A single line often inverts meaning once you see what it
answers, so neighbouring messages are always shown.
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Jan. 25, 2015 - Appeared of PBS NewsHour (weekend edition). Got call from Sylvia Burwell who lives on Tennyson Street, N.W. She called me because she was in terrible low back pain and did not want to go to ER. I made a house call and determined by physical exam that she did not have neurologic issues (i.e. disc). Felt it was LS strain and muscle spasm. Prescribed heat and rest and get MRI tomorrow with White House physician and possible muscle relaxants. Also, I had discussed with her by phone a couple of days ago (she e-mailed me to call her) because she was feeling weak and fatigued. Saw female MD at WH and was told she had "low blood pressure, bradycardia and low Na+. Her EKG was normal and so she was not in heart block. Was told to hydrate more.
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Jan. 26, 2015 -- More measles. Appeared by phone on the Diane Rehm Show. Could not go to studio because of NIAID Council meeting at 10:30 AM. Had snow storm in DC -- not too bad. Big time storm in New England. Had parts of several interviews with CBS (host Scott Simon; producer Nari Avis) who will be doing an hour long show on me for CBS Sunday Morning.
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Jan. 27, 2015 -- More taping for the CBS show. Did Al Jazeera print and TV on measles.
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Jan. 28, 2015 -- Did CNN International on Measles. Sue Desmond Hellman, new CEO of BMGEF came to visit. She was formerly Chancellor of UCSF. Wanted to talk about continuing good relationship between BMGF and NIAID.
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2015-01-29 00:00
Anthony S. Fauci
Jan. 29, 2015 - Here comes a sticky issue. The CDC (Anne Schuchat) give press conference updating on measles situation. Today I got several requests to go on TV with CNN (Anderson Cooper), Bloomberg, other networks such as CBS Morning Show. Sara Baldauf at HHS tells Patty and Courtney to hold on all TV appearances since "CDC has the lead". Yet, I have been on multiple shows over the past couple of weeks on measles. This idiot Sara is stuck on the Obama Administration theme that you can only have one message and one Federal official talking about anything. She does not understand that the press want me.
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Jan. 30, 2015 - Happens again. Martha Raddatz wants me for ABC This Week on Sunday and other Sunday shows. She says no. Courtney calls up and asks for an explanation. Sara says CDC has lead. As usual, Courtney says but the Shows are asking specifically for Tony and there was an agreement between Francis Collins and Bill Corr that when networks and cable ask for me they can get me. Sara says she does not know anything about this agreement. Sara also says, I am not really saying no to Dr. Fauci, I am just saying that you should give it to CDC. Courtney insists that "You are in fact saying no to Dr. Fauci". I must include in my book this unbelievable controlling theme for the Press of the HHS and Obama Administration. They would rather have a jerk out there than violate their inexplicable rule of various lanes for various topics. Truly a bunch of assholes. Jan. 31 - Feb. 1, 2015 - Francis Collins sent an e-mail to Sylvia Burwell explaining the situation with ASPA and my media appearances. Sylvia says that she will ask Leslie to take care of it and that there should not be any restrictions on me. However, over the weekend, approval for several requests for me are delayed making it very inconvenient for Patty Conrad to arrange them, and some requests are denied. Also, Sarah Baldauf now sends me talking points on things that are actually scientific issues!! Unbelievable. She monitors my TV appearances and comments on them to me via e-mail. She even makes suggestions on scientific issues. I told Francis and he agrees that this must stop. He spoke to the ASPA today and he will speak with Leslie Dach. (Feb. 1) -The big feature on me in the Sunday "Home" section of the Financial Times came out today. Many tweets and e-mails from people all over the world who loved the piece. It was a feature about me as a person and my home with great pictures of the various rooms in the house and the deck, which they described as my favorite "object/thing". That is what they do with all of these features - they ask the "celebrity' what his/her favorite thing is. Mine was my deck. Also, today (Sunday - Feb. 1) the crew from "CBS- Sunday Morning" visited my house and filmed the last part of what will be an hour feature on me within the next few weeks. Producer is Emmy-nominated Sari Aviv and famous NPR correspondent (now doing CBS) Scott Simon. They filmed Chris and I running on the track at American University and then back in the kitchen making a typical Sunday breakfast. Also, BBC is doing a feature on me similar to the CBS feature. Theirs will show globally. They followed me around NIH and interviewed a bunch of people including activists. in Liberia
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Feb. 2, 2015 - Now Governor Chris Christie is saying that parent should have the choice of not vaccinating their children. He said this juxtaposed against the POTUS saying on a Sunday Morning Show that parents should vaccinate their children and "there really is no good reason not to". Now the media are playing up the conflict between Christie and the POTUS similar to the quarantine for Ebola issue. Everyone wants me on the press to comment. I am picking and choosing with whom I speak since the press definitely wants to put me between Christie and Obama. Was on NBC Nightly New and NPR with Richard Harris about the measles issue. This is becoming the media hype similar to the Ebola issue. Now Rand Paul is weighing in saying parents should decide about vaccinations. Mike Gerson did a great job in his Post column describing the issue. He quoted me directly. Chris Wallace of Fax News Sunday wants me to debate Rick Perry or Carla Fiorina. We shall see. Cooked dinner tonight at my house (Linguine with scampi and marinara sauce) for Harold Varmus and Chris. I have Harold over the house and cook dinner for him about 4X per year. Also, used to do this with Gary Nabel when Gary was Director of VRC before he went to Boston to Sanofi to be with his wife Betsy Nabel who is CEO of Brigham and Women's Hospital. I do this since Harold is alone in DC without his wife Connie who stayed in NYC when Harold came down to be Director of NCI. He stays in DC in an apartment on Connecticut Avenue near the Zoo on Monday-Thursday and then takes Amtrak back to NYC for Thursday night through Sunday night. Always an enjoyable evening.
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Feb. 3, 2015 - Testified today at Congressional Hearing of Commerce and Energy oversight Committee (Tim Murphy (R-PA) Chair on Influenza and why the match of vaccine was wrong. Multiple things putting me at the forefront - measles, Ebola, bad flu season. Will do Rachel Maddow Show tonight. Measles is all over the news. Also, ISIS sent a video where they burned alive a captive Jordanian pilot. See e-mail below from Cliff. Serious problem with integrity of the Welcome trust people and Chimerix. The Welcome trust Oxford group were the ones that criticized us for wanting to do RCTs. We insisted that it was the safest and best way to determine efficacy or harm. They said we were unethical. They are unethical and we cannot say anything because of "confidentiality".
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Feb. 4, 2015 - Max Cooper gave WALS Lecture at NIH. Went to dinner with him and Chris last night at Cesco Osteria on Woodmont Avenue in Bethesda. Still great press interest in the Measles situation now that Presidential hopefuls Chris Christie, Rand Paul and others have commented on it. Rand Paul put his foot in his mouth by saying that there are reports of children who walk and talk normally before MMR and then immediately after, they can no longer walk, talk, and are autistic. Good experience on Rachel Maddow Show last night. We stuck to the science and did not get involved with the politics, although she dumped all over Christie and Paul. Ran into Gov. Howard Dean in the NBC Green Room and he was very critical of Paul. Did Geraldo Rivera Radio Show today and Jose Diaz Belart on MSNBC. The Sunday Shows want me on several times. Let us see if HHS allows it vis-a-via prior discussions. ISIS burns alive and shows the video on the internet a Jordanian jet fighter pilot shot down over Syria. The Jordanians are outraged and execute Al-Qaeda prisoners in retaliation. Big news