A single line often inverts meaning once you see what it
answers, so neighbouring messages are always shown.
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April 18, 2020 - Global 2,100,000/140,000; USA - 700,000/36,000 Far right agitating to get back to work. Much agitation! Daily articles involving me continue to appear. Article in Today's Washington Post. Talks about my one hour call with the Congressional Black Caucus and how they trust me,but do not trust Trump to help them. They are afraid that I will be fired. I am getting worn down with all this PLUS my PMR, prednisone and now I have lost 8 lbs over the past couple of months Mary McNamara column in Los Angeles times: 1e Column: Is Anthony Fauci the Sexiest Man Alive? Who the hell cares? Dr. Anthony S. Fauci speaking at the White House Friday. (Carolyn Kaster / AP)
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APRIL 18, 2020 6 AM For the love of God, can someone please tear up the petition to make Dr. Anthony Fauci People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive? If not, can we please at least stop talking about it? I get that it's a compliment; for some, heaven help us, the ultimate compliment. Fauci's unflappable and highly competent demeanor has been a beacon of strength and surprise amid the squishy, tweet-driven, ass-covering, daily-contradictory triumph of personal feelings over irrefutable facts that has been the Trump administration's reaction to this pandemic. Let others voice outrage about churches closing down, or sputter about the indignity of wearing masks; express concern about the Dow Jones or explain why it is now perfectly safe for Floridians to go back to the beach (which they only recently vacated) because, well, just because. ADVERTISEMENT Dr. Fauci will continue to stand in front of microphones talking only about the things he knows. Not what he wants, wishes, thinks or feels. What he knows. No matter how blatantly Fox News anchors attempt to shift his on-air narrative, no matter how often the president contradicts him in public and to his face, Dr. Fauci quietly but firmly sticks to the facts. 1ind? not -_ So now expert is the new sexy, from the specs to the striped socks -- immunology the new rock 'n' roll. We all feel it, that swoon of relief when Fauci begins to speak, but here's an idea: Let's not succumb. Let's all take a deep, socially distanced breath and choose to resist complimenting the person who very possibly stands between 328 million Americans and complete disaster by granting him an accolade he would share with Chris Hemsworth (no offense, man). Resist the desire to "humanize" the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases by asking him for dating advice or make him more "accessible" by tarting him up with some pop culture makeover. You think I'm overreacting? There's already a bobblehead, a late-night fan club, a prayer candle and socks; can a reality show be far behind? Because that's how it works when you start slinging around the term "sexy." Sexy sells and this economy is going to need some fast, hot sales in the near future. Who wouldn't tune in to see Fauci judge which contestant comes up with the best COVID-19-preventing protocols? But if life is really going to look different in the coming months, let's begin with this. Let's not make Anthony Fauci a rock star. Because he doesn't need to be a rock star. He needs to be what he is -- a physician and expert immunologist who emerged from the AIDS crisis with a unique understanding of the relationship among science, humanity and public policy. A man with the near-miraculous power to separate his ego from his mission, to bring science to an avowedly anti-science presidential administration, to express expertise in front of a president who doesn't believe in experts. Let's not destroy that highly delicate balance by dragging sexy into it. Unlike his late-night fans, or his president, for that matter, Fauci does not need to be concerned with television ratings. Wouldn't it be nice if it stayed that way? As scientific fact forces the culture to shift away from desire to reality, we have a chance to honor the line between pop culture influence and genuine expertise. We know what life looks like when we blur that line. It looks like Drs. Oz, Phil and Drew, men who became media personalities because they were often willing to tweak