A single line often inverts meaning once you see what it
answers, so neighbouring messages are always shown.
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Apr 1, 2020 - Mar 6, 202' Daily Tests Mar 6: 1,409,138 7-Day Avg: 1,437,872 325,000 Daily Cases Mar 6: 59,620 7-Day Avg: 59,631 Mar 6: 41,401 7-Day Avg: 44,865 Currently Hospitalized Daily Deaths Mar 6: 1,674 7-Day Avg: 1,752 4,500 -_ 130,000 2.2M 300,000 2.1M 4,000 2.0M 275,000 20,000 1.9M 110,000 1.8M 250,000 3,500 1.7M 100,000 1.6M 225,000 4 5M 90,000 3,000 . 200,000 1.4M 80,000 1.3M 175,000 2,500 1.2M 70,000 1.1M 150,000 1.0M 60,000 2,000 roe 125,000 50,000 ' 1,500 0.7M 100,000 40,000 0.6M 0.5M 76,000 30,000 1,000 oe 50,000 20,000 0.3M , 0.2M 25,000 10,000 0.1M ' . . Apri Jul 1 Oct 1 Jan1 Apri = Jul1 Oct 1 Jan1 Apri Jul Oct 1 Jan1 Apr1 Jul 1 Oct 1 Jan1 PRESS: Black News Channel Morning Show (TV); Time video regarding Sesame Street; Washington Post interview regarding vaccine hesitancy (Online TV); 2 PSA with Gloria Estaban and Carolina Sandoval; White House press conference;
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April 2, 2020 - USA - 215500/4600; NYC - 47400/1400 45 minutes similar to House briefing Global - 824000/41000; Washington Post now reporting that I have a security detail (George Adams). Also, DC police now guarding my house 24 hrs/day. Gave briefing to the GOP Senators for 45 minutes similar to House briefing yesterday. Terrific Sirius XM - Coach K podcast - wonderful person who was so generous and complimentary in his comments to me. He called me "the point guard for the world" Spoke with Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey who wanted to run by me his approach to COVID and see if I thought that he was doing all the right things. He was. He is frustrated that some people still do not adhere to Guidelines even though he is pushing hard and slappiung penalties on people. PRESS: CBS This Morning; NBC Today Show with Savannah Guthrie; CNNTown hall with Sanjay Gupta and Anderson Cooper;
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April 3, 2020 - Global - 879000/46000; USA 245000/5500; (real numbers are probably more; these are CDC numbers - global is 1,000,000/50,000) Deaths and cases still soaring. Meeting today virtually (Francis Collins leading) with the Public Private Partnership to address research and development for COVID-19. Mikael Dolstien (Pfizer); Paul Stoffels (J & J), etc. Intense media blitz on me continues. Mentioned by all Late Night TV Shows. Question of universal wearing of masks dominating conversation Press conference today: I was originally supposed to be sitting on the side for questions and at the last minute, they told me that I was not needed. This was not unreasonable since the presser was about masks and Jerome Adams had been pushing this and CDC released the guidelines about masks and so it made sense that I did not need to be there. I mentioned this to Jim Acosta (CNN) and he made a story that I was excluded from the prsser. This created a firestorm where CNN made it a story saying that I wa excluded since I had said last night 9CNN Townhall) and this AM (Fox and Friends) that all states should practice "stay at home', and the POTUS has refused to "mandate that". They painted it as an exclusion of Fauci since he disagreed with the POTUS, which was not the case. @FauciFan WELCOME TO WASHINGTON. I believe that the White House (mostly POTUS staff) are starting to get really pissed off at me. The press conference turned out to be a shit-storm since Jared Kushner got up and trie to explain things and the press killed him. Also, the POTUS said he would not wear a mask, which undermined what Jerome and Bob had just said. Glad that I was not there. The ridiculous attention to me continues; fan clubs, Swags, am constantly on TV; countless profiles of me. For example: TheThe Anthony Fauci Fan Club Twitter account wants you to know one thing: "If you don't have a crush on this man, do you even care about public health?" The account, which quickly skyrocketed to over 13,000 followers in just the past few days, was launched by three Maryland-based microbiologists who, at first, created a group chat to "gush over" Fauci in private. "We can't be the only ones who are feeling this way," one said of the esteemed immunologist. "Did I mention he's easy on the eyes?" said another. The microbiologists aren't alone. Over the last few weeks, Dr. Fauci stands have created Facebook fan clubs, TikTok videos, donuts, browser games and even prayer candles in celebration of the scientist leading the Trump administration's novel coronavirus response. A 79-year-old career scientist isn't usually the type of person the internet feverishly stans over. But under these extreme circumstances, Fauci has emerged as the comforting