President Donald Trump’s fourth White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, made her podium debut yesterday and promised reporters that she would never lie. McEnany continued with the press conference, where she proceeded to lie.

It was Associated Press reporter Jill Colvin who critically asked McEnany if she pledged never to lie while addressing the media. 

“I will never lie to you,” McEnany responded. “You have my word on that.”

"I will never lie to you. You have my word on that." — Kayleigh McEnany during her first press briefing as press secretary (bookmark this) pic.twitter.com/PqUhRAWiun

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 1, 2020

McEnany’s premiere at the podium included a litany of untruths and/or false claims, including about the protests in Michigan, claims against China, and the origins of COVID-19, Michael Flynn, and the Mueller investigation. 

When asked about Vice President Mike Pence’s recent comments in which he believes Flynn may have unintentionally misled him, McEnany responded, “I’ve seen a whole lot of scant information about Michael Flynn, when there was a whole lot of speculation about ‘Russia, Russia, Russia’ culminating in $40 million of taxpayer money being lost and the complete and total exoneration of President Trump.”

However, Mueller’s investigative report said he did not wholly exonerate Trump, and the Justice Department said the investigation cost $32 million.
Another reporter asked McEnany why Trump would call the armed militia protesters in Michigan “very good people.” She said, “The president was referencing generally that in this country, you have a First Amendment right to protest.” But his tweet clearly did not reference anything about the First Amendment.

The Governor of Michigan should give a little, and put out the fire. These are very good people, but they are angry. They want their lives back again, safely! See them, talk to them, make a deal.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 1, 2020

She was also asked about the origins of COVID-19, including a report in the New York Times which alleges that Trump administration officials want to push a theory that COVID-19 originated in a Wuhan lab, an approach that the president  speculated about himself. McEnany responded by saying, “I can assure you that no one is pressing the intelligence community to come to a determination.”

McEnany’s debut was the first White House press briefing in more than a year. In April, McEnany replaced Stephanie Grisham, who never addressed reporters with an official White House briefing during her 281 days on the job. Prior to Grisham was Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who held her post for a year and 340 days. Trump’s first press secretary was Sean Spicer, who said in 2017 that he never “knowingly” lied to the media or the public.

Trump has yet to comment on McEnany’s first briefing.

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President Donald Trump is erroneously touting COVID-19 cures, from hydroxychloroquine — which he’s no longer promoting because the medication didn’t work — to disinfectant and ultraviolet light. What’s more distressing is that Trump’s shocking remedies didn’t come to him out of thin air. 

Just last week, Mark Grenon, a church leader in Florida, wrote to Trump and told him that bleach was a “miracle cure” and “a wonderful detox that can kill 99% of the pathogens in the body,” and added that the disinfectant could “rid the body of COVID-19,” the Guardian reported. It is unknown if Trump read the letter, but now Cristina Cuomo is saying bleach is helping her treat her coronavirus diagnosis as well.

Cristina, wife of CNN reporter Chris Cuomo and sister-in-law to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, tested positive for COVID-19 and said she used a bleach bath as a way to battle the virus. 

“Why the bath?” Cristina wrote on her blog. “To combat the radiation and metals in my system and oxygenate it.”

Her doctor reportedly told her, “We want to neutralize heavy metals because they slow up the electromagnetic frequency of our cells, which is our energy field, and we need a good flow of energy. Clorox is sodium chloride — which is technically salt. Clorox is made by introducing an electric current to water and sodium chloride (saline), creating sodium hypochlorite. There is no danger in doing this. It is a simple naturopathic treatment that has been used for over 75 years to oxygenate the cells,” and added, “Household bleach is not chlorine.” Clorox, however, disagrees with that statement. On their website, Clorox stated, bleach is not “recommended for personal hygiene of any kind.”

Anti-vaxxers and autism skeptics have also been dangerously using bleach as a form of medicine for quite some time. The bleach substance that is being hailed by anti-vaxxers is called Miracle Mineral Solution, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made a stern warning last year telling people not to drink it. 

“If you’re drinking ‘Miracle’ or ‘Master’ Mineral Solution or other sodium chlorite products, stop now. The FDA has received many reports that these products, sold online as ‘treatments,’ have made consumers sick.”

