Week 182

This week, despite a White House model showing ending social distancing would result in a spike of 200,000 new cases a day and deaths of 3,000 a day, the majority of the country started to reopen. Public health officials warned of dire consequences, with one likening the premature reopening to genocide, but Trump triumphantly declared Phase 1 was over, and now the American people would need to be “warriors” and return to work — a possible death sentence for many of the vulnerable.

Trump was back out on the campaign trail, visiting a factory in swing state Arizona, where his campaign music played in the background, and Trump continued his strange bravado of not wearing a face mask. Within days, it was discovered that two White House employees in direct contact with Trump and Vice President Mike Pence had tested positive, as had 11 members of the Secret Service, yet Trump continued to flout advice from experts on wearing a mask and social distancing.

This week, the country lost 3.2 million additional jobs, and the April unemployment rate came in at 14.7%, the highest since the Great Depression. It became clear this week, as Trump said the White House coronavirus task force would be shuttered, and then under pressure, instead reconfigured its purpose to planning the reopening, that indeed, Trump and the federal government did not actually have a plan of what to do, or have interest in developing one. Instead, Trump was willing the roll the dice with American lives in hopes of reopening in time to spur the economy ahead of the November election. As one op-ed writer noted, while numerous countries with mass testing and contact tracing were returning to normal, Trump had essentially quit.

On Saturday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at his daily briefing that based on a CDC report, cases in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut did not come from China, but from a new strain that came from Europe.
He said in February, 139,000 travelers from Italy and 1.74 million from other European countries, where the virus was already spreading wildly, came to the East Coast, with some taking connecting flights.
Cuomo cited from the report, “Delay in travel bans allowed for the virus to spread throughout the United States and contributed to the initiation and acceleration of domestic COVID cases in March.”
On Saturday, WAPO reported that White House epidemiological models in late March showed deaths from the coronavirus of 100,000 to 240,000, but Trump, eager to reopen, wanted data to justify doing so.
A team led by Kevin Hassett, former chair of Trump’s Council of Economic Advisers with no infectious disease expertise, put together a model which found daily deaths would peak in mid-April and drop off substantially.
Hassett’s model was embraced by Jared and other powerful aides, confirming their skepticism about the severity of the pandemic, and bolstered their case to shift to the economy to help Trump’s re-election.
Trump was so eager to extinguish the virus, he embraced fantasy cure-alls, assured the country the virus would “leave,” and tuned out the reality that the virus had not receded and there would be a second wave.
Marc Short, chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, was a skeptic who exerted influence over the task force. He did not believe the death toll would reach 60,000, and encouraged Pence and then Trump to travel.
Hassett, economic adviser Larry Kudlow, and Treasury Department Secretary Steve Mnuchin agitated to reopen. Hassett warned in an April meeting that the GDP could fall 40% and that tens of millions could lose their jobs.
Dr. Deborah Birx knew we were far behind on testing, as governors complained. Gov. Larry Hogan said he had Maryland Army National Guard and state police meet and hide their shipment of tests from South Korea.
On Saturday, Trump sent a flurry of tweets and retweets on a variety of topics while at Camp David, reportedly to meet with economic advisers, Ivanka, and Jared to discuss a pivot towards an economic message.
Trump quoted an article about the FBI plotting to get Michael Flynn to lie, adding, “The Russia Hoax is the biggest political scandal in American history. Treason!!! Lets see how it ends????”
Trump attacked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for not taking him up on his offer for testing their members, tweeting, “No reason to turn it down, except politics. We have plenty of testing.”
The two leaders had said the tests should go to frontline workers first. Trump added, to both, “Maybe you need a new Doctor over there,” and to Pelosi, “Crazy Nancy will use it as an excuse not to show up to work!”
Trump also tweeted, “The Impeachment Hoax will be exposed. Crazy Nancy gets Nothing Done, that’s why she got thrown out as Speaker the first time,” adding, “she should come back to Washington now!”
Trump also attacked MSNBC host Nicole Wallace, tweeting, “She was thrown off The View like a dog, Zero T.V. Personas. Now Wallace is a 3rd rate lapdog for Fake News MSDNC (Concast). Doesn’t have what it takes!”
On Saturday, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters House Democrats were staging a “publicity stunt” by requesting that Dr. Anthony Fauci testify, without giving detail on the subject matter.
Trump later quoted a tweet of her saying this, adding, “Democrats are just, as always, looking for trouble. They do nothing constructive, even in times of crisis. They don’t want to blame their cash cow, China, for the plague.”
On Saturday, in a video message, former president George W. Bush called on Americans to put aside their partisan differences, heed advice of medical professionals, and show empathy for one another in the pandemic.
On Sunday, Trump lashed out, quoting a Fox News personality, tweeting, “Oh bye the way, I appreciate the message from former President Bush, but where was he during Impeachment calling for putting partisanship aside.”
Trump added, “He was nowhere to be found in speaking up against the greatest Hoax in American history!” Bush’s video was broadcast online as part of a project, “The Call to Unite.” More than 66,000 were dead.
On Sunday, which was World Press Freedom Day, Trump quoted one of his tweets about his polling, adding, “The Fake News doesn’t show real polls. Lamestream Media is totally CORRUPT, the Enemy of the People!”
Trump added, “Concast (@NBCNews) and Fake News @CNN are going out of their way to say GREAT things about China. They are Chinese puppets who want to do business there,” adding, “The Enemy of the People!”
Joe Biden tweeted in response, “Trump’s repeated efforts to demonize the media put us on such a dangerous path,” saying Trump “has attacked the independence of journalists and launched an all-out assault on the media.”
Trump also thanked a man who put a Trump flag on his dock, tweeting, “Very cool. Please thank him!” and boaters, “Thank you very much to our beautiful “boaters.” I will never let you down!”
Trump capped off his morning flurry, tweeting, “….And then came a Plague, a great and powerful Plague, and the World was never to be the same again! But America rose from this death and destruction.”
On Sunday, Kudlow got testy when asked on “State of the Union” about his comment that the virus was “contained” in February, saying, “the virus spread exponentially in ways that virtually no one could have predicted.”
