COVID-19 Timeline Project

Matt Sturham Tweet: “What your state’s COVID-19 data looks like when the Trump administration switches to a private contractor with basically zero notice: “Hospitalization data from the period of July 13 through July 24 will remain unavailable.” (This is Missouri)”
US Dept of Labor Report: The total number of people claiming initial jobless benefits for the week ending August 1 was 1.186 million, a decrease of 249 thousand from the previous week.
On Thursday July 30 the Mississippi state Department of Health confirmed 1,775 new cases, along with 48 deaths. Deaths were up again on Friday July 31, breaking the record for the third time in a week. Across the state, hospitalizations are also way, way up at 96% of capacity. Mississippi also rates as one of the worst states for testing, with a current daily testing level that’s only 14% of its target—and the results of those tests are coming in at a staggering 21% positive rate. On Monday July 27 the first school district in Mississippi, Corinth School District in Alcorn County, reopened. By Friday July 31, the first student tested positive.

President Trump interview with Axios National Political Correspondent, Jonathan Swan.
President Trump interview: “Right now, I think it’s under control,” Trump said at one point. “I’ll tell you what—”
“How? A thousand Americans are dying a day,” Swan interjected.
“They are dying, that’s true. And you ha— It is what it is,” Trump replied. “But that doesn’t mean we aren’t doing everything we can. It’s under control as much as you can control it. This is a horrible plague that beset us.”
President Trump Coronavirus Press Briefing.
Dr. Deborah BirxDr. Deborah BirxDeborah Leah Birx is an American physician and diplomat serving as the United States Global AIDS Coordinator for Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump since 2014; she has served as the Coronavirus Response Coordinator for the White House Coronavirus Task Force since 2020. says the US is in a new phase in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic, saying that the deadly virus is more widespread than when it first took hold in the US earlier this year. “What we are seeing today is different from March and April. It is extraordinarily widespread. It’s into the rural as equal urban areas.”
In an Interview, Peter NavarroPeter NavarroPeter Kent Navarro is an American economist and author. He serves in the Trump administration as the Assistant to the President, Director of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, and the national Defense Production Act policy coordinator. states “My view of this now is that doctors’ opinions are a dime a dozen, and you’ve got some doctors who say it doesn’t work, you’ve got some doctors who say it does.” when pressed on why he continues to claim hydroxychloroquine is an effective treatment for the coronavirus.
Analysis: HHSAcronymHHS - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.’ last-minute order to hospitals on new Covid data reporting requirements created weeks of chaos. The result is lost data, and lost of visibility at the state level on new Covid-19 cases.
The health care technology firm that is helping to manage the Trump administration’s new coronavirus database has refused to answer questions from Senate Democrats about its $10.2 million contract, citing a nondisclosure agreement it signed with the Department of Health and Human Services. In a letter, TeleTracking Technologies cited the nondisclosure agreement in declining to say how it collects and shares data. The Company refused to share the company’s proposal to the government, its communications with administration officials and other information related to the awarding of the contract.
The Georgia Department of Public Health reports 2,271 new cases of Covid-19 and two new deaths. There were 60 new Covid-19-related hospitalizations recorded for a total of 19,124 hospitalizations. The statewide Covid-19 case total is now 195,435.
More than 250 employees in Georgia’s largest public school district have reported testing positive for the coronavirus or possibly being exposed to it about a week before the school year is set to begin, according to district officials. Gwinnett County Public Schools teachers – many of whom were not allowed to work from home – began in-person planning Wednesday at county facilities. The county, the state’s second-most populous, had more than 17,780 confirmed coronavirus cases as of Sunday, with at least 240 total deaths.

