were later found to have been infected with the virus. In March, he interacted with a Brazilian official who tested positive. National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien was also found to have contracted the virus that causes COVID-19 in July.
At Tuesday's presidential debate, former Vice President Joe Biden criticized Trump for not taking the virus seriously enough and for continuing to hold large rallies, which risk major outbreaks. Trump falsely claimed that the events have only been held outdoors, though he has in fact held indoor rallies which pose a much greater risk. Following an indoor Trump rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, attendee and former GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain was hospitalized for COVID-19 and subsequently died from the infection.


alternet--2020-10-02--Conservatives want to block $300m in election funds from states — but they'll fail

After local election officials from more than 1,100 jurisdictions in 40-plus states applied for private grants to better run the presidential elections , a conservative public interest law firm has sued three swing states to block officials from using those funds , stating in their briefs that `` they do not want progressive candidates to win . ''
In addition to alleging that county and local governments in Pennsylvania , Wisconsin and Minnesota lacked the authority to take the money from the Chicago-based Center for Tech and Civic Life ( CTCL ) , the lawsuits from the Thomas More Society @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claiming that the grants have a partisan benefit of favoring `` progressive '' candidates because some recipients included metro counties—which tend to be blue epicenters .
`` To be sure , CTCL is free to directly spend its $ 250 million private federal election grant fund to get out the vote in Pennsylvania ; but , federal election law leaves discretion to the 'states , ' not the counties and cities , on how to implement federal elections , '' the group 's Pennsylvania lawsuit said .
`` The plaintiffs are injured by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are targeted to counties and cities with progressive voting patterns . ''
Election experts said that the lawsuits seeking to block governments from using funds donated by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his physician wife Priscilla Chan stood little chance of success .
But the suits typified the outbreak of partisan litigation in 2020 where Democrats have sought to make voting in the pandemic easier , while Republicans have opposed those efforts—most notably , blocking federal funding , which led to the Zuckerberg-Chan grants .
`` The [ lawsuits ' ] arguments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Levitt , who was deputy assistant attorney general in the U.S. Department of Justice 's Civil Rights Division during the Obama administration and now teaches constitutional law at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles .
`` It 's possible that there are limitations in state law that I do n't know about .
But the arguments based on federal law are simply embarrassing , '' Levitt said .
`` They 're [ suing ] based on the presumption that Congress , in granting states money for election administration , meant to preclude any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from any other place . ''
`` The biggest problem with that argument is Congress neither said nor implied that anywhere , '' he continued .
`` Nor would there have been any reason for Congress to say that they , and they alone , were the only possible sources of money for local governments to run elections . ''
Tammy Patrick , a former Arizona elections official , a CTCL board member and now an adviser at the Democracy Fund , a bipartisan foundation , rejected the lawsuits ' charge that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the communities that were initially awarded funding were the cities and counties that had the hardest time this spring with holding an election in the pandemic .
The metro areas saw the biggest disruptions , from exoduses of poll workers to last-minute polling place closures and relocations , to technical issues with new voting systems—all as record volumes of voters cast mail-in ballots for the first time .
`` Those are locations that in this global pandemic are seeing some of the largest shifts in the way in which they are conducting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the most in the primaries , '' Patrick said .
`` We all heard about Wisconsin .
We all saw the things happening in those early primaries… That 's really where the focus was for the first [ grantmaking ] phase .
And the second stage is wide open to any jurisdiction and they now have heard from , and have [ acted on ] grant applications , in 40-some states . ''
Patrick was not surprised by the litigation , as the 2020 election has seen more aspects of the fine print @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawsuits than ever .
The litigation has made the job of running an election amid a health crisis more difficult , she said .
`` There is litigation being proposed in this country on absolutely any facet of the election administration process and voter access that people can write down on a piece of paper as a lawsuit , '' Patrick said .
`` We 're seeing litigation around this situation [ CTCL grants ] , where our [ state and federal ] governments have failed to fully and adequately resource local election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters in a pandemic .
We see litigation around how many drop boxes can be allowed [ in Pennsylvania and Ohio ] .
We see litigation around being able to have poll workers in a park in Wisconsin on a Saturday to allow voters to drop off ballots . ''
`` One might expect [ lawsuits ] in a presidential election , '' she continued .
`` But when you layer in the additional complexity that we are in a global pandemic , and Republican and Democrat and independent secretaries of state [ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pleading with their state legislatures , with their governors , and legislative branches , and others , to allow them to service their voters well ; to resource [ assist ] them properly ; to allow them the policies they need in this moment ; and [ that the result ] in too many places [ is ] they [ local election officials ] are being denied on all three of those fronts . ''
Jordan Shuber , the lead lawyer on the Pennsylvania lawsuit , directed all questions on the suits to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who also signed the three states ' complaints .
Kaardal did not respond to a phone call and email seeking comment .
( The Minnesota group he represents has also sued to block a face mask requirement for the state 's polling place voters .
His firm was also involved in the failed effort to put rap star Kanye West as a 2020 presidential candidate on the Wisconsin ballot . )
The Zuckerberg-Chan donation of $ 250 million to CTCL for grants to local jurisdictions and an additional $ 50 million to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( CEIR ) for grants to state election agencies was the highest-profile private effort to make up for a lack of federal funding to cover the unexpected costs of running an election amid a national health crisis .
An unprecedented number of local and state officials have embraced the funding .
The CTCL grants , to 1,100 local government agencies that run America 's elections , represent more than one-tenth of the country 's election offices .
CEIR 's grants , primarily for public education purposes , have gone to about half of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they want to do .
As before the pandemic , they must offer a variety of voting options : voting with mailed-out ballots , and in-person voting , either early or on Election Day .
In early September , the Wisconsin Elections Commission issued its presidential election readiness assessment that contained reports in its appendix from metro-area officials on their plans .
Those summaries listed needing more supplies , staffing , voting equipment , public education materials and postage to make voting efficient and safe .
After Congress did not appropriate more funds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that void .
`` The pressure these funds take off the shoulders of the front-line people trying to implement the law during this pandemic can not be overemphasized , '' said one unidentified grantee in a September 25 program update on CTCL 's website .
`` Thank you so much .
We are a small rural township , and this will be a huge help , '' said another grantee in that same September 25 update .
`` Our job is to get funding into the hands of local election officials , then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the update said .
`` We leave spending decisions to the discretion of each grantee jurisdiction , as long as the election activity falls under these four broad categories : Ensure Safe , Efficient Election Day Administration ; Expand Voter Education and Outreach Efforts ; Launch Poll Worker Recruitment , Training and Safety Efforts ; [ and ] Support Early In-Person Voting and Vote by Mail . ''
Patrick offered more detail on how the funds would be spent .
The grants were `` not so much for large technology '' acquisitions , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for counting ballots or sorting returned absentee ballot envelopes—although some cities were using funds for that .
Instead , most funds were `` for the general support of hiring more poll workers than normal , hiring and having to pay for polling place facilities to be cleaned , and/or [ renting ] the facilities themselves because they have had so many denials [ due to COVID-19 concerns ] . ''
Still , Patrick said that some hardware to be acquired , such as a desk-size machine that opens envelopes and removes absentee ballots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work .
`` When you think of the alternative to a ballot extraction machine , it 's two people , a Democrat and a Republican , sitting on either side of a table with letter openers opening up tens , if not hundreds or thousands of envelopes , '' she said .
The grants would hire more election workers to help with the routine tasks tied to sending out absentee ballots and processing them upon their return , Patrick said .
Many of those tasks , unlike being a poll worker , did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were repetitive .
`` Part of what some jurisdictions are using the additional funding for is to bring in more assistance , more physical human help , at every stage , '' she said .
`` It does allow them to move staff around so that they can have their permanent staff shift to the more complicated or complex jobs [ such as authenticating voters or verifying signatures ] , and then have other individuals who do n't have the same level of experience doing the more mundane tasks that our elections tend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballot out of an envelope and unfolding it . ''
Patrick said that it was not too late for local election officials to bolster their staffs and streamline their ballot-handling and vote-counting processes .
The exception , she said , would be states that have already begun to process returned absentee ballots , as the equipment and the steps involved could not be altered once that process has begun .
Steven Rosenfeld is the editor and chief correspondent of Voting Booth , a project of the Independent Media Institute .
He has reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Christian Science Monitor Radio , as well as a wide range of progressive publications including Salon , AlterNet , the American Prospect , and many others .
This article was produced by Voting Booth , a project of the Independent Media Institute .