Kudlow also said of a needed fourth stimulus package, “there’s kind of a pause period right now,” adding, “next year could be one of the fastest growth rebounds in American history or recent history.”
On Sunday, on “Fox News Sunday,” Birx contradicted Trump, saying, “Our projections have always been between 100,000 and 240,000,” after Trump raised his estimate last week from 50,000 to 60,000, to 60,000 to 70,000.
On Sunday, in an interview with National Geographic, Fauci shot down the discussion between politicians and pundits, saying there is no scientific evidence that the coronavirus was made in a Chinese lab.
Fauci said the evidence shows “this could not have been artificially or deliberately manipulated,” saying the “evolution over time strongly indicates that [this virus] evolved in nature and then jumped species.”
On Sunday, former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb told “Face the Nation” that “while mitigation didn’t fail, I think it’s fair to say that it didn’t work as well as we expected,” saying it did not quell the spread.
Gottlieb said we expected to see “more significant declines in new cases and deaths,” adding the virus could spark a significant outbreak at any time if schools and workplaces “let down their guard.”
On Sunday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo continued to push the unsubstantiated theory that the virus came from a lab in China on “This Week,” saying, “Remember, China has a history of infecting the world.”
Pompeo added it was not the first time the world was “exposed to viruses as a result of failures in a Chinese lab,” claiming, “there is a significant amount of evidence that this came from that laboratory in Wuhan.”
On Sunday, AP reported a May 1 report by the Department of Homeland Security found Chinese leaders “intentionally concealed the severity” of the pandemic from the rest of the world in early January.
The four-page report was not classified but marked “for official use only,” and said China held off from telling the World Health Organization that the coronavirus “was a contagion” for much of January so it could buy up medical supplies.
Shortly after, Trump tweeted, “Intelligence has just reported to me that I was correct, and that they did NOT bring up the CoronaVirus subject matter until late into January, just prior to my banning China.”
Trump, who has been widely criticized for his slow and scattered response, added, “they only spoke of the Virus in a very non-threatening, or matter of fact, manner,” adding, “Fake News got it wrong again.”
On Sunday, Reuters reported an internal Chinese report by the Ministry of State Security warned top Beijing leaders that the rising wave of hostility from the U.S. could tip the country’s relationship into armed confrontation.
The report warned Beijing faces a growing wave of anti-China sentiment led by the U.S. in the aftermath of the pandemic, concluding anti-China sentiment is at its highest since the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.
On Sunday, “60 Minutes” reported staffers at Memorial Medical Center in rural Texas say they do not have enough medical equipment, and have been reusing masks and mixing their cleaning supplies from home.
While Texas is ranked 9th in cases, it is 48th in testing. The state also has the highest number of uninsured, and as cost of PPE continues to rise, the financial situation is dire. Trump promised funding, but it has not come.
On Sunday, at 7 p.m., the time slot in which “60 Minutes” has reported stories critical of Trump’s pandemic response, Trump participated in a Fox News town hall named “America Together: Returning to Work.”
Trump again upped his prediction as the death toll passed 66,000 saying, “We’re going to lose anywhere from 75, 80 to 100,000 people,” adding, “That’s a horrible thing. We shouldn’t lose one person over this.”
This marked the fifth time in the past 13 days that Trump had tweaked the projected death toll. Just two weeks ago, Trump said the death toll could be as low as 50,000.
Trump contradicted top health officials, saying, “We think we’ll have a vaccine by the end of this year and we’re pushing very hard,” adding, “The doctors would say, well, you shouldn’t say that. I’ll say what I think.”
Trump also returned to promoting hydroxychloroquine, saying, “The Democrats…would rather see people, I’m going to be very nice. I’m not going to say ‘die’…because they think I’m going to get credit” if it works.
Trump said reporters ask him “disgraceful” and “horrible, horrendous, biased” questions during these briefings, adding, “I feel if I was kind to them, I’d be — I’d be walked off the stage.”
Trump compared himself to Lincoln, saying, “I am greeted with a hostile press the likes of which no president has ever seen,” adding, “The closest would be that gentleman right up there… I believe I am treated worse.”
Trump said to his Fox News interviewers of having the event at Lincoln Memorial, “I don’t think it’s ever been done, what we’re doing tonight, here, and I think it’s great for the American people to see.”
On Monday, NYT reported that Interior Department Secretary David Bernhardt, an oil lobbyist who Democrats opposed because of conflicts of interest and ethics violations, ordered the memorial closed for Trump to do the event.
In an order Friday, Bernhardt said, “I am exercising my authority to facilitate the opportunity for the president to conduct this address” there, citing “the extraordinary crisis that the American people have endured.”
The White House made the decision on location. Critics cited the town hall at one of the nation’s most hallowed spaces was a political event in which Trump attacked Biden, and was not questioned on his past claims about the virus.
At the Fox News town hall, asked about his Mayo Clinic visit, Pence said, “I didn’t think it was necessary, but I should have worn the mask.” He added he did wear a mask visiting a General Motors plant in his home state.
On Sunday, ABC News reported the Navajo community suffered one of the highest infection rates per capita in the nation, and has limited resources to fight the virus, including lack of running water for 30% of the tribe.
The Navajo Nation, with a population of 300,000, has access to only about 20 intensive care unit beds, with the peak weeks away. Congress approved $8 billion of relief to be split among 574 tribes, but the money has yet to arrive.
On Monday, in an interview with New York Post, Trump said “everybody” enjoyed his daily briefings, including himself, and that they will be back, just not daily. More than 70,000 had died, with over 1.1 million cases.
Trump added, “I heard, is this true? It was the highest-rated hour in cable television history. That’s what I heard. I don’t know if that’s true.” Trump credited his clashes with reporters for making engaging content.
Trump singled out two CBS News female journalists, Weijia Jiang and Paula Reid, referring to Reid as angry and mean. Trump bragged, “I have a much bigger audience than anybody’s ever had.”
