The Hill’s Morning Report – Sponsored by Facebook – Trump claims health improving amid transparency criticism

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Total U.S. coronavirus deaths reported this morning: 209,725.

President Trump may be discharged today from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after aggressive treatment for COVID-19 in order to continue recuperation at the White House, his physicians said on Sunday. 

 

“He’s doing well,” White House physician Sean Conley (pictured below) told reporters during a brief press conference in which he conceded that his own desire to reflect an “upbeat attitude” about the president’s illness on Friday omitted key information about giving Trump supplemental oxygen and “came off that we were trying to hide something, which wasn’t necessarily true.”

 

On Sunday evening, Trump posted a short video message on Twitter without a mask to commend his hospital medical team and say he “learned a lot” about COVID-19 as a patient. He briefly departed the hospital Sunday evening to make a slow drive-by in a small motorcade to offer thumbs-up approval to supporters who brandished pro-Trump signs along the street. The president was dressed in a suit jacket without a tie, his face covered by a mask (VIDEO) (The Hill).  

 

Trump’s political and communications team, working at his direction on Sunday during television interviews, said he will fully recover from the virus, continue his duties and win the presidential contest against Joe Biden (New York Post). 

 

Trump’s months of publicly downplaying the risks of COVID-19 renewed controversy about trust in government following contradictory information released by Trump, his chief of staff and his doctor about his condition beginning on Thursday and through the weekend. The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that when the president discussed a top aide’s infection with COVID-19 on Fox News late Thursday, he knew but did not say publicly that he had tested positive for the coronavirus and was awaiting confirmation from a second, more determinative test.

 

The Associated Press analysis: Trump faces credibility crisis over health scare. 

 

The Associated Press and The Hill: What we know and don’t know about Trump’s health.

 

The Associated Press: Conley’s comments spark confusion. 

 

The number of Republican senators, White House staff members and Trump campaign officials who have tested positive for COVID-19 after being in close proximity to the president and first lady Melania Trump continued to expand on Sunday. The outbreak aggravated a partisan debate about why Senate Republicans plan to proceed to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court in October if they are opposed to acting with haste to decide on new legislation before Nov. 3 to expand federal relief to individuals and businesses suffering because of the pandemic.

 

The Hill: Trump’s personal assistant, Nick Luna, tests positive for coronavirus.

 

NBC News: Tracking the COVID-19 infections among Trump’s contacts.

 

The COVID-19 outbreak sweeping through the West Wing and infecting at least three senators, including two who are members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, prompted the upper chamber to halt legislative business until Oct. 19 (with the exception of confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, which begin Oct. 12). 

 

The president’s illness upended his campaign schedule and raised new questions the White House has dismissed about whether Vice President Pence should skip or alter the debate with Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) on Wednesday rather than traveling to Utah for the event and traveling to Phoenix on Thursday to headline a campaign rally. Pence tested negative for COVID-19 on Friday, according to the White House, and precautions for the vice president’s health while Trump is ill have been in flux.

 

The question of continuity of government raised by the president’s hospitalization is a national security issue tied to U.S. government functions and of interest to countries around the world, friends and foes.

 

COVID-19 could have been transmitted to the president, the first lady and other officials more than a week ago, meaning many who were present at Trump events are not yet in the clear, including Pence, Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, said Sunday on “Face the Nation” (CBS News). 

 

The White House, not the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is conducting contact tracing. Tied to a Thursday campaign event in Bedminster, N.J., the White House gave the New Jersey Department of Health the names of more than 200 people who could have been exposed to COVID-19, but officials in other states where Trump recently traveled say they have not heard from the White House and in some cases are proceeding on their own to locate people who are advised to quarantine for up to two weeks (The Washington Post).

 

Although the president’s White House physician initially said his patient had “mild symptoms” of COVID-19, Trump suffered two episodes of plunging oxygen saturation levels that concerned his medical team (The Associated Press).

 

The Hill: Trump’s doctor concedes he was given supplemental oxygen on Friday.

 

The New York Times: Medications administered to Trump puzzle some medical experts because they would be used as treatment for a patient with more severe COVID-19 infection than the president’s physicians have described.

