WTF Just Happened Today

Thursday, February 27, 2020

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1/ A whistleblower alleges that the Department of Health and Human Services “improperly deployed” more than a dozen workers to coronavirus quarantine locations who were “not properly trained or equipped to operate in a public health emergency situation.” The complaint alleges that the workers, who were not trained in wearing personal protective equipment, had face-to-face contact with repatriated Americans from China and were potentially exposed to coronavirus. The repatriated Americans were quarantined on military bases in California and Texas because they were considered at high risk for contracting the flu-like illness. The workers, however, returned to their normal duties, with some taking commercial flights back to their offices throughout the country. The complaint states that “appropriate steps were not taken to quarantine, monitor, or test [the workers] during their deployment and upon their return home.” (Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / New York Times)

2/ The White House instructed government health officials and scientists to seek approval from Mike Pence’s office before speaking publicly about the coronavirus outbreak. An administrative official said the move isn’t intended to muzzle government scientists and other health experts, but to make sure their efforts are being coordinated. Yesterday, Trump appointed Pence to lead the government’s coronavirus task force, which is nominally led by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. Dr. Deborah Birx, the director of the U.S. effort to combat HIV and AIDS, will serve as the Coronavirus Response Coordinator for the White House and report to Pence, but serve on the task force that Azar chairs. Additionally, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, and Trump’s top economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, will also join the coronavirus task force. (New York Times / Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / Politico)

• The three major U.S. stock indexes entered correction territory, each posting their biggest one-day point drops ever as investors worried the coronavirus may be spreading in the U.S. (Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / CNBC / New York Times / Washington Post)

3/ The Justice Department established an office to strip naturalized citizens of their rights. The new Denaturalization Section will review cases where individuals are believed to have illegally obtained U.S. citizenship. While denaturalizations can only occur in federal court, some Justice Department lawyers fear denaturalization lawsuits cou...

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