On Monday, a demographer with the Brookings Institution found in the five weeks since March 29, 813 of the 1,103 counties that achieved “high-covid status” (100 or more cases per 100,000) voted for Trump in 2016.
On Monday, Trump promoted a conspiracy theory about an accidental death of an MSNBC intern, tweeting, ““Concast” should open up a long overdue Florida Cold Case against Psycho Joe Scarborough.”
Trump also tweeted, “Getting great reviews, finally, for how well we are handling the pandemic…the great things we are doing on testing,” without citing the source of the review. Obviously this is false.
Trump also tweeted, “Mexico is sadly experiencing very big CoronaVirus problems, and now California, get this, doesn’t want people coming over the Southern Border.” It was unclear what Trump was referring to.
Shortly after, NYT reported an internal White House report projects a steady rise in cases and deaths in the coming weeks, to 200,000 daily cases by the end of May, and a daily death toll of 3,000 as of June 1.
The modeling was put together by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and showed with reopening there would be a steady increase from the current averages of 1,750 daily deaths and 25,000 daily cases.
WAPO reported Justin Lessler, a professor of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins who did the study said the virus could spiral out of control. The cases could be 100,000 per day instead, depending on reopening.
At the same time, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation revised its projection to estimating nearly 135,000 deaths through August 4, double its forecast on April 17 when it estimated 60,308.
The IHME cited, “rising mobility in most U.S. states as well as the easing of social distancing measures expected in 31 states by May 11, indicating that growing contacts among people will promote transmission.”
On Monday, WAPO reported the Trump regime skipped a worldwide virtual global vaccine summit led by the European Commission, on which leaders pledged to fund vaccines and drugs to treat Covid-19.
So far the virus had killed 250,000 worldwide. The goal was to raise $8.2 billion from governments, philanthropies, and the private sector to fund research and mass-produce drugs, vaccines, and testing kits.
Public health officials noted the unusual nature of the U.S. not participating in such an effort. A Trump official noted its “whole-of-America” efforts in the U.S., but declined to comment on the absence.
On Monday, WAPO reported Trump has been the biggest cheerleader for governors reopening, even as their states failed to achieve White House benchmarks for when social distancing measures could be eased.
Trump and some of his aides have backed away from their own guidelines, instead pushing a broad economic message as a rationale to reopen. The White House also moved to distance itself from the leaked report.
On Monday, Pelosi told CNN on Fauci, “We will be very strictly insisting on the truth and they might be afraid,” saying experts should spend less time on Trump’s daily shows, and testify so the House can allocate funding.
On Monday, the White House issued new guidance, prohibiting all task force members from testifying before Congress in May, while other agencies were advised to limit the number of hearings they attend.
The White House said, “While the Trump Administration continues its whole-of-government response to COVID-19, including safely opening up America again,” it is “counter-productive” to have individuals at hearings.
Later Monday, Trump tweeted “MSDNC and FAKE NEWS CNN are going wild trying to protect China!” It was unclear what prompted his tweet.
On Monday, Trump ally and former Gov. Chris Christie said America needs to reopen despite the forecasts showing 3,000 deaths per day, saying, “there are going to be deaths,” and “they’re gonna have to.”
Christie compared reopening the economy to the sacrifice of lives in World War II, saying, “We sent our young men during World War Two over to Europe…knowing that many of them would not come home alive.”
On Monday, Vanity Fair reported that a group associated with Donald Jr. has taken a major stake in OANN, a competitor to Fox News, as Trump continues to feel that Fox has not been sufficiently loyal to him.
One source said that if Trump loses in 2020, he could use OANN as his post-presidential television platform to host shows. Trump continues to promote OANN, and publicly complain about Fox News coverage.
On Tuesday, shortly after midnight, Trump attacked a group of GOP critics for a campaign ad being used against him called “Mourning in America,” citing the economic cost and loss of life of his mishandling the pandemic.
Trump tweeted, “A group of RINO Republicans who failed badly 12 years ago, then again 8 years ago, and then got BADLY beaten by me, a political first timer,” adding, “They’re all LOSERS.”
Trump added, “these loser types don’t care about 252 new Federal Judges, 2 great Supreme Court Justices, a rebuilt military, a protected 2nd Amendment, biggest EVER Tax & Regulation cuts, and much more.”
Trump also attacked Kellyanne Conway’s husband George, who was part of the group, by using an ethnic slur, tweeting, “I don’t know what Kellyanne did to her deranged loser of a husband, Moonface.” Trump insulted others too.
Trump added George is a “stone-cold loser,” and said the group should not call itself The Lincoln Project, saying, “It’s not fair to Abraham Lincoln, a great president. They should call it the losers project.”
On Sunday, LA Times reported a man shopping at a Vons in San Diego County wore a Ku Klux Klan hood in lieu of a face mask while shopping. Grocery workers repeatedly asked him to remove it. He paid and left.
On Monday, three family members were charged in killing a security guard at a Michigan Family Dollar store who told a customer to wear a state-mandated face mask.
On Monday, video surfaced of Ahmaud Arbery, 25, who was shot and killed in February by two white men while out for a jog in Georgia. The two claimed they thought he was a burglar and have not been charged.
On Tuesday, Dr. Julia Iafrate, an assistant professor at Columbia University Medical Center who treated Covid-19 patients, told CNN she was denied a green card. She immigrated from Canada and was in the U.S. for 13 years.
On Monday, NYT reported in a May 1 order, the chief judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals in D.C., Judge Sri Srinivasan, asked Chief Justice John Roberts to open an ethics investigation into a recently vacated court seat.
The order came after Demand Justice noted Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pressured conservative justices to retire while the GOP controls the Senate. The seat is one of the country’s most powerful appeals courts.
Hearings started Wednesday for Trump’s nominee Justin Walker, a 37-year-old federal judge in Kentucky. Critics say he is unqualified given his age, position on Obamacare, and his vocal support of Brett Kavanaugh.
On Monday, BuzzFeed reported former president Obama privately blasted GOP lawmakers’ investigation of Joe Biden and his son in a letter, calling it an effort “to give credence to a Russian disinformation campaign.”
