buzzfeed--2020-10-02--Donald Trump Has The Coronavirus

Donald Trump Has The Coronavirus

The announcement comes 32 days before the presidential election .
The White House physician says Trump will `` continue carrying out his duties without disruption . ''
President Donald Trump has tested positive for the coronavirus , a destabilizing event that comes after he spent months downplaying the severity of COVID-19 , refusing to regularly wear a mask , undercutting the government 's top scientists , and so severely mismanaging the nation 's response to the pandemic that more than 200,000 Americans are now dead .
Since the very beginning of the pandemic that has killed more than 1 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus `` will disappear , '' that `` it will go away , '' and that it is `` dying out , '' as it has continued to spread across the US .
Millions of Americans who support him have taken his lead throughout the pandemic , and some believe COVID-19 is a hoax and that wearing a mask is unnecessary .
`` As too many Americans have done this year , @ POTUS & I are quarantining at home after testing positive for COVID-19 .
We are feeling good & I have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump tweeted .
“ The President and First Lady are both well at this time , and they plan to remain at home within the White House during their convalensence , '' Sean Conley , the physician to the president , wrote in a memo to the White House press secretary .
`` The White House medical team and I will maintain a vigilant watch , and I appreciate the support provided by some of our country ’ s greatest medical professionals and institutions , '' Conley added .
`` Rest assured I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his duties without disruption while recovering , and I will keep you updated on any future developments . ''
The president canceled his packed schedule of in-person events for Friday , which was to include a roundtable with his supporters at his Washington , DC hotel and then a MAGA rally in Orlando , Florida .
Trump 's getting the coronavirus is another in a long line of destabilizing events as the most hotly contested presidential election in modern memory draws near .
Many people who contract the virus have limited health concerns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fever , or shortness of breath ; some people are not symptomatic at all .
Trump , who is 74 and medically overweight , is at higher risk of becoming seriously ill , according to guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
Older people have a higher risk of being hospitalized and dying as a result of COVID-19 .
It is not immediately certain what Trump having the virus will mean for how his administration functions in the short-term .
Under the Constitution 's 25th Amendment , if the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president can take over his responsibilities as `` acting president . ''
Trump has been holding regular large-scale campaign rallies over the last month as he fights for reelection against Democratic nominee Joe Biden .
At those rallies , social distancing is largely ignored and many supporters do not wear masks .
In Washington , he 's resumed regular White House news briefings , ostensibly to provide updates on the US fight against the coronavirus but often primarily to attack Democrats and reporters .
At those conferences , he has regularly said reporters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ face coverings and asked them to take off their masks .
Trump is said to be regularly tested for the virus .
He first tested negative for COVID-19 on March 14 , after he reluctantly took a test following close contact with multiple foreign officials who had tested positive for the virus .
The president 's positive coronavirus test follows eight months of leadership that has been defined by confusing messages to the public , open disavowals of his own top health experts , overt political pressure on federal agencies , and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everything from masks to testing to treatments .
In that time , more than 200,000 Americans have died of COVID-19 .
Up until the stock market began to collapse in early March , Trump had aggressively played down the threat the coronavirus posed to Americans as it spread through Asia and Europe , frequently saying throughout late January and February that the US would be `` fine , '' claiming that warm weather would make the virus disappear , and praising his administration 's response .
Even as he put Vice President Mike @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus response at the end of February , Trump insisted that the risk to Americans was `` very low '' and that his administration was `` ready '' for the potential of community spread of COVID-19 .
Asked at a March 4 news conference how he would prevent panic over the outbreak , the president said `` I don ’ t think they ’ re panicking .
I don ’ t think people are panicking .
I said last night — we did an interview on Fox last night , a town hall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And I said , 'Calm .
You have to be calm . '
It ’ ll go away . ''
Trump began to take the outbreak more seriously in early March , but there were miscommunications and errors that confused and slowed the federal response .
In an Oval Office address on the virus on March 11 , Trump spread confusion by getting three significant portions of his administration 's response wrong , including on a planned restriction on travel to the US from Europe .
That month , he told Bob @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus , according to an interview published by the journalist in September .
“ I wanted to always play it down , ” Trump said then .
“ I still like playing it down because I don ’ t want to create a panic.
” Trump held daily briefings with the Coronavirus Task Force throughout March and April , but shifted over that time from emphasizing social distancing and eliminating hand-shakes to arguing that the US economy should be allowed to re-open , after many states and companies halted most work deemed non-essential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ soon after Trump suggested that experts try to find a way to bring ultraviolet light inside people 's bodies to eliminate the virus , or that scientists should try injecting people with chemical disinfectants .
In the weeks and months following , Trump became fixated on economic re-openings , spurning interventions like mask use that scientists have recommended to lessen the risk of spreading or catching the virus .
He consistently insisted that the rise in coronavirus cases in much of the country over the summer was just a factor of the US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by high testing positivity rates , hospitalizations , and rising deaths in states like Florida , Arizona , and Texas .
`` When you do testing to that extent , you 're going to find more people , you 're going to find more cases , ” Trump said in late June at an indoor campaign rally in Tulsa , Oklahoma , where social distancing guidelines were ignored and few wore masks .
“ So I said to my people , 'Slow the testing down , please . '
They test and they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Trump was joking about that request ; Trump then said he does n't joke .
Several campaign staffers who helped set up the rally tested positive for COVID-19 .
By late summer , Trump was pushing for schools to reopen in a bid for reelection , questioning the guidance of top health officials like Anthony Fauci , who cautioned those decisions needed to be made on a case-by-case basis according to levels of transmission in different communities .
Behind the scenes , White House officials pressured the CDC to downplay the risks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ September , Trump began openly pushing that a vaccine would be ready by Election Day , alarming scientists concerned about political pressure on the FDA and declining public confidence in the vaccine .
Meanwhile , Trump has continued to push the idea that , perhaps , the pandemic is “ rounding the corner ” and “ would go away even without the vaccine.
” Alongside his new White House science adviser , Stanford neuroradiologist Scott Atlas , Trump began pushing the false idea that we could reach `` herd immunity , '' the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus that it stops spreading .
Atlas has posited that herd immunity may be closer than we think because people who have had some common colds may have protection from the virus .
Scientists have vehemently disputed both points .
According to Fauci , the idea that the pandemic is dying out “ makes absolutely no sense at all .
”

Melania Trump tweeted, "As too many Americans have done this year, @POTUS & I are quarantining at home after testing positive for COVID-19. We are feeling good & I have postponed all upcoming engagements."
Trump's diagnosis comes after top aide Hope Hicks tested positive Thursday evening.
“The President and First Lady are both well at this time, and they plan to remain at home within the White House during their convalescence," Sean Conley, the physician to the president, wrote in a memo to the White House press secretary.
"The White House medical team and I will maintain a vigilant watch, and I appreciate the support provided by some of our country’s greatest medical professionals and institutions," Conley added. "Rest assured I expect the President to continue carrying out his duties without disruption while recovering, and I will keep you updated on any future developments."
According to White House officials, Trump is experiencing "mild symptoms." The New York Times reported that the president has "cold-like" symptoms, adding that "he seemed lethargic" at a fundraising event Thursday.
The president canceled his packed schedule of in-person events for Friday, which was to include a roundtable with his supporters at his Washington, DC, hotel and then a MAGA rally in Orlando, Florida.
Trump's getting the coronavirus is another in a long line of destabilizing events as the most hotly contested presidential election in modern memory draws near.
Many people who contract the virus have limited health concerns, outside of a cough, high fever, or shortness of breath; some people are not symptomatic at all. Trump, who is 74 and medically overweight, is at higher risk of becoming seriously ill, according to guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Older people have a higher risk of being hospitalized and dying as a result of COVID-19.
It is not immediately certain what Trump having the virus will mean for how his administration functions in the short term.
Under the Constitution's 25th Amendment, if the president determines he is incapacitated, the vice president can take over his responsibilities as "acting president."
The vice president's press secretary tweeted that Pence is tested daily and that he tested negative for COVID-19 Friday morning.
"Vice President Pence remains in good health and wishes the Trumps well in their recovery," Devin O'Malley said.
Trump's teenage son Barron, his daughter Ivanka Trump, and son-in-law Jared Kushner tested negative for the virus on Friday, White House aide Carolina Hurley confirmed.
Trump has been holding regular large-scale campaign rallies over the last month as he fights for reelection against Democratic nominee Joe Biden. At those rallies, social distancing is largely ignored and many supporters do not wear masks. In Washington, he's resumed regular White House news briefings, ostensibly to provide updates on the US fight against the coronavirus but often primarily to attack Democrats and reporters. At those conferences, he has regularly said reporters are difficult to hear because of their face coverings and asked them to take off their masks.
On Friday morning, Biden wished Trump well via Twitter. "Jill and I send our thoughts to President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump for a swift recovery," he said. "We will continue to pray for the health and safety of the president and his family."
Trump is said to be regularly tested for the virus. He first tested negative for COVID-19 on March 14, after he reluctantly took a test following close contact with multiple foreign officials who had tested positive for the virus.
Up until the stock market began to collapse in early March, Trump had aggressively played down the threat the coronavirus posed to Americans as it spread through Asia and Europe, frequently saying throughout late January and February that the US would be "fine," claiming that warm weather would make the virus disappear, and praising his administration's response.


buzzfeed--2020-10-02--Hope Hicks, Who Recently Traveled With Trump, Tested Positive For The Coronavirus