After local election officials from more than 1,100 jurisdictions in 40-plus states applied for private grants to better run the presidential elections, a conservative public interest law firm has sued three swing states to block officials from using those funds, stating in their briefs that "they do not want progressive candidates to win."
In addition to alleging that county and local governments in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Minnesota lacked the authority to take the money from the Chicago-based Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL), the lawsuits from the Thomas More Society, the socially conservative firm, are claiming that the grants have a partisan benefit of favoring "progressive" candidates because some recipients included metro counties—which tend to be blue epicenters.
"To be sure, CTCL is free to directly spend its $250 million private federal election grant fund to get out the vote in Pennsylvania; but, federal election law leaves discretion to the 'states,' not the counties and cities, on how to implement federal elections," the group's Pennsylvania lawsuit said. "The plaintiffs are injured by CTCL's private federal election grants because they are targeted to counties and cities with progressive voting patterns."
Election experts said that the lawsuits seeking to block governments from using funds donated by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his physician wife Priscilla Chan stood little chance of success. But the suits typified the outbreak of partisan litigation in 2020 where Democrats have sought to make voting in the pandemic easier, while Republicans have opposed those efforts—most notably, blocking federal funding, which led to the Zuckerberg-Chan grants.
"The [lawsuits'] arguments are patent nonsense," said Justin Levitt, who was deputy assistant attorney general in the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division during the Obama administration and now teaches constitutional law at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.
"It's possible that there are limitations in state law that I don't know about. But the arguments based on federal law are simply embarrassing," Levitt said. "They're [suing] based on the presumption that Congress, in granting states money for election administration, meant to preclude any other entities from getting any other money from any other place."
"The biggest problem with that argument is Congress neither said nor implied that anywhere," he continued. "Nor would there have been any reason for Congress to say that they, and they alone, were the only possible sources of money for local governments to run elections."
Tammy Patrick, a former Arizona elections official, a CTCL board member and now an adviser at the Democracy Fund, a bipartisan foundation, rejected the lawsuits' charge that the grants had a partisan agenda. Rather, the communities that were initially awarded funding were the cities and counties that had the hardest time this spring with holding an election in the pandemic. The metro areas saw the biggest disruptions, from exoduses of poll workers to last-minute polling place closures and relocations, to technical issues with new voting systems—all as record volumes of voters cast mail-in ballots for the first time.
"Those are locations that in this global pandemic are seeing some of the largest shifts in the way in which they are conducting their elections. And they were struggling the most in the primaries," Patrick said. "We all heard about Wisconsin. We all saw the things happening in those early primaries… That's really where the focus was for the first [grantmaking] phase. And the second stage is wide open to any jurisdiction and they now have heard from, and have [acted on] grant applications, in 40-some states."
Patrick was not surprised by the litigation, as the 2020 election has seen more aspects of the fine print of election administration become focal points of lawsuits than ever. The litigation has made the job of running an election amid a health crisis more difficult, she said.
"There is litigation being proposed in this country on absolutely any facet of the election administration process and voter access that people can write down on a piece of paper as a lawsuit," Patrick said. "We're seeing litigation around this situation [CTCL grants], where our [state and federal] governments have failed to fully and adequately resource local election officials to be able to service their voters in a pandemic. We see litigation around how many drop boxes can be allowed [in Pennsylvania and Ohio]. We see litigation around being able to have poll workers in a park in Wisconsin on a Saturday to allow voters to drop off ballots."
"One might expect [lawsuits] in a presidential election," she continued. "But when you layer in the additional complexity that we are in a global pandemic, and Republican and Democrat and independent secretaries of state [and] local election officials are literally pleading with their state legislatures, with their governors, and legislative branches, and others, to allow them to service their voters well; to resource [assist] them properly; to allow them the policies they need in this moment; and [that the result] in too many places [is] they [local election officials] are being denied on all three of those fronts."
Jordan Shuber, the lead lawyer on the Pennsylvania lawsuit, directed all questions on the suits to Erick G. Kaardal, a Minnesota lawyer, who also signed the three states' complaints.
Kaardal did not respond to a phone call and email seeking comment. (The Minnesota group he represents has also sued to block a face mask requirement for the state's polling place voters. His firm was also involved in the failed effort to put rap star Kanye West as a 2020 presidential candidate on the Wisconsin ballot.)
Fortifying Election Preparations
The Zuckerberg-Chan donation of $250 million to CTCL for grants to local jurisdictions and an additional $50 million to the Center for Election Innovation and Research (CEIR) for grants to state election agencies was the highest-profile private effort to make up for a lack of federal funding to cover the unexpected costs of running an election amid a national health crisis.
An unprecedented number of local and state officials have embraced the funding. The CTCL grants, to 1,100 local government agencies that run America's elections, represent more than one-tenth of the country's election offices. CEIR's grants, primarily for public education purposes, have gone to about half of the states.
Experienced administrators know what they want to do. As before the pandemic, they must offer a variety of voting options: voting with mailed-out ballots, and in-person voting, either early or on Election Day. In early September, the Wisconsin Elections Commission issued its presidential election readiness assessment that contained reports in its appendix from metro-area officials on their plans. Those summaries listed needing more supplies, staffing, voting equipment, public education materials and postage to make voting efficient and safe. After Congress did not appropriate more funds for these purposes, the grants filled that void.
"The pressure these funds take off the shoulders of the front-line people trying to implement the law during this pandemic cannot be overemphasized," said one unidentified grantee in a September 25 program update on CTCL's website.
"Thank you so much. We are a small rural township, and this will be a huge help," said another grantee in that same September 25 update.
"Our job is to get funding into the hands of local election officials, then get out of their way," the update said. "We leave spending decisions to the discretion of each grantee jurisdiction, as long as the election activity falls under these four broad categories: Ensure Safe, Efficient Election Day Administration; Expand Voter Education and Outreach Efforts; Launch Poll Worker Recruitment, Training and Safety Efforts; [and] Support Early In-Person Voting and Vote by Mail."
Patrick offered more detail on how the funds would be spent. The grants were "not so much for large technology" acquisitions, she said, such as high-speed scanners for counting ballots or sorting returned absentee ballot envelopes—although some cities were using funds for that. Instead, most funds were "for the general support of hiring more poll workers than normal, hiring and having to pay for polling place facilities to be cleaned, and/or [renting] the facilities themselves because they have had so many denials [due to COVID-19 concerns]."
Still, Patrick said that some hardware to be acquired, such as a desk-size machine that opens envelopes and removes absentee ballots, would speed up the pre-ballot counting work.
"When you think of the alternative to a ballot extraction machine, it's two people, a Democrat and a Republican, sitting on either side of a table with letter openers opening up tens, if not hundreds or thousands of envelopes," she said.
The grants would hire more election workers to help with the routine tasks tied to sending out absentee ballots and processing them upon their return, Patrick said. Many of those tasks, unlike being a poll worker, did not require that much training because they were repetitive.
"Part of what some jurisdictions are using the additional funding for is to bring in more assistance, more physical human help, at every stage," she said. "It does allow them to move staff around so that they can have their permanent staff shift to the more complicated or complex jobs [such as authenticating voters or verifying signatures], and then have other individuals who don't have the same level of experience doing the more mundane tasks that our elections tend to rely upon, like taking a ballot out of an envelope and unfolding it."
Patrick said that it was not too late for local election officials to bolster their staffs and streamline their ballot-handling and vote-counting processes. The exception, she said, would be states that have already begun to process returned absentee ballots, as the equipment and the steps involved could not be altered once that process has begun.
Steven Rosenfeld is the editor and chief correspondent of Voting Booth, a project of the Independent Media Institute. He has reported for National Public Radio, Marketplace, and Christian Science Monitor Radio, as well as a wide range of progressive publications including Salon, AlterNet, the American Prospect, and many others.
This article was produced by Voting Booth, a project of the Independent Media Institute.