leader the internet, and the US, needs now more than ever. Anthony Fauci Fan Club@FauciFan if you don't have a crush on this man, do you even care about public health? " 1,718 2:48 PM - Mar 20, 2020 Twitter Ads info and privacy 475 people are talking about this Fauci's calm and level-headed demeanor has become a soothing balm for many amid the COVID-19 pandemic. At this moment in time, Fauci is one of the only people we regularly see while glued to screens indoors. He is a figure of constant guidance and reassurance at a time when even the most basic parts of American life, like work, school, and family, have become inconsistent and decentralized over the internet. Mixed together, it's the perfect fodder for fandom. = "It is the moment to exercise and practice fandom," Abigail De Kosnik, director of the Berkeley Center for New Media and a fandom specialist, told The Verge. De Kosnik says fandom around Fauci is thriving right now because it's one of the only ways we can "connect to the outside world" and interact with strangers since we can't see anyone physically. "Fandom is what remains." For years, political figures -- like Fauci -- who have spoken truth to power in tumultuous times in history have become the ideal breeding ground for fandom. According to Know Your Meme, Ruth Bader Ginsburg's rise to internet celebrity stardom corresponded with the creation of a Tumblr blog entitled Notorious R.B.G., invoking the name of the famous hip-hop artist, The Notorious B.I.G. The blog launched in celebration of Ginsburg's lauded 2013 dissent in the Shelby County v. Holder case that struck down parts of the Voting Rights Act. That dissent paired with the blog's memes was just the flint in creating a fire of RBG fan content and merch that continues today. The excitement around Fauci is creating a similar community, focused around bringing hope and joy to one another during this pandemic. The fandom has grown rapidly with stans posting a slew of memes and merch all across the internet. Etsy and Amazon are littered with T-shirts that feature the scientist. One asks "What would Fauci do?" Another Etsy seller has made prayer candles featuring Fauci depicted as an angel with a halo around his head. Pastry shops across the country are selling donuts with Fauci's face surrounded in red, white, and blue buttercream. Fauci's constant status in American life amid the pandemic has made it even more noticeable when he's absent. When Fauci did not make an appearance at a White House press briefing last month, the hashtag #WhereisFauci went viral on social media, as though Fauci stood up the internet. Andrew Banas ✔@AndrewWHAM Had to check out these donuts for myself! The owner of Donut Delite says he wanted to honor Dr. Fauci for all the hard work he's doing for our country. Says he is literally selling hundreds of these every hour. @13WHAM nie bis i, 12:41 PM - Mar 26, 2020 - Donuts Delite / Salvatore's Old Fashioned Pizzeria Twitter Ads info and privacy 51 people are talking about this 755. The fandom is cross-generational, too. On Facebook, the Dr. Anthony Fauci Fan Club group touts nearly 40,000 members of all ages. They post news articles to keep each other informed, but they also share memes honoring Fauci. In one, Fauci appears on the front page of People magazine as the "sexiest man alive." In another, Fauci's face is photoshopped onto the body of Captain America. One user posted a Trump-like campaign sign, but instead of featuring the president's own infamous slogan, it reads, "Fauci: Make Science Great Again 2020." "Just saw this, and thought I'd share," the poster wrote. "Humor helps me endure." "HUMOR HELPS ME ENDURE" On TikTok, influencers like celebrity blogger Perez Hilton have posted videos featuring Fauci's viral press briefing facepalm from earlier this month. "This is how I feel right now," Hilton wrote in the video's caption. In another, Coldplay's "The Scientist" plays as images of Fauci dissolve into one another beneath the caption, "BREAKING NEWS: Dr. Fauci has been hospitalized from carrying the entire nation on his back." Fauci fandom has also provided comic relief and emotional support for people struggling through this unprecedented crisis. On the Facebook page earlier this week, one member made a plea for reassurance. "Will we ever be able to go back to 'normal'? My anxiety is telling me this is going to last forever..." The post received over 100 replies, a majority of them offering optimistic statistics or messages of support reassuring the user that they weren't alone -- valuable messages at a time when large swaths of the US's population are stuck indoors with their lives entirely uprooted from what they were before. In a moment like this, Fauci has become a comforting figure for those who are struggling. "He's