President Trump Coronavirus Press Briefing.
During his press briefing, President Trump praised Arizona as a “promising model” for its handling of the novel coronavirus pandemic, saying that the state has seen a “decreasing number of cases and hospitalizations without implementing a punishing lockdown.” The number of COVID-19 cases in Arizona rose to 182,203 on Wednesday after the Department of Health Services reported 1,698 new cases. The state also reported 87 new deaths related to the virus.
In a wild televised interview Peter NavarroPeter NavarroPeter Kent Navarro is an American economist and author. He serves in the Trump administration as the Assistant to the President, Director of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, and the national Defense Production Act policy coordinator. claims “China sent the Coronavirus to the US either deliberately or accidentally,” and cites “Dilbert” cartoon creator Scott Adams as an authority on the use of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for Covid-19. (Link includes video and written report.)
Facebook takes down a video posted by the campaign of President Trump in which he claimed children were immune to the coronavirus, a violation of the social network’s rules against misinformation around the coronavirus.
In an interview, Dr. Anthony FauciDr. Anthony FauciAnthony Stephen Fauci is an American physician and immunologist who has served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984 said he and his family have required continued security in the face of harassment and death threats from people angry over his guidance on the coronavirus pandemic.
At least two North Paulding High School students, Paulding County, Georgia, were suspended Wednesday for posting images of a crowded school hallway that went viral on Twitter. The five day suspension was justified on using their phones in the hallway without permission, using their phones for social media, and posting pictures of minors without consent.
A Norwegian ship becomes the third cruise ship to report a passenger with Covid-19 after resuming sailing. Guests and non-essential crew are currently quarantining on the ship in accordance with the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and the Norwegian Directorate of Health.
Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the leading voice of the global cruise industry, announced today that its ocean-going cruise line members have agreed to voluntarily suspend U.S. cruise operations until at least 31 October 2020.

The Barrow County School System, about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta, Georgia, has decided to start the school year with virtual learning after more than 90 staff members were forced to quarantine due to a confirmed or suspected case of Covid-19, or due to being exposed to someone who did. The school planned to start with both in-person and remote instruction August 17. Now, only virtual learning will be available.
New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announces Schools across New York can reopen for in-person instruction this fall, solidifying New York’s status as one of the few states in America that has a virus transmission rate low enough to bring children back into classrooms — not only in its rural communities but also in the country’s biggest city. Under the governor’s announcement, schools can decide to open as long as they are in a region where the average rate of positive coronavirus tests is below 5 percent over a two- week period. That threshold was recommended by the World Health Organization to begin general reopening and has recently been adopted by some school districts.
Steven MnuchinSteven MnuchinSteven Terner Mnuchin is an American investment banker, movie producer, and public official who is serving as the 77th United States Secretary of the Treasury as part of the Cabinet of Donald Trump. Previously, Mnuchin had been a hedge fund manager and investor. and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows met for the fifth day in a row with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck SchumerSen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY)Charles Ellis Schumer is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from New York, a seat to which he was first elected in 1998. A member of the Democratic Party, he has also served as the Senate minority leader since 2017. at the Capitol. Democrats insisted they were still open to negotiations and said they had already tried to make concessions, but White House officials suggested that — absent a dramatically new approach from the Democrats — they were done trying to craft a deal and wanted to move ahead with executive orders. no further meetings are scheduled.
Federal housing aid during the coronavirus pandemic disproportionately benefits white households over minorities, with Black households most at risk. The federal assistance favors homeowners over renters, and because white households are more likely to own homes — a long-standing trend with roots in racist housing policy — they have more access to aid. Black households are more likely to rent than any other group, so they will be hardest hit with evictions likely to proceed in states without moratoriums, including Texas and Georgia.
Today is the official start of the 80th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, where 250,000 people are expected to gather in the South Dakota town of that name for nine days.“Nobody is social distancing and none of them are wearing masks,” says local psychologist Michael Fellner. the South Dakota Health Department site, where offerings include a risk assessment for public gatherings, shows “Highest risk: Large, in-person gatherings where it is difficult for individuals to remain spaced at least 6 feet apart and attendees travel from multiple areas.”
Over the past months several states have seen incidents of violence against workers enforcing face mask policies. Now Gov. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois has signed a law that expands the definition of aggravated battery to include attacks against a retail worker who is conveying public health guidance, such as requiring patrons to wear face coverings or promoting social distancing. Illinois has almost 200,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and at least 7,600 people have died as a result of contracting the virus.