Hicks traveled with the president for Tuesday ’ s presidential debate , and again on Wednesday for a Minnesota campaign rally .
Update : President Trump and Melania Trump announced on Friday morning they have COVID-19 .
Read full coverage here .
WASHINGTON — Hope Hicks , one of people closest to President Donald Trump , has tested positive for the coronavirus .
`` So she did test positive , I just heard about this , she tested positive , '' the president told Sean Hannity on Fox News Thursday night .
`` She 's a hard worker , lot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lot .
But she tested positive . ''
Trump added that both he and First Lady Melania Trump had taken a test after the news , and the results had n't come in yet .
Soon after the interview aired , he tweeted that he would begin a quarantine , but did not specify what that would entail — Trump currently has a packed Friday schedule planned , including a campaign rally in Florida .
`` I just went out for a test .
They just do it , it 'll come back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first lady also , because we spend a lot of time with Hope .
And others , '' Trump told Hannity .
`` So we 'll see what happens . ''
Multiple news outlets reported Thursday that Hicks tested positive after traveling to Ohio on Air Force One with the president for Tuesday ’ s first presidential debate .
She was with Trump as recently as Wednesday , when Hicks traveled with the president for a Minnesota campaign rally .
Hicks is the latest member of the administration to test positive for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began in March .
And last week , the country surpassed 200,000 coronavirus-related deaths .
“ The President takes the health and safety of himself and everyone who works in support of him and the American people very seriously , ” White House spokesperson Judd Deere said in a statement .
“ White House Operations collaborates with the Physician to the President and the White House Military Office to ensure all plans and procedures incorporate current CDC guidance and best practices for limiting COVID-19 exposure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complex and when the President is traveling.
” Hicks served as the White House communications director for less than a year in 2017 .
She was named counselor in the administration in February 2020 .
During her break with the administration , she was a witness during the Mueller hearing in Congress where she stonewalled members , refusing to answer questions related to her time on the campaign .
Wire photos on debate night show members of the Trump family , including , Ivanka , Don Jr. , and Tiffany Trump entering the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Education Campus masked .
All but Melania Trump appeared to remove their masks once they were seated .
Attendees who came to support Joe Biden wore masks and sat on the other side of the debate hall .
The Biden campaign did not immediately return questions about whether any Biden supporters came into contact with Hicks .

Update: President Donald Trump and Melania Trump announced on Friday morning they have COVID-19. Read full coverage here.
WASHINGTON — Hope Hicks, one of the people closest to President Donald Trump, has tested positive for the coronavirus.
"So she did test positive. I just heard about this. She tested positive," the president told Sean Hannity on Fox News on Thursday night. "She's a hard worker, lot of masks. She wears masks a lot. But she tested positive."
Trump added that both he and first lady Melania Trump had taken a test after the news, and the results hadn't come in yet.
Soon after the interview aired, he tweeted that he would begin to self-quarantine, but did not specify what that would entail. Trump currently has a packed Friday schedule planned, including a campaign rally in Florida.


buzzfeed--2020-10-02--This Woman's Viral Story Of How COVID Devastated Her Family Is A Must-Read For Anyone Who Doesn't Ta

This Woman's Viral Story Of How COVID Devastated Her Family Is A Must-Read For Anyone Who Doesn't Take The Pandemic Seriously

A young woman 's comment posted on Reddit , in which she describes the horrific toll COVID-19 has taken on @ @ @ @ @ viral across the internet .
And while her story is heartbreaking , it 's a @ @ @ @ @ n't understand just how serious the coronavirus pandemic really is .

A young woman's comment posted on Reddit , in which she describes the horrific toll COVID-19 has taken on her family, is going viral across the internet. And while her story is heartbreaking, it's a must-read for anyone who doesn't understand just how serious the coronavirus pandemic really is.


buzzfeed--2020-10-03--Politicians In Line Behind Trump Say They’re Coronavirus-Free. But It May Be Too Soon To Know If Tha

Politicians In Line Behind Trump Say They’re Coronavirus-Free. But It May Be Too Soon To Know If That’s True.

On Friday , the White House asserted that Pence was healthy .
The vice president ’ s physician said in a statement that he “ does not need to quarantine ” and was “ free to go about his normal activities , ” and Pence said he will continue campaigning .
He did not have any events scheduled on Friday , but on Thursday he attended a campaign event in Iowa where a crowd of about 600 people , few of them wearing masks , sat indoors at large tables , the Des Moines Register reported .
Pence is due @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Harris in person next Wednesday .
Under the 25th Amendment to the Constitution , Pence is next in the line of succession , followed by Pelosi and then Chuck Grassley , the Senate president pro tempore ( a position generally given to the most senior senator in the majority party ) .
Grassley had not come into contact with the president as recently as the others , but he did attend a hearing this week with Sen. Mike Lee , who tested positive Friday .
Grassley , who has said he will not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ secretary of state , Pompeo , and then the Treasury secretary , Mnuchin .
“ There ’ s no single test that you can give someone and have absolute certainty they don ’ t have COVID , ” Bill Morice , chair of laboratory medicine and pathology at the Mayo Clinic , told BuzzFeed News .
For anyone who spends more than 15 minutes within 6 feet of an infected person , the CDC recommends quarantining for two weeks .
On Friday , Pence , Pelosi , Secretary of State Mike Pompeo , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they had tested negative .
Pence was the most recent of the group known to have seen Trump , at a coronavirus briefing in the White House Rose Garden on Monday evening .
Pence had also seen Trump on Saturday and Sunday at other events , including the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court .
In this highly unprecedented and rapidly evolving situation , with Trump checking into Walter Reed Medical Center on Friday evening for an unspecified number of days , the health of each of the people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and the safety measures they adopt , will be under close scrutiny .
What happens next will depend on not just how the president ’ s condition progresses , but who around him stays healthy or gets infected and potentially infects others .
But negative results , especially in the first few days of being infected , are not as conclusive as they may seem .
Medical experts caution that they can ’ t be taken as a definitive sign that people are not infected , and operating under a false assumption @ @ @ @ @ @ @ put others at risk .
Since President Donald Trump announced he had the coronavirus , several of the leaders who would step in if he ’ s incapacitated , from Vice President Mike Pence to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , have been releasing their own negative test results .
If the president was to become so ill as to need to step down either temporarily or permanently , the 25th Amendment provides four separate measures that outline what a transfer of power would look like .
The first two deal with what happens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leave office — Pence would become president .
Through the third part of the amendment , Trump could temporarily hand over power to Pence , who would serve as acting president .
The fourth section , which has not previously been invoked , allows the vice president and cabinet to declare Trump “ unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.
” That fourth measure has a high bar — it includes the ability for the president to force a congressional vote on whether or not he should be declared unable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ majorities required in both houses .
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden was onstage with Trump , neither of them wearing masks , during the presidential debate three days ago .
Biden announced that he and his wife had tested negative for COVID-19 on Friday morning , but rather than quarantining , continued with a planned visit to Grand Rapids , Michigan , on Friday afternoon .
The former vice president has no other travel scheduled in the next few days , but his wife , Jill Biden , is traveling to several campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s orbit who said they tested negative include Attorney General Bill Barr , Ivanka Trump , Jared Kushner , Barron Trump , and Trump ’ s Supreme Court nominee , Judge Amy Coney Barrett .
( Barrett was diagnosed with COVID-19 earlier this summer and recovered . )
First lady Melania Trump and Hope Hicks , a top aide to the president , have both tested positive .
Whether leaders in the line of succession and other members of Trump ’ s administration got infected would depend on factors such as how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tested positive , whether they were indoors or outdoors , and whether they were masked and keeping a distance from one another .
But whether a test would pick up on that infection depends on when they got infected .
A safe bet is to quarantine for at least 7 to 10 days to see if symptoms develop , which usually happens by then , experts say .
If no symptoms emerge , and a test at that point still comes up negative , then their quarantining period could probably safely end .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ get tested too early on , like within the first one or two days of an exposure , when the amount of virus in the body is too low to be detected .
A person could get an inaccurate negative result and then , falsely believing they are healthy , possibly spread it to others .
“ A negative test early after exposure tells you nothing about whether you ’ re infected or not , ” said Ashish Jha , dean of the Brown University School of Public Health , in an interview @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right now and coughs in my face and I get the virus , it ’ s going to take a while for the virus to infect the tissues and replicate .
A test today would be 100 % negative .
A test tomorrow would be close to 100 % negative .
A test on Sunday might be positive .
But I would probably turn positive three to five days after exposure.
” He added that anyone who interacted with Trump , his wife , or Hicks over the past week should be quarantining @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shows , testing is not a bulletproof tool to keep the disease from spreading .
To protect the president , the White House has relied predominantly on frequent testing while eschewing other measures known to reduce transmission , such as limiting crowds and wearing masks , much to the bewilderment of infectious disease experts .
“ You can ’ t just pick one and do that and neglect the others , ” said Saskia Popescu , an epidemiologist at the University of Arizona .
“ This is a really unfortunate example of that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happen .
If you told me that a random person was being tested daily and not following masking protocols or social distancing , and was in a lot of close-quarter meetings with dozens of other people , I would say it ’ s not surprising ” that they got infected .