alternet--2020-10-02--Trump’s hospitalization may cause a crisis of instability at the White House

With the announcement of President Donald Trump 's hospitalization for COVID-19 , a dangerous situation is now unfolding at the White House .
It is hoped the president , first lady Melania Trump , other members of his staff and potentially White House workers and reporters — who have also tested positive — will have a speedy recovery from their personal health crises .
In many ways , the White House is now subject to the same type of pandemic business continuity and response issues that many workplaces have faced since February .
However , what is different is that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the White House is no ordinary workplace — the stakes are very high .
We can look to past presidential health crises to help us understand the current predicament that is unfolding in the midst of a global pandemic .
The last time the U.S. came close to having its president incapacitated by a health crisis was an assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan on March 30 , 1981 .
Shortly after being wounded , the 70-year-old president went into emergency surgery to remove a .22 calibre bullet from his chest .
The surgery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recovered to go on with his duties .
In reflecting on the aftermath of the 1981 assassination attempt and the resulting interruptions to White House operations , Martin Anderson , Reagan 's former assistant for policy development , stated : “ It is amazing how much goes on in the government , in the White House , without someone 'controlling ' it .
It works , people do things .
Life proceeds .
They were just very careful . ''
However , it was also observed that Reagan 's senior leadership did create @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crisis in 1981 .
Secretary of State Alexander Haig implied that he was in control until Vice-President George H.W .
Bush returned to the White House .
Under presidential lines of succession — as dictated by the 25th Amendment to the Constitution — Haig was not in control of the government , despite his statements .
After Bush was quickly recalled to the White House from a speaking event in Texas , he immediately took on active crisis management roles in Washington .
From the hospital , Reagan continued to make decisions and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ despite actions taken to prepare the letters necessary to invoke the 25th Amendment .
What the 1981 assassination attempt tells us is that during a presidential health crisis , political figures will jockey for positions of power .
Also , despite any such manoeuvres , there are firm rules in place that clearly delineate the process of presidential succession .
Even in the worst cases , the deliberate work of the U.S. government will continue in the event the president is temporarily incapacitated due to a health concern .
But any personal health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his senior aides is a situation of national security concern .
Any interruption to White House operations as a result of the president 's illness is fraught with danger .
Given the number of people who may have been exposed to COVID-19 through interactions with the president this week , an immense contact tracing effort is now underway to determine the scope of the problem .
Unfortunately , the risk of COVID-19 exposure may have been amplified due to Trump 's aversion to wearing masks .
The White House is a complicated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the First Family 's residence , political and administrative offices as well as security and other operational functions .
This makes any site-specific pandemic response effort extremely challenging .
The executive branch of the U.S. government works with a very wide array of people and agencies .
They deal with sensitive information that ca n't be brought home while the work site is being sanitized .
Putting many members of the upper echelons of government into a 14-day quarantine is a complex undertaking .
A more dangerous complexity is also at play @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be exploited by adversaries .
The presidential health crisis could draw focus away from pre-existing crises that need attention .
As critical workers shift , regroup and adapt , vulnerabilities may be left open and exploited .
Immediately after the 1981 assassination attempt on Reagan , national security advisers were concerned that a larger plot may have been unfolding .
Could incapacitating the president have been part of a co-ordinated operation , ending with the Soviet Union using the window of opportunity to stage an invasion of Poland ?
History tells us the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attempt to their advantage .
But given today 's highly polarized American electorate and the spectre of foreign interference with the upcoming election , there exists the potential for any leadership crisis in Washington to be exploited .
Even in the worst-case scenarios regarding Trump 's health , provisions like the 25th Amendment mean U.S. government operations are not dependent on a single position or personality .
However , given the unpredictable nature of events in 2020 and the chaotic temperament of the president , there are still reasons for concern about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ operations to continue , the president and senior political leadership must make informed , science-based decisions to manage the COVID-19 crisis at the White House .
At the same time , Trump and his senior advisers must be willing to work within the rules established for decades related to continuity of government .
In the first presidential debate on Sept. 29 , Trump mocks Biden 's mask-wearing .
Unfortunately , Trump is not known for following the rules — look no further than his performance in the first presidential debate .
Now is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and dismissing COVID-19 safety measures .
A threshold has been crossed : COVID-19 is a disastrous public health issue in the U.S. , but with Trump 's diagnosis and resulting hospitalization , it has now morphed into a potential government crisis .
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license .
Read the original article .