kind of like this kind, old, wise mentor figure that we're thirsty for right now," Scott T. Allison, a professor of psychology who specializes in heroism and leadership at the University of Richmond, told The Verge. "He's the grandfather who will tell it to you straight and tell it to you lovingly." And Americans agree. According to Business Insider, Americans trust Fauci more than President Trump and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to handle the COVID-19 pandemic. A 277200/6600; yntation between Navarro and me: No one knows how long this pandemic will last, as Fauci mentions at nearly every briefing. As it continues, today's circle of Fauci stans could change the face of fandom in the future, De Kosnik said. "We could see a different fandom arise around this calmer, more rational and more 'square' celebrity or performer," she said. The appeal of a whimsical or "bad boy" type celebrity could taper out if uncertainty in daily life continues to grow. A nerdy pragmatist could become the new focal point for fandom. Or maybe it'll just redefine who we see those traits in. "You might say that Dr. Fauci is a badass -- a person who does his job, and does it well, and to hell with the consequences and to hell with what the boss might think," Allison said. "We should all have such courage." PRESS: Fox and Friends; PBS NewsHour with Judy Woodruff
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April 4, 2020 - Global 972600/50300; USA 277200/6600; Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas - questions about my statements recently that all states should do stay at home. He was vey nice ad wanted clarification of what that meant forTexas and was he already doing what I was saying. In fact, he was for the most part. Also, spoke with Gov. Ned Lamont of Connecticut. Same issues as Gov. Abbott Washington Post had article ridiculing Jared for his appearance at the Press conference. They are being a bit unfair. Thick politics going on fueled by POTUS ridiculous behavior of blaming people for things. He keeps talking about TV ratings of the press briefings, which fuels the press backlash at him. In Task Force meeting had a big (unusual) argument with Peter Navarro who handed out a folder that he says shows studies that Hydroxychloroquine is effective in COVID. I strenuously objected and he then attacked me saying that I was the one who was against blocked travel from China when in fact I pushed the POTUS to do so. Weird guy!! VP and Marc Short acted like Peter was nuts. See below Axios description of the "confrontation between Navarro and me: Scoop: Inside the epic White House fight over hydroxychloroquine Jonathan Swan adviser Peter Navarro against infectious disease expert Anthony Situation Room on :a "game-changer" against the about the malaria drug, which Fauci and other trol groups. he pile of folders on the desk, which included printouts of one who early on objected to the argument. "People Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images The White House coronavirus task force had its biggest fight yet on Saturday, pitting economic adviser Peter Navarro against infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci. At issue: How enthusiastically should the White House tout the prospects of an antimalarial drug to fight COVID-19? Behind the scenes: This drama erupted into an epic Situation Room showdown. Trump's coronavirus task force gathered in the White House Situation Room on Saturday at about 1:30pm, according to four sources familiar with the conversation. Vice President Mike Pence sat at the head of the table. • Numerous government officials were at the table, including Fauci, coronavirus response coordinator Deborah Birx, Jared Kushner, acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf, and Commissioner of Food and Drugs Stephen Hahn. • Behind them sat staff, including Peter Navarro, tapped by Trump to compel private companies to meet the government's coronavirus needs under the Defense Production Act. Toward the end of the meeting, Hahn began a discussion of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, which Trump believes could be a "game-changer" against the coronavirus. • Hahn gave an update about the drug and what he was seeing in different trials and real-world results. • Then Navarro got up. He brought over a stack of folders and dropped them on the table. People started passing them around. • "And the first words out of his mouth are that the studies that he's seen, I believe they're mostly overseas, show 'clear therapeutic efficacy,'" said a source familiar with the conversation. "Those are the exact words out of his mouth." Navarro's comments set off a heated exchange about how the Trump administration and the president ought to talk about the malaria drug, which