Since President Donald Trump announced he had the coronavirus, several of the leaders who would step in if he’s incapacitated, from Vice President Mike Pence to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have been releasing their own negative test results.
But negative results, especially in the first few days of being infected, are not as conclusive as they may seem. Medical experts caution that they can’t be taken as a definitive sign that people are not infected, and operating under a false assumption of a clean bill of health could put others at risk.
In this highly unprecedented and rapidly evolving situation, with Trump checking into Walter Reed Medical Center on Friday evening for an unspecified number of days, the health of each of the people in line to take over if necessary, and the safety measures they adopt, will be under close scrutiny. What happens next will depend on not just how the president’s condition progresses, but who around him stays healthy or gets infected and potentially infects others.
On Friday, Pence, Pelosi, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin all said they had tested negative. Pence was the most recent of the group known to have seen Trump, at a coronavirus briefing in the White House Rose Garden on Monday evening. Pence had also seen Trump on Saturday and Sunday at other events, including the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court.
For anyone who spends more than 15 minutes within 6 feet of an infected person, the CDC recommends quarantining for two weeks.
“There’s no single test that you can give someone and have absolute certainty they don’t have COVID,” Bill Morice, chair of laboratory medicine and pathology at the Mayo Clinic, told BuzzFeed News.
Under the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, Pence is next in the line of succession, followed by Pelosi and then Chuck Grassley, the Senate president pro tempore (a position generally given to the most senior senator in the majority party). Grassley had not come into contact with the president as recently as the others, but he did attend a hearing this week with Sen. Mike Lee, who tested positive Friday. Grassley, who has said he will not be tested, is followed by the secretary of state, Pompeo, and then the Treasury secretary, Mnuchin.
On Friday, the White House asserted that Pence was healthy. The vice president’s physician said in a statement that he “does not need to quarantine” and was “free to go about his normal activities,” and Pence said he will continue campaigning. He did not have any events scheduled on Friday, but on Thursday he attended a campaign event in Iowa where a crowd of about 600 people, few of them wearing masks, sat indoors at large tables, the Des Moines Register reported. Pence is due to debate Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris in person next Wednesday.


buzzfeed--2020-10-02--Trump’s Fundraisers Brought Him Into Close Contact With Dozens In Two States Before Announcing He Ha

Trump’s Fundraisers Brought Him Into Close Contact With Dozens In Two States Before Announcing He Had COVID-19

President Donald Trump ’ s loyal supporters who attended fundraisers he held this week are finding themselves in an unthinkable scenario : Could they have caught the coronavirus from the president ?
President Donald Trump announced early Friday morning that he and his wife Melania had tested positive for the virus , mere hours after he had appeared at a fundraiser and roundtable with supporters at his golf club in Bedminster , New Jersey .
The previous day , Trump had held another fundraiser in Shorewood , Minnesota .
It is unclear when Trump contracted the virus .
His aide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Wednesday , was revealed to have tested positive on Thursday — a fact Trump is said to have known about before he continued with his plan to go to Bedminster .
Even so , the president came into relatively close contact with dozens of people at the event , all of whom are now at risk .
And as of Friday afternoon , Trump was being transported to Walter Reed Medical Center , where according to the White House Press Secretary he will be spending the “ next few days.
” In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ length and without a mask , posed for photos , and held a smaller group VIP meeting indoors , again unmasked .
In Shorewood , after Trump left the event , attendees sang karaoke and put their arms around each other , also without masks .
It took until late on Friday morning for the Bedminster organizers to follow up with attendees about Trump ’ s test result — and even then , they did not encourage them to immediately get tested or quarantine themselves .
Multiple attendees BuzzFeed News spoke with said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and were confident they would not disregard their safety .
Trump landed at Bedminster at 2:33 p.m. on Thursday , several hours before confirming on Fox News that Hicks , who had traveled with him on Air Force One en route to a rally in Duluth , Minnesota on Wednesday , had tested positive for coronavirus .
Waiting to greet him was a crowd of supporters on the corner near the golf course .
Joseph Belnome , a Belleville , NJ resident who works for the state ’ s Department of Public Works @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who described himself as a “ major supporter ” of Trump — “ when you attack him , it feels like you ’ re attacking me ” — said he ’ d learned the night before that Trump would be coming and that the presidential motorcade might pass by .
Trump has on occasion gotten out of his motorcade before entering the Bedminster grounds to greet people waiting for him there , which has inspired local supporters to assemble when he ’ s in town .
Belnome estimated that around 150 people had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ event , as well as 10 members of the “ opposition , ” how he described anti-Trump protesters .
He said that four or five people among the Trump supporters were wearing masks , while the anti-Trump protesters all “ had masks and face shields , just unrealistic coverings.
” Donors entering the event had to take a Covid test before going inside , and were asked to stay six feet away from Trump .
One attendee who asked not to be named estimated that around 60 people had taken photos with Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ away from him even during the photos .
Trump seemed “ very happy ” and “ healthy , ” the attendee said ; “ he took a ton of questions from the crowd and personally knew many of the attendees.
” This attendee said they planned to get tested and would quarantine until knowing the results .
Another attendee , Patti Schechter , also posted on Instagram about the event , writing “ Absolutely amazing day having my photo taken with the GOAT , President Trump !
!
!
And then 20 feet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crowd and took questions.
” Replying to someone ’ s comment on her page asking if the event was from yesterday , Schechter said it was but she “ never got close ” to Trump .
She has since made her page private and did not respond to requests for comment .
Joe Piscopo , a New Jersey radio host who attended the fundraiser , said it was “ outside and socially distanced , and the President was at the front of the portico at Bedminster and we were far back , way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They kept everyone far away .
It had to be 10 yards at least , maybe 20 yards.
” Piscopo , who has known Trump for decades , said that Trump called him a “ good friend ” during his remarks at the event .
He said he left feeling inspired , and said he expected the president to win by a landslide .
Still , Piscopo didn ’ t attend the smaller VIP event — “ I was standing at the back with the sanitizers and masks.
” Piscopo said he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one point taken hydroxychloroquine “ as the president said.
” The VIP roundtable was held inside , photos posted to Instagram show .
Brandon Dawson and Natalie Workman , a couple who are both executives at a consulting firm , posted photos of themselves inside a room at Bedminster across a table from a place card indicating Trump ’ s spot .
In replies to comments he got on his post on Friday morning , Dawson wrote that he and Workman had both gotten tested and were negative , though such an early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be likely to give complete results .
Workman and Dawson didn ’ t respond to requests for comment .
Dr. Richard Roberts , a retired New Jersey pharmaceutical executive and Republican donor , attended the smaller roundtable .
“ I was about five or six feet away from [ Trump ] , ” Roberts said .
He said the gathering took place in a “ small draped tent , inside the building for a little discussion , and then a photo .
And then I was about 10 feet away from him .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ shaped table from him for about an hour or so of the meeting with him.
” Roberts said he was among a group of 19 people who were in the smaller meeting .
Roberts echoed others in saying that those taking a photo with Trump were kept at a distance from the president .
For Roberts , the fundraiser was a rare outing : he said he had been in self-imposed quarantine for six months because he has a number of risk factors for the virus , and the fundraiser was one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ property during that time .
He said he was not going to get tested and would simply resume his quarantine , but that he was starting to take hydroxychloroquine .
Roberts said Trump did not show signs of being sick during the event and did not cough or sneeze .
On Friday morning , Trump Victory , the joint RNC and Trump campaign fundraising committee which sponsored the Bedminster event , wrote to attendees to alert them to their possible exposure to coronavirus because of Trump , according to a copy of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attendee .
A similar email was sent to attendees of the fundraiser in Shorewood , according to an RNC spokesperson .
The email notified attendees that Trump had tested positive for coronavirus and it was reaching out to them “ out of an abundance of caution , ” and reminded them that guests had not been allowed to come closer than six feet from Trump .
Trump Victory did not urge recipients of the email to preemptively quarantine or get tested .
“ Please contact your medical provider if you or any of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a fever , shortness of breath , or other respiratory symptoms , ” the email , which was first reported by CNBC , read .
In a news conference on Friday , New Jersey Gov .
Phil Murphy urged anyone who had been “ in or around ” the Bedminster event to self-quarantine and get tested .
He emphasized quarantining first , then getting tested , and told people to stay quarantined for 14 days even if they get a negative test .
Murphy said that the state ’ s effort to trace @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the event had begun , and that “ folks are cooperating and we need them to.
” Murphy said the White House and the Republican National Committee “ put forward a spirit of serious cooperation.
” He said his “ guess ” was that the event had drawn people from all over the region , and potentially even from out of state , thus posing a risk to communities other than Bedminster .
Wednesday night ’ s fundraiser in Minnesota , which took place during the same trip on which Hicks had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , had included similar precautions as in Bedminster .
Mandi Merritt , a spokesperson for the RNC , said that attendees at the fundraiser “ tested negative for COVID-19 on the day of the event , completed a wellness questionnaire , and passed a temperature screening .
Every guest was at least 6 feet from the president at all times.
” Blois Olsen , a Minnesota political analyst with close knowledge of the event , said that the president had remained at all times behind a rope line , at a distance from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ posts , he said , showing many other attendees at the fundraiser flouted safety guidelines , including singing karaoke , after the president left the event .
“ Nobody had a mask , nobody was physically distanced , ” Olsen said .
South Dakota Gov .
Kristi Noem , a close Trump ally , was at the event without a mask , posing for photographs with her arms around attendees , according to social media posts viewed by BuzzFeed News .
A spokesperson said on Twitter that Noem had “ tested negative Tuesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fundraiser .

