Free Republic

The president and members of his task force are skeptical of the numbers and want the methodology changed. President Donald Trump and members of his coronavirus task force are pushing officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to change how the agency works with states to count coronavirus-related deaths. And they’re pushing for revisions that could lead to far fewer deaths being counted than originally reported, according to five administration officials working on the government’s response to the pandemic. Though he has previously publicly attested to the accuracy of the COVID-19 death count, the president in recent weeks...

Rose Garden   4:15 P.M. EDT  THE PRESIDENT:  We’re here today to provide an update on the unprecedented testing capacity developed by the United States — the most advanced and robust testing system anywhere in the world, by far.  This afternoon, I’ll also announce new steps that we’re taking to make tests even more widely available.To battle a virus, my administration marshaled every resource at our nation’s disposal: public, private, military, economic, scientific, and industrial — all at your disposal.  We launched the largest manufacturing ramp-up since the Second World War.  There’s been nothing like it since.At the center...

Three members of the White House coronavirus task force are self-isolating for two weeks after possible exposure to the illness. Dr Anthony Fauci, who has become the public face of the fight against the virus in the US, is one of those who will go into quarantine. The 79-year-old will work from home for the time being and will be regularly tested, the institute said. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Dr Robert Redfield and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner Stephen Hahn are also self-isolating. In a statement, the CDC said Dr Redfield, 68, had no symptoms...

The left's position on the nation's proper response to the pandemic, though shrouded in the language of compassion, is incoherent and morally repugnant virtue signaling. Since this calamity began, many national Democratic leaders, the left-wing media and various never-Trumpers have been more interested in smearing President Donald Trump -- no change there -- than helping to solve the myriad problems caused by the coronavirus. They wanted it both ways. President Trump was doing too much, and he wasn't doing enough. Before the outbreak, numerous Democrats were downplaying the virus and condemning Trump as a racist for his China and Europe...

Democrats were quick to condemn the Trump administration Tuesday following comments from Vice President Mike Pence that the White House is in talks to potentially wind down its coronavirus task force, transferring its responsibilities to agencies like the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as early as Memorial Day or early June. An official told Fox News that the members of the task force will continue to provide input, but the group will not be meeting as regularly as they had been at the outset of the pandemic. The official added that the White House’s focus was shifting toward vaccines, therapeutics,...

The White House coronavirus task force will start to wind down later this month, a senior White House official told CNN on Tuesday. The official said the task force "will be phased down around Memorial Day. We will continue to have key medical experts advising (President Donald Trump) daily and accessible to press throughout the coming months ahead." The New York Times first reported the White House's plan to wind down the task force. The move would quash the most visible nerve center for the federal government's response to the virus. But a senior administration official told CNN to expect...

The White House plans to wind down its coronavirus task force in coming weeks, the New York Times reported on Tuesday, adding it is not clear whether another group might replace the task force headed by Vice President Mike Pence and made up of health and logistics officials. Officials in President Donald Trump’s administration are telling task force members and their staff to expect the group to wind down within weeks, according to the Times. Reuters did not immediately confirm the report.

C-SPAN is publishing inaccurate transcripts of President Donald Trump’s remarks during the vitally important national coronavirus task force daily briefings. Yes, really. So Trump is being falsely attacked for what Trump never said (again). The worst of it, lately, is Trump asking questions to scientists. Those questions have been transformed into statements that Trump never made. But as I endeavored to clear up the fog, I was shocked to discover that C-SPAN’s textual transcript are the source of the confusion. The quotes that Trump haters are throwing around happen to be accurate reports of the inaccurate C-SPAN transcript. Not everyone...

James S. Brady Press Briefing RoomApril 24, 2020 5:39 P.M. EDTTHE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much, everyone.  Thank you.  We continue to see evidence that our aggressive strategy is working and working at a very high level.  Nationwide, the percent of tests that come back positive has declined very significantly.Last week, roughly 38 percent of the tests in New York were positive.  This week, that number is down to 28 percent.  New cases in New York are down 50 percent compared to a week ago.  And fatalities are down 40 percent over the same period.  In Louisiana, the rate...