The US tops 5 million cases of coronavirus according to data collected by John Hopkins University. As experts have highlighted before, the true number of infections could be many times higher. The number means the country holds about a quarter of global cases of the virus and also tops the list with the most reported deaths in the world. Of the country’s 5,036,387 estimated cases, 162,851 have been deadly. To put the speed in which the number is growing in perspective: It took the country 99 days to reach 1 million, 43 days to hit 2 million, 28 days for 3 million and 15 days to surpass 4 million on July 23. The number has jumped to 5 million in 17 days.
A cluster of novel coronavirus cases has emerged at North Paulding High School, Pauling County, Georgia, the high school that drew national attention last week after students posted pictures and videos of their peers walking without mask in tightly packed hallways. Six students and three staff members have now reported testing positive for the virus.
As a result of positive cases, North Paulding High School will shift back to online classes for the next two days, then evaluate whether to continue with online classes or reopen for in-person classes.
A 17-year-old male employee at a theme park in Middletown Township, Pennsylvania, suffered an fractured jaw and lost a tooth when male and female suspects attacked him after he reminded them to wear a face mask due to the pandemic. Gov. Tom Wolf has required face masks when people will be in close contact with one another or indoors at public spaces.
Editorial Opinion: The last time the economy went over the cliff’s edge, in 2008, the federal government encased the banking system in plastic Bubble Wrap and allowed millions of Americans to lose their homes. It’s about to make the same mistake all over again.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announces Russia has become the first to approve a coronavirus vaccine, developed by the Gamaleya Institute in Moscow, with production and tens of thousands of inoculations to follow. However, China announced on July 22 it was beginning to inoculate high-risk groups with a vaccine that had not passed clinical trials.
Russia has confirmed 897,599 cases of coronavirus and 15,131 deaths.
The Big Ten Conference has postponed the 2020 football season because of safety concerns stemming from the novel coronavirus pandemic. Their decision also cancels all other fall sports — men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey and women’s volleyball. They have not made a decision regarding winter sports, such as men’s and women’s basketball, which begin their seasons in November.
The PAC-12 conference has canceled the football season — and all sports competition — until at least Jan. 1, 2021, succumbing to the pandemic after months of planning and hoping that its money maker could somehow be salvaged. The Pac-12 has played football every year since the conference’s inception in 1916: Five teams participated during the 1918 pandemic, while four schools played in 1943-44 during World War II.
Florida’s Covid-19 cases in children have increased 137% in past month. The total number of cases in children 17 and under rose from 16,797 on July 9 to 39,735 on August 9, according to Florida Department of Health data. Covid-19 hospitalizations among children in Florida rose from 213 to 436 during that same period, a 105% increase. Deaths among children rose from four to seven in Florida during that period.
With the continuation of travel and port restrictions due to global health concerns, Holland America Line is extending its pause of cruise operations and cancelling departures on all ships through Dec. 15, 2020. The pause extension affects Caribbean, Mexico, Panama Canal, Pacific Coastal, South America, Antarctica, Hawaii, South Pacific, Australia and Asia itineraries.

President Trump’s daily Coronavirus press conference.
In a televised interview, President Trump states he is blocking additional coronavirus relief funds because of Democrats’ push for an injection of funds into the U.S. Postal Service to expand voting by mail. He is opposed to providing funding to the Postal Service as a way of minimizing vote-by-mail in the upcoming November presidential elections.
Tweet: Trump this morning why he won’t fund US Postal Service. “Now they need that money in order to make the post office work so it can take all of these millions and millions of ballots … But if they don’t get those two items that means you can’t have universal mail-in voting.”
Tweet: Top WH Econ Adviser Larry KudlowLarry KudlowLawrence Alan Kudlow is the Director of the United States National Economic Council. He assumed that role in 2018 after previous employment as a financial analyst and a television financial news host. Kudlow began his career as a junior financial analyst at the New York Federal Reserve. weighs in on stimulus negotiations, says “voting rights … that’s not our game.”
More than 2,000 students, teachers and staff members across five states have been quarantined after at least 230 positive coronavirus cases were reported. It’s a grim start to the school year many hoped could mark the beginning of a return to normalcy, but one experts have long warned would come at a cost.
Texas officials have launched an investigation into why the statewide Covid-19 positive-test rate jumped to a record 24.5% on August 11. This afternoon, the health department posted on its website that the figure has plummeted to 16.08% as of August 12. No reason for the positivity surge was given. Governor Greg Abbott suggested one factor in the jump in the positivity rate may be that fewer Texans are seeking testing
Coronavirus testing in Texas and Florida has taken a nosedive since the middle of July. Epidemiologists worry that this shift means the states are flying in the dark just as their surveillance systems are urgently needed to detect any uptick in COVID-19 cases caused by school re-openings.
An analysis shows the increase in deaths in New York City during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic rivals the death toll there at the peak of the 1918 flu pandemic.