President Donald Trump’s loyal supporters who attended fundraisers he held this week are finding themselves in an unthinkable scenario: Could they have caught the coronavirus from the president?
Trump announced early Friday morning that he and his wife Melania had tested positive for the virus, mere hours after he had appeared at a fundraiser and roundtable with supporters at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. The previous day, Trump had held another fundraiser in Shorewood, Minnesota.
It is unclear when Trump contracted the virus. His aide Hope Hicks, who traveled with him on Wednesday, was revealed to have tested positive on Thursday — a fact Trump is said to have known about before he continued with his plan to go to Bedminster. Even so, the president came into relatively close contact with dozens of people at the event, all of whom are now at risk. And as of Friday afternoon, Trump was being transported to Walter Reed Medical Center, where, according to the White House press secretary, he will be spending the “next few days.”
In Bedminster, Trump spoke to attendees at length and without a mask, posed for photos, and held a VIP meeting with a smaller group indoors, again unmasked. In Shorewood, after the president left the event, attendees sang karaoke and put their arms around each other, also without masks. It took until late on Friday morning for the Bedminster organizers to follow up with attendees about Trump’s test result — and even then, they did not encourage them to immediately get tested or quarantine themselves. Multiple attendees who spoke with BuzzFeed News said they trusted the president and his campaign and were confident they would not disregard their safety.
Trump landed at Bedminster at 2:33 p.m. on Thursday, several hours before confirming on Fox News that Hicks, who had traveled with him on Air Force One en route to a rally in Duluth, Minnesota, on Wednesday, had tested positive for the coronavirus.
Waiting to greet him was a crowd of supporters on the corner near the golf course. Joseph Belnome, a Belleville, New Jersey, resident who works for the state’s Department of Public Works, was among them. Belnome, who described himself as a “major supporter” of the president — “when you attack him, it feels like you’re attacking me” — said he’d learned the night before that Trump would be coming and that the presidential motorcade might pass by. Trump has on occasion gotten out of his motorcade before entering the Bedminster grounds to greet people waiting for him there, which has inspired local supporters to assemble when he’s in town.
Belnome estimated that around 150 people had gathered to greet the president outside the event, as well as 10 members of the “opposition,” how he described anti-Trump protesters. He said that four or five people among the Trump supporters were wearing masks, while the anti-Trump protesters all “had masks and face shields, just unrealistic coverings.”
Donors entering the event had to take a COVID-19 test before going inside and were asked to stay 6 feet away from Trump. One attendee who asked not to be named estimated that around 60 people had taken photos with Trump, though they were kept 6 feet away from him even during the photos.
Trump seemed “very happy” and “healthy,” the attendee said; “he took a ton of questions from the crowd and personally knew many of the attendees.” This attendee said they planned to get tested and quarantine until knowing the results.
Another attendee, Patti Schechter, also posted on Instagram about the event, writing “Absolutely amazing day having my photo taken with the GOAT, President Trump!!! And then 20 feet front and center while he addressed the crowd and took questions.”
Replying to someone’s comment on her page asking if the event was from yesterday, Schechter said it was but she “never got close” to Trump. She has since made her page private and did not respond to requests for comment.
Joe Piscopo, a New Jersey radio host who attended the fundraiser, said it was “outside and socially distanced, and the President was at the front of the portico at Bedminster and we were far back, way way back. They put everybody back. They kept everyone far away. It had to be 10 yards at least, maybe 20 yards.”
Piscopo, who has known Trump for decades, said that the president called him a “good friend” during his remarks at the event. He said he left feeling inspired and said he expected the president to win by a landslide. Still, Piscopo didn’t attend the smaller VIP event — “I was standing at the back with the sanitizers and masks,” he said. Piscopo said he has COVID-19 antibodies and had also at one point taken hydroxychloroquine “as the president said.”
The VIP roundtable was held inside, photos posted to Instagram show. Brandon Dawson and Natalie Workman, a couple who are both executives at a consulting firm, posted photos of themselves inside a room at Bedminster across a table from a place card indicating Trump’s spot. In replies to comments on his post on Friday morning, Dawson wrote that he and Workman had both been tested and were negative, though such an early test result after an exposure would not be likely to give complete results. Workman and Dawson didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Dr. Richard Roberts, a retired New Jersey pharmaceutical executive and Republican donor, attended the smaller roundtable. “I was about 5 or 6 feet away from [Trump],” Roberts said. He said the gathering took place in a “small draped tent, inside the building for a little discussion, and then a photo. And then I was about 10 feet away from him. Right across the table, that rectangular-shaped table, from him for about an hour or so of the meeting with him.” Roberts said he was among a group of 19 people who were in the smaller meeting.
Roberts echoed others in saying that those who took a photo with Trump were kept at a distance from the president.
For Roberts, the fundraiser was a rare outing. He said he had been in self-imposed quarantine for six months because he has a number of risk factors for the virus, and the fundraiser was one of only four times he has left his property during that time. He said he was not going to get tested and would simply resume his quarantine, but that he was starting to take hydroxychloroquine. Roberts said Trump did not show signs of being sick during the event and did not cough or sneeze.
On Friday morning, Trump Victory Committee, the joint RNC and Trump campaign fundraising body that sponsored the Bedminster event, wrote to attendees to alert them to their possible exposure to coronavirus because of Trump, according to a copy of the email provided to BuzzFeed News by an attendee. A similar email was sent to attendees of the fundraiser in Shorewood, according to an RNC spokesperson.
The email notified attendees that Trump had tested positive for the coronavirus and it was reaching out to them “out of an abundance of caution,” and reminded them that guests had not been allowed to come closer than 6 feet from Trump.
Trump Victory did not urge recipients of the email to preemptively quarantine or get tested. “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,” the email, which was first reported by CNBC, read.
In a news conference on Friday, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy urged anyone who had been “in or around” the Bedminster event to self-quarantine and get tested. He emphasized quarantining first, then getting tested, and told people to stay quarantined for 14 days even if they get a negative test. He said the state’s effort to trace the contacts of the people who went to the event had begun, and that “folks are cooperating and we need them to.” Murphy said the White House and the RNC “put forward a spirit of serious cooperation.” He said his “guess” was that the event had drawn people from all over the region, and potentially out of state, thus posing a risk to communities other than Bedminster.
Wednesday night’s fundraiser in Minnesota, which took place during the same trip on which Hicks had traveled with Trump on Air Force One, had included similar precautions as in Bedminster. Mandi Merritt, a spokesperson for the RNC, said that attendees at the fundraiser “tested negative for COVID-19 on the day of the event, completed a wellness questionnaire, and passed a temperature screening. Every guest was at least 6 feet from the president at all times.”
Blois Olson, a Minnesota political analyst with close knowledge of the event, said that the president had remained at all times behind a rope line, at a distance from guests.
But Olson viewed social media posts, he said, showing many other attendees at the fundraiser flouted safety guidelines, including singing karaoke, after the president left the event. “Nobody had a mask, nobody was physically distanced,” he said.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a close ally of Trump's, was at the event without a mask, posing for photographs with her arms around attendees, according to social media posts viewed by BuzzFeed News. A spokesperson said on Twitter that Noem had “tested negative Tuesday night,” the night before the fundraiser.


buzzfeed--2020-10-03--Trump Was Flown To Walter Reed Hospital For Several Days After Getting COVID-19