After receiving numerous reports of consumers getting sick, the FDA warns you not to drink sodium chlorite products such as Miracle Mineral Solution. These products turn into bleach and can make you sick. https://t.co/SOMBKab4Vp

— U.S. FDA (@US_FDA) August 12, 2019

Last year, NBC reported that parents were orally and anally administering bleach-based treatments to their children to cure them of their autism. Others claim bleach can cure diabetes and AIDS. Parents discussed a procedure in a Facebook group and shared how their children were reacting to it. 

“Have not been able to get 5 year old to cooperate with enemas,” a mother from Massachusetts wrote, according to NBC News. Another said the enema “broke in half” as their child tried to escape. 

Medical advice against bleach has not stopped some from believing that it is the cure for COVID-19 or other health issues. When Trump, who once theorized that vaccines caused autism and now is pro-vaccines, “sarcastically” said that disinfecting could be a coronavirus cure, Jordan Sather, a QAnon conspiracy movement leader with more than 150,000 followers, praised the president for touting bleach as a “cure.”

“Do you realize how freaking cheap and easy it would be to mass produce chlorine dioxide for 100,000’s of people?” Sather said in a now-deleted tweet. “We could wipe out COVID quick! The biggest hurdle is education, which is difficult with how s–t our media is. Doctors should be learning about this stuff,” he tweeted after the president’s remarks.

Chlorine Dioxide is a “bleaching disinfectant” that’s often added to municipal water systems to make water SAFE to drink.

And here the fake news media and the “medical experts” they work with are telling you that you may die from drinking something like it.

That one’s a doozie

— Jordan Sather (@Jordan_Sather_) April 24, 2020

Twitter deleted Sather’s tweet and said the company would be removing some coronavirus tweets that might be harmful. 

“We’re prioritizing the removal of COVID-19 content when it has a call to action that could potentially cause harm. As we’ve said previously, we will not take enforcement action on every Tweet that contains incomplete or disputed information about COVID-19,” the company said in a statement provided to Business Insider.  

Soon after Trump suggested people ingest disinfectant, the manufacturer of Lysol and Dettol, released a statement saying, “as a global leader in health and hygiene products, we must be clear that under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body (through injection, ingestion or any other route).” 

Science experts also weighed in about the dangers of exposure to ultraviolet light. In an interview with the Seattle-Times, Brian Heimbuch, a biologist, said that he’s been getting multiple calls from “nurses to some guy building a UVC box in their basement.” He said out of the three “types of ultraviolet light, UVC is the deadly one.” He added, “It scares me that people are going to hurt themselves with UVC.” 

While Trump is claiming sarcasm as his way out of giving unwarranted medical advice, he might see the error of his ways because, during Friday’s press conference, he did not take any questions from reporters. According to sources speaking to CNN, Trump is being advised by his top aides to stop appearing in daily White House briefings, because the long-winded nature of the briefings may be hurting him more than helping. 

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President Donald Trump claimed on Friday that when he was discussing possible COVID-19 cures during a press conference and posed a question about whether disinfectant could be injected or ingested that he was being sarcastic “just to see what would happen.” However, the video of Trump asking about disinfectant and testing a “very powerful light” to be shone “either through the skin or in some other way” as coronavirus treatment doesn’t seem particularly sarcastic. Perhaps the president doesn’t understand the meaning of the word? In response to Trump’s claim, Merriam-Webster tweeted out its definition: “Sarcasm: a sharp and often satirical or ironic utterance designed to cut or give pain.” Why would Trump want to inflict a comedic jab when the U.S. has more than 900,000 people diagnosed with COVID-19 and another 50,000 have died from it?

 Trump’s tactic of claiming “sarcasm” isn’t a new strategy. He has used bad-mannered jokes numerous times before as their get-out-of-jail card as a last resort when they’ve been called-out about lying or being offensive. 

In late March, when Trump was informed that Sen. Mitt Romney was in quarantine after being exposed to Sen. Rand Paul, who had tested positive for COVID-19, he told a reporter, “Gee, that’s too bad,” according to the Washington Post. The reporter then asked Trump, “Do I detect sarcasm there, sir?” Trump replied, “No, none whatsoever.” A couple of days later, when Romney shared that he had tested negative for COVID-19, the president, actually employing sarcasm correctly, tweeted, “This is really great news! I am so happy I can barely speak. He may have been a terrible presidential candidate and an even worse U.S. Senator, but he is a RINO, and I like him a lot!” Trump refers to Romney as a “RINO,” which means “Republican In Name Only,” because the Utah senator has spoken against the president and voted to impeach him.