On Tuesday, CNN reported that three Russian doctors who raised questions about the government’s response and hospital conditions in the pandemic have fallen out of a hospital window, with two dead.
On Tuesday, the Straits Times reported Philippine regulators shut down the country’s largest media company, ABS-CBN, a frequent target of President Rodrigo Duterte, the day after its 25-year franchise expired.
On Tuesday, the U.S. surpassed 1,200,000 cases and 76,000 deaths. New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Illinois — all hubs for air traffic from Europe for months, had the highest number of cases and deaths.
On Tuesday, a new study at the Los Alamos National Laboratory found the virus that emerged from Wuhan had mutated into a new dominant strain that has spread across the U.S. and appears to be even more contagious.
The study found the new strain spread from Europe to the U.S. in February, and became the dominant strain here by March. Researchers have identified 14 mutations. The study has yet to be peer reviewed.
On Tuesday, a study by scientists at University College London’s Genetics Institute found the coronavirus spread quickly around the world in late 2019, after emerging from China between October to December.
On Tuesday, Gov. Cuomo said the debate on reopening comes down to the value of human life, saying, “the faster we reopen, the lower the economic cost. But, the higher the human cost,” and said he views life as “priceless.”
On Tuesday, CNN reported that Attorney General William Barr made a last minute push Monday to have the Trump regime modify its position of seeking to fully strike down Obamacare in the Supreme Court case.
Barr warned Pence, White House counsel Pat Cipollone, members of the Domestic Policy Council, press secretary McEnany, and several other officials it could have implications at the polls.
The deadline to revise its argument before the court was Wednesday. Barr has also cited the pandemic, saying if the law is fully repealed it could cause substantial disruptions to the health care of millions and the uninsured rate to spike.
On Tuesday, Dr. Rick Bright filed an 89-page whistleblower complaint, saying he was transferred out of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, “without warning or explanation” over his refusal to embrace hydroxychloroquine.
Bright described the Department of Health and Human Services as chaotic, with “pressure from HHS leadership to ignore scientific merit and expert recommendations and instead to award lucrative contracts based on political connections and cronyism.”
Bright said HHS was slow to react to the virus, saying they were fully aware of the threat in early January, and also ignored red flags about the lack of testing materials and PPE, including N95 masks.
Bright also said he “repeatedly clashed with Dr. Kadlec and other HHS leaders” about the outsized role of an industry consultant with ties to pharmaceutical companies “in the award of government contracts.”
On Wednesday, Trump said of whistleblower Dr. Bright, “I don’t know who he is. I did not hear good things about him at all,” adding, “he seems like a disgruntled employee that’s trying to help the Democrats win an election.”
On Tuesday, CNN reported as the House ramps up a new oversight committee to oversee $3 trillion in relief funds, Republicans said they may not participate. Pelosi said the House will forge ahead without them.
On Monday, a Vancouver-based vice president of online retailer Amazon resigned over the company firing whistleblowers who spoke out about unsafe working conditions. He brought up the firings before he quit.
On Tuesday, restaurant chain Wendy’s announced nearly a fifth of its restaurants were out of beef, as the meat supply is under pressure with plants suspending operations due to the pandemic.
On Tuesday, a Dallas county judge sentenced Shelley Luther, owner of Salon À la Mode, to seven days in jail for disobeying the state’s coronavirus shutdown orders. Texas will allow hair salons to reopen Friday.
On Thursday, the Texas Supreme Court ordered Luther’s release. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday rewrote his previous coronavirus orders so that no violators will face jail time.
On Tuesday, local ABC news reported the Arizona Department of Health Services told modeling experts at ASU to “pause” its work on Covid-19, as the state is set to reopen. The state will instead rely on a FEMA model.
On Tuesday, Gov. Brian Kemp warned a growing outbreak is stressing resources in northeast Georgia, a part of the state synonymous with the state’s poultry industry.
On Tuesday, WAPO reported according to a complaint submitted by a volunteer and confirmed by officials who worked on Jared’s task force, Jared and his team exacerbated problems with supplies.
The complaint alleged the team had little success in securing PPE, noting they did not have significant experience in health care, procurement, or supply-chain operations, or relationships with manufacturers.
Team volunteers were instructed to fast-track protective equipment leads from “VIPs,” including tips that came from Fox News hosts Brian Kilmeade and Jeanine Pirro. Governors said volunteers lacked basic understanding.
Jared’s volunteer team was part of a broader effort including the White House, FEMA, and HHS. About 30% of supplies went towards drive-thru testing sites — he promised thousands of sites, but only 78 materialized.
On Tuesday, a Monmouth poll found Trump’s approval for his handling of the pandemic has slipped as he is viewed as inconsistent (55%), and changing what he says about the virus day to day.
Trump’s approval for handling the virus was 43% approve, 51% disapprove, down from 44% approve, 49% disapprove in April, and from 46% approve, 48% disapprove in March.
On reopening, 56% said it is more important to make sure as few people get sick as possible, while 33% said it was more important to prevent the economy from sinking.
On Tuesday, Trump took his first major trip in nearly two months to visit battleground state Arizona to visit a facility producing face masks. Trump faced weak ratings for his handling of the crisis and falling poll numbers.
LA Times reported unlike a typical president, Trump is not going to meet with devastated families who have lost loved ones to Covid-19, or to console survivors — part of a pattern of his inability to show empathy.
Before leaving for Arizona, Trump told reporters he blocked Fauci from testifying because the House was “a set up” and “a bunch of Trump haters,” adding “they frankly want our situation to be unsuccessful.”
Trump also falsely claimed that the IMHE model, which was dramatically revised upward, “assumes no mitigation and we’re going to have mitigation.” The death toll was revised because of reopening.
Trump toured the Honeywell factory in Phoenix, which is producing N95 masks. Trump wore safety googles, but not a mask, during the tour, nor did his aides, despite a sign saying “face mask required in this area.”
A White House official claimed a Honeywell official said Trump and aides did not need to wear masks. At one point during the tour, the Guns N’ Roses song “Live and Let Die” was blasted from the factory’s PA system.