facts for the sake of ratings and are now being slammed for their inability to stay silent about things they do not understand. Like COVID-19, because, guess what? None of them are immunologists or epidemiologists, and "Dr. Phil" doesn't even have a medical degree. "We need our mojo back," Oz said recently on "Hannity," before suggesting that getting kids back in school was worth raising the COVID-19 mortality rate. As if some bizarre form of national swagger was worth making schoolchildren canaries in a coal mine. (He has since walked back his remarks after overwhelming criticism.) We have a chance to return expert culture to actual experts. The emergence of personal testimony as a valuable social force -- whether through memoir, daytime talk show or the blogosphere -- was a democratizing triumph of popular culture. Millions of people, ignored by or refused entrance to traditional means of disseminating information, were suddenly being heard. And it changed the world. It also made everyone an expert. But the personal is a complement to, not a replacement for, the empirical; feelings can stem from or help create facts, but facts exist apart from feelings. So while many of us may have felt that COVID-19 was just a form of the flu, Fauci and others knew, through their expert ability to analyze data, that it was not. With any luck, Fauci's expertise will not just save us from the pandemic, but it will also remind us that there are times when expertise is the most important commodity. Not strong branding, social-media influence, likability or audience connection. In our rush to become the next YouTube/social media/"America's Got Talent" star, some of us have forgotten the importance of skill sets that have less to do with personality and more to do with perseverance. Dr. Fauci is 79 years old; he has served as the director of the NIAID since 1984. He knows what he's talking about not because he's cool (which he very well may be) but because he's been talking about it for a very long time. Fauci has become a star by repeatedly telling the truth even when it's a truth no one wants to hear. That's not sexy. That's astonishing. But I don't think People magazine has a category for that. ........................................................................................................................... E-mail from Holy Cross: My Fellow Classics Major, I'm sure you've already received numerous emails about Holy Cross's Giving Day today -- BUT have you received one especially for you as a Classics Major? Around the nation, people have deemed Fridays to be #Faucifriday in appreciation for our very own Dr. Anthony Fauci. If you weren't aware, Fauci was, in fact, a Classics major at Holy Cross!!! So, in support of Fauci Friday and the college's giving day, let's show the Power of Purple by giving back to our beloved school. You can even designate your gift towards the lovely Classics Department if you so desire. To make your gift, please visit: https://www.givecampus.com/4vai5d Thank you all for your support as alums. Stay safe and healthy! AJ Wells Class of 2018 Class Chair .......................................................................................... PRESS:Greta Van Sustern TV Show - "Full Court Press" to air tomorrow -- 725,000/38,000 -- 745,000/35,000
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April 19, 2020 - Global - 2,200,000/150,000; USA - 725,000/38,000 Much agitation (spurred by the POTUS's stupid "Liberate Michigan, VA, etc) about people wanted to open up. Rallies with chants of "Fire Fauci" Had conversation with Jake Tapper who is asking where the 27 million tests by end of March came from (Brett Giroir). Fact is I have no idea how he got that number. Deb Birx has no confidence in Giroir, nor do I. We are saying that we have 1.5 to 2.0 Million tests per week available. I hope so. Still there is the reality and perception that we do not have enough tests. Sunday shows kept focusing on testing, testing, testing Mark Meadows approved our putting out Guideliens for Clinical Management (Cliff Lane's groups) after he made some simple, good suggestions that did not imoact integraty of the document. It will come out under the NIH instead of the Task Force or HHS (Alex Azar afraid the POTUS would be upset at the HC guideline (no evidence for or against its use) because of the POTUS hailing it.