 

By Sunday, doctors said tests of Trump’s heart, liver and kidney functions showed “normal findings.” They were vague about lung scans, which would show the impact of the infection on Trump’s pulmonary system. 

 

The president’s doctors say they are taking an aggressive approach to Trump’s infection in its early stage, hoping to fortify the 74-year-old’s immune system to ward off serious complications from the virus. He’s receiving a five-day course of remdesivir, which is a broad-spectrum antiviral drug, as well as dexamethasone, a steroid given to patients with severe COVID-19 (STAT). Doctors also administered a single eight-gram dose of Regeneron’s polyclonal antibody cocktail as Trump’s symptoms of fever, lethargy and breathing difficulty initially worsened on Friday (USA Today). 

 

The Hill: White House national security adviser Robert O’Brien says Trump will stay at Walter Reed for “another period of time.”

 

 

 

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LEADING THE DAY

CONGRESS: The Republican race to fill a Supreme Court vacancy before Nov. 3 could be in jeopardy because of the outbreak of COVID-19 in Trump’s GOP circle. Republican Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who is running for reelection, and Mike Lee of Utah announced over the weekend that they tested positive for COVID-19 and are in quarantine. Tillis and Lee are members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and are seen as key to a fast-track plan to move Barrett’s nomination to the high court to the Senate floor for a vote this month. The panel plans to launch hearings a week from today. Barrett and her husband, who were in the Rose Garden (pictured below) near the president and indoors with Trump at a Sept. 26 White House reception, were infected with COVID-19 months ago in Indiana and recovered.

 

The New York Times: Senate Republicans plan to press ahead to confirm Barrett as third senator tests positive.

 

Trump has tweeted 10 times since his Friday announcement. One message focused on negotiations with lawmakers about the still-iffy coronavirus relief package opposed by many Senate Republicans as too expensive and perhaps unnecessary if more than $100 million in previously enacted relief remains unspent. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) continue talks that last week were described as “far apart.”  

 

“OUR GREAT USA WANTS & NEEDS STIMULUS. WORK TOGETHER AND GET IT DONE. Thank you!” Trump tweeted on Saturday. 

 

The Hill’s Scott Wong and Mike Lillis write that Trump’s infection has escalated the desire among House lawmakers to get a bill to the president’s desk. On Sunday, Pelosi told CBS’s “Face the Nation” that an agreement remains possible. The House will adjourn on Friday so lawmakers can head home to their districts to campaign. 

 

“We’re making progress,” Pelosi said, without venturing a timeline. “It just depends on if they understand what we have to do to crush the virus. You can’t just say we need to do something, but we’re going to let the virus run free. Now it has even run free in the White House” (The Hill).

 

The Senate announced it will be out of session until Oct. 19 because of the recent Trump-centered outbreak after three GOP senators tested positive for COVID-19 since last week. The confirmation process for Barrett to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court will nevertheless begin next week. 

 

Democrats continued to cry foul on Sunday, arguing that the hearings scheduled to start on Oct. 12 should be delayed. Both Lee and Tillis serve on the Judiciary Committee, and it remains unknown if other staffers or lawmakers have the virus. 

 

“We’ve got the fact that three senators have it. Two are on the Judiciary Committee … We don’t know how many other Republican senators had it,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) told “Fox News Sunday.” “I don’t know why you would ram through this Supreme Court hearing, put people in danger.”

 

As Fox News’s Chris Wallace pointed out, the Judiciary Committee has held virtual hearings since the pandemic started, with Klobuchar — a member of the panel — praising Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) for holding them. Klobuchar argued that given the gravity of the nomination, “you need to be able to go back and forth” with Barrett in person (The Hill). 

 

The Hill: Supreme Court could threaten Biden agenda.

 

 

 

IN FOCUS/SHARP TAKES

2020 POLITICS: Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), 58, is set to announce today that he will not seek reelection to the Senate in 2022 and will forgo a bid for the governorship, setting up a mad scramble in both parties to angle for the two statewide posts.