US Dept of Labor Report: The total number of people claiming initial jobless benefits for the week ending August 15 was 1.104 million, an increase of 971 thousand from the previous week.
Health experts say children make up more than 7% of all coronavirus cases in the US — while comprising about 22% of the country’s population — and the number and rate of child cases have been “steadily increasing” from March to July.
An Arizona school district had to delay its reopening after too many teachers refused to show up out of safety concerns amid the coronavirus pandemic. The J. O. Combs Unified School District, located southeast of Phoenix, voted earlier this week to return to in-person classes when the school year officially begins August 17. Superintendent Gregory Wyman announced Friday that the district would not open at all because 109 certified teachers out of 250 had put in for absences on the first day of school.
A White House task force report warns that the coronavirus spread in Georgia is “widespread and expanding” and “strongly recommends” a statewide mask mandate, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which obtained the report.

The first day of a planned four-day Democratic National Convention starts. The event is being held via online conferencing due to the risk of creating a Coronavirus Super-spreaderDefinitionThe term Super-spreader refers to a person who spreads a disease to a large number of people. Super-spreading events occur when a single person infects a large number of other people — sometimes 10, 20, sometimes even more in one setting. event.
Dr. Deborah BirxDr. Deborah BirxDeborah Leah Birx is an American physician and diplomat serving as the United States Global AIDS Coordinator for Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump since 2014; she has served as the Coronavirus Response Coordinator for the White House Coronavirus Task Force since 2020. tells reporters she would have liked to have seen the U.S. introduce stricter restrictions like Italy did to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Commentary from Dr. Sanjay GuptaDr. Sanjay GuptaSanjay Gupta is an American neurosurgeon, medical reporter, and writer. He serves as associate chief of the neurosurgery service at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, and as associate professor of neurosurgery at the Emory University School of Medicine and Chief Medical Correspondent for CNN. on Dr. Deborah BirxDr. Deborah BirxDeborah Leah Birx is an American physician and diplomat serving as the United States Global AIDS Coordinator for Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump since 2014; she has served as the Coronavirus Response Coordinator for the White House Coronavirus Task Force since 2020.‘s comment of wishing the US had locked down like Italy.
During a White House meeting with senior health officials, a meeting that was supposed to be about Covid-19 and the Strategic National Stockpile, Peter NavarroPeter NavarroPeter Kent Navarro is an American economist and author. He serves in the Trump administration as the Assistant to the President, Director of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, and the national Defense Production Act policy coordinator. aggressively confronted FDAAcronymFDA - The Food and Drug Administration is a federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments. officials, saying, “You are all Deep State and you need to get on Trump Time.” Sources familiar with the situation said Navarro has been venting at the FDAAcronymFDA - The Food and Drug Administration is a federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments. for weeks at what he perceives as its slowness to approve therapeutics to fight Covid-19 and help the U.S. “bring our medical supply chain home.”
President Trump points to New Zealand’s sudden surge of nine new Coronavirus cases, the first cases in several months, as a comparison to the tens of thousands of cases in the United States. He uses New Zealand as proof other countries also have difficulties in managing the Coronavirus pandemic.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, one of the largest schools in the country to bring students to campus for in-person teaching, announces that it will pivot to all-remote instruction for undergraduates after testing showed a pattern of rapid spread of the novel coronavirus. Officials announced the abrupt change just a week after classes began at the 30,000-student state flagship university. They said 177 cases of the dangerous pathogen had been confirmed among students, out of hundreds tested. Another 349 students were in quarantine, on and off campus, because of possible exposure to the virus.
The announcement was made in an email around 3:45 p.m. on Monday afternoon, less than two hours before a 5 p.m. deadline for fall tuition. According to the registrar’s office, withdrawal refunds are reduced to 80 percent after August 17.