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April 20, 2020 - Global - 2,250,000/153,000; USA - 745,000/35,000 Goodday for me since for the 3rd day in a row, I do not need to be at press conference and stand (or sit) there and listen to his stream of consciousness. I had a major pushback (raising my voice) to Deb and Bob and Steve and Joe Grogan in the Sit Room before the TF meeting (mostly Deb) that we are relying on numbers from from Bret and Deb has absolutely no confidence in Brett. Everyone in the country and the world is saying that we do not have enough testing and Brett keeps saying that we do when the people in the trenches all so no. We are looking like idiots and I told the group that. Deb is weak!! She says that she has gone to to VP 3 times saying that Brett is a disaste and the VP "cannot do anything about it". Deb claims that this is because Brett is backed by Jared and the VP does not want to go there. Holy Shit!!!!! Anmother example: There are number for projected tested over the next few months that Brett is going to put infront of the POTUS. Deb does not believe them and says they are overinflated. I told her to take them out since she is the "Coronavirus Coordinator". Agains she balked until someone in the room (? Works with staff secretary) said that they have a screening process that they rarely use with Trump since there are so many ways into him (Hope, Jared, etc), but thye might use that process to block this false information from getting to the POTUS. - 780,000/4 1,000; Article online in Washington Post (tomorrow in print) giving the history of Brett and how he was fired from his job in Texas as heard of a vaccine initiative since he "over-promised and did not deliver". Georgia and South Carolina starting to open us even though they do not even fulfill the criteria for gating, much less going into Phase 1. I predict that this will result in major rebound and said that on GMA (see below). PRESS: ABC Good Morning America with George Stephanopoulos; YES Radio Yankees Network with Jack Curry; NFL PSA
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2020-04-21 00:00
Anthony S. Fauci
April 21, 2020 - Global - 2,300,000/158,000; USA - 780,000/41,000; VP is travelling and so no TF meeting today. Big stir on TV shows last night about some states wanting to open and violating the guidelines for "Opening America Again". POTUS making things worse by hiscrazy pronouncing "Liberate Michigan, Liberate Virgina". Really crazy - he himself and us (me, Deb) are stressing to abide by the guideliens and he is rabble-rousing by his statements. Typical Trump. Stir a lot of "Fire Fauci out there among the far right. Call from Sem Lindsey Graham saying that he spoke with POTUS today and Graham is afraid that POTUS will not push back against what Georgia Governor is doing by "opening up" the state and he wants me to do so. I do not need him to tell me to do that. I told him that I would. Call from Ari Emanuel (he calls often) asking when I thuink this will end. He has already lost several hundreds of millions of dollars on cancelled bookings for theater, concerts and other events that he runs. Received call from Dionne Warwick who received an e-mail from a friend asking whether vaccuines developed for dog corna virus could help with vaccine development for SARS-CoV-19. Not a stupid question. Spoke by phone with Governor of Puerto Rico Wanda Vasquez Garced together wiyh her Secretary of State. They wanted to know if I approved of what they were doing to mitigate in PR and they had some good questions. Woman who claimed that I raped her (see above) never materialized.
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April 22, 2020 -- Interesting day - Rick Bright has gone rogue. Due to his poor performance as head of BARDA, Alex (+/-) Kadlec removed him from his post. We (Francis and I) thought that he would stay at BARDA and spend 50% of time at NIH in order to coordinate BARDA with NIH vaccine activities, We all had always felt that he was making bad decisions in his giving hundreds of inillions of dollars to Phartma companies without any requirements to coordinate with NIH and his choices were poor to begin with. HOWEVER, in what turned out to be the most incompetent and botched HR move, they fired him by just taking his name and picture off the HHS/BARDA website without even telling him. They then assigned him to be an NIH employee under Francis taking with him from BARDA $1 Billion to work on diagnostics with Bruce Trumberg of NBIB. Rick reacted by going public, hiring a lawyer, claiming whistleblower status and saying he was fired because he was pushing back against HHS and political pressure to fund bad science and certain companies and that he objected to pushing HC. In fact, there are e-mails and memos showing that he himself was pushing HC and giving millions to get it out there. He is an abject LIAR! Georgia Governor Kemp is actually ignoring the guidelines for "Opening Ameica Again" by skipping to phase 2 and opening beaches, massage parlors, tatoo shops. Crazy!. A couple of days ago Deb waffled about condemning it, but today she convinced the POTUS to back off in supporting Gov. Kemp (R-GA). During the presser, I came out unambiguously saying that Kemp was wrong and if I were his advisor, I would tell him not to do that since it risks a rebound. It seems that the WH is putting me out to the press much less than usual over the past week to week and %. We shall see. The relationship between me and Katie and Hogan and Devin seems really good and so I do not know what is going on. Could be just a coincidence. My PMR is under control -- starting to slowly taper the 15 mg prednisone. Have been on pred. for 36 days PRESS: White House Presser - 827,000/47,000; - 860,000/49,000.