 

Two sources confirmed Toomey’s decision to the Morning Report, with the Pennsylvania Republican having informed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in recent days. The Philadelphia Inquirer first reported the news.

 

The move caught Pennsylvania Republicans by surprise as they were roundly expecting him to launch a gubernatorial bid in 2022, with Gov. Tom Wolf (D) term-limited. Recently, Toomey fundraised for Heather Heidelbaugh, the GOP candidate for attorney general, which was widely seen as him angling for a run for governor. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro (D) is viewed as a top candidate for Democratic nomination. 

 

Adding to the problems for Pennsylvania Republicans, the party’s bench is noticeably barren beyond the incumbent senator, who is the lone Republican to currently hold statewide office in Pennsylvania. However, interest is high in running for both seats in two years, with members of the state Senate and legislature angling for bids already.  

 

“There are dozens of future Republican senators walking around Pennsylvania today,” Charlie Gerow, a Harrisburg-based GOP strategist, told the Morning Report in an interview. “It’s half the congressional delegation. Probably one-third of the legislature. Folks from business. Folks from academia. The list goes on and on and on, and I think the list will expand before it contracts.”

 

The Hill: GOP anxiety grows over Trump political roller coaster.

 

 

 

 

> News and notes: Biden on Sunday tested negative for COVID-19, marking the third straight day he has done so following the president’s revelation, as his campaign indicated that he will move forward with campaign events in the coming days. 

 

According to The New York Times, the Biden campaign says the Democratic nominee will resume in-person campaign events and will not quarantine, despite the likelihood that Trump was infectious when he and Biden shared a stage during the Sept. 29 debate in Cleveland. 

 

Wednesday night’s vice presidential debate between Pence and Harris is also expected to move forward as planned in Salt Lake City. However, the two candidates will be 12 feet apart on stage rather than the seven feet the two sides initially agreed to (Fox News).

 

The Washington Post: Candidates, debate organizers push ahead with in-person events despite public health concerns.

 

Politico: President Pelosi? Pence prepares to risk it all for Trump.

 

Axios: Inside Harris’s new strategy for the VP debate.

 

The Hill: Biden will participate in the next debate with “necessary” safety precautions, campaign aide says.

 

The Washington Post: As virus spreads across GOP ranks, some Republicans say party will pay price for “stupid” approach.

 

The Hill: Voting rights groups work to combat minority suppression in battleground states.

  

> North Carolina: Democrat Cal Cunningham, the North Carolina Senate nominee, is refusing to drop out of his race against Tillis after he admitted to exchanging flirtatious text messages with a woman who is not his wife. 

 

In a statement to The Hill, Cunningham, who came clean about the texts only hours after Tillis revealed his COVID-19 diagnosis, apologized but indicated he will remain in the race to unseat the first-term Republican incumbent. 

 

“I have hurt my family, disappointed my friends, and am deeply sorry. The first step in repairing those relationships is taking complete responsibility, which I do,” Cunningham said. “I ask that my family’s privacy be respected in this personal matter.”

 

“I remain grateful and humbled by the ongoing support that North Carolinians have extended in this campaign, and in the remaining weeks before this election I will continue to work to earn the opportunity to fight for the people of our state,” he added (The Hill).

 

The New York Times: Virus diagnosis and secret texts upend a critical Senate race in a single night.

The Morning Report is created by journalists Alexis Simendinger and Al Weaver. We want to hear from you! Email: asimendinger@digital-release.thehill.com and aweaver@digital-release.thehill.com. We invite you to share The Hill’s reporting and newsletters, and encourage others to SUBSCRIBE! 

OPINION

Reality smacks Trumpworld, but the bubble remains, by James Downie, columnist, The Washington Post. https://wapo.st/36xKRQg 

 

A craving for normalcy spells the end of a populist presidency, by Niall Ferguson, columnist, Bloomberg Opinion. https://bloom.bg/33sCSlO 

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WHERE AND WHEN

The House meets at 9 a.m. on Tuesday.

 

The Senate is out of session until Oct. 19.

 

The president this morning continues to be treated for COVID-19 as an inpatient at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. 