The president will stay at the hospital `` out of an abundance of caution , and at the recommendation of his physician and medical experts . ''
President Donald Trump , wearing a mask and not saying a word to assembled reporters , walked onto a waiting helicopter on the White House lawn and was flown to Walter Reed hospital on Friday afternoon , less than 24 hours after he tested positive for the coronavirus .
“ I think i ’ m doing very well , but we ’ re going to make sure that things work out , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tweeted not long after he left the White House .
The difference in Trump 's tone and behavior on Friday afternoon simply can not be overstated .
Usually , on his way to his helicopter , Marine One , Trump stops and talks to assembled reporters , often spreading false information .
He rarely , if ever , wears a mask .
And his recorded videos are often longer and more spirited or combative .
Instead , Trump boarded the helicopter with a quick thumbs-up and wave to reporters and his aides , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who staff Marine One .
When he landed at Walter Reed , he saluted again then got into a waiting SUV .
Trump will spend `` several days '' at the medical facility `` working , '' White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said .
“ President Trump remains in good spirits , has mild symptoms , and has been working throughout the day .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
President Trump appreciates the outpouring of support for both he and the First Lady , ” McEnany said .
Trump ’ s hospitalization comes after he spent months downplaying the seriousness of COVID-19 , holding large campaign rallies , and refusing to wear a mask with rare exceptions .
He continued traveling and campaigning in recent months , including flying on Air Force One with multiple White House officials to a campaign event in New Jersey on Thursday after his top aide Hope Hicks had tested positive .
Trump had canceled his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ development after he insisted on pandemic rallies where masses of people , many unmasked , crammed in to see him .
Pence — defying the CDC ’ s quarantine guidelines — will continue campaigning .
The president did not make any public appearances on Friday before boarding the helicopter .
He has also tweeted only once since announcing his positive diagnosis just before 1 a.m. Friday morning .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. Lindsey Graham said they had spoken to Trump by phone on Friday about the Supreme Court vacancy .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president took off for the hospital that his father is a `` true warrior '' and asked Americans to join in `` praying for his recovery . ''
If the president becomes incapacitated , Vice President Mike Pence can take over Trump ’ s duties under a process outlined in the 25th Amendment to the Constitution and serve in an acting role if the president authorizes the action .
( A different section of the 25th Amendment allows the vice president and cabinet to force the issue , but that part of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) Pence most recently tested negative for the virus on Friday , according to his spokesperson .
Trump ’ s physician offered a brief statement about his condition on Friday , less than 15 hours after Trump said he had contracted COVID-19 , a disease that just months ago the president insisted would just “ disappear.
” The White House physician , Sean P. Conley , wrote in a memo Friday that Trump remained “ fatigued but in good spirits.
” That notion lightly conflicted with press secretary Kayleigh McEnany ’ s comments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to “ hold him back a little here because he is hard at work . ''
And it didn ’ t include reporting from White House journalists who say Trump is experiencing a low-grade fever , a light cough , and congestion .
Trump , as a precautionary measure , “ received a single 8 gram dose of Regeneron ’ s polyclonal antibody cocktail , ” Conley wrote , adding he ’ s also been taking “ zinc , vitamin D , famotidine , melatonin and a daily aspirin.
” Recent results from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ indicated that when administered early in an infection to nonhospitalized patients , the treatment could reduce the amounts of virus in the body and lead to shorter hospital stays .
No treatments for COVID-19 have yet been approved by the FDA .
But companies can grant emergency access to experimental treatments under FDA ’ s “ compassionate use ” guidelines .
Regeneron ’ s CEO is a longtime acquaintance of Trump ’ s .
“ He ’ s being evaluated by a team of experts , ” Conley said , adding they will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Melania Trump , who also tested positive , has a “ mild cough ” and headache .
It ’ s unclear how severe Trump ’ s illness is .
At 74 , the president has a higher risk of a severe case of COVID-19 due to his age and his weight ; his medical disclosure in June puts him at 244 pounds , just over the threshold for obesity for his height .
It is unknown if he has any underlying medical conditions that would also contribute to his risk of severe illness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ access to the best medical care in the world .
As recently as mid-September , Trump touted herd immunity as a way to combat the coronavirus , suggesting the virus was “ going away.
” His administration ’ s mishandling of the pandemic has led to more than 200,000 deaths in the US .
There is a month left before the election .
Trump is scheduled to meet former vice president Joe Biden for their second presidential debate on Oct. 15 and there was no immediate decision on whether it would be postponed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s diagnosis spread , almost literally , across the nation .
The head of the Republican National Committee , Ronna McDaniel , announced she tested positive .
Utah Sen. Mike Lee did so as well .
And the University of Notre Dame ’ s president , Rev .
John Jenkins , also announced he has the coronavirus .
All three had been around Trump as recently as last Friday .
It also set off a mad scrabble at the highest levels of government .
Vice President Mike Pence , former vice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House Nancy Pelosi , Attorney General Bill Barr , Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris , Ivanka Trump , Jared Kushner , and 14-year-old Barron Trump all tested negative , their representatives said .
That doesn ’ t mean the people who tested negative are actually COVID-free , given their potential exposure to the president .
The virus can incubate for up to 14 days , and their test results could change , which is why the CDC recommends a 14-day quarantine for anyone who has come into contact with someone who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s campaign events were postponed after his diagnosis — an incredible development after he insisted on pandemic rallies where masses of people , many unmasked , crammed in to see him .
Pence — defying the CDC ’ s quarantine guidelines — will continue campaigning .
Still , the president ’ s diagnosis did not stop members of the Republican Party from ignoring basic coronavirus protocols , including those recommended by Trump ’ s own administration scientists .
The White House will reportedly not mandate that staffers wear masks on campus — Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hicks was positive — calling it “ a personal choice.
” Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows briefed the press at the White House on Friday without a face covering .
Sen. Chuck Grassley , one of the GOP 's most senior members , said he would not take a test despite being in proximity to Sen. Lee recently .
Trump ’ s diagnosis also means scores of journalists — including several top leaders of Trump ’ s cheerleader network , Fox News — Secret Service agents , and attendees and workers at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tested .
In April , UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was admitted to the ICU , 10 days after testing positive for the coronavirus and having his symptoms worsen .
Five days later , Johnson was released .
He has since recovered .
There is still no cure for COVID-19 , and there are still no approved treatments .
But since April , options for managing severe symptoms have improved considerably , leading to a decline in death rates and better outcomes for those hospitalized .
Many patients will require help getting oxygen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or through a mask , or by flipping them onto their stomachs , which can help open up their lungs to breathe .
If a patient is in severe respiratory distress , doctors could choose to move them onto a ventilator , a machine that mechanically moves air in and out of the lungs .
Since using ventilators is a more invasive procedure that requires intubating patients , doctors are still divided on when they are a necessary intervention .
But for hospitalized patients , two treatments have so far proven the most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which was shown to reduce deaths in severely ill patients by a third , and an antiviral drug called Remdesivir , which received emergency authorization by the FDA in May .
Neither has yet gone through the FDA ’ s rigorous approval process , which would require conclusive evidence that they are safe and effective .
So far , Trump ’ s physician has disclosed that he has been receiving Regeneron ’ s experimental antibody treatment .
A second synthetic antibody treatment made by Eli Lilly has also shown promise .
Throughout @ @ @ @ @ @ @ options that are unproven or considered dangerous , at one point suggesting that experts shine ultraviolet light inside the body to eliminate the virus , or inject people with disinfectants .
Most notably , amid pressure from Trump , the FDA issued an emergency authorization for hydroxychloroquine , later revoking it after studies showed that it was ineffective and could cause heart problems .
In August , Trump pushed for the FDA to issue an emergency authorization for convalescent plasma , an intervention that uses the antibodies from people who have recovered from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shown to be effective in rigorous clinical trials .

President Donald Trump, wearing a mask and not saying a word to assembled reporters, walked onto a waiting helicopter on the White House lawn and was flown to Walter Reed Medical Center on Friday afternoon, less than 24 hours after he tested positive for the coronavirus.
“I think I’m doing very well, but we’re going to make sure that things work out,” Trump said in a prerecorded 18-second video tweeted not long after he left the White House.
The difference in Trump's tone and behavior on Friday afternoon simply cannot be overstated. Usually, on his way to his helicopter, Marine One, Trump stops and talks to assembled reporters, often spreading false information. He rarely, if ever, wears a mask. And his recorded videos are often longer and more spirited or combative.
Instead, Trump boarded the helicopter with a quick thumbs-up and wave to reporters and his aides and a salute to the service members who staff Marine One. When he landed at Walter Reed, he saluted again and then got into a waiting SUV.
Trump will spend "several days" at the medical facility "working," White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said.
“President Trump remains in good spirits, has mild symptoms, and has been working throughout the day. 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,” McEnany said.


buzzfeed--2020-10-02--Is It Dangerous To Have More Debates?

Is It Dangerous To Have More Debates?

Guests of President Donald Trump refused to wear masks .
Coronavirus testing was left up entirely to the individual campaigns .
And three men in their seventies gathered in the same room and spoke — and frequently yelled — for 90 minutes straight .
Less than 72 hours after Trump shared the debate stage with Joe Biden this week in Cleveland , the news that the president had tested positive for the coronavirus , after months of downplaying the threat of the pandemic , has upended the normal rhythms of an already upended campaign just 32 days before the election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Thursday and made public in a tweet early Friday morning , has left the future of the three remaining debates in serious doubt , raised questions about health and safety protocols in Cleveland , and cast sudden concern on remaining campaign travel just as Biden was beginning to pick up the pace of his presidential bid and reinstitute aspects of a traditional field program .
The former vice president tested negative for the coronavirus Friday , though tests in subsequent days may produce different results .
A ventilation expert told BuzzFeed News @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two candidates and the apparent timeline of Trump ’ s illness , transmission of the virus between the candidates was unlikely .
On Friday afternoon , Biden traveled to Grand Rapids , Michigan , as previously planned for a campaign trip .
The Cleveland Clinic , which cohosted Tuesday ’ s debate between Trump and Biden and serves as the health adviser to the Commission on Presidential Debates , said its health and safety requirements aligned with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , including temperature checks , hand sanitizing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” the clinic said in an emailed statement .
In response to questions about why members of Trump ’ s family and traveling party were allowed to sit maskless in the debate hall , the Clinic issued a separate statement : “ Individuals entering the debate hall were masked and in some cases removed their masks once seated .
A Cleveland Clinic physician did offer audience members masks , but some did not adhere to the requirement.
” The clinic did not provide specifics about the ventilation protocols employed inside this week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had any role in overseeing or verifying tests conducted by the campaigns .
The clinic said everyone permitted inside the debate hall had tested negative for COVID-19 , but that individuals traveling with both candidates , including the candidates , were tested “ by their respective campaigns ” before the debate .
White House spokesperson Judd Deere said Friday that everyone who traveled on Air Force One to Tuesday ’ s debate was tested that day , but did not provide further details about the testing and did not answer a question about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Biden campaign officials did not immediately respond to questions about their pre-debate testing .
Asked about the process on Fox News Friday , Wallace said , logistically , the candidates would not have had time to be tested by the Clinic on arrival , agreeing with an interviewer 's categorization of an `` honor system . ''
`` Yeah , there was an honor system when it came to the people that came into the hall from the two campaigns , '' Wallace said .
The Commission on Presidential Debates , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vice presidential debates every four years , declined to answer questions on Friday about its health and safety protocols or its plans for the remaining debates .
The next debate , between Vice President Mike Pence and Biden ’ s vice presidential nominee , Sen. Kamala Harris , is still scheduled to take place at the University of Utah on Wednesday .
On Friday , Pence and Harris both said they had tested negative for COVID-19 , and Harris is set to travel as planned to Las Vegas on Friday afternoon to hold @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Shawn Wood , a spokesperson for the University of Utah , said the vice presidential debate will implement the same health and safety guidelines established by the Commission on Presidential Debates in partnership with the Cleveland Clinic .
Wood said they will ensure a requirement that everyone inside the debate hall wear masks “ at all times , ” save for Pence , Harris , and the debate moderator , Susan Page .
He also said that the university has upgraded the ventilation system in the debate venue , Kingsbury Hall , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ MERV 13 .
Wood would not say if the University of Utah will be overseeing testing for Pence , Harris , and their respective staffs .
“ We are requiring a negative test to enter the perimeter .
That ’ s all I can say , ” he said on Friday .
Asked about enforcing the mask rule throughout the debate , Wood referred the question to the Commission on Presidential Debates , which did not respond .