This is really great news! I am so happy I can barely speak. He may have been a terrible presidential candidate and an even worse U.S. Senator, but he is a RINO, and I like him a lot! https://t.co/42zpWW9vzy

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 25, 2020

While Trump may be misusing sarcasm, some of his fellow Republicans are really nailing it. It’s evident most Republican politicians have not taken the coronavirus seriously, not at the beginning of the shutdown and indeed not now, as some Republican governors are opening their states far too soon and against the advice of medical experts. Take, for example, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who wore a gas mask on the House floor in early March. He tweeted the image and said, “Reviewing the coronavirus supplemental appropriation and preparing to go vote.”

Reviewing the coronavirus supplemental appropriation and preparing to go vote. pic.twitter.com/wjJ4YY4VZz

— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) March 4, 2020

On March 11, Matt Bevin, former Kentucky governor, tweeted, “BREAKING NEWS: Chicken Little has just confirmed that the sky IS indeed falling… Everyone is advised to take cover immediately and to bring lots of toilet paper with them when they do so…”

BREAKING NEWS:

Chicken Little has just confirmed that the sky IS indeed falling…

Everyone is advised to take cover immediately and to bring lots of toilet paper with them when they do so…

— Matt Bevin (@MattBevin) March 11, 2020

Following suit, on March 16, Texas Rep. Chip Roy — who voted against the coronavirus relief package — said, in a now-deleted tweet, “The only thing missing from the #PelosiDeal is free toilet paper for all.”

No one is actually buying that Trump was being sarcastic with his suggestions that Americans drink disinfectant and inject light into their bodies, not even his allies at Fox News. “Please don’t try this at home,” Fox Business anchor Stuart Varney said. 

Last month, the National Republican Congressional Committee had already warned their members not to make light of the coronavirus. 

“At times like this you need to ask yourself if your press release or snarky comment are in poor taste,” the National Republican Congressional Committee wrote. You should hold your applause for the National Republican Congressional Committee because, on April 17, they issued another memo instructing their followers on how to deflect any blame onto China, while also informing them how to handle “accusations of racism.” 
Trump’s history of lying and being offensive — then attributing it to being sarcastic — has been long documented thanks to his Twitter account and countless video footage. From delivering a six-page angry letter/Christmas card to Democrats before the impeachment vote, or making comments about former presidents, such as saying he “never thought” Jimmy Carter “was alive as president”, or calling himself “the chosen one.” Trump can’t think we’re clueless to his tone and mental state.

When I looked up to the sky and jokingly said “I am the chosen one,” at a press conference two days ago, referring to taking on Trade with China, little did I realize that the media would claim that I had a “Messiah complex.” They knew I was kidding, being sarcastic, and just….

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 24, 2019

The reality is that the White House and Trump’s lackeys have handled this pandemic utterly wrong. Trump’s callous suggestion about disinfectant or using other forms of unproven medication is irresponsible and dangerous. There’s no room for sarcasm during a national time of panic anyway.

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Imagine driving 16 hours for a medical procedure during a pandemic when you’re supposed to be sheltering in place. That is the reality for Texans after Gov. Greg Abbott effectively banned abortions in the state in the wake of COVID-19. 

In mid-March, most of the country was under a stay-at-home mandate. Governors across the U.S. ordered the majority of businesses to close, and that included putting a hold on non-essential surgical and elective procedures to reserve personal protective equipment (PPE) for doctors assisting patients with the coronavirus. For some Republican governors, including in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas, that included abortions. Violators in Texas faced prison time and a $1,000 fine. On April 17, Abbott lifted the ban on non-essential surgical and elective procedures, which meant that people could conduct their medical services starting on April 24, but his order did not include abortions. 

Less than a month since Abbott issued a shutdown in Texas, medical workers at Planned Parenthoods in Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada report they have seen a 706% increase in patients from Texas. Between March 23 and April 14, these clinics had 129 patients from Texas, compared to February, when they only had 16 from Texas, NPR reports. 