President trump press conference, includes Coronavirus briefing. Also includes a discussion on QAnonQAnonTooltip content and trump’s endorsement of a group the FBI labeled a “Domestic terrorist organization” in 2019.
The FDAAcronymFDA - The Food and Drug Administration is a federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments. has placed an EUAAcronymAn Emergency Use Authorization in the United States is an authority granted to the Food and Drug Administration under sections of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act as added to and amended by various Acts of Congress, including by the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act of 2013. for blood plasma as a Covid-19 treatment on hold as more data is reviewed. Several top health officials led by Dr. Francis S. CollinsFrancis S. CollinsFrancis Sellers Collins is an American physician-geneticist who discovered the genes associated with a number of diseases and led the Human Genome Project. He is director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, United States. He has been elected to the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, and has received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of Science., Dr. Anthony FauciDr. Anthony FauciAnthony Stephen Fauci is an American physician and immunologist who has served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984, and Dr. H. Clifford LaneH. Clifford LaneH. Clifford Lane, M.D., serves as the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Deputy Director for Clinical Research and Special Projects. Dr. Lane’s responsibilities include directing the activities of the Division of Clinical Research, which supports and coordinates both intramural and extramural research involving human volunteers. He also functions as the NIAID liaison with the U.S. Departments of Defense and Homeland Security., argued that emerging data on the treatment was too weak. Clinical trials have not proved whether plasma can help people fighting the coronavirus. However, President Trump has hailed it as a “beautiful ingredient” in the veins of people who have survived Covid-19.
As the coronavirus pandemic rages across the United States, misinformation about vaccines and other health topics has been viewed an estimated 3.8 billion times on Facebook — four times more than authoritative content from institutions such as the WHOAcronymThe World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution, which establishes the agency's governing structure and principles, states its main objective as 'the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health. and the CDCAcronymCDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services. Researchers also found that Facebook pages promulgating misleading health information got even more traffic during the pandemic than at other times — reaching a one-year peak in April — despite Facebook’s policy of removing dangerous coronavirus-related misinformation and reducing the spread of other questionable health claims.
As wildfires burn across California, one of the big problems facing the state is that it has next to no one available to fight these wildfires. That’s because so much of California’s emergency wildfire personnel over the past few years have been comprised of California inmates. The problem is that state prison officials have had to place “12 of the state’s 43 inmate fire camps on lock-down” due to massive Covid-19 outbreaks in Northern California’s prison system.
One of the industries hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic is also one of the industries on which others rest, often invisibly. Without child care, parents struggle to do their own jobs. And child care is in a major crisis. One in five child care jobs has disappeared since February.The entire industry is at risk of collapsing, in desperate need of $9.6 billion per month in federal funding to survive the coronavirus crisis, according to the National Women’s Law Center’s Claire Ewing-Nelson.
A published study finds that some children have high levels of virus in their airways during the first three days of infection despite having mild symptoms or none at all — suggesting their role in community spread may be larger than previously believed.
Almost 600 Miami-Dade County, Florida, Public Schools employees have tested positive for the novel coronavirus from March through July. Last month, the teachers’ union announced at least one educator had died from the coronavirus. MDCPS has decided to start the 2020-21 school year fully online and pushed back its start date by a week to Aug. 31. School leaders will reassess by the end of September whether to open schools for in-person learning by Oct. 5.

