New York Times: False Reports of a New ‘U.S. Variant’ Came From White House Task Force. “Reports of a highly contagious new coronavirus variant in the United States, published on Friday by multiple news outlets, are based on speculative statements made by Dr. Deborah Birx and are inaccurate, according to several government officials.”
New York Times: It’s Holiday Party Season at the White House. Masks Are Encouraged, but Not Required.. “The red and gold party invitations make no mention of the coronavirus, nor do they acknowledge the holiday message that public health officials have been trying to emphasize to Americans: Stay home. Instead, the invitations are the latest […]
Washington Post: Shutdown deadline nears as White House, Congress tangle over VA funding. “The Trump administration is injecting new demands into congressional negotiations over a government spending bill that threaten to sink the must-pass package, people familiar with the discussions said. The disagreement concerns how to classify $12.5 billion in cost increases in veterans’ health […]
HuffPost: White House Plans In-Person Holiday Parties As COVID-19 Cases Rise. “The White House plans to host its annual Hanukkah reception next month, even as coronavirus cases are on the rise around the country. The reception is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Dec. 9, according to a copy of the invitation, which was shared with […]
NBC News: Add to Biden’s transition challenges: Imposing Covid-19 precautions on cramped West Wing. “Biden’s team is brainstorming ways to apply his coronavirus-conscious campaign practices to the presidency, several of his advisers said. Transition officials are trying to determine how — and how many — White House officials can physically work out of the West […]
CNN: White House political director tests positive for coronavirus, official says. “White House political affairs director Brian Jack has tested positive for coronavirus, an official confirmed to CNN on Wednesday. The White House declined to comment on Jack specifically, but said in a statement that positive cases are ‘taken seriously.’”
CNN: White House coronavirus task force warns of ‘accelerating community spread’. “The White House coronavirus task force is again alerting states of ‘accelerating’ coronavirus spread as cases and hospitalizations rapidly rise across the country with few signs of stabilizing. It strongly recommends increased testing in its weekly reports to states.”
Washington Post: HUD Secretary Ben Carson tests positive for the coronavirus. “Carson, who tested positive Monday morning at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after experiencing symptoms, was at the White House last Tuesday for an election night event, as was White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, who also has tested positive for the […]
Global News: Trump’s election night party becomes latest White House coronavirus cluster. “It was supposed to be a scene of celebration. Instead, the Trump campaign’s election night watch party in the White House East Room has become another symbol of President Donald Trump’s cavalier attitude toward the coronavirus, which is ripping across the nation and […]
New York Times: Tests Show Genetic Signature of Virus That May Have Infected President Trump. “The White House did not take basic steps to investigate its outbreak. We worked with geneticists to sequence the virus that infected two journalists exposed during the outbreak, providing clues to how it may have spread.”
Washington Post: White House sidestepped FDA to distribute hydroxychloroquine to pharmacies, documents show. Trump touted the pills to treat covid-19.. “Over a span of four days in early April, the White House ordered the distribution of 23 million hydroxychloroquine tablets from the stockpile to a dozen states, enough pills for 1.4 million covid-19 patients, according […]
CNN: White House chief of staff tests positive for coronavirus. “White House chief of staff Mark Meadows has tested positive for coronavirus, according to two officials familiar with the matter, becoming the latest official in President Donald Trump’s administration to become infected with the virus after a string of outbreaks in the West Wing. Two […]
Variety: After Coronavirus Outbreak, This CBS News White House Correspondent Works Outside the Building. “Paula Reid has, for the moment, moved from the White House to her house. The CBS News White House correspondent is still working her job full-time. But for the last few days, she hasn’t been doing it at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.”
CNN: No masks and no back up measures: How the White House became ripe for an outbreak. “While aides took steps to keep Trump from catching coronavirus, the White House’s ultimate failure and the ensuing West Wing outbreak can be tied to an over-reliance on rapid coronavirus testing and disregard for the most basic and […]
CNN: Prestigious medical journal calls for US leadership to be voted out over Covid-19 failure. “In an unprecedented move, the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday published an editorial written by its editors condemning the Trump administration for its response to the Covid-19 pandemic — and calling for the current leadership in the United […]