Fauci and other public health officials stress is unproven to combat COVID-19. • Fauci pushed back against Navarro, saying that there was only anecdotal evidence that hydroxychloroquine works against the coronavirus. • Researchers have said studies out of France and China are inadequate because they did not include control groups. • Fauci and others have said much more data is needed to prove that hydroxychloroquine is effective against the coronavirus. • As part of his role, Navarro has been trying to source hydroxychloroquine from around the world. He's also been trying to ensure that there are enough domestic production capabilities inside the U.S. Fauci's mention of anecdotal evidence "just set Peter off," said one of the sources. Navarro pointed to the pile of folders on the desk, which included printouts of studies on hydroxychloroquine from around the world. • Navarro said to Fauci, "That's science, not anecdote," said another of the sources. Navarro started raising his voice, and at one point accused Fauci of objecting to Trump's travel restrictions, saying, "You were the one who early on objected to the travel restrictions with China," saying that travel restrictions don't work. (Navarro was one of the earliest to push the China travel ban.) • Fauci looked confused, according to a source in the room. After Trump imposed the travel restrictions, Fauci has publicly praised the president's restriction on travel from China. • Pence was trying to moderate the heated discussion. "It was pretty clear that everyone was just trying to get Peter to sit down and stop being so confrontational," said one of the sources. • Eventually, Kushner turned to Navarro and said, "Peter, take yes for an answer," because most everyone agreed, by that time, it was important to surge the supply of the drug to hot zones. • The principals agreed that the administration's public stance should be that the decision to use the drug is between doctors and patients. • Trump ended up announcing at his press conference that he had 29 million doses of hydroxychloroquine in the Strategic National Stockpile. Between the lines: "There has never been a confrontation in the task force meetings like the one yesterday," said a source familiar with the argument. "People speak up and there's robust debate, but there's never been a confrontation. Yesterday was the first confrontation." • In response to a request for comment on Axios' reporting, Katie Miller, a spokesperson for the vice president, said: "We don't comment on meetings in the Situation Room." The bottom line: The way to discuss the drug's potential has become a fraught issue within the Trump administration. • Most members of the task force support a cautious approach to discussing the drug until it's proven. iship between Deb Birx and me. • Navarro, on the other hand, is convinced based on his reading that the drug works against the coronavirus and speaks about it enthusiastically. • Some of Trump's favorite TV hosts, including Fox's Sean Hannity, and friends including Rudy Giuliani, have also been touting the malaria drug for the coronavirus. Trump has made no secret who he sides with. • "What do you have to lose? Take it," the president said in a White House briefing on Saturday. "I really think they should take it. But it's their choice. And it's their doctor's choice or the doctors in the hospital. But hydroxychloroquine. Try it, if you'd like." POTUS continues to ramble at presser. Prior to the presser, POTUS invited me and Deb into his inner office at the OVAL and started telling me that as a Catholic how much of a shame it would be if we did not do a classical Easter and Good Friday and Palm Sunday. He wanted to figure out how to do a version of it like outdoor mass or stay in car and do drive in theater-like mass. Hope Hicks and I convinced him to essentially put Easter on hold for this year. Then he went on and on (almost pleading) with Me (mostly) and Deb saying that he cannot keep the country closed beyond the 30-day extension. He rambled on and on that we are destroying this great country and started rattling off the names of various sports commissioners (NBA, MLB, NHL, etc.) who said that their sports would be destroyed if we did not open up. Also, he said industry (all the industrial giants) would be forever destroyed. He said that he understood where Deb and I were coming from, but he could not let the country die and so one way or another, he is opening up in 30 days. He went on and emphasized this over and over at the press conference, which immediately followed his conversation with me and Deb. PRESS: White House Press Conference - 1hr 25 minutes. I had the opportunity to push mitigation sayin that it was our ony weapon right now and I praised the HCWs saying they were true heroes.