Coronavirus cases linked to the 80th annual Sturgis motorcycle rally, held August 7-16 in South Dakota, have now reached across state lines to Nebraska. At least seven Covid-19 cases in Nebraska’s Panhandle region have been tied to the rally. At the time the rally was held, medical experts were concerned the annual rally would create a Super-spreaderDefinitionTooltip content event.
This week’s Democratic National Convention—which saw Kamala Harris and Joe Biden deliver their acceptance speeches to an empty convention hall, and then turn to giant Zoom screens to receive applause—has served as a high-profile reminder of just how radically the pandemic has reshaped the 2020 campaign. Many candidates have been encouraged to innovate and try new things. Some of these experiments will almost certainly be remembered as Covid-only tools, but many could outlast the virus.
Layoffs across the Las Vegas, Nevada, Strip properties continue, and one Strip restaurant is re-closing. Tourists spent $34.5 billion in Southern Nevada in 2018, directly supporting more than 234,000 tourism jobs. But tourism is nowhere near pre-pandemic levels. Tourism in June shows a 70.5 percent decline from June 2019.

A poll shows 57% of Republicans consider the number of American deaths from the coronavirus to be “acceptable.” other finding show 73% of Republicans consider America’s response to the pandemic “Going Well,” and 75% believe America is better off today than four years ago.
On the eve of the Republican National Convention where President Trump hopes to revive his flagging political fortunes, he will announce the emergency authorization of convalescent plasma for Covid-19, a treatment that already has been given to more than 70,000 patients. Many scientists and physicians believe that convalescent plasma might provide some benefit but is far from a breakthrough. It is rich in antibodies that could be helpful in fighting the coronavirus, but the evidence so far has not been conclusive about whether it works, when to administer it and what dose is needed.
President Trump press conference, announcing the emergency use authorization of blood plasma for Covid-19 treatment.
Lawrence O. GostinLawrence O. GostinLawrence O. Gostin is University Professor, Georgetown University’s highest academic rank conferred by the University President. Prof. Gostin directs the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law and is the Founding O’Neill Chair in Global Health Law. He served as Associate Dean for Research at Georgetown Law from 2004 to 2008. He is Professor of Medicine at Georgetown University and Professor of Public Health at the Johns Hopkins University. Prof. Gostin is also the Director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center on National and Global Health Law. Tweet: “Pressuring @US_FDA is actually asking agency to break the law. FDAAcronymFDA - The Food and Drug Administration is a federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments.‘s statutory charge is to approve drugs & vaccines only if safe & effective. The agency is the custodian of public health & safety. Its guide is solely science & evidence, not politics or elections. Full Stop.”
The pandemic recession is approaching a dire turning point. Without an extra $600 a week in unemployment assistance, many Americans are on the brink of not being able to pay rent or put food on the table.

In Boise, the first day of Idaho’s special legislative session erupted into chaos before it began. Dozens of unmasked protesters, some of them armed, shoved their way past state troopers to pack the gallery overlooking the state’s House of Representatives. After the confrontation with state troopers, which resulted in the shattering of a glass door, police backed off and made no arrests. Idaho currently has one of the highest rates of new Covid-19 cases per capita, particularly around Boise.
An analysis of anonymous cell phone data finds that 61% of all the counties in the U.S. have been visited by someone who attended the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota August 7-17. State health departments have reported 103 cases from people in South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin Nebraska, Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming and Washington. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, has defied calls to cancel large gatherings and opposes requirements to wear masks.
In a wild interview, Peter NavarroPeter NavarroPeter Kent Navarro is an American economist and author. He serves in the Trump administration as the Assistant to the President, Director of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, and the national Defense Production Act policy coordinator. is asked whether FDAAcronymFDA - The Food and Drug Administration is a federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments. commissioner Stephen Hahn was wrong on Covid-19 plasma treatment.
American Airlines Group Inc. said it would shed 19,000 workers Oct. 1, the first big wave of the tens of thousands of pilots, flight attendants, mechanics and other airline employees in jeopardy of losing their jobs when protections tied to federal aid to U.S. carriers expire this fall. American’s cuts are short of the 25,000 potential job losses it warned were possible last month. But together with retirements and temporary leaves of absence, the reductions will make the carrier about 30% smaller than it was in March.