Guests of President Donald Trump refused to wear masks. Coronavirus testing was left up entirely to the individual campaigns. And three men in their seventies gathered in the same room and spoke — and frequently yelled — for 90 minutes straight.
Less than 72 hours after Trump shared the debate stage with Joe Biden this week in Cleveland, the news that the president had tested positive for the coronavirus, after months of downplaying the threat of the pandemic, has upended the normal rhythms of an already upended campaign just 32 days before the election.
Trump’s diagnosis, rendered on Thursday and made public in a tweet early Friday morning, has left the future of the three remaining debates in serious doubt, raised questions about health and safety protocols in Cleveland, and cast sudden concern on remaining campaign travel just as Biden was beginning to pick up the pace of his presidential bid and reinstitute aspects of a traditional field program.
The former vice president tested negative for the coronavirus Friday, though tests in subsequent days may produce different results. A ventilation expert told BuzzFeed News that, given the space between the two candidates and the apparent timeline of Trump’s illness, transmission of the virus between the candidates was unlikely.
On Friday afternoon, Biden traveled to Grand Rapids, Michigan, as previously planned for a campaign trip.
The Cleveland Clinic, which cohosted Tuesday’s debate between Trump and Biden and serves as the health adviser to the Commission on Presidential Debates, said its health and safety requirements aligned with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including temperature checks, hand sanitizing, social distancing, and “masking,” the clinic said in an emailed statement.
In response to questions about why members of Trump’s family and traveling party were allowed to sit maskless in the debate hall, the Clinic issued a separate statement: “Individuals entering the debate hall were masked and in some cases removed their masks once seated. A Cleveland Clinic physician did offer audience members masks, but some did not adhere to the requirement.”
The clinic did not provide specifics about the ventilation protocols employed inside this week’s debate or clarify if it had any role in overseeing or verifying tests conducted by the campaigns. The clinic said everyone permitted inside the debate hall had tested negative for COVID-19, but that individuals traveling with both candidates, including the candidates, were tested “by their respective campaigns” before the debate.
White House spokesperson Judd Deere said Friday that everyone who traveled on Air Force One to Tuesday’s debate was tested that day, but did not provide further details about the testing and did not answer a question about how that was communicated to the clinic. Biden campaign officials did not immediately respond to questions about their pre-debate testing.
Asked about the process on Fox News Friday, Wallace said, logistically, the candidates would not have had time to be tested by the Clinic on arrival, agreeing with an interviewer's categorization of an "honor system."
"Yeah, there was an honor system when it came to the people that came into the hall from the two campaigns," Wallace said.
The Commission on Presidential Debates, the nonpartisan organization that hosts the presidential and vice presidential debates every four years, declined to answer questions on Friday about its health and safety protocols or its plans for the remaining debates.
The next debate, between Vice President Mike Pence and Biden’s vice presidential nominee, Sen. Kamala Harris, is still scheduled to take place at the University of Utah on Wednesday. On Friday, Pence and Harris both said they had tested negative for COVID-19, and Harris is set to travel as planned to Las Vegas on Friday afternoon to hold multiple events, a Biden aide said.
Shawn Wood, a spokesperson for the University of Utah, said the vice presidential debate will implement the same health and safety guidelines established by the Commission on Presidential Debates in partnership with the Cleveland Clinic. Wood said they will ensure a requirement that everyone inside the debate hall wear masks “at all times,” save for Pence, Harris, and the debate moderator, Susan Page. He also said that the university has upgraded the ventilation system in the debate venue, Kingsbury Hall, to a “hospital-grade filter,” MERV 13.
Wood would not say if the University of Utah will be overseeing testing for Pence, Harris, and their respective staffs. “We are requiring a negative test to enter the perimeter. That’s all I can say,” he said on Friday.
Asked about enforcing the mask rule throughout the debate, Wood referred the question to the Commission on Presidential Debates, which did not respond.


buzzfeed--2020-10-02--Have You Decided Not To Vote In The Election? Tell Us Why.

There are 31 days until the 2020 presidential election , and there ’ s been no shortage of drama surrounding the upcoming face-off between President Donald Trump and his opponent , former vice president Joe Biden .
The Trump–Biden debate earlier this week thoroughly exhausted the nation .
The USPS has been under assault , undermining the public ’ s faith in mail-in ballots .
And , oh yeah , early Friday morning , the president — who has consistently downplayed the pandemic , which has led to the deaths of more than 200,000 Americans — announced that he and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A lot is going on ( understatement of the year !
! )
: Millions of people are still jobless , there ’ s a growing homelessness crisis , and mounting racial unrest will likely not die down anytime soon .
Everything feels uncertain ahead of the election .
According to Brookings , turnout for this election could be massive , but some people are still not swayed to vote .
We want to hear from Americans who don ’ t plan on voting in the general election — and their reasons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the hyperlinked survey here .
You may be contacted for additional information .

There are 31 days until the 2020 presidential election, and there’s been no shortage of drama surrounding the upcoming face-off between President Donald Trump and his opponent, former vice president Joe Biden.
The Trump–Biden debate earlier this week thoroughly exhausted the nation. The USPS has been under assault, undermining the public’s faith in mail-in ballots. And, oh yeah, early Friday morning, the president — who has consistently downplayed the pandemic, which has led to the deaths of more than 200,000 Americans — announced that he and the first lady had contracted the virus.
A lot is going on (understatement of the year!!): Millions of people are still jobless, there’s a growing homelessness crisis, and mounting racial unrest will likely not die down anytime soon. Everything feels uncertain ahead of the election.
According to Brookings, turnout for this election could be massive, but some people are still not swayed to vote. We want to hear from Americans who don’t plan on voting in the general election — and their reasons why.
Let us know why in the hyperlinked survey here. You may be contacted for additional information.


buzzfeed--2020-10-02--Putin, Who Has Spent Almost Six Months In Isolation To Avoid The Coronavirus, Sent Trump A Get-Well

Putin, Who Has Spent Almost Six Months In Isolation To Avoid The Coronavirus, Sent Trump A Get-Well Note

“ Extra precautions are justifiable and understandable where the president is concerned , ” the Guardian quoted Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov as saying at the time .
In April , the Russian president moved from the Kremlin to his palatial residence outside Moscow and has since conducted state affairs mostly via videoconferencing .
In June , the Kremlin said a “ disinfection tunnel ” had even been installed at the residence through which all visitors must pass before seeing the president .
Meanwhile , Putin has been living in a strictly regulated bubble to keep him away from the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a mask , continued to work in a busy White House , and appeared in public frequently , holding nomination ceremonies and packed rallies with supporters , shrugging off the advice of his own health officials even as the death toll from the virus surpassed 200,000 people last month .
But Trump 's and Putin 's personal actions to protect themselves from the virus couldn ’ t be more different .
As the coronavirus has spread across the world , experts have drawn parallels between the public responses from Trump and Putin , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The US and Russia are among the nations with the most COVID-19 cases .
Both leaders have largely failed to adequately react to the spread of the virus , reopened their economies too soon after shutdowns , and wrongfully claimed that the virus had been defeated .
After US President Donald Trump announced that he and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for the coronavirus , Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a telegram of encouragement to the first couple , wishing them a speedy recovery .
On Wednesday , Proekt , an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ details about the lengths to which the Kremlin has gone to keep Putin safe .
Meetings with the Russian leader have been severely limited ; anyone who does meet him must first endure a strict two-week quarantine at a health center with regular checkups , pass a COVID-19 test , and then finally pass through the “ disinfection tunnel , ” Proekt said , citing sources close to the Kremlin .
Even then , meetings are conducted with social distancing in place .
Sightings of Putin anywhere other than through a screen and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rare since the start of the pandemic .
One notable sighting came in June when he appeared front and center at a military parade to mark the anniversary of the Soviet Union ’ s victory over Nazi Germany .
Putin was seated in a crowd that included elderly veterans of the war ; the government had put them up in a health resort for 14 days beforehand .
Trump , meanwhile , has continued to travel across the nation for campaign events , including events in Pennsylvania , Minnesota , and New Jersey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presidential debate against former vice president Joe Biden , which featured an audience in Ohio on Tuesday .
Along with him , he has brought members of Congress and White House staffers onto Air Force One .
Unlike the White House press pool , which has limited the number of reporters who attend the president ’ s briefings but continued to function , Kremlin pool reporters who saw Putin on an almost daily basis before the pandemic have not seen him in months .
The only images of the Russian leader on Twitter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the state-run news agency RIA Novosti are those in which he appears from his residence .
“ The work of the president is practically not covered by journalists .
Except for a personal cameraman , a photographer from the state TASS [ news agency ] and a VGTRK film crew , no one is allowed to attend events .
And all the journalists in the Kremlin pool write their reports while watching the [ president ’ s ] broadcasts on the Russia-24 channel , ” Proekt wrote .
Putin , who is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out , riding shirtless on horseback through the Russian mountains , and swimming in the Black Sea , appears to be in good health .
But at almost 68 — his birthday is Oct. 7 — he is about three years past the average life expectancy of a Russian man .
With no succession plan apparently in place — and having just changed the constitution for him to be able to rule until 2036 — Russia would likely descend into chaos if the president got sick and died .
And the coronavirus has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s administration and the Russian government .
Peskov contracted it in May and was hospitalized .
And since spring , at least three Russian ministers have tested positive for it , including Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin , Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova , and Minister of Housing Vladimir Yakushev .
The head doctor of a leading Moscow hospital who also fell ill with the virus shortly after he appeared in a photo op with Putin during a March visit .
If Trump has taken cues or echoed Putin in the past , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when it comes to personal precautions related to the coronavirus .
With just 32 days before the presidential election , the White House physician said Friday that Trump will “ continue carrying out his duties without disruption.
” In relative isolation and from the comfort and safety of his residence outside Moscow , Putin wished him the best .
“ I am sure that your inherent vitality , vigor and optimism will help you overcome the dangerous virus , ” the Russian president wrote in his telegram .