At the tour, Trump told reporters that the White House coronavirus task force would wind down as the country moved into Phase 2 with more than 71,000 dead, saying, “We will have something in a different form.”
Trump declared success, saying the country had moved on to “the next stage of the battle” and “reopening our country.” Pence later added, “It really is all a reflection of the tremendous progress we’ve made.”
Trump added of the wind down, “we can’t keep our country closed for the next five years,” adding, “We need to reopen our country. We have a great country. We can’t keep it closed.”
Trump said, “Will some people be affected? Yes. Will some people be affected badly? Yes. But we have to get our country open and we have to get it open soon.”
Trump added he viewed U.S. citizens “to a certain extent and to a large extent as warriors,” adding, “We can’t keep our country closed. We have to open our country.”
In heavily political remarks after touring the facility, Trump said our country is now in “the next stage of the battle” boasted of his 2016 victory in the state, and called for “the full truth about the China situation.”
As Trump took to the podium to deliver his remarks, his political rally music was playing, despite the event being billed as an official White House event.
Later Tuesday, in an interview with “World News Tonight,” Trump said, “it’s possible there will be some” deaths as states roll back restrictions, acknowledging it was a choice to reopen to jumpstart the economy.
Trump added, “It’s possible there will be some because you won’t be locked into an apartment or a house,” adding, “But at the same time, we’re going to practice social distancing, we’re going to be washing hands.”
On Wednesday, in a series of tweets, Trump shifted his message on the coronavirus task force, saying it had “done a fantastic job of bringing together vast highly complex resources that have set a high standard.”
Trump also falsely claimed, “Ventilators, which were few & in bad shape, are now being produced in the thousands, and we have many to spare,” adding, “We are helping other countries which are desperate for them.”
Trump also falsely claimed, “we are now doing more testing than all other countries combined, and with superior tests,” and lied saying, “Face masks & shields, gloves, gowns etc. are now plentiful.”
Trump added, “the Task Force will continue on indefinitely with its focus on SAFETY & OPENING UP OUR COUNTRY AGAIN,” adding, “it will also be very focused on Vaccines & Therapeutics.”
The NYT Editorial Board called the shift “a P.R. move, a way for Mr. Trump to push his message — untethered from the consensus view of public health officials or public opinion — that the worst of the pandemic has passed.”
On Wednesday, a Yale epidemiologist slammed Trump’s plan to reopen, calling it “awfully close to genocide” and “mass death by public policy,” noting it would be letting “thousands die by negligence, omission, failure to act.”
On Wednesday, Pompeo defended his Wuhan lab claim in a combative press conference, after public health experts and the Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said evidence showed the virus occurred naturally.
Pompeo said to a woman reporter asking about the contradiction, “Your efforts to try and find — just to spend your whole life trying to drive a little wedge between senior American officials … it’s just false.”
On Wednesday, Pelosi told MSNBC that Trump blocking House testimony is “beneath the dignity of the office,” adding she hoped Fauci would “say things in public that we wouldn’t need him to be subpoenaed.”
On Wednesday, Republicans in Ohio’s House limited Ohio Health Director Dr. Amy Acton’s ability to extend stay-at-home orders. She and Gov. Mike DeWine issued the first order March 23, allowing the state to limit cases.
On Wednesday, a new CDC report detailed the coronavirus spread in the nation’s prisons: in 32 jurisdictions responding, there were 4,893 inmate cases and 88 deaths as of April 21. Staff had 2,778 cases and 15 deaths.
On Wednesday, at a National Nurses Day event at the White House, the president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners said access to PPE has been “sporadic” and she has reused her N95 mask for weeks.
Trump shot back at the nurse, saying, “Sporadic for you, but not sporadic for a lot of other people,” adding, “Because I’ve heard the opposite. I’ve heard that they are loaded up with gowns now.”
Asked why he did not wear a mask during the factory tour, Trump lied, saying he did have a mask on “for a period of time,” adding, “I can’t help it if you didn’t see me, I mean, I had a mask on.”
Asked about loss of life, Trump also again invoked “warriors,” saying, “hopefully it won’t be the case, but it may very well be the case. We have to be warriors,” adding, “We can’t keep our country closed down for years.”
Later, at an event with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, asked about more than 72,000 deaths so far, Trump said, “It’s a big number, but it’s also a number that’s at the lower scale.”
Trump added, “This virus is going to disappear,” and “It’s a question of when. Will it come back in a small way? Will it come back in a fairly large way? But we know how to deal with it now much better.”
Trump said, “We can’t have our whole country out,” and compared citizens to warriors, blaming China and saying, “This is worse than Pearl Harbor” and the World Trade Center, “There has never been an attack like this.”
Public health experts noted reopening will result in many more deaths, concentrated among the less affluent. Additionally, reopening will be used to justify denying unemployment and vital assistance to those in need.
At the daily press briefing, McEnany defended reopening, saying, “There were supposed to be 2.2 million deaths and we’re at a point where we are far lower,” citing the “great work” of the task force and Trump’s leadership.
On Thursday, WAPO reported as Iowa reopens, workers are being forced to chose between a paycheck and their health, as Gov. Reynolds opened the remaining 22 counties, including retail stores and shopping malls.
More than 200,000 Iowans had filed for unemployment in the past six weeks, the highest since the Great Depression. Reynolds has said Iowans will have to embrace a “new normal” and return to work despite risks.
On Wednesday, Axios reported Trump is complaining about the way the coronavirus death toll is being counted, suggesting the real number should be lower. Several of his senior aides agree.
Trump has also vented about New York adding more than 3,000 probable deaths, saying the number is inflated. A senior official said he expects Trump to start questioning the death toll as it closes in on his predictions.
At a press briefing, McEnany obfuscated, saying Trump did not mean Americans should be putting their lives at risk, saying, “They’re warriors because they’ve stayed home. They’re warriors because they’ve social distanced.”
Asked about testing, McEnany called it “nonsensical” to think that everyone should be tested in order to go back to work, calling it a “myth,” and saying “we’d have to retest them an hour later and an hour later after that.”