by Jack L. Rozdilsky, York University, Canada
With the announcement of President Donald Trump's hospitalization for COVID-19, a dangerous situation is now unfolding at the White House.
It is hoped the president, first lady Melania Trump, other members of his staff and potentially White House workers and reporters — who have also tested positive — will have a speedy recovery from their personal health crises.
In many ways, the White House is now subject to the same type of pandemic business continuity and response issues that many workplaces have faced since February.
However, what is different is that the president is no ordinary worker and the White House is no ordinary workplace — the stakes are very high.
We can look to past presidential health crises to help us understand the current predicament that is unfolding in the midst of a global pandemic.
Reagan's 1981 health crisis
The last time the U.S. came close to having its president incapacitated by a health crisis was an assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan on March 30, 1981. Shortly after being wounded, the 70-year-old president went into emergency surgery to remove a .22 calibre bullet from his chest. The surgery was quick and successful, and Reagan recovered to go on with his duties.
In reflecting on the aftermath of the 1981 assassination attempt and the resulting interruptions to White House operations, Martin Anderson, Reagan's former assistant for policy development, stated: “It is amazing how much goes on in the government, in the White House, without someone 'controlling' it. It works, people do things. Life proceeds. They were just very careful."
However, it was also observed that Reagan's senior leadership did create some controversy during the management of the crisis in 1981. Secretary of State Alexander Haig implied that he was in control until Vice-President George H.W. Bush returned to the White House.
Under presidential lines of succession — as dictated by the 25th Amendment to the Constitution — Haig was not in control of the government, despite his statements. After Bush was quickly recalled to the White House from a speaking event in Texas, he immediately took on active crisis management roles in Washington. From the hospital, Reagan continued to make decisions and do the work of the president, despite actions taken to prepare the letters necessary to invoke the 25th Amendment.
What the 1981 assassination attempt tells us is that during a presidential health crisis, political figures will jockey for positions of power. Also, despite any such manoeuvres, there are firm rules in place that clearly delineate the process of presidential succession.
Even in the worst cases, the deliberate work of the U.S. government will continue in the event the president is temporarily incapacitated due to a health concern.
A perilous national security situation
But any personal health crisis related to the president and many of his senior aides is a situation of national security concern. Any interruption to White House operations as a result of the president's illness is fraught with danger.
Given the number of people who may have been exposed to COVID-19 through interactions with the president this week, an immense contact tracing effort is now underway to determine the scope of the problem. Unfortunately, the risk of COVID-19 exposure may have been amplified due to Trump's aversion to wearing masks.
The White House is a complicated workplace. It's composed of spaces for the First Family's residence, political and administrative offices as well as security and other operational functions. This makes any site-specific pandemic response effort extremely challenging.
The executive branch of the U.S. government works with a very wide array of people and agencies. They deal with sensitive information that can't be brought home while the work site is being sanitized. Putting many members of the upper echelons of government into a 14-day quarantine is a complex undertaking.
Exposed vulnerabilities
A more dangerous complexity is also at play: the threat that the crisis may be exploited by adversaries. The presidential health crisis could draw focus away from pre-existing crises that need attention. As critical workers shift, regroup and adapt, vulnerabilities may be left open and exploited.
Immediately after the 1981 assassination attempt on Reagan, national security advisers were concerned that a larger plot may have been unfolding. Could incapacitating the president have been part of a co-ordinated operation, ending with the Soviet Union using the window of opportunity to stage an invasion of Poland? History tells us the Soviets did not exploit Reagan's assassination attempt to their advantage.
But given today's highly polarized American electorate and the spectre of foreign interference with the upcoming election, there exists the potential for any leadership crisis in Washington to be exploited.
Question of government stability
Even in the worst-case scenarios regarding Trump's health, provisions like the 25th Amendment mean U.S. government operations are not dependent on a single position or personality. However, given the unpredictable nature of events in 2020 and the chaotic temperament of the president, there are still reasons for concern about the stability of the U.S. government.
For operations to continue, the president and senior political leadership must make informed, science-based decisions to manage the COVID-19 crisis at the White House. At the same time, Trump and his senior advisers must be willing to work within the rules established for decades related to continuity of government.
In the first presidential debate on Sept. 29, Trump mocks Biden's mask-wearing.
Unfortunately, Trump is not known for following the rules — look no further than his performance in the first presidential debate.
Now is not the time for ignoring the rules and dismissing COVID-19 safety measures. A threshold has been crossed: COVID-19 is a disastrous public health issue in the U.S., but with Trump's diagnosis and resulting hospitalization, it has now morphed into a potential government crisis.
Jack L. Rozdilsky, Associate Professor of Disaster and Emergency Management, York University, Canada
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.


alternet--2020-10-02--We’re a long way away from COVID-19 immunity — even with vaccines

This article was produced in partnership by Newsclick and Globetrotter .
As the pandemic continues to spread throughout the world , many countries seem to have given up the fight against COVID-19 and are now waiting for a vaccine to protect against the virus .
With cases exceeding 32 million , and more than a million dead , the world economy has taken a bigger hit than at any other time since the end of the Great Depression of 1929-39 .
The U.S. and India are now showing the highest numbers of total and new cases of COVID-19 .
Both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic , and are only focusing on reopening—or as India calls it , `` unlockdown . ''
Giving up on containing the COVID-19 pandemic is an admission that public health systems have failed .
India , with a poor public health infrastructure , has one of the most privatized health care systems in the world .
The U.S. has the most privatized health care system among wealthy countries , with poor outcomes .
It is not surprising then that both these countries have failed in facing what is essentially a public health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contradictions between the needs of capitalism and the health of the people .
Capitalism requires ill-health for making profits : selling patented medicines , costly stays in hospitals , and expensive procedures .
The objective of the public health system is to ensure that people stay healthy , robbing capitalists of the opportunity to make profits .
The good news for the world is that 41 vaccines—more accurately candidate vaccines—are currently under different phases of clinical trials , and another 151 are in the pipeline .
Two of the vaccines currently in Phase @ @ @ @ @ @ @ companies—one from Cadila Healthcare Limited and the other from Bharat Biotech—and are set to start their Phase 3 trials soon .
Bharat Biotech is also working with Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis on a nasal route for delivering a vaccine .
Normally , vaccine development and testing take from five to ten years , so it would be a significant achievement if we succeed in making effective vaccines available by the end of 2020 or early 2021 .
The progress so far also shows that we have the scientific capacity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for infectious diseases .
The reason we have not done so for diseases other than COVID-19 is that such infectious diseases were thought to be the diseases of poor countries , and do not provide enough profits for global big pharma to invest in vaccines against infectious diseases .
It required a public health emergency in the rich countries for vaccine development to take a front seat in medical science again .
As immunity may not be permanent , unless we have herd immunity at the global level , we will continue to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus will not respect national boundaries .
And while large parts of the global population have no guarantee of a vaccine , the rich countries with 13 percent of the world 's population have reserved more than half the vaccines from the leading vaccine manufacturers .
India may be luckier than most other developing countries as it has a large capacity for manufacturing vaccines .
If a vaccine from AstraZeneca-Oxford comes through , Serum Institute of India , Pune , which is partnering with AstraZeneca , has earmarked a significant part of its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bharat Biotech 's vaccines are currently in clinical trials .
They also have a significant capacity for vaccine manufacture .
Dr. Reddy 's Laboratories , an Indian company , has partnered with Russia 's Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology for distribution of the Sputnik V vaccine .
Contrary to some news reports , Russia 's Sputnik V was never authorized for the general population and is currently undergoing Phase 3 trials since August in various countries—Russia , the United Arab Emirates , Saudi Arabia , Brazil , Mexico and possibly India @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump 's handling of the pandemic , he is desperate to claim success in some way or another before the November elections .
He has been pressuring the Food and Drug Administration to give emergency authorization to some of the vaccines that the U.S. has invested in through its $ 11 billion Operation Warp Speed program .
These vaccines have to provide evidence that they are safe and provide sufficient immunity by either preventing the disease or limiting it to a mild form .
As some of these vaccines are two-shot vaccines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the final shot to be effective , there is no way that such an exercise can be done by the U.S. presidential election on November 3 .
After public criticism of the FDA 's earlier emergency use authorization for hydroxychloroquine and convalescent plasma therapy , both of which turned out to be of little value , the FDA is cautious about making a third mistake , especially as vaccine skepticism is strong in the United States .
Dr. Anthony Fauci , who heads the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a part of the anti-science movement that has gained significant influence in the United States .
Anti-science , racism and a deep distrust of the government are driving the rightward shift in U.S. politics .
A misstep on vaccines can cause significant damage in protecting people in the long run .
We have also seen similar missteps in India , where the Indian Council of Medical Research 's ( ICMR ) director general issued a stern directive in his letter in July to 12 hospitals participating in trials for Bharat Biotech 's vaccine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 2 and 3—should be completed within six weeks so a success could be announced on August 15 , which is India 's Independence Day .
After an outcry , the ICMR claimed that it was not a directive but a suggestion , with no explanation about why such a harebrained suggestion should have been made in the first place .
Once a vaccine is found to be successful in the Phase 3 trials , it might appear that our problems would be over quickly .
Not so fast—we then have the formidable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least 4 to 5 billion people for creating herd immunity .
This means producing about 8 to 9 billion doses , as a number of these vaccines are two-shot vaccines .
We then have the even more challenging task of setting up supply chains to provide vaccines to centers all over each country before people can be vaccinated .
The CEO of Serum Institute , the largest generic vaccine manufacturer in the world , has already flagged that India will need about $ 10.7 billion to procure and deliver the vaccine , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Several manufacturers in India have ramped up vaccine production capacity , so they may be able to produce the vaccines , even though they may not meet the requirements quickly .
But an even more daunting task is to create the entire cold chain ( temperature-controlled supply chain for all the elements of storage and distribution ) for supplying the vaccines to the vaccination centers .
In case of the old-fashioned inactivated viruses , or the more recent use of adenovirus as vector , the cold chain required is between 36 and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cold chain requirement for most commonly used vaccines including those for the flu and polio .
For Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech , both of whom have developed mRNA vaccines , however , the temperatures required are between -94 and -112 degrees Fahrenheit , a far more difficult task even for countries like the United States .
If the mRNA vaccines are the ones that prove to be the successful ones and the others are not , building up a supply chain for the vaccines that can provide the colder range of storage for most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than a year .
The other challenge is that we have never vaccinated such large numbers in such a short time ever .
In India , the pulse polio program uses oral drops and immunizes about 170 million children per year .
This is still well below the required 1.5 to 2 billion vaccine shots for India , whether the AstraZeneca or the Gamaleya vaccine , both of which are two-shot vaccines .
And for a two-shot vaccine , we have the added difficulty of tracking the people who have received the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their second .
Even if the major economies can solve their problems of procuring the vaccines by jumping the queue with money or captive production capacities , what about the rest of the world ?
For them , the only major alternative is the WHO-Gavi-CEPI 's Covax platform , which requires at least $ 2 billion by December 2020 .
It has raised $ 700 million , and has commitments from 64 major countries for funds , but is still short by $ 700-800 million .
The U.S. , having pulled out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any global effort for vaccines and says that it might help others only after it has helped itself .
Russia and China are not a part of the Covax and are working out bilateral programs along with clinical trials for sharing their vaccines .
If vaccine development was simply a scientific exercise , we should have been able to address the questions of when we should consider the clinical trial results satisfactory to start mass vaccination and which section of the people should get the vaccine and when , and at what cost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to discuss how to create the global and national infrastructure for all countries and all people to be safe .
Instead , we see the ugly face of `` vaccine nationalism , '' with each country for itself , which will protect neither the nations nor their people .
We 've seen tech and trade wars ; here come the vaccine wars .
Prabir Purkayastha is the founding editor of Newsclick.in , a digital media platform .
He is an activist for science and the free software movement .