“It clearly shows that when individuals aren’t able to access abortion care in their own state, they will travel — or at least the patients who have the means to travel will travel,” Dr. Kristina Tocce, medical director at Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, told NPR. 

The travel issue then becomes problematic. Patients who are forced to travel and leave their home risk coming into contact with COVID-19 or possibly contaminating others because they’re making multiple stops along their route. They then risk bringing the virus back to Texas. 

To complicate matters even more for women when time is of the essence is the issue over whether doctors will be able to conduct abortions in Texas which is constantly changing.

On March 25, the fight between Planned Parenthood and Abbott began when Texas abortion providers filed an emergency lawsuit to ensure that patients could continue to access essential, time-sensitive abortion services. Weeks later, the battle rages on in the court system. On April 15, Planned Parenthood got a bit of good news when the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals backed down from its stay of a lower court’s temporary restraining order that had protected access to medication abortions under Abbott’s COVID-19 order. So for now, this means medical abortions — a two-pill process — will once again be available in Texas. But of course, it could all change. 

“It has become a day by day, week to week fight for people whose health care cannot wait,” Alexis McGill Johnson, acting president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a released statement. “Planned Parenthood and its partners have never wavered in the facts: abortion is safe, necessary, and time-sensitive. While this is a very temporary relief for some Texans, many others still cannot access time-sensitive abortion procedures. As people try and navigate their new realities under a pandemic — job loss, quarantining with abusive partners, or still having to work essential jobs — we need more abortion access, not less. This fight is far from over.”
For anyone seeking sexual health care, Planned Parenthood announced this week that they would be providing services by phone or video to patients in all 50 states by the end of April.

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One of the first heroes to emerge from the U.S. coronavirus outbreak is California Rep. Katie Porter. In early March, she and her white erase board went viral after she brilliantly took down the heads of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during a congressional hearing and made sure they vowed to pay for COVID-19 testing. Now, in a new interview with Samantha Bee, it looks like the freshman congresswoman will be raising more hell in the months to come. 

“Are you exhausted from appearing in every Republican’s nightmares?” Bee asked Porter during a video-streamed interview. 

Porter nonchalantly replied, “No, that’s a very comfortable role for me.” And, with a deadpan expression, she added, “If you’re full of bullshit, I’m coming for ya. I just don’t have time. I’m a single mom. The dinner’s burning. I’m late to something. I have 4,000 emails. My hair is frizzy. I haven’t shaved my legs in a week. No bullshit.” The host of TBS’s Full Frontal breathed a sigh of relief. 

I did the math: a full battery of coronavirus testing costs at minimum $1,331.

I also did the legal research: the Administration has the authority to make testing free for every American TODAY.

I secured a commitment from a high-level Trump official that they’d actually do it. pic.twitter.com/RmolCtmNbG

— Rep. Katie Porter (@RepKatiePorter) March 12, 2020

While the CDC promised to pay for COVID-19 testing, there’s still a lack of testing. Porter, who was previously in isolation after showing “cold-like symptoms” but tested negative for the coronavirus, updated the public by saying testing remains erratic. 

“Here’s the reality — the tests are scattered unevenly throughout the nation,” Porter told Bee. “We’re being told, ‘You don’t have a lot of cases, so you don’t get a lot of equipment.’ Well, we don’t have a lot of cases, in part, because we don’t have any testing.”

Porter also said Congress has not figured out how to conduct itself remotely. Instead, she said, they are having a 200-person conference call, which for Porter is “a level of hell” she has never experienced. 

“Congress has not figured out how to remote vote,” Porter said. “We have not figured out how to have remote hearings. What Congress is doing right now is trying to learn how to mute and unmute their telephones.” 

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez chimed in on Twitter about Porter’s appearance on Full Frontal, tweeting, “I’ve been telling y’all Katie Porter is likely the funniest member of Congress.” 

I’ve been telling y’all Katie Porter is likely the funniest member of Congress 💀💀💀 https://t.co/AnsaUyI7TK

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) April 11, 2020

As for her own briefings on the state of the nation…to her kids? Porter filled Bee in on what she’s been telling them and how she’s been doing it.