On Wednesday, ProPublica reported on the same day Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Richard Burr dumped stock after being briefed on Covid-19, his brother-in-law sold up to $280,000 of shares in six companies.
Burr backed Trump’s unqualified appointee John Ratcliffe for DNI, saying in a statement Tuesday, “I believe he understands the challenges facing the Intelligence Community in the 21st century.”
Later Wednesday, Mnuchin responded to Guns N’ Roses vocalist Axl Rose, tweeting, “What have you done for the country lately” in response to Rose calling Mnuchin “officially an asshole” on Twitter.
On Wednesday, AP reported that the Trump regime rejected a 17-page draft recommendation by the CDC which offered step-by-step advice for local authorities on reopening, after asking the agency to write it.
The report, “Guidance for Implementing the Opening Up America Again Framework,” was written to help faith leaders, business owners, and state and local officials. The lack of public guidelines is viewed as dangerous.
Traditionally, it is the CDC’s role to provide such information, and has been viewed as the public agency the country turns to. The CDC has not had a regular, pandemic-related news briefing in nearly two months.
On Thursday, CNN reported the CDC was asked by Birx to prepare the report. A regime official told CNN the report was “overly prescriptive,” and the recommendations did not fit the “phases” outlined by the task force.
Later Wednesday, Trump named Louis DeJoy, a top donor to Trump and the Republican National Committee, as postmaster general, giving Trump influence over the Postal Service. DeJoy starts June 15.
Rep. Gerald Connolly, chair of the House subcommittee that oversees the Postal Service, denounced the move to reward a donor, adding the USPS “is in crisis and needs real leadership…with knowledge of the issues.”
On Thursday, the Labor Department reported 3.17 million Americans filed for unemployment, slightly higher than the 3.05 million forecast, bringing the seven-week tally to 33.5 million.
On Thursday, Pompeo reversed himself on the coronavirus, telling ABC News, “There’s evidence that it came from somewhere in the vicinity of the lab, but that could be wrong.”
The shift followed reports by “Five Eyes,” the U.S.’s closest allies — including U.K., New Zealand, Australia, and Canada — who share intelligence, which cast doubt on Pompeo’s statements.
On Thursday, NYT reported that in all, Trump has rolled back 98 environmental protections — viewed by him as a campaign promise. So far 64 have been completed, and 34 are in process ahead of the 2020 election.
The bulk have been carried out by the EPA. Rollbacks included air pollution and emissions (27), drilling and extraction (19), infrastructure and planning (11), animals (11), water pollution (11) and safety (8).
On Thursday, CNN reported a member of the U.S. Navy who serves as one of Trump’s personal valets has tested positive for the coronavirus. The valets often work very close to Trump and the first family.
NBC News reported that when Trump learned of the infection, he became “lava level mad” at his staff for not doing a better job to protect him. A source said the valet was consistently close to Trump during the day.
On Thursday, Reason reported a young woman came forward to say Trump allies provocateurs Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman offered to pay her to say Fauci sexually assaulted her in 2014 when she was 20 years-old.
On Thursday, Brandon Van Grack, a top prosecutor in the Mueller probe who remained on Michael Flynn’s case after the probe was over, abruptly withdrew from the case without explanation in a court filing.
Shortly after, the DOJ dropped the criminal case against Flynn, a stunning reversal. Flynn admitted in court he had lied to the FBI about his conversations with the Russian ambassador in a January 2017 interview.
The DOJ filing cited “a considered review of all the facts and circumstances of this case, including newly discovered and disclosed information.” Flynn had pleaded guilty to lying in court.
The filing said Flynn’s interview was “untethered to, and unjustified by, the FBI’s counterintelligence investigation into Mr. Flynn,” and that the interview was “conducted without any legitimate investigative basis.”
Shortly after, ABC News reported the White House was made aware of the DOJ’s decision Thursday morning. Trump attorney Jay Sekulow said, “Mueller should be ashamed of the conduct of his agents and lawyers.”
In an afternoon Oval photo-op with Texas Gov. Abbott Thursday, Trump claimed he was not aware of the DOJ move, saying, “I didn’t know that was happening at this moment. I felt it was going to happen.”
Trump called Flynn an “innocent man” and a “great gentleman,” claiming the Obama administration “targeted” Flynn, and said he was “a great warrior, and he still is a great warrior. Now, in my book, he’s an even greater warrior.”
Trump also said, “I hope a lot of people will pay a big price because they are dishonest, crooked people,” adding, “They’re scum, and I say it a lot. They’re human scum.”
Trump also said that he and Pence would start getting tested daily, admitting they were tested once a week prior. There was no word as to whether staffers would also receive a daily test.
On Thursday, WSJ reported that Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on Thursday. The White House claimed the two discussed the coronavirus and a planned arms control agreement.
The White House said the U.S. is “ready to provide assistance to any country in need, including Russia.” Trump later said told reporters he offered to provide Russia with ventilators, and Putin accepted.
Trump also told reporters that he told Putin “it’s a very appropriate time” for them to speak, “because things are falling out now and coming in line showing what a hoax this whole investigation was, it was a total disgrace.”
On Thursday, House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler called the DOJ move “outrageous” and called for an “immediate explanation,” adding he would summon Barr to the Capitol to testify as soon as possible.
On Thursday, when Barr was asked on CBS News how history would remember the DOJ move, he responded, “History is written by the winners, so it largely depends on who is writing the history,” with a sly smile.
On Thursday, AP reported a new study at Columbia University found no evidence of benefit from hydroxychloroquine in lowering the risk of dying or needing a breathing tube in patients with coronavirus.
On Thursday, NYT reported of the 40 people arrested by the NYPD for social distancing violations between March 17 and May 4, 35 people were black, four were Hispanic, and just one was white.
On Thursday, NYT reported New York City’s coronavirus outbreak grew so large by early March it become the primary gateway of new infection in the U.S., as people traveled from the city and seeded outbreaks around the country.
In Washington state, another early outbreak, 42% of infections came from NYC, as did 50% in California and Oregon. NYC also sent the majority of cases in many Midwestern, Western, Southern, and Northeastern states.