This article was produced in partnership by Newsclick and Globetrotter.
As the pandemic continues to spread throughout the world, many countries seem to have given up the fight against COVID-19 and are now waiting for a vaccine to protect against the virus. With cases exceeding 32 million, and more than a million dead, the world economy has taken a bigger hit than at any other time since the end of the Great Depression of 1929-39.
The U.S. and India are now showing the highest numbers of total and new cases of COVID-19. Both have stopped talking about how to stop the pandemic, and are only focusing on reopening—or as India calls it, "unlockdown."
Giving up on containing the COVID-19 pandemic is an admission that public health systems have failed. India, with a poor public health infrastructure, has one of the most privatized health care systems in the world. The U.S. has the most privatized health care system among wealthy countries, with poor outcomes. It is not surprising then that both these countries have failed in facing what is essentially a public health challenge. The COVID-19 pandemic shows the contradictions between the needs of capitalism and the health of the people. Capitalism requires ill-health for making profits: selling patented medicines, costly stays in hospitals, and expensive procedures. The objective of the public health system is to ensure that people stay healthy, robbing capitalists of the opportunity to make profits.
The good news for the world is that 41 vaccines—more accurately candidate vaccines—are currently under different phases of clinical trials, and another 151 are in the pipeline. Two of the vaccines currently in Phase 1/2 trials are being developed by Indian companies—one from Cadila Healthcare Limited and the other from Bharat Biotech—and are set to start their Phase 3 trials soon. Bharat Biotech is also working with Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis on a nasal route for delivering a vaccine.
Normally, vaccine development and testing take from five to ten years, so it would be a significant achievement if we succeed in making effective vaccines available by the end of 2020 or early 2021. The progress so far also shows that we have the scientific capacity to develop a large number of vaccines for infectious diseases. The reason we have not done so for diseases other than COVID-19 is that such infectious diseases were thought to be the diseases of poor countries, and do not provide enough profits for global big pharma to invest in vaccines against infectious diseases. It required a public health emergency in the rich countries for vaccine development to take a front seat in medical science again.
As immunity may not be permanent, unless we have herd immunity at the global level, we will continue to see outbreaks in different countries. The virus will not respect national boundaries. And while large parts of the global population have no guarantee of a vaccine, the rich countries with 13 percent of the world's population have reserved more than half the vaccines from the leading vaccine manufacturers.
India may be luckier than most other developing countries as it has a large capacity for manufacturing vaccines. If a vaccine from AstraZeneca-Oxford comes through, Serum Institute of India, Pune, which is partnering with AstraZeneca, has earmarked a significant part of its output for India. Cadila's and Bharat Biotech's vaccines are currently in clinical trials. They also have a significant capacity for vaccine manufacture. Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, an Indian company, has partnered with Russia's Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology for distribution of the Sputnik V vaccine. Contrary to some news reports, Russia's Sputnik V was never authorized for the general population and is currently undergoing Phase 3 trials since August in various countries—Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Mexico and possibly India.
After the disaster of U.S. President Donald Trump's handling of the pandemic, he is desperate to claim success in some way or another before the November elections. He has been pressuring the Food and Drug Administration to give emergency authorization to some of the vaccines that the U.S. has invested in through its $11 billion Operation Warp Speed program. These vaccines have to provide evidence that they are safe and provide sufficient immunity by either preventing the disease or limiting it to a mild form. As some of these vaccines are two-shot vaccines and need at least two months after the final shot to be effective, there is no way that such an exercise can be done by the U.S. presidential election on November 3.
After public criticism of the FDA's earlier emergency use authorization for hydroxychloroquine and convalescent plasma therapy, both of which turned out to be of little value, the FDA is cautious about making a third mistake, especially as vaccine skepticism is strong in the United States. Dr. Anthony Fauci, who heads the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the U.S., has termed the anti-vaxxers as a part of the anti-science movement that has gained significant influence in the United States. Anti-science, racism and a deep distrust of the government are driving the rightward shift in U.S. politics. A misstep on vaccines can cause significant damage in protecting people in the long run.
We have also seen similar missteps in India, where the Indian Council of Medical Research's (ICMR) director general issued a stern directive in his letter in July to 12 hospitals participating in trials for Bharat Biotech's vaccine Covaxin, demanding that all trials—Phase 1, 2 and 3—should be completed within six weeks so a success could be announced on August 15, which is India's Independence Day. After an outcry, the ICMR claimed that it was not a directive but a suggestion, with no explanation about why such a harebrained suggestion should have been made in the first place.
Once a vaccine is found to be successful in the Phase 3 trials, it might appear that our problems would be over quickly. Not so fast—we then have the formidable challenge of making it available to at least 4 to 5 billion people for creating herd immunity. This means producing about 8 to 9 billion doses, as a number of these vaccines are two-shot vaccines. We then have the even more challenging task of setting up supply chains to provide vaccines to centers all over each country before people can be vaccinated. The CEO of Serum Institute, the largest generic vaccine manufacturer in the world, has already flagged that India will need about $10.7 billion to procure and deliver the vaccine, a further challenge to the government's finances.
Several manufacturers in India have ramped up vaccine production capacity, so they may be able to produce the vaccines, even though they may not meet the requirements quickly. But an even more daunting task is to create the entire cold chain (temperature-controlled supply chain for all the elements of storage and distribution) for supplying the vaccines to the vaccination centers.
In case of the old-fashioned inactivated viruses, or the more recent use of adenovirus as vector, the cold chain required is between 36 and 46 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the cold chain requirement for most commonly used vaccines including those for the flu and polio. For Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech, both of whom have developed mRNA vaccines, however, the temperatures required are between -94 and -112 degrees Fahrenheit, a far more difficult task even for countries like the United States. If the mRNA vaccines are the ones that prove to be the successful ones and the others are not, building up a supply chain for the vaccines that can provide the colder range of storage for most of the world will take far more than a year.
The other challenge is that we have never vaccinated such large numbers in such a short time ever. In India, the pulse polio program uses oral drops and immunizes about 170 million children per year. This is still well below the required 1.5 to 2 billion vaccine shots for India, whether the AstraZeneca or the Gamaleya vaccine, both of which are two-shot vaccines. And for a two-shot vaccine, we have the added difficulty of tracking the people who have received the first shot so that they do not miss their second.
Even if the major economies can solve their problems of procuring the vaccines by jumping the queue with money or captive production capacities, what about the rest of the world? For them, the only major alternative is the WHO-Gavi-CEPI's Covax platform, which requires at least $2 billion by December 2020. It has raised $700 million, and has commitments from 64 major countries for funds, but is still short by $700-800 million.
The U.S., having pulled out of WHO, is not a part of any global effort for vaccines and says that it might help others only after it has helped itself. Russia and China are not a part of the Covax and are working out bilateral programs along with clinical trials for sharing their vaccines.
If vaccine development was simply a scientific exercise, we should have been able to address the questions of when we should consider the clinical trial results satisfactory to start mass vaccination and which section of the people should get the vaccine and when, and at what cost. We would also have been able to discuss how to create the global and national infrastructure for all countries and all people to be safe. Instead, we see the ugly face of "vaccine nationalism," with each country for itself, which will protect neither the nations nor their people. We've seen tech and trade wars; here come the vaccine wars.
Prabir Purkayastha is the founding editor of Newsclick.in, a digital media platform. He is an activist for science and the free software movement.