“The information is accurate,” Porter replied. “So that would put it really far from the Trump spectrum. But it’s also a little harsher than Cuomo ‘cause they’re not so chit-chatty. I’m not so warm and ‘We’re all in this together.’ I’m more like, ‘If you don’t behave, you’re gonna die.'”

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As Harvey Weinstein serves his 23-year sentence at the Wende Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison in Alden, NY, the disgraced movie mogul now faces a new sexual assault charge. Yesterday, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed an additional charge against Weinstein after a corroborating witness claimed the convicted rapist sexually assaulted her at a Beverly Hills hotel in May 2010. 

Aside from the new sexual battery charge, Weinstein now faces a total of five felony charges in Los Angeles, including “forcible rape, sexual penetration by use of force, sexual battery, and forcible oral copulation.” The original charges are based on allegations that Weinstein sexually assaulted two women in separate incidents in 2013.

Weinstein’s latest victim was a corroborating witness who was assisting prosecutors in their case. Last month, however, she provided new information about her encounter with Weinstein, including when the alleged assault occurred, which fell under the 10-year statute of limitations. 

“We are continuing to build and strengthen our case,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey said in a statement. “As we gather corroborating evidence, we have reached out to other possible sexual assault victims. If we find new evidence of a previously unreported crime, as we did here, we will investigate and determine whether additional criminal charges should be filed.”

While Weinstein serves his sentence in New York, Los Angeles prosecutors are working on the extradition process and have requested temporary custody. However, there’s no date as to when a judge will approve Weinstein’s transfer to Los Angeles. When Weinstein arrives in Los Angeles, he will then be formally arraigned. 

Los Angeles prosecutors also said that two other potential cases against Weinstein were declined because the victims did not want to testify against him. Weinstein has denied the allegations made in the Los Angeles case, and he has yet to provide a comment about the latest charge. 

In late March, New York state corrections officers reported that Weinstein had contracted the coronavirus but had not shown any symptoms. Prison officials placed him in isolation at Wende Correctional Facility. 

“As of now, it’s been 14 days since reports of concern from people inside the prison, and he has no symptoms and no issues,” Weinstein spokesman Juda Engelmayer told Reuters. 

Arthur Aidala, a lawyer for Weinstein, also told Reuters last week that he’s been in contact with him and that he sounds “fine.”

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People all over the world, including those on the frontlines, are using social media to share how they’re coping with the coronavirus crisis. We’re discovering so much about medical personnel through their online stories. Mayo Clinic’s Dr. Elvis L. Francois went viral for his heartfelt videos showing off his beautiful singing. Dr. Jason Campbell, a resident in Oregon, also went viral for his amazing TikTok dance clips. However, other tweets and YouTube videos that show doctors and nurses in need of personal protective equipment (PPE) are downright devastating. While hospitals don’t seem to care about lighthearted social media posts, some are threatening those who speak out about the lack of equipment. 

It’s no secret that doctors and nurses are contracting COVID-19. So, if they’re not dying from the coronavirus or getting sick, some of them now risk losing their jobs for the mere reason of informing the public about the discrepancies of their medical institution. 

On March 27, Dr. Ming Lin at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham, WA, gave an interview on YouTube in which he spoke about feeling that his staff was at risk because of inadequate PPE even though hospital officials claimed to have sufficient supplies.

“I do fear for my staff,” Lin said in the video. “Morally, I think when you see something wrong, you have to speak out.”

Yesterday, President Donald Trump reiterated in a White House briefing that state officials should be responsible for supplying their hospitals with PPE and other medical supplies. However, some hospitals, including in New York, are getting assistance from overseas or other states.  

Medical workers continue to publicly express that they’re in dire need of supplies and how they’re reusing PPE while attempting to be as safe as possible. 

Indiana emergency physician Dr. Stephen Sample tweeted that he and his staff put their masks in the oven and bake them at 175 degrees in order to kill the virus and reuse the masks.

