Free Republic

A former Obama administration CDC director called out the stark socioeconomic and racial inequities in President Donald Trump’s push to rapidly reopen the economy, as poor and minorities communities continue to suffer disproportionately from the coronavirus pandemic. Dr. Richard Besser, who was acting head of the nation’s disease control agency during the early part of President Barack Obama’s first term, spoke with CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Tuesday. During the conversation, he highlighted the grim outcome that will likely result from a premature relaxation of shelter-in-place rules. Besser’s comments came in the wake of numerous states opening up business and travel...

J Street, the liberal Middle East policy advocacy organization, on Sunday issued a statement acknowledging what the group had earlier denied: J Street received financial support from billionaire George Soros. "I accept responsibility personally for being less than clear about Mr. Soros' support once he did become a donor," Jeremy Ben Ami, J Street's executive director, said in a note to supporters on the group's website. The Washington Times first disclosed Friday that J Street, a group that portrays itself as a progressive alternative to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), had received $750,000 from Mr. Soros and his...

The Talk Shows Sunday, May 3, 2009 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano; Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius; acting CDC Director Richard Besser; Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and John Ensign, R-Nev.MEET THE PRESS (NBC): Sebelius; Napolitano; Besser; Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa FACE THE NATION (CBS): Specter; Besser; Sebelius; Napolitano.THIS WEEK (ABC): Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Orrin Hatch, R-Utah; Sebelius; Napolitano; Besser.STATE OF THE UNION (CNN): Leahy; House Minority Whip Eric Cantor, R-Va.; Rep. Joe Sestak, D-Pa.; former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney; Napolitano; Sebelius;...

At Sunday afternoon's White House press briefing on the administration's efforts to combat and control a potential swine flu outbreak, press secretary Robert Gibbs was joined by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, deputy national security adviser John Brennan, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acting director Dr. Richard Besser. Noticeably absent on stage was a fully confirmed federal health care official: There was no health and human services secretary (Kathleen Sebelius could be confirmed as early as tomorrow), no surgeon general (no new candidate has emerged since Dr. Sanjay Gupta dropped out) and no fully confirmed director of CDC...

Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) acknowledged on Friday that "concern has grown" since the first reports of a novel swine flu infecting patients in Texas and California emerged late March. Dr. Richard Besser, acting director of the agency, said health officials are closely tracking the spread of the swine flu, after additional cases of flu and some deaths were reported in Mexico. ----snip------------ In preparation for such a scenario, the CDC has created a seed stock of a vaccine against the swine flu, which could be pushed into production should the number of cases jump...

The United States is likely to experience more cases of swine flu, the head of the Centers of Disease Control said today. And the disease is likely to become more dangerous. "We are seeing more cases of swine flu, and we expect to see more cases of swine flu," said Richard Besser, Director of the CDC, at a White House briefing. "I would expect that over time we are going to see more severe disease in this country." Basser said the CDC is aware of 20 confirmed cases of swine flu in five U.S. states: eight in New York, one...

WASHINGTON -- President Obama went golfing and the Department of Health and Human Services is short a secretary, so other U.S. officials took the controls Sunday as the Obama administration ramps up efforts to find and isolate U.S. cases of swine flu.During a White House briefing, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that HHS will issue a public health emergency warning that will free up resources to address the outbreak that has hit 20 Americans in five states. Richard Besser, acting head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the agency is prepared to move millions of doses...