President Trump’s Full Acceptance Speech at 2020 Republican National Convention
Republican National Convention ends with President Trump giving an acceptance speech from the White House, with about 1,500 gusts tightly packed on the South Lawn. None were wearing face masks, and social distancing was not practiced. Medical authorities said the White House setting offered potential dangers of community spread and set another bad example at a time when most infectious-disease experts are warning that the public must continue to wear masks, maintain social distancing and limit large gatherings.
Tweet: “On the lack of social distancing or face masks at Trump’s #RNC2020 acceptance speech in the middle of the deadly coronavirus pandemic, a senior White House official tells @Acosta : “Everybody is going to catch this thing eventually.”
Dr. Robert RedfieldDr. Robert RedfieldRobert R. Redfield, MD, is the 18th Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. He has been a public health leader actively engaged in clinical research and clinical care of chronic human viral infections and infectious diseases, especially HIV, for more than 30 years. sends a letter to the nation’s governors with an urgent request from the Trump administration to do everything in their power to eliminate hurdles for vaccine distribution sites, to be fully operational by Nov 1. The letter asks governors to fast-track permits and licenses for new distribution sites. “The normal time required to obtain these permits presents a significant barrier to the success of this urgent public health program,” Redfield wrote. The rush is putting pressure on state health systems already strapped for resources – and appears out of sync with the progress of ongoing clinical trials for coronavirus vaccines, which are still recruiting volunteers who will test the safety and effectiveness of the drugs.
The Covid-19 vaccine trial in Palm Beach County is on pause because of “political pressure,” its principal investigator says. Researchers said at a news conference Aug. 17 that they had received the trial vaccine and were ready to administer it to the first 10 test subjects. The news of the trial’s pause comes as Vice President Mike Pence told the nation at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday, August 26, that a vaccine would be available by the end of the year.
The governors of at least five states; New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Nevada and California; announce their states will not follow the new controversial coronavirus testing guidelines from the CDCAcronymCDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services On August 24 the CDCAcronymCDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services changed their guidelines to say that those who come into close contact with a known case of the virus but do not show symptoms “do not necessarily need a test” unless they are vulnerable or their doctor or a state or local public health official recommended one. Previously, the recommendations advised testing everyone who came into close contact with an infected individual.
Approximately 18,000 Las Vegas, Nevada, MGM Resorts employees will be laid off their jobs effective Aug. 31, according to a letter sent this morning by CEO Bill Hornbuckle. Las Vegas hotel-casinos were allowed to reopen June 4 but business has not been the same.
The FDAAcronymFDA - The Food and Drug Administration is a federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments. grants EUAAcronymAn Emergency Use Authorization in the United States is an authority granted to the Food and Drug Administration under sections of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act as added to and amended by various Acts of Congress, including by the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act of 2013. for a Covid-19 antigen test that works within about 15 minutes and does not require lab equipment to run, though it does still require a person to get a nasal swab from a healthcare professional. The tests correctly diagnose a coronavirus infection 97.1% of the time, with correct negative results at 98.5%.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) says that during a call with White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, she offered to drop the price tag on the top-line spending for Covid-19 relief legislation to $2.2 trillion, well down from the original $3.4 trillion. Meadows, Pelosi said, rejected the offer. The 25-minute phone call was the first significant contact the two have had since negotiations fell apart on August 7.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced Thursday that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will extend the moratoriums that were put in place on single-family foreclosures and on some evictions until at least December 31. The current moratoriums were set to expire on August 31. The temporary freeze on foreclosures applies to Fannie- or Freddie-backed, single-family mortgages only. The pause on evictions applies only to tenants who live in properties that have been acquired by Freddie or Fannie through foreclosure.
Employees say the biggest names in American business have banned them from alerting others to coronavirus outbreaks. The Covid gag rules are putting everyone at risk.

US Dept of Labor Report: The total number of people claiming initial jobless benefits for the week ending August 29 was 881 thousand, a decrease of 130 thousand from the previous week.
Coronavirus cases were growing by 5% or more, based on a weekly average, in 21 states and Washington D.C. Coronavirus cases in the Midwest are beginning to increase following warnings from top U.S. health officials that the country’s heartland could be vulnerable to new outbreaks. Several Midwestern states were among those reporting growing cases— Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio and South Dakota.
Veteran K-12 teachers in states across the U.S. are resigning and retiring at higher rates as schools begin reopening amid the coronavirus pandemic this fall, with educators citing the stress tied to remote learning, technical difficulties and Covid-19 health concerns. In New York State, teacher retirements are up 20 percent from 2019. St. Petersburg, Florida, district records showed there were 58 retirements and 252 resignations through the state employee “DROP” program this year.

