Cut to the News
Cut through the clutter to today's top news
October 5, 2020
Good morning
Welcome to today's top news.
Leading the News . . .
Trump did not disclose initial positive test . . . President Trump didn’t disclose a positive result from a rapid test for Covid-19 on Thursday while awaiting the findings from a more thorough coronavirus screening, according to people familiar with the matter. Mr. Trump received a positive result on Thursday evening before making an appearance on Fox News in which he didn’t reveal those results. Instead, he confirmed earlier reports that one of
his top aides had tested positive for coronavirus and mentioned the second test he had taken that night for which he was awaiting results. “I’ll get my test back either tonight or tomorrow morning,” Mr. Trump said during the interview. At 1 a.m. on Friday, the president tweeted that he indeed had tested positive. Wall Street Journal
President was the target of doctor's positive update . . . White House officials and members of Donald Trump's medical team indicated on Sunday the positive reports about the president's health were being given to keep his spirits up as he battled COVID at Walter Reed Medical Center. The confusion about the president's health condition came after White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows offered a contradictory statement on Saturday to
what the doctors treated Trump said. Trump's personal physician Dr. Sean Conley said the president was doing 'very well' but Meadows told reporters after the briefing that Trump had a 'very concerning' situation on Friday and the next few days would be critical. White House communications director Alyssa Farah indicated Conley's positive comment about Trump doing well was directed to the president, who is known to watch the briefings, while Meadows wanted to give additional
information in the name of being 'transparent.' Daily Mail
Trump gets steroid treatment earlier than most . . . Details of President Trump’s symptoms and treatment provided by his medical team suggest his condition is progressing along the course of other patients of his age and risk factors, but his doctors appear to be administering
dexamethasone earlier in the course of treatment than they would with other patients, say physicians experienced in treating Covid-19. “We’ve learned that he’s required oxygen, and that he’s had a fever and a cough,” says Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious-disease specialist and professor of medicine at the University of California San Francisco “All those things in a 74-year-old who is slightly obese and male, makes me worry about him.” Wall Street Journal
Pence test negative again Sunday . . . Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen, have against tested negative again for COVID-19 just days after President Trump and the first lady were diagnosed with the virus, White House officials confirmed to Fox
News. Pence and the second lady first tested negative for the virus on Friday. Pence is expected to continue campaigning this week with no changes to protocols meant to keep him from getting infected. The vice president is set to debate Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris on Wednesday night in Salt Lake City. Fox News
President says he has learned a lot about the virus . . . He said he's been visiting soldiers at the military hospital and has learned a lot about COVID, which has infected more than 7 million Americans. 'It's been a very interesting journey. I learned a lot about COVID. I learned
by really going to school. This is the real school,' he said. 'In the meantime, we love the USA and we love what's happening. Thank you.' Daily Mail
Trump waves to supporters in drive-by near Walter Reed . . . President Trump waved to supporters Sunday in a quick ride outside the hospital where he is battling COVID-19, hours after his doctors said he could be discharged by Monday if his bout with the disease improves
under a mix of drug therapies. Though behind glass, it was Mr. Trump’s first public appearance — aside from Twitter — since he departed the White House late Friday to be admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Washington Times
Of course, the press has made this a scandal too, questioning whether Trump could have gotten his driver sick as they spent five minute in the car together with masks.
Trump campaign hosts call to prayer . . . The Trump campaign is employing the power of prayer as President Trump and first lady Melania Trump recover from the coronavirus. In a Sunday email, the campaign announced it was hosting a "Call to Prayer" for the first couple, both of
whom announced they tested positive for COVID-19 in early Friday morning tweets. "Please join Lara Trump for a Call to Prayer tonight along with Pastor Paula White-Cain, Cisse Graham Lynch, Pastor Jentezen Franklin, Pastor Ramiro Pena and Bishop Harry Jackson," the email reads. Washington Examiner
Today's Trump Schedule
There was a suggestion he might go home today, but it's not on the schedule at this point.
