“Dr. Scott Atlas, a science adviser to President Donald Trump who was skeptical of measures to control the coronavirus outbreak, is leaving his White House post.” https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/nation/2020/11/30/trump-science-adviser-atlas-resign-covid-coronavirus/115076788/
“A White House official confirmed that the Stanford University neuroradiologist, who had no formal experience in public health or infectious diseases, resigned at the end of his temporary government assignment. Atlas confirmed the news in a Monday evening tweet.
Atlas joined the White House this summer, where he clashed with top government scientists, including Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx, as he resisted stronger efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed more than 267,000 Americans.
Atlas has broken with government experts and the overwhelming consensus of the scientific community to criticize efforts to encourage face covering to slow the spread of the virus. Just weeks ago on Twitter he responded to Michigan’s latest virus restrictions by encouraging people to “rise up” against the state’s policies.”
Coincidentally, members of a paramilitary militia group that was plotting to kidnap Gretchen Whitmer, the Governor of Michigan, and otherwise violently overthrow the state government, were subsequently arrested by the FBI https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gretchen_Whitmer_kidnapping_plot
First lady Melania Trump’s office announced Monday the finalization of the White House Tennis Pavilion — a tone deaf accomplishment to trumpet amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and as the federal government remains locked on providing further economic relief to millions of suffering Americans. https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/07/politics/melania-trump-tennis-pavilion/index.html
The backlash was swift and prompted a rare public defense from Trump two days later: “I encourage everyone who chooses to be negative (and) question my work at the @WhiteHouse to take time and contribute something good (and) productive in their own communities.”
The tennis pavilion is not open to the public and is not a community project. According to the first lady it is meant to be used solely by first families for “leisure time.”
“The Department of Health and Human Services on Friday published a sweeping new report on the state of the U.S. Covid-19 outbreak, releasing data that was previously available only to government employees.” https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/18/hhs-releases-sweeping-new-report-on-us-covid-outbreak-in-move-toward-transparency.html
Jose Arrieta, who served as chief information officer for HHS when the government launched HHS Protect, the agency’s warehouse for Covid-19 hospital data, said the new report is “certainly a step in the right direction” toward transparency. Arrieta resigned in August.
“A number of folks within the agency, including myself when I was there, were pushing for transparency,” he said in a phone interview Friday. “I certainly applaud the fact that the data is being shared.”
“The Plague Year : The mistakes and the struggles behind America’s coronavirus tragedy.” (The New Yorker, December 28, 2020) https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/01/04/the-plague-year
“At the current rate of daily fatalities, the US death toll from the Covid-19 pandemic may surpass 400,000 before President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in on Wednesday.
Another 14,400 Americans are projected to die from the virus over the next six days, according to an ensemble forecast published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This comes as the nation’s health care system scrambles to keep up with the influx of new patients, with more than 128,000 people hospitalized across the country, according to the COVID Tracking Project. https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/15/health/us-coronavirus-friday/index.html
Post-COVID lungs worse than the worst smokers’ lungs, surgeon says” https://www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-lungs-scarring-smokers-lungs/
“With mere days left in office, President Donald Trump has proposed $27.4 billion in brutal budget cuts—including clawing back 5.1 billion from global public health amid a raging pandemic. Of the proposed health cuts, $4 billion would be slashed from a vaccine alliance playing a central role in helping to distribute COVID-19 vaccines to low-income countries.” https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/01/trump-tries-to-claw-back-billions-from-covid-vaccine-distributor/
“Trump wants billions cut from global Covid vaccine distributor : The White House has asked Congress to cut $27 billion from a recent spending bill. Among the cuts: $4 billion for a group helping with the international Covid fight.” https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/14/trump-billions-cut-covid-vaccine-distributor-459496
“The $27.4 billion in proposed cuts is known as a rescission request — a largely symbolic package of spending claw-backs that the White House presents to Congress. There is no chance that Congress actually acts on the request. But the inclusion of $4 billion in funding for GAVI, a public-private partnership promoting vaccination in low-income countries, will likely fuel more criticism of the president’s approach to global health efforts in general and the Covid pandemic in particular.”
“Dr. Scott Atlas, a science adviser to President Donald Trump who was skeptical of measures to control the coronavirus outbreak, is leaving his White House post.” https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/nation/2020/11/30/trump-science-adviser-atlas-resign-covid-coronavirus/115076788/
“A White House official confirmed that the Stanford University neuroradiologist, who had no formal experience in public health or infectious diseases, resigned at the end of his temporary government assignment. Atlas confirmed the news in a Monday evening tweet.
Atlas joined the White House this summer, where he clashed with top government scientists, including Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx, as he resisted stronger efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed more than 267,000 Americans.