alternet--2020-10-02--Critics say Trump COVID diagnosis is a 'culmination' of his deadly pandemic response

Contrary to the notion that the coronavirus `` snuck up '' on President Donald Trump just as it did far less powerful people across the U.S. and around the world , Trump 's announcement Friday that he tested positive for Covid-19 was—according to progressive critics—a direct and foreseeable consequence of the president 's months of lying , callous disregard for public health , and catastrophic mishandling of the federal government 's pandemic response .
`` Trump 's diagnosis is the culmination of six months of recklessness and failure , the ultimate , inevitable end of his administration 's disastrous response @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Shephard , The New Republic In a tweet Friday morning , author and environmentalist Naomi Klein drew a striking analogy in an effort to place Trump 's diagnosis in the broader context of his administration 's failure to take the steps necessary to combat the pandemic—a failure that has resulted in more than 200,000 dead Americans and counting .
`` Trump getting Covid is the epidemiological equivalent of a mass shooting where the shooter opens fire on a crowd and then turns the gun on himself , '' Klein wrote .
`` Not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Klein repeated her argument in an interview on Democracy Now !
and warned that the U.S. public must be `` prepared for the president using the fact that he 's having to cancel campaign events for two weeks to try to further delegitimize elections . ''
Since the coronavirus first began spreading at a rapid pace throughout the U.S. in March—forcing entire swaths of the economy to shut down and throwing countless lives into chaos—Trump and members of his administration publicly minimized the threat posed by Covid-19 and dispensed with the safety recommendations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ life-saving steps like wearing face coverings and avoiding large gatherings .
Instead , the president did the opposite , knowingly spreading misinformation about the pandemic to the public , questioning the effectiveness of masks , and holding large indoor campaign rallies that threatened the health of the thousands in attendance as well as those they later came in contact with .
`` Trump 's diagnosis is the culmination of six months of recklessness and failure , the ultimate , inevitable end of his administration 's disastrous response to a global pandemic , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Friday .
`` Above all , his actions over the past six months reflect his extraordinary selfishness and cruelty .
Other people get the virus .
People in blue states get it .
People of color get it .
The elderly get it .
Donald J. Trump does n't get it—he can go about his life , however he pleases , ignoring the devastation around him . ''
`` Trump has spent his entire life avoiding the consequences of his actions , from his business failures to his toxic politics .
That changed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` No one would wish Covid-19 on anyone , not even Trump , but the president has spent the last six months desperately attempting to change the subject .
Now , with less than a month before the election , he 's paying the price . ''
Hours before announcing that both he and First Lady Melania Trump tested positive for the coronavirus , Trump said during a dinner at the White House Thursday evening that the `` end of the pandemic is in sight '' —echoing a sentiment he has expressed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrongly predicted that the number of U.S. cases would be `` close to zero '' by the end of that month .
`` That 's a pretty good job we 've done , '' Trump said at the time , a rosy assessment of his own performance that the president doubled down on late last month even after the U.S. coronavirus death toll topped 200,000 .
In a statement Friday afternoon , Sen. Elizabeth Warren ( D-Mass . )
said her `` thoughts are with the president , first lady , White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have come into contact with the president , and I wish them all a quick and safe recovery . ''
`` My thoughts are also with millions of other Americans who have survived Covid-19 or are still sick , '' said Warren .
`` With the more than 200,000 Americans that we 've lost , including a disproportionate number in Black and Brown communities .
With the millions of Americans who ca n't get the help they need and worry about how they 'll pay their bills . ''
`` The president spent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and scientists , while he failed to help states and communities contain the outbreak .
He mocked people for wearing masks and held super-spreader events that disregarded the health of thousands , '' Warren continued .
`` Today 's news should serve as a reminder that listening to scientists , wearing a mask , washing hands , and social distancing are our best tools to fight this horrific disease . ''
News of Trump 's positive coronavirus test touched off frenzied speculation as to who the president may have infected after he possibly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hope Hicks , who tested positive Thursday after showing symptoms on Wednesday—facts the White House tried and failed to keep hidden from the public .
`` A small group of White House officials knew by Thursday morning that Hicks had contracted Covid-19 , '' CNN reported Friday , `` but Trump still took a trip to New Jersey for a fundraiser , and press secretary Kayleigh McEnany still held a news briefing at the White House on Thursday . ''
Asked about the possibility that the White House coronavirus outbreak has spread to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mitch McConnell ( R-Ky. ) told reporters Friday , `` We do n't know .
It can sneak up on you as it did with the president and the first lady .
So we 're keeping an eye on everyone . ''
Sen. Chris Murphy ( D-Conn. ) immediately rejected McConnell 's narrative , tweeting , `` Let 's be clear ... Covid did n't sneak up on the president . ''
Just before noon Friday it was reported that Sen. Mike Lee ( R-Utah ) had also tested positive for the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White House has had multiple positive cases , including several people who have direct contact with Trump , '' Murphy added .
`` And yet he did n't wear a mask at public events or private meetings at the White House . ''
Jeet Heer , national affairs correspondent at The Nation , argued Friday that Democrats , including Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden , `` should not shy away from using news of Trump 's Covid test to hammer home the lesson that he has bungled the crisis . ''
`` Now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about Trump 's recklessness .
His disregard for basic health protocols has been bad not just for himself and his staff , but also for countless Americans , '' wrote Heer .
`` A president contracting a disease thanks in large part to his own rashness is a political fact as well as a personal one .
We can express , if we are so inclined , sympathy on a human level for Trump , but his thoughtlessness has wider consequences that need to be called out . ''