Freshly baked masks. And my oven only goes to 175, so I got some extra virus killing going on up in this bitch. #GetMePPE pic.twitter.com/gQ7vsIdx4m

— JAFERD, MD (@Supermansings) March 31, 2020

Everyone forgets about EMS, we go into peoples homes& apartments & in very small spaces & have to face people with this virus. This is the same * single use* n95 I’ve worn over & over. Please don’t forget about us. We’re on the front lines. #GetMePPE #GetUsPPE #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/uNlp7VB71A

— C ♡ (@cdevoti) March 31, 2020

Dr. Ania Ringwelski, an ER doctor at Weill Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan, was asked to leave her post after bringing her own PPE gear from home, according to the New York Times. 

“I want to help out, but I need to feel protected,” Dr. Ringwelski told the Times. “I’m not expecting the hospital to provide it in this time of shortage, but if I can procure it on my own, then I’d like to be able to wear it.”

While many in the medical field have gone public about their hospital’s shortages, those being fired for making such allegations are not speaking out publicly.

Since this piece went online, I've heard about other doctors or nurses who were fired or otherwise punished for protesting inadequate PPE or for wearing their own. Hospital administrators should listen to front-line Covid doctors, not muzzle them. https://t.co/fFr1BxmchX

— Nicholas Kristof (@NickKristof) April 2, 2020

Another doctor muzzled and fired in the MIDDLE of a pandemic! 🤯

Baptist Memorial Hospital – N Mississippi fires doctor for speaking out about inadequate PPE. She even collected baby monitors to try to limit staff exposure

Labeled “disruptive” by hospital admin and FIRED 🤬😡 pic.twitter.com/j55edHQTRv

— Daniel PLEASE STAY HOME Choi, MD (@drdanchoi) April 2, 2020

1 thing that I find disturbing during this crisis is looking at who continues working day + night at my hospital besides healthcare workers — black + brown custodians/security guards/cafe cashiers/administrators. PoC ARE ALWAYS AT THE FRONTLINES, WE APPRECIATE U #covid19

— David Alejandro Sanchez, MD (@davidasanchezmd) March 19, 2020

After examining a hypoxic woman in her 50s with no medical problems who likely has COVID, I had to clean my single-use face shield that I’ve worn the past three days with disinfectant used to clean hospital beds since we ran out of sanitizing wipes #GetMePPE pic.twitter.com/85xQcmc1dN

— Ayrenne Adams, MD MPH (@AyrenneAdamsMD) March 28, 2020

Some medical workers are sharing that they have had no choice but to quit for a variety of reasons, including lack of PPE. A nurse in Chicago posted a chilling Instagram video where she said she had to quit her job after hospital management told her she could not wear an N95 mask that she brought from her home even though they couldn’t supply her with protective gear.

View this post on Instagram

I chose 𝓂𝓎 𝓁𝒾𝒻𝑒 today… ⠀ & my family members who have pre-existing conditions that wouldn’t get a ventilator if they contracted #COVID19 from me ⠀ I had a different idea in mind when I got to my #ICU this morning; I expected to see ALL OF OUR #NURSES & STAFF wearing #N95 masks but 𝙣𝙤 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝘼𝙉𝙔𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙊𝙉… ⠀ Each ICU room had ‘make-shift’ ante-rooms attached to them created with plastic tarp & massive amounts of tape.. ⠀ A charge Nurse was passing out single N95 masks to nurses with a brown paper bag for them to store their mask in which was to be in inside their plastic ante-rooms & to 𝙗𝙚 𝙧𝙚-𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚-𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙖𝙮… ⠀ I asked “well what if there’s possible contamination to that N95 mask..? What about my safety” ⠀ My manager told me “well our staff safety is our main priority right now … if we get enough masks, we may consider having staff wear surgical masks in the weeks to come..” ⠀ I replied, “But it’s Airborne… those surgical masks won’t protect us ..” ⠀ My manager then tells me “ we’ve kept up with the CDC & it is only when the COVID patient has any aerosol type treatments like a ventilator, nasal cannula, nebulizer etc that’s it’s airborne..otherwise it’s droplet ..” ⠀ I replied “& 90% of our patients are intubated, paralyzed, & positive for COVID.. people not even in the hospital environment are spreading it .. we have to assume everyone is infected..especially in the hospital environment, & 𝕟𝕠 𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕟 𝕙𝕒𝕤 𝕒 𝕕𝕣𝕠𝕡𝕝𝕖𝕥 𝕞𝕒𝕤𝕜 𝕠𝕟” ⠀ I then told her of nurses wearing a surgical droplet masks on their units & now intubated & fighting for their lives … ⠀ Tears were streaming down my face & fog in my glasses at this point.. ⠀ I thought to myself.. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴..? ⠀ I asked one last time pleading with tears in my eyes.. ⠀ “Can I please just wear 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐍𝟗𝟓 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐤… I understand we have a shortage but I have my OWN ” ⠀ My manager told me that they couldn’t allow me to wear it. ⠀ So I gave report, & left. ⠀ America is NOT prepared & Nurses are NOT safe. Plz DM me any telehealth jobs.