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2020-04-05 00:00
Anthony S. Fauci
April 5, 2020 - (Sunday) - Major news-outlets (Wash Post, NY Times) starting to write detailed stories of how the USG (esp. Trump) dropped the ball in response to COVID-19. CDC getting bashed (in some respects rightly so). Much Monday morning quarterbacking. Thus far, I am coming out OK, but the response in general in being bashed. Global - 1,100,000/57000; USA - 311000/7700; Cases predicted to continue to rise and deaths increase over next week. Nice article in Washington Post on the relationship between Deb Birx and me. Beautiful profile of me on BBC audio featuring Chris and Peter Staley. I was sitting on steps of EEOB on a conference call reviewing countermeasure portfolio (BARDA) when a photographer from across the landscape (on Pebble beach) shot me and focused on my pokadot socks. It got tweeted around the country. "Birx has her scarfs and Fauci has his socks" Geeeez. Very amusing and notable dynamics at the TF meeting today. It is Sunday and we were supposed to have a relatively low-key meeting without a subsequent press conference. HOWEVER, as we began the TF meeting, we learned that the POTUS was joining us. He came in and in his usual rambling self starting going all over the lot and then said that we should have a press conference in 30 minutes since he wanted to give "good news'. Deb had been saying that the cases were starting to stabilize in NYC and in a couple of days we could speak about it. Jared wanted to talk about some good stuff regarding supply chain tomorrow. POTUS would have none of it. He wanted a press conference now. Everyone started scrambling to prepare. Of note, ADM John Polowczwk ("Adm P") gave some data on supply chain. The POTUS loved and told John to get over to the WH for the press conference. John was dressed in his Combat Fatigues and clearly was terrified of appearing on TV when the rules are that you should wear the standard formal dress (not dress level) for TV appearances out of the combat zone. He felt that he would be reprimanded by superiors at the Pentagon. It was clear that he was very nervous and almost frozen. When people in the room explained to POTUS what was going on, POTUS said "Last time I looked, I was Commander in Chief and so get your ass down here now". Then POTUS said: "Get Gen. Milley (Chair of the Joint Chiefs) on the phone and clear this up. Just then a Deputy Chair General go on the phone (not sure who it was) and said: "John, you are good to go. Get over to the White House in your combat fatigues." All ended well, although Joh was still clearly nervous as he stood before the cameras at the WH briefing Room. Press: Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan; Press briefing in the White House press room after the TF meeting.
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April 6, 2020 - Global - 1,100,000/63,000; USA - 338,000/10,000; Today did call with Governors (me, Deb, Redfield, Giroir et al). Turned out it was mostly Governors's staff and health people as opposed to actual Governors. Individual Calls with Gov. Ricketts (NE) and Gov. Reynolds (IOWA). They were concernced about my comment that "I cannot understand why all states have not done stay at home orders". They are really already doing as much or more than some states that have officially issued stay at home orders and they are being criticized as a result of my comments. We worked it out over the phone. I will support them and clarify where I can to support them. -369,000/11,000 At the Press Briefing today, I took the opportunity to say that the Govs of NE and Iowa are doing an excellent job ad are functionally doing exactly what those states that have stay-at-home orders are doing. Trump dud his usual rambling stream of consciousness show at the briefing. Intense publicity about me continues with stories of granmothers who have crushes on men. Petitions to vote me "Sexiest Man Alive". Major stories about my basketball career at Regis. Janet Tobias pushing to get footage and access to TF workings with me. I am very reluctant since the optics are bad. My main goal is to stop this outbreak, not to participate in a documentary. She can do her thing as long as it is not intrusive to our work. I am concerned that we really do not have a clerar plan to "open up" the country at end of April. No one is really in charge or even knows what they are doing. This is not my area and so I can only provide 40,000 foot perspective, which is not good. PRESS: Appeared at the White House Press Briefing.
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April 7, 2020 - Global - 1,200,000/68000; USA - 369,000/11,000 Press still hot and heavy about me. Multiple stories per day directly or indirectly involving me. The debate about the use of HC still dominating the discussion. Big article in the Washington Post about the long relationship between Deb Birx and me. Big challenge today is to firm up a plan on how to approach to re-opening of the country. I am concerned that there really is no plan and no one is really in charge. Off-hand mention of "another task force". Jared is getting involved with us. Deb supposedly leading it. Deb unhappy with Brett Giroir and bad-mouthing him a bit as he goes his way continually reporting about how many "tests" are out there. I do not have a good felling about this. However, the meeting that we had in the Roosevelt Room tonight made me feel better. The entire team gathered after the Press conference for 2 hours starting at 7:30 PM. Paul Mango provided a framework for "re-opening" delineating all the things that need to be in place. Again, much depends on the easy