On Wednesday, Proekt, an independent Russian investigative outlet, reported more details about the lengths to which the Kremlin has gone to keep Putin safe. Meetings with the Russian leader have been severely limited; anyone who does meet him must first endure a strict two-week quarantine at a health center with regular checkups, pass a COVID-19 test, and then finally pass through the “disinfection tunnel,” Proekt said, citing sources close to the Kremlin. Even then, meetings are conducted with social distancing in place.
Sightings of Putin anywhere other than through a screen and sitting at his desk have been extremely rare since the start of the pandemic. One notable sighting came in June when he appeared front and center at a military parade to mark the anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany. Putin was seated in a crowd that included elderly veterans of the war; the government had put them up in a health resort for 14 days beforehand.
Trump, meanwhile, has continued to travel across the nation for campaign events, including events in Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and New Jersey this week, as well his first presidential debate against former vice president Joe Biden, which featured an audience in Ohio on Tuesday. Along with him, he has brought members of Congress and White House staffers onto Air Force One.
Unlike the White House press pool, which has limited the number of reporters who attend the president’s briefings but continued to function, Kremlin pool reporters who saw Putin on an almost daily basis before the pandemic have not seen him in months. The only images of the Russian leader on Twitter and Telegram accounts operated by pool reporters for the state-run news agency RIA Novosti are those in which he appears from his residence.
“The work of the president is practically not covered by journalists. Except for a personal cameraman, a photographer from the state TASS [news agency] and a VGTRK film crew, no one is allowed to attend events. And all the journalists in the Kremlin pool write their reports while watching the [president’s] broadcasts on the Russia-24 channel,” Proekt wrote.
Putin, who is often pictured in Kremlin photo ops working out, riding shirtless on horseback through the Russian mountains, and swimming in the Black Sea, appears to be in good health. But at almost 68 — his birthday is Oct. 7 — he is about three years past the average life expectancy of a Russian man. With no succession plan apparently in place — and having just changed the constitution for him to be able to rule until 2036 — Russia would likely descend into chaos if the president got sick and died.
And the coronavirus has on several occasions managed to infiltrate Putin’s administration and the Russian government. Peskov contracted it in May and was hospitalized. And since spring, at least three Russian ministers have tested positive for it, including Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova, and Minister of Housing Vladimir Yakushev. The head doctor of a leading Moscow hospital who also fell ill with the virus shortly after he appeared in a photo op with Putin during a March visit.
If Trump has taken cues or echoed Putin in the past, it does not seem like he will when it comes to personal precautions related to the coronavirus.
With just 32 days before the presidential election, the White House physician said Friday that Trump will “continue carrying out his duties without disruption.”
In relative isolation and from the comfort and safety of his residence outside Moscow, Putin wished him the best.
“I am sure that your inherent vitality, vigor and optimism will help you overcome the dangerous virus,” the Russian president wrote in his telegram.


buzzfeed--2020-10-02--17 Republicans Voted Against Condemning QAnon After A Democrat Got Death Threats From Its Followers

WASHINGTON — The House voted to formally condemn QAnon — a collective delusion that alleges President Donald Trump is fighting a Satan-worshipping cabal of elites who abuse children — on Friday , three days after its followers targeted Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski with death threats .
The resolution , which passed the House 371–18 , also comes as at least one avowed QAnon believer is expected to be elected to Congress next month .
Marjorie Taylor Greene , who has also posted a photo of herself holding a gun next to images of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other members of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican primary for a Georgia seat earlier this year and is very likely to win in November .
Several other QAnon followers have won Republican primaries .
Malinowski coauthored the bipartisan resolution condemning QAnon with Republican Rep. Denver Riggleman back in August , two weeks after Greene won her primary and after Trump called her a “ future Republican Star.
” Trump has praised QAnon , despite Q ’ s frequent anti-Semitism , the fact that their followers have a history of turning their beliefs into real-world violence , and that the FBI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threat .
Seventeen Republicans voted against the resolution on Friday , as did Libertarian Rep. Justin Amash .
One member , Republican Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland , voted “ present.
” On Tuesday , Malinowski was targeted in a “ Q-drop ” — one of the self-proclaimed US government insider ’ s conspiracy-filled posts on message boards .
As BuzzFeed News reported Wednesday , the post mentioned Malinowski ’ s resolution , but it also included a screenshot of a false attack from the National Republican Campaign Committee alleging that Malinowski “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ false attack — which the NRCC also included in a debunked TV ad in which a narrator says , “ Tom Malinowski chose sex offenders over your family ” — echoes a core belief of QAnon followers : that powerful Democrats and global elites are engaged in child trafficking .
Adherents have actually hindered law enforcement going after child trafficking by overwhelming them with false conspiracy theories .
Malinowski quickly started getting death threats after Q ’ s post went up Tuesday , which his office reported to the Capitol Police .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House Republicans , has only doubled down on the false attack since then .
The NRCC is currently run by Rep. Tom Emmer , who voted for the resolution Friday .
Malinowski told BuzzFeed News that he spoke to Emmer about the NRCC attacks and how they could play into QAnon 's hands before the Q drop targeted him .
“ He said , ‘ I don ’ t know what Q is ’ and walked away .
… He said , ' I can ’ t be responsible for , you know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I don ’ t know what that is , ' ” Malinowski said .
( Emmer traveled with Trump on Air Force One on Wednesday before the president tested positive for the coronavirus and was tested Friday , according to his office .
He voted in person on Friday and has not announced any test results . )
The Republicans who voted against the anti-QAnon resolution are Reps. Jodey Arrington , Michael Burgess , Bill Flores , and Brian Babin of Texas ; Rob Bishop of Utah ; Mo Brooks of Alabama ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; Warren Davidson of Ohio ; Jeff Duncan and Ralph Norman of South Carolina ; Paul Gosar of Arizona ; Mike Kelly and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania ; Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin ; Daniel Webster of Florida ; and Steve King of Iowa .
King , a racist , lost the Republican primary for his seat this summer and will not return to Congress next year .
Republicans removed King from his committee assignments in 2019 after he questioned why `` white nationalist '' and `` white supremacist '' are `` offensive '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Congress did not , however , attempt to expel King from the House or even censure him .
Instead , Democrats passed a resolution condemning white supremacy that only mentioned King once ; even King voted for it .
The anti-QAnon resolution passed Friday is n't binding law ; it expresses the sentiment of the House as a whole .
In addition to condemning QAnon , it calls on the FBI and other federal law enforcement to “ strengthen their focus on preventing violence , threats , harassment , and other criminal activity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ theories.
” It also “ encourages ” the intelligence community to investigate whether QAnon is getting financial support or online amplification from foreign actors and if it is coordinating with any “ foreign extremist organizations or groups espousing violence . ''
Amash , who left the Republican Party in 2019 , said in a statement that he voted no because the resolution `` threatens protected speech '' and argued that it `` may make things worse '' by encouraging the intelligence community and the FBI to go after QAnon , which would confirm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state that 's fighting against them . ''
Arrington said in a statement that he also voted against Friday 's resolution because of First Amendment concerns .
`` There is a world of difference between conspiracy and criminal - one is protected by the First Amendment ; the other should be condemned in all forms , '' he said .
But Arrington added that he also voted against it because the resolution made no reference to Antifa `` and other radical Leftist groups . ''

WASHINGTON — The House voted to formally condemn QAnon — a collective delusion that alleges President Donald Trump is fighting a Satan-worshipping cabal of elites who abuse children — on Friday, three days after its followers targeted Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski with death threats.
The resolution, which passed the House 371–18, also comes as at least one avowed QAnon believer is expected to be elected to Congress next month. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has also posted a photo of herself holding a gun next to images of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other members of the "Squad," won the Republican primary for a Georgia seat earlier this year and is very likely to win in November. Several other QAnon followers have won Republican primaries.
Malinowski coauthored the bipartisan resolution condemning QAnon with Republican Rep. Denver Riggleman back in August, two weeks after Greene won her primary and after Trump called her a “future Republican Star.” Trump has praised QAnon, despite Q’s frequent anti-Semitism, the fact that their followers have a history of turning their beliefs into real-world violence, and that the FBI has labeled the group a domestic terror threat.
Seventeen Republicans voted against the resolution on Friday, as did Libertarian Rep. Justin Amash. One member, Republican Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland, voted “present.”
On Tuesday, Malinowski was targeted in a “Q-drop” — one of the self-proclaimed US government insider’s conspiracy-filled posts on message boards. As BuzzFeed News reported Wednesday, the post mentioned Malinowski’s resolution, but it also included a screenshot of a false attack from the National Republican Campaign Committee alleging that Malinowski “lobbied to protect sexual predators.”
The false attack — which the NRCC also included in a debunked TV ad in which a narrator says, “Tom Malinowski chose sex offenders over your family” — echoes a core belief of QAnon followers: that powerful Democrats and global elites are engaged in child trafficking. Adherents have actually hindered law enforcement going after child trafficking by overwhelming them with false conspiracy theories.
Malinowski quickly started getting death threats after Q’s post went up Tuesday, which his office reported to the Capitol Police. And the NRCC, the campaign arm of House Republicans, has only doubled down on the false attack since then. The NRCC is currently run by Rep. Tom Emmer, who voted for the resolution Friday. Malinowski told BuzzFeed News that he spoke to Emmer about the NRCC attacks and how they could play into QAnon's hands before the Q drop targeted him. “He said, ‘I don’t know what Q is’ and walked away. … He said, 'I can’t be responsible for, you know, how people use our stuff and I don’t know what that is,'” Malinowski said.
(Emmer traveled with Trump on Air Force One on Wednesday before the president tested positive for the coronavirus and was tested Friday, according to his office. He voted in person on Friday and has not announced any test results.)
The Republicans who voted against the anti-QAnon resolution are Reps. Jodey Arrington, Michael Burgess, Bill Flores, and Brian Babin of Texas; Rob Bishop of Utah; Mo Brooks of Alabama; Buddy Carter and Drew Ferguson of Georgia; Warren Davidson of Ohio; Jeff Duncan and Ralph Norman of South Carolina; Paul Gosar of Arizona; Mike Kelly and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania; Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin; Daniel Webster of Florida; and Steve King of Iowa.
King, a racist, lost the Republican primary for his seat this summer and will not return to Congress next year. Republicans removed King from his committee assignments in 2019 after he questioned why "white nationalist" and "white supremacist" are "offensive" in a New York Times interview. Congress did not, however, attempt to expel King from the House or even censure him. Instead, Democrats passed a resolution condemning white supremacy that only mentioned King once; even King voted for it.
The anti-QAnon resolution passed Friday isn't binding law; it expresses the sentiment of the House as a whole. In addition to condemning QAnon, it calls on the FBI and other federal law enforcement to “strengthen their focus on preventing violence, threats, harassment, and other criminal activity by extremists motivated by fringe political conspiracy theories.” It also “encourages” the intelligence community to investigate whether QAnon is getting financial support or online amplification from foreign actors and if it is coordinating with any “foreign extremist organizations or groups espousing violence."
Amash, who left the Republican Party in 2019, said in a statement that he voted no because the resolution "threatens protected speech" and argued that it "may make things worse" by encouraging the intelligence community and the FBI to go after QAnon, which would confirm followers' fears of a "deep state that's fighting against them."
Arrington said in a statement that he also voted against Friday's resolution because of First Amendment concerns. "There is a world of difference between conspiracy and criminal - one is protected by the First Amendment; the other should be condemned in all forms," he said.
But Arrington added that he also voted against it because the resolution made no reference to Antifa "and other radical Leftist groups."