 

The vice president intends to maintain a full campaign schedule, including participating in a vice presidential debate on Wednesday in Utah at 9 p.m. and a rally at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday in Phoenix.

 

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in Tokyo through Tuesday to meet with foreign ministers of Australia, India and Japan. Because of Trump’s illness, he plans to return to Washington and reschedule planned visits to South Korea and Mongolia (The Hill).

 

Biden-Harris campaign events: Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, travel today to South Florida. The former vice president will speak at the Little Haiti Cultural Center in Miami in the afternoon in an effort to reach out to Latino voters. In the evening, he will participate in an NBC News town hall in Miami.

 

Hill.TV’s “Rising” program features news and interviews at http://digital-release.thehill.com/hilltv or on YouTube at 10:30 a.m. ET at Rising on YouTube. 

ELSEWHERE

➔ NOBEL PRIZE WEEK: The Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology was awarded in Stockholm this morning to Americans Harvey Alter and Charles Rice, and British scientist Michael Houghton for the discovery of the hepatitis C virus. The Nobel Committee said the trio’s work helped explain a major source of blood-borne hepatitis that couldn’t be explained by the hepatitis A and B viruses. Their work led to possible blood tests and new medicines that have saved millions of lives (The Associated Press).

 

➔ Pesticides: Advocates are raising alarms after the Environmental Protection Agency recently signaled it may not ban a pesticide associated with health risks. The agency is questioning the worrisome research about the agricultural chemical chlorpyrifos, arguing that “despite several years of study, the science addressing neurodevelopmental effects remains unresolved.” The Obama administration had proposed to ban chlorpyrifos because of studies linking it to lower IQ and impaired working memory (The Hill).

 

 

 

 

➔ FIRST MONDAY IN OCTOBER: The Supreme Court today kicks off a new term during which the justices will hear disputes over the constitutionality of ObamaCare, the adoption rights of LGBT couples, the scope of federal housing authority and more (The Hill).

 

➔ CORONAVIRUS: States are beginning to reopen as the school year, the flu season and colder temperatures present serious challenges. The Hill’s Reid Wilson reports on whether the COVID-19 calamities of the summer can be avoided as autumn begins. … Amid the strains of the pandemic, U.S. hospitals are experiencing damaging hacks. Cyber avengers are banding together to try to protect medical facilities from ransomware (WIRED). … In Paris, bars will close Tuesday for two weeks as the French government places the city on maximum COVID-19 alert (Reuters). … In Moscow, schools will soon shift to remote learning because the city is experiencing the highest daily coronavirus infection rates since May (Reuters). … For the first time since March, a limited number of pilgrims were able to visit the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Islam’s holiest site, after Saudi Arabia lifted coronavirus restrictions to allow a limited number of 6,000 worshipers (The Associated Press). … British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned Britons that a “bumpy” winter lies ahead and continued to defend his actions as confirmed cases rise across the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom has Europe’s highest death total with more than 42,400. “It is a moral imperative to save lives … but on the other hand, we have to keep our economy moving. That is the balance that we are trying to strike,” Johnson told the BBC (The Associated Press). 

 

➔ FINANCIAL MARKETS: experts say lingering questions about Trump’s health may shake investors (The Hill).

THE CLOSER

And finally … Flower petals hold clues to climate change over time, scientists report. Research suggests that over many decades, flowers have adapted to rising temperatures and declining ozone by altering ultraviolet (UV) pigments in their petals, with resulting color changes.

 

Flowers’ UV pigments are invisible to the human eye, but they attract insect pollinators and serve as a kind of sunscreen for plants, says Matthew Koski, a plant ecologist at Clemson University in South Carolina.

 

UV radiation can damage a flower’s pollen. The more UV-absorbing pigment the petals contain, the less harmful radiation reaches sensitive cells. Pollen hidden within petals is naturally shielded from UV exposure, but this extra shielding can also act like a greenhouse, trapping heat. When these flowers are exposed to higher temperatures, their pollen is in danger of being cooked. The adaptation of reduced UV pigments in the petals causes them to absorb less solar radiation, bringing down temperatures (Science magazine).