availability of testing. Present were: Joe Grogan, Kellyanne Comway, Jared Kushner, Bob Redfield, Steve Hahn, Seema Verma, Deb Birx, Brian Harrison. At presser I discussed the issue of greater pecent of deaths among AfricanAmericans dues to the health disparities (hypertension, diabetes, obesity, asthma) that predispose to poor outcome (pneumonia and death). After all this, at night 9:30 PM Cliff Lane came over my house and we went over the Guidelines document that he and the group prepared. I will brief Azar on Thursday and then officialy submit it as a "workstream". This is an example of the type of articles that are appearing. This appeared in The Atlantic today (April 7, 2020): Why America Is Thirsty for Anthony Fauci During the pandemic, a 79-year-old immunologist is becoming as crushable as a pop star. KAITLYN TIFFANY 6:30 AM ET Enjoy unlimited access to The Atlantic for less than $1 per week. Sign in Subscribe Now ALICIA TATONE / THE ATLANTIC • • • Link Copied • "If you don't have a crush on this man, do you even care about public health?" It's a question that wouldn't have made even the slightest bit of sense before the coronavirus pandemic, and it doesn't make a ton of sense during it either. Still, it was posed, above a headshot of Anthony Fauci, by the Twitter account @FauciFan, which was created three weeks ago and has amassed more than 15,000 followers. All day, Americans go online to fess up about crushing on Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. They dig up his college yearbook photos and evidence that he once played basketball in short-shorts. They edit his Wikipedia page, swapping the main photo with one taken 13 years ago, then one from 17 years ago. In my upstate-New York hometown, you can buy donuts with his face on them. More than 10,000 people have signed a petition to make Fauci People magazine's next "Sexiest Man Alive." Fauci has had the same job since 1984, and he's earned national recognition before for his handling of the HIV/AIDS crisis. But during this epochal natural disaster, as a leading member of the federal government's coronavirus task force, he's more akin to an actual celebrity, famous for the contrast between his calmly stated expertise and Donald Trump's contradictory messaging during White House press briefings. Doodling hearts all over his face may seem irrational, but times of crisis often breed infatuation with authorities who can provide guidance and soothe anxiety. MORE STORIES • There's No Zoom Party Like a College Zoom Party KAITLYN TIFFANY • You Have a Moral Responsibility to Post Your Boring Life on Instagram KAITLYN TIFFANY • • What You Need to Know About the Coronavirus HALEY WEISS At this moment, smooching anyone is verboten, even reckless, but in isolation and in daydreams, lots of Americans are thinking about planting one on a 79-year-old immunologist. Read: When keeping your distance is the best way to show you care The @FauciFan Twitter account--which last week featured a photo of a young Fauci explaining how HIV interacts with the immune system, captioned "#tbt #thirsttrap"--was created by Sarah Alexander, Tiffany Zarrella, and Leann Zhou, three friends and microbiologists who work together in Bethesda, Maryland. They are not joking about their crush. The trio had been talking about their thirst for Fauci over text, and decided to take it public in hopes that it would be entertaining to other bored and freaked-out people. Zhou, 22, told me that she thinks people are drawn to Fauci's "cute Brooklyn accent." She wouldn't have been able to guess his age, she added, pointing out that he's an avid runner, and has serious light-up-the-room energy. "He's very knowledgeable and expert, but he speaks in a really approachable way," Zarella, 33, told me. "Everyone wants to know what's going on, and he delivers." Alexander, 25, agrees, saying, "I do personally think that he actually is attractive, and it's not unheard of for people to be attracted to older men. Look at Jeff Goldblum." I proposed to her that Goldblum is an actual Hollywood star, and that there might be something strange about presenting Fauci as one. "We're not trying to prop him up and make him a celebrity," she told me. "It's just an appreciation of him. He's working 16plus-hour days." Americans have had plenty of political crushes before. There have been more durable ones on presidents such as John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, and, more recently, Barack Obama. By the time Obama became a public figure, the internet was ready to amplify conversations about thirsting over handsome and competent men: In 2007, one of YouTube's first mainstream viral hits was a comedy music video called "Crush on Obama," starring the actress Amber Lee Ettinger as a young woman in booty shorts who wants to make out with the then-senator from Illinois. "I did develop a crush on Obama," Ettinger told me. (Today, she's an Instagram influencer who posts mom-related lifestyle content.) "He was this young, sauve, handsome fellow. People felt a personal connection with him when he spoke." For Fauci, she speculated, the incentives for crushing are a little bit different. "No. 1, his little New York accent. He feels like a voice of reason, someone you can trust. He has a calming presence about him. Supersmart. I think he's adorable." The more obvious precedent for Fauci's newfound celebrity is another flavor-of-the-week public figure, Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who became a superhero and stoic boyfriend to the left during his investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election. That in itself was not entirely novel: For a brief period after 