A post shared by ❥ Imaris | Nursing & Lifestyle (@nurse.iv) on Mar 30, 2020 at 5:43pm PDT

A medical worker at Phoebe Hospital in Albany, GA — the site of a major hotspot in the state — posted a video saying she was forced to quit her job because she was a single mother and couldn’t risk infecting her children.

Employee at Phoebe Hospital in Albany, GA quits on the spot after being asked to work with coronavirus patients. pic.twitter.com/s3YDMNOTIF

— Everything Georgia (@GAFollowers) March 28, 2020

“It is good and appropriate for health care workers to be able to express their own fears and concerns, especially when expressing that might get them better protection,” Glenn Cohen, faculty director of Harvard Law School’s bioethics center, said in an interview with Bloomberg. “When health care workers say they are not being protected, the public gets very upset at the hospital system.”

In Boston alone, more than 150 hospital workers at four different hospitals have tested positive for COVID-19. In New York City, more than 200 medical workers have also contracted the coronavirus. 

Dr. Li Wenliang, of China, was the first medical professional to speak out about the coronavirus publicly. The Chinese government silenced him and others for doing so. He ultimately contracted the coronavirus and succumbed to the disease, dying at 33. 

COVID-19 has been declared a global pandemic. Go to the CDC website for the latest information on symptoms, prevention, and other resources.

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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez could be getting some much-needed help in Congress. Amani Al-Khatahtbeh, founder of MuslimGirl.com, announced today that she is running for office. The 27-year-old is seeking to represent New Jersey’s 6th Congressional District and will be challenging Democratic Rep. Frank Pallone, a 16-term incumbent and chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Al-Khatahtbeh is the first Muslim woman to run for federal office in the state of New Jersey, and is also, so far, the youngest woman to run for Congress. She is a first-generation American and the daughter of an immigrant and a refugee. 

“This moment is a stark reminder that we can no longer wait for incremental change. Our leadership can and must put the health and well-being of working families and the most vulnerable among us front and center,” Al-Khatahtbeh said in a press release. “I’m proud to represent a coalition of underrepresented communities in what’s nothing less than a historic fight for our lives.”

Due to New Jersey’s statewide shelter-in-place order, Al-Khatahtbeh, a native New Jerseyan and graduate of Rutgers University’s school of political science, will be running her campaign entirely digitally. According to the press release, the media mogul is launching a “Campaign Quaran-Tour” that includes a livestream schedule “with issue-based local and national organizations to facilitate conversations to reach as many people as possible.” Some of the platforms that Al-Khatahtbeh is supporting include the Green New Deal, Medicare For All, student debt forgiveness, and more.

The New Jersey primary will be taking place on June 2, though the election is now being considered for vote-by-mail only in response to the coronavirus. 

While Al-Khatahtbeh’s campaign run is historic, she’s also seeking to represent New Jersey during a critical time. Her state now has the second-highest number of coronavirus cases in the U.S., following New York. As of today, New Jersey reports 29,895 cases of the coronavirus and 647 deaths. 

“In the past 24 hours, my home state of New Jersey recorded its highest single-day increase in #covid-19 cases and deaths since the outbreak started,” Al-Khatahtbeh wrote on Instagram. “This is no joke — sh*t hasn’t even hit the fan yet and our medical system has already been inundated for weeks. We’ve BEEN ahead of Italy in cases and their whole country went on lockdown long before they could reach where we’re at now. Step-up where our government FAILS to do so and #stayhome.”
Al-Khatahtbeh became a public figure when she was 17 years old and a high school senior after launching MuslimGirl.com as a way to engage with young Muslim women. In 2017, her site also proclaimed March 27 as Muslim Women’s Day to celebrate Muslim women and amplify their voices.