Contrary to the notion that the coronavirus "snuck up" on President Donald Trump just as it did far less powerful people across the U.S. and around the world, Trump's announcement Friday that he tested positive for Covid-19 was—according to progressive critics—a direct and foreseeable consequence of the president's months of lying, callous disregard for public health, and catastrophic mishandling of the federal government's pandemic response.
"Trump's diagnosis is the culmination of six months of recklessness and failure, the ultimate, inevitable end of his administration's disastrous response to a global pandemic."
—Alex Shephard, The New Republic
In a tweet Friday morning, author and environmentalist Naomi Klein drew a striking analogy in an effort to place Trump's diagnosis in the broader context of his administration's failure to take the steps necessary to combat the pandemic—a failure that has resulted in more than 200,000 dead Americans and counting.
"Trump getting Covid is the epidemiological equivalent of a mass shooting where the shooter opens fire on a crowd and then turns the gun on himself," Klein wrote. "Not a tragic accident—a crime scene."
Klein repeated her argument in an interview on Democracy Now! and warned that the U.S. public must be "prepared for the president using the fact that he's having to cancel campaign events for two weeks to try to further delegitimize elections."
Watch:
Since the coronavirus first began spreading at a rapid pace throughout the U.S. in March—forcing entire swaths of the economy to shut down and throwing countless lives into chaos—Trump and members of his administration publicly minimized the threat posed by Covid-19 and dispensed with the safety recommendations of experts, refusing to take simple life-saving steps like wearing face coverings and avoiding large gatherings.
Instead, the president did the opposite, knowingly spreading misinformation about the pandemic to the public, questioning the effectiveness of masks, and holding large indoor campaign rallies that threatened the health of the thousands in attendance as well as those they later came in contact with.
"Trump's diagnosis is the culmination of six months of recklessness and failure, the ultimate, inevitable end of his administration's disastrous response to a global pandemic," The New Republic's Alex Shephard wrote Friday. "Above all, his actions over the past six months reflect his extraordinary selfishness and cruelty. Other people get the virus. People in blue states get it. People of color get it. The elderly get it. Donald J. Trump doesn't get it—he can go about his life, however he pleases, ignoring the devastation around him."
"Trump has spent his entire life avoiding the consequences of his actions, from his business failures to his toxic politics. That changed on Thursday evening," Shephard continued. "No one would wish Covid-19 on anyone, not even Trump, but the president has spent the last six months desperately attempting to change the subject. Now, with less than a month before the election, he's paying the price."
Hours before announcing that both he and First Lady Melania Trump tested positive for the coronavirus, Trump said during a dinner at the White House Thursday evening that the "end of the pandemic is in sight"—echoing a sentiment he has expressed repeatedly since late February, when he wrongly predicted that the number of U.S. cases would be "close to zero" by the end of that month.
"That's a pretty good job we've done," Trump said at the time, a rosy assessment of his own performance that the president doubled down on late last month even after the U.S. coronavirus death toll topped 200,000.
In a statement Friday afternoon, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said her "thoughts are with the president, first lady, White House staff, and anyone else who may have come into contact with the president, and I wish them all a quick and safe recovery."
"My thoughts are also with millions of other Americans who have survived Covid-19 or are still sick," said Warren. "With the more than 200,000 Americans that we've lost, including a disproportionate number in Black and Brown communities. With the millions of Americans who can't get the help they need and worry about how they'll pay their bills."
"The president spent months undermining the work of our doctors and scientists, while he failed to help states and communities contain the outbreak. He mocked people for wearing masks and held super-spreader events that disregarded the health of thousands," Warren continued. "Today's news should serve as a reminder that listening to scientists, wearing a mask, washing hands, and social distancing are our best tools to fight this horrific disease."
News of Trump's positive coronavirus test touched off frenzied speculation as to who the president may have infected after he possibly contracted the virus from his close aide Hope Hicks, who tested positive Thursday after showing symptoms on Wednesday—facts the White House tried and failed to keep hidden from the public.
"A small group of White House officials knew by Thursday morning that Hicks had contracted Covid-19," CNNreported Friday, "but Trump still took a trip to New Jersey for a fundraiser, and press secretary Kayleigh McEnany still held a news briefing at the White House on Thursday."
Asked about the possibility that the White House coronavirus outbreak has spread to members of Congress, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters Friday, "We don't know. It can sneak up on you as it did with the president and the first lady. So we're keeping an eye on everyone."
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) immediately rejected McConnell's narrative, tweeting, "Let's be clear... Covid didn't sneak up on the president."
Just before noon Friday it was reported that Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) had also tested positive for the coronavirus.
"Since the spring, the White House has had multiple positive cases, including several people who have direct contact with Trump," Murphy added. "And yet he didn't wear a mask at public events or private meetings at the White House."
Jeet Heer, national affairs correspondent at The Nation, argued Friday that Democrats, including Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, "should not shy away from using news of Trump's Covid test to hammer home the lesson that he has bungled the crisis."
"Now is not the time to be euphemistic about Trump's recklessness. His disregard for basic health protocols has been bad not just for himself and his staff, but also for countless Americans," wrote Heer. "A president contracting a disease thanks in large part to his own rashness is a political fact as well as a personal one. We can express, if we are so inclined, sympathy on a human level for Trump, but his thoughtlessness has wider consequences that need to be called out."


alternet--2020-10-02--Trump going to the hospital with COVID-19 — plans to be there for a 'few days'

President Donald Trump planned to travel to Walter Reed Medical Center and stay there for at least a `` few days , '' White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement .
“ President Trump remains in good spirts , has mild symptoms , and has been working throughout the day , '' she said .
`` Out of an abundance of caution , and at the recommendation of his physician and medical experts , the President will be working from the presidential offices at Walter Reed for the next few days .
President Trump appreciates the outpouring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ First Lady . ''
The White House press pool confirmed that they had been moved to the hospital prior to the official announcement in preparation for the president 's stay .
The transition represented an apparently rapid escalation in the president 's case .
When Trump announced his diagnosis early Friday morning , he said he had no symptoms .
Later , officials said he had `` mild symptoms '' and that he has a `` very moderate case . ''
Then , Sean Conley , the president 's physician , announced that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and was experiencing fatigue .
Other reports suggested more serious symptoms , including a congestion and a fever .
But the announcement that Trump would go to the hospital remains the most serious sign yet .
While it 's understandable his doctors would want to be extra cautious about his care , the fact is that there are facilities in the White House for the president to get treatment and care if necessary .
And the president himself would likely be reluctant to go to the hospital and stay overnight without a very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do anything that makes him look or feel weak and vulnerable .