9/11, then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was treated as a sex symbol--as Salon put it, a "hot Republican war dad." Mueller, like Fauci, became crushable because of the perception that he was unflappable, soberly sifting through facts and ignoring irrelevant clangor during a tense situation. One woman told the Associated Press last year, "I admire [Mueller's] mystique. I admire that I haven't heard his voice." But although lots of Americans are making these men into heartthrobs--whether as a joke or sincerely--it doesn't mean we actually want them to act like celebrities. We just want to be taken care of, and we don't want anything to shatter the illusion that they can save us. There are other crushes of the coronavirus crisis, most notably New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, whose daily press conferences in state-branded attire have become appointment television for people living in the epicenter of the country's outbreak. Vogue has praised his competence and "imaginary boyfriend" potential, while the New York Post spoke with moms on Long Island who gushed about eating ice cream in bed, watching him speak calmly and convincingly of New York's ability to overcome the pandemic. While descriptions of Fauci dwell on how "adorable" he is, Americans' fascination with Cuomo is openly grimier. Last week, for instance, Twitter was abuzz with speculation as to whether a strange-looking wrinkle under the governor's polo was, in fact, a nipple ring. A fake dating profile written for the governor by City & State didn't mention sweetness or charm, but interests such as "fishing" and "yelling," as well as the personality type "laid-back, loose dude, who is always in a cool mood." In a recent blog post titled "Help, I Think I'm in Love With Andrew Cuomo??" the Jezebel writer Rebecca Fishbein ran down the list of things she despises about him politically, then confessed, "When I stream his presser on the governor's website--every day around 11:30 a.m., complete with a PowerPoint presentation--I feel comforted. I feel alive. I feel protected. I feel ... butterflies." She's heard from plenty of New York women who agree. "A lot of women who are older than me have been emailing me being like, No I really love him; he has all of his hair," she told me. Fishbein lived in New York City during 9/11, and she remembers people feeling similarly about then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani. And after Hurricane Sandy in 2012, she said, she knew people who thought that then-New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was heroic enough to feel gooey over. "It [does] not last long, but I think there's this feeling that somebody is telling you, in what seems like a straightforward manner, what's going on," she said. This can mutate into a crush with ease. "It's just your mind playing tricks on you." Read: Why people are confessing their crushes right now This is literally true, says Helen Fisher, a biological anthropologist who studies dating and relationships at Indiana University's Kinsey Institute. "In times of crisis, people have a fight-or-flight response. That drives up the testosterone in the brain," she told me. "Testosterone triggers various brain systems that can trigger sexual arousal. Testosterone also has a positive correlation with dopamine, and dopamine is linked with feelings of romantic love." You don't need me to explain that the past month has been saturated with feelings, or that your nerves can only tap-dance for so long before your brain starts to do strange and shocking things. Similar hormones are involved in both crushing and panicking, and rushes of adrenaline can lead to attraction, which is presumably why The Bachelor involves so much bungee jumping and helicopter travel. antic, where she covers technology. auci Crushing on a public official is not particularly fruitful, but it's hard to think of a reason not to indulge in it a little bit. Even in normal circumstances, a crush is a diversion from everything we're worried about. Pointless crushes may be, if anything, even more necessary during a pandemic, when the only other stimuli are horrifying. Crushes spike up and surprise us--uncomfortable but fun, sweet but nauseating. Thirsting over Fauci won't stop the pandemic, but at least it can keep us busy. I recently stumbled across a video of a woman named Jill playing guitar and singing, in a school-teacher voice, a love song for him. "Please stay safe doctor," the song ends, "you're our only hope." We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com. KAITLYN TIFFANY is a staff writer at The Atlantic, where she covers technology. ConnectTwitter ALSO, see article today in The Nation by Jeet Heer entitled "Dr. Anthony Fauci has a target on his back". The story says that the right wing, including Rudy Giuliani, is out to get me because of my stance on HC and because I am responsible for shutting down the government and ruining the economy. From today regarding deaths: The fatality rate remains unclear, estimates of the proportion of people contracting the virus who never show symptoms ranges from 25 to 50 percent and there is no clear explanation for why it proves so deadly for some people who are relatively young and previously in good health. oo = _ =~, A oo =: eo ys =~ st _ = = ae -- a in = 10,938 total deaths > © April 6 rl I _-- ~ = _s he itn eo = I A a sy to I -- a = a Lr ----, Dallas 45 ~ os A, a oe aed -- -398,000/13,000 PRESS: Local Radio hits - Jason Rantz Show KTTH Seattle; The John and Ken Show (California - KFI AM640 Los Angeles); Multiple local (from around the country) TV hits in EEOB; White House press conference.