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April 23, 2020 - Global - 2,500,000/170,000; USA - 827,000/47,000; Interesting day. Was asked to come to Pentagon (with Deb Birx) by Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley. He had Deb and I brief him and his immediate staff on how the Armed Forces could best prepare for the future wave (in the Fall and beyond) of COVID-19. All about "force protection". We did this in the famous "Tank". Howver, before we did that he wanted to take a bunch of photos with him, his wife, and Vice Chair Gen. John Hyten and Gen.Paul Friedrichs. Also, he had me sign his surgical masks and a basketball that was originally signed by Coach K of Duke. I had a wondeful time!! TF was uneventful. I was not at presser..... HOWEVER, the presser was a disaster for the POTUS. All he did was fight with the press Someone from DHS presented data showing that sunlight, heat and humidity "kills' the virus. Actually, they presented this at the TF meeting and the POTUS did not even know about it. When the DHS guy presented it, the press tore it apart as a gimmick from the POTUS. Also, the POTUS incredibily made the comment that one should consider injecting or swallowing these disinfectants (including chlorax-like substances) as a "cure". Deb almost fainted on stage, Thank God I was not there, After the presser, CNN with Erin Burnett presented a segment of the clash between the scientists (almost exclusively me) and the POTUS. They showed a point-by-point contrast of me versus the POTUS. Let us see what the reaction is tomorrow at the TF meeting. After the presser (about 1 hour) Deb Birx texted and then called me saying it was good that I was not there since after the presser, the POTUS called her into the Oval and started yelling at her saying "You and Fauci have destroyed the country and the economy. I should never have listened to you. You have completely destroyed us." He kept saying this over and over again and was yelling at her. I encouraged her that we are OK and at the end of the day she and I will be loved by the people we care about. She was relieved and after wrote me a text sincerely thanking me. PRESS: None
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April 24, 2020 - Global - 2,600,000/177,000; USA - 860,000/49,000. TF at the WH today. No press Press having a field day trashing the POTUS for his statement about "drinking bleach". Consuming the press. Will brief Governors today with the POTUS. Governor talk went well. Cuomo stated what I had been saying all along that we need a "partnership" between USG and States. Note the POTUS goes back and forth and has often said that the States are on their own and when I say "partnership" there was some concern that I was contradicting POTUS. Fir first time the POTUS had a presser and walked out without answering any questions. Axios wrote that he may greatly diminish pressers. He used to love them due to the "ratings" of viewers. However, his people are now telling him that it is greatly hurting his approval ratings.
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April 25, 2020 - (Saturday) - Very brief TF at the WH today. No press conference. Much discussion about the plasn of the states to open. A lot of buzz in the media about Azar very likely getting fired. Reuters wrote a smear piece on him and attacked Brian Harrison (his COS) for be a dog breeder since he raised labradoodles at some ime in his life. Very unfair. Also, it is clear that theyare gradually keeping me off the press conferences with the POTUS and not allowing me on TV/radio nearly as much. NBC reported that of the last 7 press confercens, I was at 1 and I usually get 2-3 media hiots per day and I have only done 2 last week - FOX with Laura Ingraham and GMA with Stephanopoulos. Katie Miller no longe doing press assignments. Now it is Kayleigh McEnany and Alyssa FarahAlexa. See below from April 24: Fauci's absence from recent coronavirus briefings draws notice The national health expert was in attendance for just one of this week's seven briefings. sing President Donald Trump reacts as Dr. Anthony Fauci steps away from the podium after speaking and answering questions at the daily coronavirus task force briefing at the White House on April 22, 2020.Jonathan Ernst / Reuters