Atlas has broken with government experts and the overwhelming consensus of the scientific community to criticize efforts to encourage face covering to slow the spread of the virus. Just weeks ago on Twitter he responded to Michigan’s latest virus restrictions by encouraging people to “rise up” against the state’s policies.”
Coincidentally, members of a paramilitary militia group that was plotting to kidnap Gretchen Whitmer, the Governor of Michigan, and otherwise violently overthrow the state government, were subsequently arrested by the FBI https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gretchen_Whitmer_kidnapping_plot
First lady Melania Trump’s office announced Monday the finalization of the White House Tennis Pavilion — a tone deaf accomplishment to trumpet amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and as the federal government remains locked on providing further economic relief to millions of suffering Americans. https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/07/politics/melania-trump-tennis-pavilion/index.html
The backlash was swift and prompted a rare public defense from Trump two days later: “I encourage everyone who chooses to be negative (and) question my work at the @WhiteHouse to take time and contribute something good (and) productive in their own communities.”
The tennis pavilion is not open to the public and is not a community project. According to the first lady it is meant to be used solely by first families for “leisure time.”
“The Department of Health and Human Services on Friday published a sweeping new report on the state of the U.S. Covid-19 outbreak, releasing data that was previously available only to government employees.” https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/18/hhs-releases-sweeping-new-report-on-us-covid-outbreak-in-move-toward-transparency.html
Jose Arrieta, who served as chief information officer for HHS when the government launched HHS Protect, the agency’s warehouse for Covid-19 hospital data, said the new report is “certainly a step in the right direction” toward transparency. Arrieta resigned in August.
“A number of folks within the agency, including myself when I was there, were pushing for transparency,” he said in a phone interview Friday. “I certainly applaud the fact that the data is being shared.”
COVID-19 Community Profile Report https://beta.healthdata.gov/National/COVID-19-Community-Profile-Report/gqxm-d9w9
“CDC insiders detail Trump-era political control, dismissal of science : The former CDC chief of staff said it will “take years to undo” the damage done to the agency under Donald Trump.” https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/cdc-insiders-detail-trump-era-political-control-dismissal-science-n1251420
‘Like a Hand Grasping’: Trump Appointees Describe the Crushing of the C.D.C.
Kyle McGowan, a former chief of staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and his deputy, Amanda Campbell, go public on the Trump administration’s manipulation of the agency. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/16/us/politics/cdc-trump.html
“Political Appointees Meddled in C.D.C.’s ‘Holiest of the Holy’ Health Reports : Trump loyalists at the Health and Human Services Department have been exerting influence on the Centers for Disease Control’s weekly reports on all disease outbreaks, the coronavirus and beyond. (9/12/20) https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/12/us/politics/trump-coronavirus-politics-cdc.html
8AM MST, tomorrow morning, 20th
“The Plague Year : The mistakes and the struggles behind America’s coronavirus tragedy.” (The New Yorker, December 28, 2020) https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/01/04/the-plague-year
“At the current rate of daily fatalities, the US death toll from the Covid-19 pandemic may surpass 400,000 before President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in on Wednesday.
Another 14,400 Americans are projected to die from the virus over the next six days, according to an ensemble forecast published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This comes as the nation’s health care system scrambles to keep up with the influx of new patients, with more than 128,000 people hospitalized across the country, according to the COVID Tracking Project. https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/15/health/us-coronavirus-friday/index.html
Post-COVID lungs worse than the worst smokers’ lungs, surgeon says” https://www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-lungs-scarring-smokers-lungs/
8AM MST, tomorrow morning, 16th
“With mere days left in office, President Donald Trump has proposed $27.4 billion in brutal budget cuts—including clawing back 5.1 billion from global public health amid a raging pandemic. Of the proposed health cuts, $4 billion would be slashed from a vaccine alliance playing a central role in helping to distribute COVID-19 vaccines to low-income countries.” https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/01/trump-tries-to-claw-back-billions-from-covid-vaccine-distributor/
“Trump wants billions cut from global Covid vaccine distributor : The White House has asked Congress to cut $27 billion from a recent spending bill. Among the cuts: $4 billion for a group helping with the international Covid fight.” https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/14/trump-billions-cut-covid-vaccine-distributor-459496
“The $27.4 billion in proposed cuts is known as a rescission request — a largely symbolic package of spending claw-backs that the White House presents to Congress. There is no chance that Congress actually acts on the request. But the inclusion of $4 billion in funding for GAVI, a public-private partnership promoting vaccination in low-income countries, will likely fuel more criticism of the president’s approach to global health efforts in general and the Covid pandemic in particular.”