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Today President Donald Trump said that he is considering a quarantine of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, restricting residents from leaving their states. Trump said this afternoon while in Norfolk, VA, as a U.S. Navy medical ship left for New York City, that he would announce later today whether or not he would put the three states into quarantine and impose a domestic travel ban. Rhode Island police have reportedly begun stopping vehicles with New York plates.

“Some people would like to see New York quarantined because it’s a hotspot — New York, New Jersey,” Trump said. Maybe one or two other places; certain parts of Connecticut quarantined. I’m thinking about that right now. We might not have to do it, but there’s a possibility that sometime today we’ll do a quarantine — short-term, two weeks — on New York, probably New Jersey, certain parts of Connecticut.”

Trump said he spoke to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and that they were “thinking about things” including restricting travel from those states because “they’re having problems down in Florida.” Trump added that he doesn’t want New Yorkers who are infected to travel to Florida.

Cuomo contradicted the president, saying they did not speak about a state quarantine. He added that he’s uncertain if a travel ban of that magnitude is constitutional and unsure if it would combat the spread of the coronavirus. 

“I spoke to the president about the ship coming up and the four sites, I didn’t speak to him about any quarantine. I don’t even know what that means,” Cuomo said, according to the New York Times. “I don’t know how that could be legally enforceable, and from a medical point of view, I don’t know what you would be accomplishing…I don’t like the sound of it.”

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont tweeted that he too has not spoken to Trump about the possible travel restriction on his state, saying that he has already asked his residents to stay home or self-quarantine if they travel out of state. 

The move by Trump, which the Associated Press reports DeSantis was pushing for, comes just a day after a White House briefing in which he said some governors were appreciative of the administration’s handling of the coronavirus while others were not. 

“We’ve had great success over the last month. We’ve — as you know, the millions and millions of pieces of equipment have been delivered successfully by us — purchased and delivered. And we’ve made it available to the states. And the governors have been very gracious for the most part, I would say. There are a couple that aren’t appreciative of the incredible job. They have to do a better job themselves; that’s part of the problem,” Trump said. 

“But, generally speaking, I have to tell you the governors have been great. I just spoke to the governor of New Jersey, Gov. Murphy, and he’s very thankful. And Gov. Cuomo has been very nice,” Trump added. “They’ve — they’ve really appreciated, I think, what the federal government has done. You look at the hospitals that are being built all over the country by the Army Corps of Engineers and FEMA; it’s been really incredible. Nobody has seen — they’ll build hospitals in two or three days — portable hospitals.”

During the briefing, Trump announced he was invoking the Defense Production Act and told General Motors to mass produce ventilators. “Ventilators are a big deal and we’ve delivered thousands of them. And oftentimes, you don’t need ventilators very much. Hospitals don’t have very many. And now we’re — turning out that we have to produce large numbers.”

This major advancement comes days after medical workers have said they were working without proper protective gear and medical equipment. Trump initially said he didn’t need to use the Defense Production Act because private companies would volunteer to provide the equipment. Aside from invoking the Defense Production Act, and signing the $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid Relief Economic Security Act, Trump is also changing his tune about when the country would be back up and running. Earlier in the week, Trump said he was aiming to reopen the country by Easter. 

However, Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of two medical experts on the White House coronavirus task force, has said that there’s no way to predict the timeline of the virus, especially when you consider the devastating effect it is having in New York. 

At yesterday’s briefing, Trump said he would advise that people might need to wait a little longer. 

“If it’s your life and it’s your safety and if we need more time, they’re not going to have a problem waiting it out. It’s life, it’s safety, and it’s our country,” he said. “But we have to take care of people. At the same time, we want to get them out. They want to get out. Our country was built on that. But we have to make sure it’s safe, and everyone knows that.”

Nationwide, there are now at least 104,000 reported coronavirus cases. The three top states with confirmed coronavirus cases include New York with 52,318 cases, 728 dead; New Jersey with 8,825 cases, 108 dead; and California with 4,914 cases, 103 dead. 

COVID-19 has been declared a global pandemic. Go to the CDC website for the latest information on symptoms, prevention, and other resources.

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