White House

PRESIDENT TRUMP RETURNS TO WHITE HOUSE, DRAWS CONDEMNATION AS “RECKLESS” FOR EXPOSING OTHERS TO COVID-19 AND DOWNPLAYING SEVERITY OF DISEASE

 

"The behavior of the first family has endangered not only their own health, but that of the staff." -- Megan Ranney, emergency room physician

By Miriam Raftery

October 6, 2020 (Washington D.C.) – President Donald Trump returned to the White House late yesterday, still contagious with COVID-19 after his discharge from Walter Reed Medical Center.  

As he entered the White House, he defiantly removed his mask, thus contaminating the air with the coronavirus, potentially exposing White House staff.  He then posed for a campaign video, exposing a film crew to the virus. In direction contradiction to the advice of public health officials, Trump advised American not to be afraid of the virus, claiming “We’re going back to work.” He urged Americans not to be afraid of COVID-19 – apparently tone deaf to the suffering of families of more than 200,000 Americans who have died and many others left debilitated by the disease.

Then in a tweet this morning falsely likened it to the flu – a post so irresponsible that some social media sites have removed it for endangering lives. Trump previously admitted in a taped interview in February with journalism Bob Woodward that he knew the coronavirus was much more deadly than the flu but downplayed its severity to avoid causing panic.

Now, two White House staffers have tested positive for COVID and were reportedly told to "use discretion" in reporting their illnesses.  "This is what I was worried about," tweeted emergency physician Megan Ranney after the housekeepers' diagnoses were first reported by Forbes. "The behavior of the first family has endangered not only their own health, but that of the staff."


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PASSING ON PASSOVER: TRUMP SNUBS JEWS AT WHITE HOUSE SEDER

 

Press Secretary Sean Spicer also draws fire for Holocaust denial comment;

White House also fumbles annual Easter Egg roll

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: White House Seder, with Trump seat vacant

April 11, 2017 (Washington D.C.) – The annual White House Seder dinner marking the start of Passover was held on Monday with Jewish staffers and friends. But President Donald Trump did not attend, even though he was reportedly at home in the White House at the time.


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SUNSHINE AND SHADOWS IN OPEN GOVERNMENT LAWS

 

By Miriam Raftery

March 18, 2015 (San Diego)--This week is sunshine week, when media outlets are supposed to report to the public on just how well – or poorly—public officials and agencies have done in responding to public records requests under open government laws.

Ironically, during sunshine week, the White House announced that it’s Office of Administration will no longer be subject to the Freedom of Information Act, continuing a policy begun by the Bush administration to reject all information requests to that office.  


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BORDER ANGELS IN THE WHITE HOUSE

 

By Miriam Raftery

December 16, 2014 (San Diego) – Border Angels founder and San Diego immigrants rights activist Enrique Morones met with President Barack Obama recently at the White House, following a briefing on recent immigration executive action.  Morones told ECM he asked for a second executive action “if the new Congress does not act soon on humane immigration reform.” (You can learn more about Border Angels efforts to help local refugees and immigrants at www.borderangels.org .)


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BARNES & NOBLE: LOCAL AUTHOR NIGHT

 

By Dennis Moore

October 22, 2014 (Valencia, California) - Steve Springer, co-author of Laker Girl, with Jeanie Buss, the NBA Los Angeles Lakers President and Governor, will be one of 10 authors at the annual Barnes & Noble “Local Author Night” in Valencia, California on Friday, October 24th, 2014 at 7:00PM. This writer had the distinct pleasure and honor of writing a review of Springer’s book for the East County Magazine in San Diego several months ago. Steve Springer is a former sportswriter who spent 25 years at the Los Angeles Times. He is the author of 11 books, including four on the Los Angeles Lakers, and the coauthor of the New York Time bestseller American Son with Oscar De La Hoya. Another memorable book by Springer, and a keepsake, is 50th Anniversary: The Los Angeles Times Encyclopedia of the Lakers. This is a must have for all Lakers fans, me included.


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OBAMA PLEDGES ACTION AGAINST ISIS

 

September 10, 2014 (Washington D.C.)--President Barack Obama will address the nation tonight to lay out his plan for action against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, also known as ISIL.


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LOCAL KURDS RALLY TO PROTEST ISIS TERRORIST ATTACKS: HEAR OUR INTERVIEW WITH A LOCAL KURDISH-AMERICAN WITH FAMILY IN TURMOIL

 

 Hear our interview with  a local Kurdish-American woman whose family is caught up in the tragic actions unfolding in Kurdistan under the ISIS assault. Listen online now: (This interview originally aired on the East County Magazine Show on KNSJ  radio 89.1 FM)   https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/sites/eastcountymagazine.org/files/au...