Rose Garden5:38 P.M. EDTTHE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Thank you. Today I’d like to provide you with an update in our war against the coronavirus. Thanks to our comprehensive strategy and extraordinary devotion to our citizens — we’ve had such tremendous support all over — we continue to see encouraging signs of progress.Cases in New York area, New Orleans, Detroit, Boston, and Houston are declining. Denver, Seattle, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Nashville, Indianapolis, and St. Louis are all stable and declining. All parts of the country are either in good shape, getting better. In all cases, getting better. And...

George Webb is one of the strongest and most knowledgeable investigators into Deep State. Those that have followed him in the past know that he unearths tons of material facts connected with deep state movements, tactics, countermoves. Webb nee Sweigart was one of the first to uncover the Awan spy ring in Congress, Uranium 1, the Gulftainer deal, and just about everything else in between. He was instrumental in bringing attention to McCabe as a Dirty Cop who oversaw massive corruption within the FBI and who himself was and is massively corrupt. The level of detail and depth of his...

Up at the Whitehouse.gov live streaming site, a Trump press conference for 5PM Eastern. https://www.whitehouse.gov/live/

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room5:48 P.M. EDTTHE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much.  Later this evening, we expect the House to pass the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act.  I’m grateful that Congress is answering my call to deliver these additional $320 billion in relief for the American worker and for small businesses.At a time when many Americans are enduring significant economic challenges, this bill will help small businesses to keep millions of workers on the payroll.  You see states are starting to open up now, and it’s very exciting to see.  I think it’s very awe-inspiring. ...

Presser will prolly start close to 6:00. That's been the usual case.

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room  6:10 P.M. EDTTHE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much.  Appreciate it.  A lot of tremendous things are happening.  The number of new positive cases continue to decline nationwide.  Recent hotspots appear to be stabilizing.  The hotspots are, in some cases, very interesting what’s going on.  And they’re going down; they’re going in the right direction.  Cases in the Boston area are now declining.  The Chicago curve appears to have flattened, which is terrific.  And Detroit is past its peak.These trends demonstrate that our aggressive strategy to battle the virus is working and that more...

Direct link to the White House feed. No interruptions, no cutaways. These pressers usually start 35 minutes to one hour late.

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room5:46 P.M. EDTTHE PRESIDENT:  Well, thank you very much everyone.  We had a very big day today.  I want to start by saying that our love and prayers of every American continue to be with our fellow citizens who have lost a cherished friend or a family member to the virus.Amidst our grief, we’re making tremendous strides against this invisible enemy.  Thanks to our aggressive campaign against the virus and the extraordinary talent of our medical professionals, our mortality rate remains roughly half of that of many other countries and one of the lowest...

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room 5:39 P.M. EDT  THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much everyone.  Thank you.  Following the release of our reopening guidelines, governors across the country are looking forward to phase one and announcing plans for an economic resurgence; we’re going to have a resurgence, too.  At a time when millions of American workers and families are struggling with the financial consequences of the virus, it’s critical to continue the medical war while reopening the economy in a safe and responsible fashion.During this time, Americans must maintain strict vigilance and continue to practice careful hygiene, social...

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room  April 19, 2020 6:28 P.M. EDTTHE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much.  I’d like to begin by saying that we’re continuing to negotiate with the Democrats to get our great workers and small businesses all over the country taken care of.  I think we — we’re getting close to a deal.  It could happen.  It could happen.  A lot of good work has been going on, and we could have an answer tomorrow.  And we’re going to see what — what exactly does take place.We’re also looking at helping our hospitals and our rural...

Daily press briefing of the coronavirus task force scheduled to start at 5:45. Http://whitehouse.gov/live/