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April 8, 2020 - Global - 1,300,000/73,000; USA - 398,000/13,000 As we predicted, yesterday was the most deaths in single day in USA. However, indications from NYC aree that cases, hospitalizations, intensive care and intubations have been down for past few days. Remember - deaths always lag by about 2 weeks behind new cases. Could be first clear sign of turnaround. Now focusing on how to "re-open" the country safely (see meeting last night) Bobblehead raising money: Fauci bobblehead raises $100,000 for American Hospital Association Anthony S. Fauci's bobblehead likeness has eclipsed a nun's to become the best seller in the six-year existence of the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, raising more than $100,000 to provide protective masks for health-care workers. In less than a week since the museum announced the sale, preorders topped 20,000, quickly outselling the thousands of the museum's other releases, according to co-founder Phil Sklar. The polyresin likeness of the country's foremost epidemiologist dethroned that of Jean Dolores "Sister Jean" Schmidt, the courtside superstar and now 100-year-old chaplain of the Loyola University of Chicago men's basketball team, which powered improbably to the NCAA tournament's Final Four in 2018. Five dollars from each $25 sale of a Fauci bobblehead goes to the American Hospital Association's 100 Million Mask Challenge. Sklar said the individually numbered bobbleheads will ship in July. Crazy stuff on Internet: 'Cuomo Crush' and 'Fauci Fever' -- Sexualization Of These Men Is a Real Thing on The Internet Talent Recap x= The coronavirus pandemic has led brothers Andrew and Chris Cuomo and Dr. Anthony Fauci to the forefront COVID news and updates, but it also ... Phone call with Gov. Gary Herbert (R-Utah) and Kristi Noem (R- SD). Same issues as described above for Iowa and Nebraska. I explained that I would publicly clarify when given he opportunity. They are against "one size fits all". I will correct any misunderstanding. Tests -- Abbott ID Now machine Did teleconferences with House Republicans and Democrats moderated by VP Pence. Nancy Pelosi still showing simmering hostility towards me. In particular, she did not like my answer that we really cannot enforce price controls on companies to which we license vaccine platforms such as Moderna with the mRNA. The fact is that we cannot. Global -1,400,000/80,000; USA-- 430,000/15,000; Growing concern about fact that African-Americans are dying much more than other racial/ethnic groups. Certainly due largely to the increase in underlying conditions among them such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, asthma PRESS: FOX TV - America's Newsroom; Eric Bolling Sinclair TV; White House Press Conference.
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April 8, 2020 t he described as a "potentially major Donald Trump COVID-19 as Photograph by Lo Scalzo / Bloomberg / Getty WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)--In what he described as a "potentially major breakthrough," Dr. Anthony Fauci has convinced Donald Trump to attack COVID-19 as if it were an inspector general. Fauci, who has been frustrated in his efforts to get through to Trump, compared the global pandemic to an inspector general while in a closed-door meeting with the President on Wednesday. "What do you hate more than anything, Mr. President?" Fauci asked. "Jim Acosta," Trump immediately replied. "O.K., fine. But, besides Jim Acosta," Fauci said, "it would be an inspector general, right?" "You're right, Tony," Trump agreed. "I hate those losers." "Well, think of COVID-19 as the worst inspector general in the world," Fauci continued. "It's overseeing everything you do and making you follow the law. It's keeping you from spending taxpayer money on anything you want. You wouldn't stand for that, would you?" -- 465,000/17,500 Reportedly, Trump appeared shaken by Fauci's analogy. "Damn it, Tony, when you put it that way, we've got to do something about COVID-19," he said. Speaking to reporters, Fauci said that he was "cautiously optimistic" that his inspectorgeneral analogy would finally spur Trump to action, but added, "Jared could still screw this up." .................................................................................................... Again, countless print press stories about me directly or indirectly. Far, far too many for me to even think about reading. Some day, maybe, go back and read. Eveyone asking about the plasn for re-opening the ountry PRESS: ABC -Good Morning America with George Stephanopoulos; NBC Today Show with Savannah Guthrie; CBS This Morning; WH Press Conference coverage