NYC joined Wuhan and Milan as a vector of spread. New York’s political leaders waited until mid-March to impose a lockdown, even after hundreds of cases were reported, giving the virus a head start.
The lack of testing hid the extent of the outbreak for months. Gov. Cuomo’s office said they were told the state had no cases in February. The state’s growth came from the volume of international travelers.
When Trump imposed travel restrictions on Europe in mid-March, they were essentially worthless since the virus had already spread widely around the country. An earlier move would have blunted the virus’ march.
On Thursday, HHS Secretary Alex Azar blamed meatpacking plant workers for outbreaks that killed 20 and closed nearly two-dozen plants, saying the infections were linked more to “home and social” aspects of workers’ lives.
On Thursday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state identified its first case of community spread had occurred in a nail salon. This, as several states had, or were preparing to reopen nail salons.
On Thursday, NBC News reported at least 85 children have died from a rare but dangerous complication thought to be linked to the coronavirus, in at least seven states and Washington D.C.
On Thursday, a documentary-style video called “Plandemic,” which featured unsubstantiated claims about the coronavirus, was removed from Facebook and YouTube, after millions of view and interactions.
The video featured Judy Mikovits, a discredited medical researcher who is against vaccines, saying the virus was engineered to increase vaccination rates and masks are harmful. It was widely spread on far-right websites.
On Friday, the Labor Department reported 20.5 million Americans lost their jobs in April, with the unemployment rate skyrocketing to 14.7% — both numbers slightly lower than the 21.5 million and 16% expectation.
The unemployment rate topped the previous post-World War II record of 10.8% in October 2009, and was at the highest level since the Great Depression estimated peak of 24.9%.
The “real” unemployment rate, which includes workers not looking for jobs and the underemployed, jumped to 22.8%. Its previous record level was at 17.2% in April 2010.
Economists noted the jump in unemployment was historic: during the Great Depression, it took five years to get to the peak. This time, the level jumped in a period of two months from its level of 3.5%.
On Friday, Trump told “Fox & Friends” on unemployment, “What I can do: I’ll bring it back. It’s fully expected. There’s no surprise. Everybody knows that,” claiming, “Even the Democrats aren’t blaming me for that.”
Trump said of former AG Jeff Sessions, he chose him because he was “the first senator to endorse me” so he felt a little “obligation,” and “he was so bad in his nomination proceedings. I should have gotten rid of him there.”
Asked if there would have been a Russia probe with Barr as AG, Trump said, “No, there wouldn’t be. He would have stopped it immediately,” calling Sessions a “disaster” and “very weak and very sad.”
On Friday, CNBC reported retailer JC Penney is in talks to secure bankruptcy financing, and could file as soon as May 15. Many other retailers, including Stage Stores, are expected to follow suit.
On Friday, CBS News reported of the more than 12,000 Catholic churches that applied for PPP loans, nearly 9,000 were successful. Most small businesses, especially those owned by women and people of color, have not received PPP money.
On Friday, Melinda Gates, co-chairman of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said in an interview with Politico that the Trump regime’s coronavirus response has created “chaos,” and graded it a D-.
Gates cited the regime “wasted so much time” and has not provided enough tests, protective gear, and other supplies, adding, “we have 50 different homegrown state solutions instead of a national response.”
On Friday, a new poll by Democracy Fund + UCLA found 71% of Americans are more concerned about the government lifting restrictions too early, and 29% said they were not lifted quickly enough.
On Friday, an aide to Pence tested positive to the coronavirus. Pence’s departure to Des Moines, Iowa from Andrews Air Force Base was delayed by nearly an hour as staff dealt with the discovery.
Several reporters who were scheduled to travel with Pence stepped off of Air Force Two before it took off. Staffers on the plane said they were in contact with the infected staffer, and would embark on contact tracing.
On Friday, Trump hosted a number of loyalist Republican lawmakers at the White House for a meeting on the coronavirus recovery. He said, “We’re going into transition,” adding, “I call it transition to greatness.”
Trump said, “It’s going to be a transition to greatness, because we’re going to do something very fast,” adding, “There’s tremendous pent up demand. And next year, we’re going to have a phenomenal year.”
Later Monday, Pence’s office confirmed the staffer was Katie Miller, a spokesperson for Pence, and wife of White House senior adviser Stephen Miller. Miller frequently traveled with and attended meetings with Pence.
Given the role Miller and her husband played, the entire West Wing would have been exposed directly or indirectly to the virus. The White House said she had tested negative Thursday before testing positive Friday.
Trump told reporters Miller “tested very good for a long period of time,” adding, “And then all of the sudden today she tested positive.” Trump said, “She hasn’t come into contact with me,” but spent some time with Pence.
Trump added, “This is why the whole concept of tests aren’t necessarily great. The tests are perfect, but something can happen between a test where it’s good and then something happens and all of the sudden.”
Trump also said, “She was tested very recently and tested negative, and then today I guess for some reason she tested positive,” and added, “I understand Mike has been tested, vice president, and he tested negative.”
Asked if he was concerned about spread at the White House, Trump said, “I’m not worried. But you know, look, I get things done. I don’t worry about things. I do what I have to do. We’ve taken very strong precautions.”
On Friday, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn announced he will self-quarantine for 14 days after exposure to Katie Miller. The White House is using contact tracing to determine who should self-isolate.
On Friday, WAPO reported the infections have sent shock waves through White House staffers, and prompted renewed scrutiny of safety measures. Security officials say Trump has been lax and continues to appear to minimize the threat.
Like Trump, most of his aides, Pence, and chief of staff Mark Meadows have not worn face masks. Trump has also huddled with guests, including a group of GOP lawmakers and World War II veterans Friday, without a mask.
One former security official called it a show of bravado, saying if Trump backtracks and “starts wearing a mask, it will contradict the red meat he’s feeding to his base constantly,” calling it the first politicized health crisis.
During past epidemics, the White House medical unit, run by the Navy and led by the White House physician, have dictated protocols, but under Trump everyone in the White House is doing their own thing.