 

Anguish hits home for local Kurdish residents

By Miriam Raftery

August 15, 2014 (San Diego) – “This is a great humanitarian tragedy, and another genocide against the Kurdish nation,” Kurdish-American Amina (who asked that her last name be withheld) told East County Magazine.  She is horrified at news reports of beheadings, mass graves and the kidnapping of young girls as sex slaves by ISIS terrorists who have laid siege to the city of Shingal and trapped 100,000 refugees atop the Shingal Mountain. She is also frightened by what she is hearing from relatives in the region.

"No one feels safe there. People are hopeless,” she says.

Now the crisis has impacted her own family, like many of the 4,000 to 5,000 Kurdish people in the San Diego region and 15,000 Kurds in the U.S. overall. 

“The Kurdish people know that their dear Peshmarga do not have weapons to defend them from these barbarians, and this makes them live and die in fear. We hear that the Kurdish government is asking people (one of them being my brother) to find themselves weapons and join the Peshmarga,” she wrote in an e-mail to East County Magazine. “Sadly, most people do not have weapons, so if they go to war, they will go with bare hands.”

Audio: 


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ARABO-LED COALITION CALLS FOR PRESIDENTIAL ORDER TO PROTECT CHRISTIANS--AND DRONE STRIKES AGAINST ISIS

 

East County News Service

Photo: Arabo speaking at rally for Iraqi Christians last month in El Cajon

August 6, 2014 (El Cajon)—Mark Arabo,  a local Chaldean leader, and a coalition he has assembled will meet with U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice at the White House on Thursday and possibly Secretary of State John Kerry.  A press release announcing the upcoming meeting states that they will discuss the Christian genocide in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon by the terrorist group ISIS.


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WILDFIRES WORSENING DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE: NEW WHITE HOUSE VIDEO


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WHITE HOUSE CREATES TASK FORCE TO SAVE BEE POPULATIONS; ALSO TAKES STEPS TO REVERSE BUTTERFLY DECLINES

 

June 30, 2014 (Washington D.C.)--Honey bees are vital for our food supply, since a quarter of all foods that Americans eat depend on pollination by bees.  But bee populations fell by 23% over the winter.


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ECM WORLD WATCH: GLOBAL AND NATIONAL NEWS

March14, 2013 (San Diego’s East County)--ECM World Watch helps you be an informed citizen about important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a wide variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S. 

WORLD

HEALTH/SCIENCE

Read more for excerpts and links to full stories.


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AMERICAN TRIVIA: A CAPITAL IDEA

 

May 27, 2012 (San Diego) -- San Diegans Richard Lederer and Caroline McCullagh are the proud parents of a bouncing baby book, American Trivia: What We All Should Know About U.S. History, Culture & Geography (Gibbs Smith Publisher, 2012). Over a span of a year, the co-authors will share with you their journey through American history. You can order inscribed and signed copies of the book by writing to richard.lederer@pobox.com.
 
A Capital Idea
 
Ironically, the only president who didn’t live in Washington was Washington. During George Washington’s administration the nation's capital was situated in Philadelphia.

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READER’S EDITORIAL: CAN REPUBLICANS WIN THE WHITE HOUSE WITHOUT THE HISPANIC VOTE?

 
By Patrick Osio
 
March 16, 2012 (San Diego County) -- Surely the Republican Party knows that it will be most difficult to occupy the White House without a significant percentage of Hispanic votes. Why then are two of the leading candidates seeking the nomination taking such anti-Hispanic positions, particularly front runner Mitt Romney?  Romney must know that his flip-flops on positions affecting the Hispanic community are disconcerting and unsympathetic to the feelings of the great majority of Hispanics throughout the country.

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PRESIDENT MAINTAINS AFFORDABLE CARE ACT RULE EXPANDING COVERAGE FOR CONTRACEPTIVES, KEEPS RELIGIOUS EXEMPTION NARROW


January 22, 2012 (Washington D.C.)
-- Despite pressure from the powerful U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops lobby, the White House announced today that the President would not call for an expansion of the religious exemption in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services'(HHS) proposed rule regarding contraceptive coverage without cost-sharing by female employees.

 


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BIG HIT: PRESIDENT OBAMA WELCOMES WORLD CHAMPION LITTLE LEAGUE TEAM FROM CHULA VISTA

February 6, 2010 – As snow fell on the nation’s capitol, Chula Vista’s Park View Little League players, coaches and family members received a warm welcome at the White House from President Barack Obama. Each player on the world champion team was greeted personally by the President.

“He said that he was proud of us for representing the United States,” said catcher Daniel Porras Jr., according to the Union-Tribune. Players presented the President with a team jersey imprinted with his name. 


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