As some schools begin in-person classes, data compiled by the American Academy of Pediatrics from the summer show that cases, hospitalizations and deaths from the coronavirus have increased at a faster rate in children and teenagers than among the general public. Although much is still unknown about how the virus affects young people, like adults, Black and Latino children who contract the virus are more likely to be hospitalized.
Scott W. AtlasScott W. AtlasScott W. Atlas, M.D. is the Robert Wesson Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University and a Member of Hoover Institution’s Working Group on Health Care Policy. He investigates the impact of government and the private sector on access, quality, and pricing in health care, global trends in health care innovation, and key economic issues related to the future of technology-based medical advances. He was a professor and Chief of Neuroradiology at Stanford University Medical Center from 1998 until 2012. He is presently advising the Trump administration on the Covid-19 pandemic., one of President Trump’s top medical advisers, is urging the White House to embrace a controversial “Herd ImmunityHerd ImmunityHerd immunity is a form of indirect protection from infectious disease that occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population has become immune to an infection, whether through vaccination or previous infections, thereby reducing the likelihood of infection for individuals who lack immunity.” strategy to combat the pandemic, which would entail allowing the coronavirus to spread through most of the population to quickly build resistance to the virus, while taking steps to protect those in nursing homes and other vulnerable populations. This is the model Sweden has used to respond to the virus outbreak.
Five sources close to the Trump administration report that Scott W. AtlasScott W. AtlasScott W. Atlas, M.D. is the Robert Wesson Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University and a Member of Hoover Institution’s Working Group on Health Care Policy. He investigates the impact of government and the private sector on access, quality, and pricing in health care, global trends in health care innovation, and key economic issues related to the future of technology-based medical advances. He was a professor and Chief of Neuroradiology at Stanford University Medical Center from 1998 until 2012. He is presently advising the Trump administration on the Covid-19 pandemic. has influenced administration policy on the August 24 CDC change in testing and on reopening schools. Sources also see Dr. Atlas’ influence behind the administration push to expedite the shipment of tests to nursing homes but not to the wider community, despite ongoing shortages. Dr Atlas reportedly calls himself the “anti-Dr. Anthony FauciDr. Anthony FauciAnthony Stephen Fauci is an American physician and immunologist who has served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984,” contrasting himself with the nation’s leading infectious disease specialist.
Jonathan Reiner Tweet: “Scott Atlas, the radiologist recruited to the admin after downplaying the pandemic on Fox News has been pushing for Herd ImmunityHerd ImmunityHerd immunity is a form of indirect protection from infectious disease that occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population has become immune to an infection, whether through vaccination or previous infections, thereby reducing the likelihood of infection for individuals who lack immunity.. To achieve this without a vaccine, about 250 million Americans would contract the virus and 1.5-2 million would die.”
Seventy-eight percent of Americans worry the Covid-19 vaccine approval process is being driven more by politics than science, according to a new survey from STAT and the Harris Poll, a reflection of concern that the Trump administration may give the green light to a vaccine prematurely. The response was largely bipartisan, with 72% of Republicans and 82% of Democrats expressing such worries, according to the poll, which was conducted last week and surveyed 2,067 American adults.
New York City’s restaurant industry is on the verge of a collapse without some sort of intervention from officials. According to a recent survey by the New York State Restaurant Association (NYSRA), 90% of New York’s restaurant owners say that it will be very or somewhat unlikely that their establishment will be profitable in the next six months. At the moment, the best hope for the industry lies with the RESTAURANTS Act, a bipartisan federal bill introduced this summer that would create a $120 billion fund to aid small and locally-owned restaurants, and would specifically cover the difference between revenues from 2019 and estimated revenues through the rest of the year.