buzzfeed--2020-10-02--Joe Biden Has Tested Negative For The Coronavirus

Joe Biden enters a hall to speak in New Alexandria , Pennsylvania , on September 30 .
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has tested negative for COVID-19 , his campaign announced Friday morning .
Biden was tested after news early Friday that President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for the coronavirus and are in quarantine .
Biden was onstage for 90 minutes with Trump , neither of them wearing masks , during the first presidential debate on Tuesday night .
The coronavirus ’ s incubation period can be up to 14 days , and false negatives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days of infection .
Joe Biden ’ s wife , Jill Biden , also tested negative for the virus , after being in the audience for the debate while wearing a mask .
“ Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden underwent PCR testing for COVID-19 today and COVID-19 was not detected , ” the campaign said in a statement from Dr. Kevin O ’ Connor .
“ I am reporting this out in my capacity as both Vice President Biden and Dr. Biden ’ s primary care physician.
” Biden tweeted @ @ @ @ @

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has tested negative for COVID-19, his campaign announced Friday morning.
Biden was tested after news early Friday that President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for the coronavirus and are in quarantine. Biden was onstage for 90 minutes with Trump, neither of them wearing masks, during the first presidential debate on Tuesday night.
The coronavirus’s incubation period can be up to 14 days, and false negatives are particularly possible in the first few days of infection.
Joe Biden’s wife, Jill Biden, also tested negative for the virus, after being in the audience for the debate while wearing a mask.
“Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden underwent PCR testing for COVID-19 today and COVID-19 was not detected,” the campaign said in a statement from Dr. Kevin O’Connor. “I am reporting this out in my capacity as both Vice President Biden and Dr. Biden’s primary care physician.”
Biden tweeted the news soon after.


buzzfeed--2020-10-02--Four House Republicans Traveled With Trump On Air Force One This Week. Then They Voted In The House.

Lee met with Judge Amy Coney Barrett , Trump ’ s Supreme Court nominee to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg , on Tuesday and posted a picture with the judge on Twitter in which neither of them is wearing a mask .
Another Republican , Sen. Mike Lee of Utah , announced Friday morning that he had tested positive for COVID-19 .
He said in a statement that he had been experiencing “ symptoms consistent with longtime allergies , ” and got a test “ out of abundance of caution.
” The coronavirus ’ s incubation period can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ negatives are possible particularly in the first few days after infection .
Emmer , Hagedorn , and Stauber traveled with Trump to and from the president ’ s rally in Duluth , Minnesota , on Wednesday , and voted in the House again on Friday before releasing any coronavirus test results .
Jordan traveled with Trump on Air Force One to Tuesday ’ s debate and was not present at Friday 's votes after voting the night before .
Hagedorn and Jordan both announced Friday afternoon that they had tested negative , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he had tested negative as well .
WASHINGTON — Four House Republicans — Minnesota Reps. Tom Emmer , Jim Hagedorn , and Pete Stauber and Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan — have been tested for the coronavirus Friday after traveling on Air Force One with President Donald Trump earlier this week .
All four voted in the House of Representatives on Thursday evening before Trump tested positive for the coronavirus early Friday .
I was remarkably impressed by Judge Barrett .
My meeting with her was fantastic .
She is a judge , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with outstanding credentials .
We had a great conversation and I am very much looking forward to speaking with her more during her confirmation hearing .
White House chief of staff Mark Meadows , who has traveled with Trump on Air Force One this week , and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have both been on Capitol Hill this week to negotiate a new coronavirus relief package .
Mnuchin met with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday , while Meadows met with McConnell the same day .
Both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Friday .
Emmer , who also serves as the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee , said in a statement that he currently is not exhibiting symptoms , but that he has been tested and is awaiting results .
The statement did not say whether he will self-quarantine , and his office did not immediately respond to a request for comment .
Stauber said in a statement that prior to boarding Air Force One , he tested negative for the virus , and added that he was tested again Friday morning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Attending Physician deemed the Congressman to be ‘ low-risk ’ and advised the Congressman to continue his Congressional duties , including voting , as long as he practiced social distancing and wore a mask .
Our office is currently working remotely , ” a spokesperson for Stauber ’ s office said in an email to BuzzFeed News Friday .
Before he announced his negative result Friday , Hagedorn 's office said he would continue his normal duties .
“ Because Congressman Hagedorn ’ s interactions with the president and others who tested positive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contact — within a distance of six feet for a duration of more than 15 minutes — [ Attending Physician of the US Congress ] Dr. Monahan advised the congressman to continue his official duties , such as voting on the House floor , wear a mask , and delay air travel until the results of his COVID-19 test are confirmed as ‘ negative , ’ ” the statement from Hagedorn ’ s office said .
None of the three members responded to BuzzFeed News ’ request for comment on what interactions the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Congress while voting at the Capitol on Thursday .
Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio said on Fox & Friends on Friday morning that he would also be tested after traveling with Trump to Tuesday ’ s debate .
Jordan said in the interview that he was not concerned about having caught the virus and that he was only with the president for “ a brief , brief amount of time.
” More than a dozen members of Congress have tested positive for the virus , and several dozens of others have self-quarantined in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus .
Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida and Democratic Rep. Ben McAdams of Utah were the first to test positive in early March , and 15 other members of Congress have tested or been presumed positive since then , according to NPR .
While many congressional hearings have been held remotely or partially remotely , the House and Senate have continued to meet in person despite the pandemic , and members have continued frequent travel to and from Washington , DC .
Many Republicans on the Hill have refused to wear masks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ July , after Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert , who refused to wear a mask while on the Hill , tested positive .
There is no standardized COVID-19 testing at the Capitol .

White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, who has traveled with Trump on Air Force One this week, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have both been on Capitol Hill this week to negotiate a new coronavirus relief package. Mnuchin met with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday, while Meadows met with McConnell the same day. Both Meadows and Mnuchin said they tested negative on Friday.
Emmer, who also serves as the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a statement that he currently is not exhibiting symptoms, but that he has been tested and is awaiting results. The statement did not say whether he will self-quarantine, and his office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Stauber said in a statement that prior to boarding Air Force One, he tested negative for the virus, and added that he was tested again Friday morning.
“This morning, the House Attending Physician deemed the Congressman to be ‘low-risk’ and advised the Congressman to continue his Congressional duties, including voting, as long as he practiced social distancing and wore a mask. Our office is currently working remotely,” a spokesperson for Stauber’s office said in an email to BuzzFeed News Friday.
Before he announced his negative result Friday, Hagedorn's office said he would continue his normal duties.
“Because Congressman Hagedorn’s interactions with the president and others who tested positive did not meet the criteria of close contact — within a distance of six feet for a duration of more than 15 minutes — [Attending Physician of the US Congress] Dr. Monahan advised the congressman to continue his official duties, such as voting on the House floor, wear a mask, and delay air travel until the results of his COVID-19 test are confirmed as ‘negative,’” the statement from Hagedorn’s office said.
None of the three members responded to BuzzFeed News’ request for comment on what interactions the Minnesota Republicans had with other members of Congress while voting at the Capitol on Thursday.
Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio said on Fox & Friends on Friday morning that he would also be tested after traveling with Trump to Tuesday’s debate. Jordan said in the interview that he was not concerned about having caught the virus and that he was only with the president for “a brief, brief amount of time.”
More than a dozen members of Congress have tested positive for the virus, and several dozens of others have self-quarantined in recent months due to exposure to the virus. Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida and Democratic Rep. Ben McAdams of Utah were the first to test positive in early March, and 15 other members of Congress have tested or been presumed positive since then, according to NPR.
While many congressional hearings have been held remotely or partially remotely, the House and Senate have continued to meet in person despite the pandemic, and members have continued frequent travel to and from Washington, DC. Many Republicans on the Hill have refused to wear masks.
Pelosi instituted a mask mandate in July, after Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert, who refused to wear a mask while on the Hill, tested positive.
There is no standardized COVID-19 testing at the Capitol.