Richard Bright, former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, testifies during a House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health hearing Thursday, May 14, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Greg Nash/Pool via AP)
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Trump blasts ’60 Minutes,’ HHS 'Fake Whistleblower' after broadcast
President Trump late Sunday accused CBS’ "60 Minutes" of putting the spotlight on another “Fake Whistleblower” who wants to inflict damage on his administration's coronavirus response in order to benefit the "Radical Left Democrats."
Rick Bright, who has a Ph.D. in virology and ran the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, reiterated earlier claims that the government was slow to respond to the unfolding pandemic and said the administration was instead worried about politics instead of science. He blamed Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar of not heeding early warning about the virus.
Bright told the show that there was a Jan. 23 meeting where he was the only person in the room who said, "We're going to need vaccines and diagnostics and drugs. It's going to take a while and we need to get started."
Bright told Norah O’Donnell, the "60 Minutes" correspondent, that his resistance to Trump’s push of hydroxychloroquine was what ultimately cost him his position at the agency. He told the House Energy and Commerce Committee last week that the nation could face “the darkest winter in modern history” if the virus rebounds.
Trump blasted the "60 Minutes" story as incorrect" and labeled Bright as a lying, disgruntled former employee.
"@60Minutes & third place anchor, @NorahODonnell, are doing everything in their power to demean our Country, much to the benefit of the Radical Left Democrats. Tonight they put on yet another Fake “Whistleblower”, a disgruntled employee who supports Dems, fabricates stories, &spews lies," he tweeted. Click here for more on our top story.
Other related developments:
- Trump discusses bombshell revelations in Flynn case in exclusive interview with Maria Bartiromo
- Azar fires back at HHS whistleblower: 'The president literally did what Bright is saying should be done'
- CNN's Kaitlan Collins spars with Trump after video shows her removing mask in WH briefing room
- Coronavirus: What you need to know
Dr. Tom Inglesby, Director of the Bloomberg School of Public Health at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
Coronavirus vaccine might be available this year, but don't 'bank on it,' Johns Hopkins health expert says
A vaccine for the novel coronavirus may arrive by the end of year, but don’t "bank on it," a top health expert from Johns Hopkins University said Sunday.
“We should hold out some level of hope that if everything goes in the right direction, we could possibly be seeing a vaccine by the end of the year,” Inglesby told host Chuck Todd.
“Given that there are now 110 vaccine projects going on around the world that all the major vaccine companies in the world are working on this in some way, and given that Tony Fauci and Moncef Slaoui are now leading figures in the U.S. in this project and they both believe it’s possible, I think it is possible,” he added. “But, everything would have to break in the right way, and there are many ways that it might not work. So, I don’t think we should bank on it.”
Fauci is a leading member of the White House coronavirus task force; President Trump chose Slaoui to lead the push to shorten the time needed to produce such a vaccine. Click here for more.
Other related developments:
- To get all the latest news on coronavirus and more delivered daily to your inbox, sign up here.
- Person with coronavirus attends Mother's Day religious service in California, exposes 180 to virus, health officials say
- China under-reported number of coronavirus cases, Chinese medical advisor says
California Gov. Gavin Newsom. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, Pool)
Democrat-imposed coronavirus orders face lawsuits across the nation
Stay-at-home orders aimed at reducing the spread of coronavirus are now facing legal challenges from residents and state officials alike, alleging that some measures – mostly put in place by Democrats -- go too far while the country gradually moves toward reopening.
California alone is facing at least a dozen lawsuits that include claims that the state under Gov. Gavin Newsom has unjustly closed down gun shops and religious services, infringed on freedoms of speech and assembly by restricting protests, and one case where a resident alleges that being forced to remain at home constitutes forced detention without due process.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is up against a lawsuit from Republicans in her state’s House and Senate over her extension of an already-strict emergency order that has regulated residents’ movement and closed businesses. Click here for more.
Other related developments:
- Reporter's Notebook: Battle over House Dems' coronavirus aid bill sends these messages
- Federal judge tells Los Angeles to find shelter for homeless near freeways, report says
- Elon Musk stirs the pot with cryptic 'red pill' tweet
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