President Donald Trump planned to travel to Walter Reed Medical Center and stay there for at least a "few days," White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement.
“President Trump remains in good spirts, has mild symptoms, and has been working throughout the day," she said. "Out of an abundance of caution, and at the recommendation of his physician and medical experts, the President will be working from the presidential offices at Walter Reed for the next few days. President Trump appreciates the outpouring of support for both he and the First Lady."
The White House press pool confirmed that they had been moved to the hospital prior to the official announcement in preparation for the president's stay.
The transition represented an apparently rapid escalation in the president's case. When Trump announced his diagnosis early Friday morning, he said he had no symptoms. Later, officials said he had "mild symptoms" and that he has a "very moderate case."
Then, Sean Conley, the president's physician, announced that the president had taken an experimental treatment and was experiencing fatigue. Other reports suggested more serious symptoms, including a congestion and a fever.
But the announcement that Trump would go to the hospital remains the most serious sign yet. While it's understandable his doctors would want to be extra cautious about his care, the fact is that there are facilities in the White House for the president to get treatment and care if necessary. And the president himself would likely be reluctant to go to the hospital and stay overnight without a very good reason; he's loath to do anything that makes him look or feel weak and vulnerable.


alternet--2020-10-02--Republicans donors are ‘freaking out’ over Trump's new diagnosis: report

The United States ' top news story on Friday morning was , hands down , President Donald Trump 's announcement that he had tested positive for COVID-19 — which has also infected First Lady Melania Trump and the president 's long-time adviser , Hope Hicks .
On Thursday night , before he received the diagnosis , the president attended a crowded GOP fundraiser .
And CNBC is reporting that Republicans who were in contact with Trump during that event , which was held at the president 's golf club in Bedminster , New Jersey , are worrying that they might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
An anonymously quoted source described by CNBC as someone with `` direct knowledge '' of the event told the media outlet , `` The donors have been texting and calling .
Freaking out . ''
CNBC 's Brian Schwartz reports that according to a source , about 30-50 people were in close contact with the president at the Bedminster event .
However , Schwartz also reports that on Friday , an e-mail sent by the Republican group Trump Victory read , `` Out of an abundance of caution , we want to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be reminded that due to Trump Victory-protocol , no attendees were allowed within 6 ft of President Trump at the event .
Please contact your medical provider if you or any of your loved ones is ill or develops a fever , shortness of breath , or other respiratory symptoms . ''
New Jersey Gov .
Phil Murphy is advising anyone who attended the fundraiser to `` take full precautions , including self-quarantining and getting tested . ''
Hicks tested positive for COVID-19 before Trump .
After learning of Hicks ' diagnosis , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ AM on Friday morning , the president sent out tweet announcing that his test had come back positive and that the first lady had tested positive as well .
Schwartz explains , `` Some Republican donors questioned the president 's decision to go to the event after his long-time advisor , Hope Hicks , became ill. Hicks tested positive Thursday morning after displaying symptoms Wednesday night while on a campaign trip to Minnesota with the president .
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told reporters Friday that Hicks ' diagnosis became known @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
The COVID-19 pandemic , according to the Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University , has killed more than 1 million people worldwide and over 208,400 in the United States .
Hopkins has reported more than 34 million infections globally .
Trump 's diagnosis came only two nights after his debate with former Vice President Joe Biden , who on Friday , tweeted , `` I 'm happy to report that Jill and I have tested negative for COVID .
Thank you to everyone for your messages of concern .
I hope this serves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , keep social distance , and wash your hands . ''

The United States' top news story on Friday morning was, hands down, President Donald Trump's announcement that he had tested positive for COVID-19 — which has also infected First Lady Melania Trump and the president's long-time adviser, Hope Hicks. On Thursday night, before he received the diagnosis, the president attended a crowded GOP fundraiser. And CNBC is reporting that Republicans who were in contact with Trump during that event, which was held at the president's golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, are worrying that they might also test positive for the novel coronavirus.
An anonymously quoted source described by CNBC as someone with "direct knowledge" of the event told the media outlet, "The donors have been texting and calling. Freaking out."
CNBC's Brian Schwartz reports that according to a source, about 30-50 people were in close contact with the president at the Bedminster event. However, Schwartz also reports that on Friday, an e-mail sent by the Republican group Trump Victory read, "Out of an abundance of caution, we want to call this to your attention. Please be reminded that due to Trump Victory-protocol, no attendees were allowed within 6 ft of President Trump at the event. Please contact your medical provider if you or any of your loved ones is ill or develops a fever, shortness of breath, or other respiratory symptoms."
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is advising anyone who attended the fundraiser to "take full precautions, including self-quarantining and getting tested."
Hicks tested positive for COVID-19 before Trump. After learning of Hicks' diagnosis, Trump was tested — and at 12:51 AM on Friday morning, the president sent out tweet announcing that his test had come back positive and that the first lady had tested positive as well.
Schwartz explains, "Some Republican donors questioned the president's decision to go to the event after his long-time advisor, Hope Hicks, became ill. Hicks tested positive Thursday morning after displaying symptoms Wednesday night while on a campaign trip to Minnesota with the president. White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told reporters Friday that Hicks' diagnosis became known just before the president left for Bedminster."
The COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University, has killed more than 1 million people worldwide and over 208,400 in the United States. Hopkins has reported more than 34 million infections globally.
Trump's diagnosis came only two nights after his debate with former Vice President Joe Biden, who on Friday, tweeted, "I'm happy to report that Jill and I have tested negative for COVID. Thank you to everyone for your messages of concern. I hope this serves as a reminder: wear a mask, keep social distance, and wash your hands."


alternet--2020-10-02--Trump takes an experimental COVID drug as reports emerge about his true symptoms

President Donald Trump has taken an experimental drug treatment for his newly diagnosed case of COVID-19 , the White House announced Friday afternoon .
Sean Conley , the president 's physician , explained in a memo that Trump has `` received a single 8 gram dose of Regeneron 's polyclonal antibody cocktail . ''
Conley referred to this as a `` precautionary measure . ''
He said the president took the dose `` without incident , '' and noted that the president is also taking `` zinc , vitamin D , famotidine , melatonin , and a daily aspirin .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ fatigued but in good spirits , '' while First Lady Melania Trump — also diagnosed with the disease caused by the coronavirus — `` remains well with only a mild cough and headache . ''
No one else in the president 's family has tested positive for the virus .
Dr. Dena Grayson , a frequent news commentator , noted that the treatment Trump took is experimental .
`` These work by providing 'passive immunity , ' similar to convalescent plasma , but are manufactured , '' she said .
The New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more extensive than has been officially revealed .
`` President Trump is experiencing coldlike symptoms after testing positive for the coronavirus , according to two people familiar with his condition , '' the report said .
`` The president has a fever , congestion and a cough , two people close to him say . ''

President Donald Trump has taken an experimental drug treatment for his newly diagnosed case of COVID-19, the White House announced Friday afternoon.
Sean Conley, the president's physician, explained in a memo that Trump has "received a single 8 gram dose of Regeneron's polyclonal antibody cocktail." Conley referred to this as a "precautionary measure." He said the president took the dose "without incident," and noted that the president is also taking "zinc, vitamin D, famotidine, melatonin, and a daily aspirin."
He described the president as "fatigued but in good spirits," while First Lady Melania Trump — also diagnosed with the disease caused by the coronavirus — "remains well with only a mild cough and headache." No one else in the president's family has tested positive for the virus.
Dr. Dena Grayson, a frequent news commentator, noted that the treatment Trump took is experimental.
"These work by providing 'passive immunity,' similar to convalescent plasma, but are manufactured," she said.
The New York Times reported that Trump's symptoms are more extensive than has been officially revealed.
"President Trump is experiencing coldlike symptoms after testing positive for the coronavirus, according to two people familiar with his condition," the report said. "The president has a fever, congestion and a cough, two people close to him say."