On Friday, CNN reported Ivanka’s personal assistant tested positive for the coronavirus. Reportedly the assistant has been working remotely for two months, and Ivanka and Jared tested negative on Friday.
On Friday, asked by reporters if Trump considered wearing a mask when meeting with WWII veterans in their 90s, McEnany said, “They made the choice to come here because they’ve chosen to put their nation first.”
On Friday, the Office of Special Counsel found “reasonable grounds” to investigate whether Dr. Bright was ousted in retaliation for questioning Trump regime actions, and says he should be reinstated as it investigates.
The recommendation is not binding. It will now be up to HHS Secretary Azar to decide on the investigation and reinstatement. If he refuses the complaint would ordinarily be sent to the Merit Systems Protection Board.
However, the Senate has not confirmed any of Trump’s nominees to the board, leaving it with no members. A “frequently asked questions” document about the lack of members was removed from its website.
On Friday, AP reported the decision to shelve the CDC report on reopening came from the highest levels of the White House. A trove of emails also revealed after AP reporting, the regime ordered key parts to be approved.
Asked by reporters Friday why the guidance had not been released, McEnany said they had not been approved by CDC Director Robert Redfield. The emails showed Redfield cleared the guidance.
As early as April 10, Redfield, a member of the White House task force, shared the guidance and decision trees with Trump’s inner circle including Jared, McEnany, Kellyanne Conway, Joseph Grogan, Birx, and Fauci.
On April 13, CDC’s upper management sent a 60-page report, including flow charts, to the Office of Management and Budget, a step typically taken seeking final White House approval after prior clearances.
The full 60-page document obtained by AP titled “Steps for All Americans in Every Community” advised communities as a whole on testing, contact tracing, and other fundamental infection control measures.
On April 24, Redfield emailed the document to Birx and Fauci, and asked for their review so the CDC could post the guidelines publicly. On April 26, having not heard back, the CDC reached out to OMB asking about posting.
On April 27, the OMB said they were still waiting to hear from the White House, adding the documents cannot go out right now. On April 30, the CDC documents were killed for good. May 1 was Trump’s reopening day.
On May 7, after AP reported on the guidelines being buried, the White House called the CDC and told them to refile all the decision trees, except the one related to churches.
On Friday, a WAPO op-ed noted while many other countries, including New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Greece, South Korea and more are winning against the virus and safely reopening, Trump has quit.
In October, Johns Hopkins University rated the U.S. best prepared for an epidemic. This week, a JHU scientist told Congress we are “the worst affected country in the world.” States are reopening unprepared.
On Friday, NBC News reported that 73 children in New York have been sickened by a rare Covid-related illness, which some doctors are referring to as “pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome.” Two have died.
A state advisory was issued. Notably, features of Kawasaki disease and toxic shock have been seen in patients between the ages of 2 and 15. Some of the children infected had no pre-existing conditions.
On Friday, Gov. Newsom announced California voters would be asked to vote by mail in November due to the coronavirus, the first state in the nation to shift to all mail-in voting.
On Friday, CBS News reported as of Sunday, 44 states would be partially reopened. States in the Northeast, as well as Oregon and Washington, remained in lockdown, despite many having a downtrend of cases.
On Friday, “60 Minutes” released a preview of an interview with Bright. Bright countered Trump saying he is not “disgruntled,” adding, “I am frustrated at a lack of leadership. I am frustrated at a lack of urgency.”
Bright added, “We see too many doctors and nurses now dying…we could have done more to get those masks and those supplies to them sooner. And if we had, would they still be alive today? It’s a horrible thought.”
Bright said he believed he was reassigned in retaliation for raising concerns about hydroxychloroquine, and also for sounding alarms about the lack of testing platforms.
On Friday, CNN reported states are continue to scramble to find PPE and other medical supplies they need, after continuing to bid against each other, and cases of shipments falling through or being delivered unusable.
On Friday, Yahoo News reported on a tape of Obama speaking privately to former members of his administration. Obama said the Trump regime’s handling of the coronavirus is “an absolute chaotic disaster.”
Obama said of the DOJ dismissing Flynn’s case, “there is no precedent that anybody can find for someone who has been charged with perjury just getting off scot-free,” adding the “rule of law is at risk.”
Obama also warned the 3,000 alumni on the call, this is how “democracies become autocracies,” and said the upcoming election is also about “being selfish, being tribal, being divided, and seeing others as an enemy.”
On Saturday, Yahoo News reported according to DHS documents, 11 members of the Secret Service have tested positive for Covid-19. There are also 23 who have recovered, and 60 self-quarantining.
On Saturday, WAPO reported the owner of a medical supply company, Prestige Ameritech, told DHS in a January 22 email that his company could ramp up and produce 1.7 million N95 masks per week.
The owner, Michael Bowen, viewed it as a national security issue, and he had four production lines and “Reactivating these machines would be very difficult and very expensive but could be achieved in a dire situation.”
Bowen communicated with and kept pushing Robert Kadlec, the assistant secretary for preparedness and emergency response, who is mentioned in Bright’s complaint. The Trump regime never took him up on his offer.
On Saturday, Trump sent a flurry of tweets and retweets. He repeated words from his Friday meeting with GOP lawmakers, tweeting, “TRANSITION TO GREATNESS!”
Trump also attacked California, tweeting, “the Democrats, who fought like crazy to get all mail in only ballots, and succeeded,” falsely claiming, “They are trying to steal another election,” and, “It’s all rigged out there.”
Trump also tweeted the false claim, “CA25 is a Rigged Election. Trying to steal it from @MikeGarcia2020. @GavinNewsom must act now!” Trump also retweeted Garcia. The race is to replace Katie Hill.
As the week came to a close, there were 3,979,442 worldwide cases and 276,421 dead from the coronavirus. The U.S. had 1,291,100 cases (32.4%), 77,489 deaths (28.0%), and a mortality rate of 6.0%.

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May 6, 2020 — Arlington, VA, United States: A fairly empty concourse at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport during the pandemic.