Trump's VIP care could hurt him . . . It’s a well-established phenomenon with its own name: V.I.P. Syndrome. Wealthy and well-known patients often have easy access to the most cutting-edge medical treatments. Taking care of high-profile personalities can put physicians under added public pressure, increasing the incentive to try out highly touted new medicines and procedures. The aggressive embrace of exotic and unproven therapies can be a
double-edged sword if it leads doctors to bypass standard care. Disease has no regard for prestige or political power. Experimental treatments often don’t hold up with more time and study. Still, the temptation to take every available measure is strong. Bloomberg
Nine US states see record growth in Covid-19 cases . . . Nine U.S. states have reported record increases in COVID-19 cases over the last seven days, mostly in the upper Midwest and West where chilly weather is forcing more activities indoors. On Saturday alone, four states - Kentucky, Minnesota, Montana and Wisconsin - saw record increases in new cases and nationally nearly 49,000 new infections were reported, the highest
for a Saturday in seven weeks, according to a Reuters analysis. Kansas, Nebraska, New Hampshire, South Dakota and Wyoming also set new records for cases last week. New York is one of only 18 states where cases have not risen greatly over the past two weeks, according to a Reuters analysis. Reuters
Officials racing to contact 206 guests who attended Trump New Jersey fundraiser . . . Health officials in New Jersey are scrambling to contact at least 206 people who attended a Thursday fundraiser with President Donald Trump after the Republican National Committee provided only
email addresses for those on the guest list, according to two people familiar with the effort. The attendee list provided by the RNC didn’t include phone numbers or physical addresses — something health officials interviewed by POLITICO said will be necessary to quickly alert individuals of potential exposure to the coronavirus. Politico
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Biden leads Trump by ten as Americans say he could have avoided virus . . . Democrat Joe Biden opened his widest lead in a month in the U.S. presidential race after President Donald Trump tested positive for the coronavirus, and a majority of Americans think Trump could have avoided infection if he had taken the virus more seriously, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Sunday. The Oct. 2-3 national opinion poll gave little indication of
an outpouring of support for the president beyond Trump’s core group of followers, some of whom have gathered outside Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where the president has been hospitalized. Among those adults who are expected to cast ballots in the Nov. 3 election, the poll found that 51% were backing Biden, while 41% said they were voting for Trump. Reuters
Tom Cotton: Coronavirus will not stop Barrett confirmation . . . Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton (R) said Sunday that he has "no doubt" the Senate GOP's efforts to confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court will go on as planned despite the positive diagnosis for coronavirus
reported by several senators who attended her nomination event last week. Cotton said the Senate's business would remain on track despite several GOP senators testing positive for COVID-19 following last weekend's event. The Hill
Michigan AG will not enforce Whitmer lockdown orders . . . Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said Sunday she will not continue to enforce Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s executive orders “through criminal prosecution” after the state Supreme Court ruled the orders unconstitutional Friday.
“In light of the Supreme Court’s decision on Friday, the Attorney General will no longer enforce the Governor’s Executive Orders through criminal prosecution,” read a statement from Nessel’s press secretary. However, the statement also noted that Nessel’s “fervent hope” is that “people continue to abide by
the measures that Governor Whitmer put in place – like wearing face masks, adhering to social distancing requirements and staying home when sick – since they’ve proven effective at saving lives.” Daily Caller
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US countering China dominance in minerals needed for tech . . . The U.S. government is ramping up efforts to secure minerals critical to modern technology but whose supply is dominated by China—a stranglehold that miners warn could take years to break.
In recent years, the U.S. and other Western nations have invested in projects and approved licenses to mine these resources—essential for the production of electric vehicles, cellphones and wind turbines—an effort these countries are now accelerating given how far they still trail China. Last week President Trump
signed an executive order declaring a national emergency and authorizing the use of the Defense Production Act to speed the development of mines. Wall Street Journal
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Researchers who discovered Hepatitis-C virus when Nobel . . . Two Americans and a Briton won the 2020 Nobel Prize for Medicine on Monday for identifying the Hepatitis C virus, in work spanning decades that has helped to limit the spread of the fatal disease and develop antiviral drugs to cure it. The discoveries by scientists Harvey Alter, Charles Rice and Briton Michael Houghton meant there was now a chance of eradicating the
Hepatitis C virus, which causes cirrhosis and liver cancer, the award-giving body said. The three share the 10 million Swedish crowns ($1.1 million) award for discovering and proving that a blood-borne virus could cause Hepatitis C, which afflicts 78 million people every year and causes 400,000 deaths. Reuters
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Stocks recover on signs of Trump's improving health . . . Stocks and other risk assets rose on Monday as signs that Donald Trump’s health was improving brought relief to markets after the uncertainty of his COVID-19 infection sent investors rushing for safety last week. The U.S. President, 74, was flown to a hospital for treatment on Friday, but his doctors said he had responded well and could return to the White House as soon as
on Monday. The MSCI world equity index, which tracks shares in 49 countries, was up 0.4% by 0812 GMT, supported by overnight gains across Asia and a positive start in Europe. Reuters
Regal Cinemas suspends operations . . . The second-largest cinema chain in the U.S. is closing all of its locations nationwide after reopening in August, escalating the pandemic-driven crisis facing the entertainment industry. Regal Entertainment Group’s decision to suspend operations at its more than 500 locations this coming Thursday follows a cascade of postponements for big-budget Hollywood films, most recently the
James Bond title “No Time to Die.”The studio behind the film, MGM Holdings Inc., said Friday that it was delaying the film for the second time, to next April from this November. Wall Street Journal
I guess they delayed the movie because this is no time to die.
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Chicago records deadliest September in a quarter century . . . Last month, Chicago recorded its deadliest September in more than 25 years as the city approaches 600 homicides in 2020 with a quarter of the year still left to go. The Chicago Police Department on Thursday reported there were 81 homicides last month — the most for any September since 1993 when there were 84 — as well as 309 shooting incidents and 400
victims. The department said overall crime is down 7% year-to-date in 2020 compared to last year, but thus far the number of homicides (50% increase) and shootings (51% increase) remain well above 2019 figures. WTTW Chicago
Do those black lives matter?
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Woman arrested for using six children to steal Trump campaign signs . . . A woman in upstate New York was arrested Sunday for allegedly using six children to steal Trump campaign signs from people’s homes, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. Deana Algarin, 45, is charged with six counts of endangering the welfare of a child, criminal possession of stolen property,
petit larceny, marijuana possession, as well as two citations for seatbelt violations involving children less than 15 years old. A New York State police officer pulled over Algarin on Highway 103 after Montgomery County Dispatchers were able to locate her vehicle. The campaign signs were located inside her vehicle, the sheriff’s office said. Fox News
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Keith
Keith Koffler
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