'Mr. President, I apologize,' Democratic Rep. Carolyn Maloney says during appearance on CNN, declaring, 'if you run, I will be there 100%'



Democratic Rep. Carolyn Maloney of New York publicly apologized to President Joe Biden during a Thursday appearance on CNN's "New Day," saying that while she does not expect the president to seek re-election, she will support him if he opts to do so.

"Mr. President, I apologize," Maloney said. Continuing to direct her remarks toward Biden, Maloney then told the president that she wants him to run, but does not believe that he will do so. "But when you run, or if you run, I will be there 100%. You have deserved it. You are a great president," the long-serving congresswoman said.

\u201cAfter saying Biden won\u2019t run in 2024, Rep Carolyn Maloney looks into @newday camera and says: \u201cI apologize Mr. President\u2026(even though) I happen to think you won\u2019t be running.\u201d \n@brikeilarcnn\u201d
— New Day (@New Day) 1659610393

During a primary debate on Tuesday, the candidates were asked whether the president should run for re-election — Maloney responded by saying that she did not think that Biden was running again.

Following the debate, Maloney said in a statement that the president "has shown exemplary leadership." She declared in the statement, "If Biden chooses to run for President again, I absolutely intend to support him."

The lawmaker issued a tweet on Wednesday praising the president and declaring that she will back him if he seeks another term: "I will absolutely support President Biden, if he decides to run for re-election. Biden’s leadership securing historic investments for healthcare, climate & economic justice prove once again why he is the strong and effective leader we need right now."

\u201cI will absolutely support President Biden, if he decides to run for re-election. \n\nBiden\u2019s leadership securing historic investments for healthcare, climate & economic justice prove once again why he is the strong and effective leader we need right now. \ud83e\uddf5\u201d
— Carolyn B. Maloney (@Carolyn B. Maloney) 1659539435

During the interview on Thursday, CNN's Brianna Keilar repeatedly asked Maloney why she did not think that Biden would run again, but the congresswoman never explained her rationale.

Biden said last year that he intends to seek re-election provided that he is healthy. He is already the oldest president in U.S. history and would be 86 years old by the end of a second term.

When fielding the debate question about whether Biden should run for reelection, Democratic Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York said that it would not serve the Democratic Party to consider the issue until after the midterms have occurred.

"Anyone watching last night's debate would have heard my extremely effusive comments about President Biden's performance during historically trying times. As I have said many times, I strongly support the president," Nadler said in a statement. "My point in response to a yes or no question about the 2024 election was simply that a discussion about anything other then the historic midterm election this year is a distraction from our important work of keeping our House and Senate majorities and protecting our democracy."

\u201cNadler is out with some post-debate spin this morning, emphasizing that while he is supportive of Biden, he believes any convo not related to the upcoming midterm elections is a \u201cdistraction\u201d\n\n"As I have said many times, I strongly support the President," he writes in part\u201d
— Mychael Schnell (@Mychael Schnell) 1659500310

NIH Director 'clarifies' after comment about parents wearing masks at home to protect unvaccinated kids



National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins issued a tweet to "clarify" on Tuesday after making remarks during a CNN interview about mask wearing at home to protect unvaccinated kids from COVID-19.

Collins said in his statement that it is not necessary to use masks at home, but vaccinated parents in areas with high coronavirus transmission should use masks at public indoor locations to help lower risks to their unvaccinated children.

"Let me clarify the masking message that I garbled on @NewDay this morning. Vaccinated parents who live in communities with high COVID transmission rates should mask when out in public indoor settings to minimize risks to their unvaccinated kids. No need to mask at home," he tweeted.

Let me clarify the masking message that I garbled on @NewDay this morning. Vaccinated parents who live in communiti… https://t.co/xCSKKm3Pzg

— Francis S. Collins (@NIHDirector) 1628022246.0

During a CNN interview on Tuesday Collins said that recommendations for children below the age of 12 are that they should avoid locations where they could contract the illness — he mentioned recommendations for masking at schools and said that at home people who have "unvaccinated kids should be thoughtful about this and the recommendation is to wear masks there as well. I know that's uncomfortable, I know it seems weird, but it is the best way to protect your kids."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that vaccinated individuals wear masks at public indoor settings in regions of the nation with substantial or high COVID-19 transmission.

Currently the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is allowed to be used in those 12 and older in the U.S., but no vaccine is available for those younger than 12.

The CDC says that kids 2 and older should wear masks in public venues.

"If your child is younger than 2 years or cannot wear a mask, limit visits with people who are not vaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown and keep distance between your child and other people in public," the CDC states.

During the CNN interview, Collins said regarding the Delta variant of the illness that, "It's clear that this variant is capable of causing serious illness in children. You have heard those stories coming out of Louisiana pediatric ICUs where there are kids as young as a few months old who are sick from this. That is rare. Certainly younger people are less likely to fall ill," he said.

"Again I don't wanna overstate the confidence that we have about whether Delta is more dangerous to children. The balance has not been fully settled there but it's tipping in that direction," he said.

Has the Delta variant increased the risk for unvaccinated children?NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins answers this… https://t.co/LVfLfj1oge

— New Day (@NewDay) 1627994461.0

NIH director: Parents should wear masks at home around unvaccinated kids



National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins advised parents on Tuesday to wear face coverings inside their own homes in order to protect unvaccinated children from contracting COVID-19.

What did he say?

During an appearance on CNN Tuesday morning, the public health expert said the "weird" practice is the "best way" to ensure that kids younger than 12 — who are currently not eligible to get the vaccine — aren't harmed by the Delta variant. Though he admitted that children are generally less affected by the virus and that the evidence indicating the Delta variant is more dangerous is "not as solid" as he wished.

Nevertheless, Collins pushed forward with his recommendations that kids younger than 12 "avoid being in places where they might get infected, which means mask-wearing in schools and at home."

"Parents of unvaccinated kids should be thoughtful about this, and the recommendation is to wear masks there [at home] as well. I know that's uncomfortable, I know it seems weird, but it is the best way to protect your kids," he said.

Has the Delta variant increased the risk for unvaccinated children?NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins answers this… https://t.co/LVfLfj1oge

— New Day (@NewDay) 1627994461.0

What else?

When asked whether any concrete evidence has yet to suggest that the Delta variant is more dangerous to children, Collins offered a mixed response.

"It's clear that this variant is capable of causing serious illness in children. You have heard those stories coming out of Louisiana, pediatric [intensive care units] where there are kids as young as a few months old who are sick from this," Collins said, before acknowledging, "That is rare."

"Certainly younger people are less likely to fall ill," he went on to say. "But anybody who tries to tell you, 'You don't have to worry about it if you're a young healthy person,' there are many counter-examples all around us now."

Later in the interview, Collins noted, "We don't have really enough numbers to be confident, but it certainly tilts the balance in that direction."

Why does it matter?

Fox News reported over the weekend that "out of 503,544 deaths currently reported by the [U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention], just 296 were kids below the age of 12, less than .06%."

Certainly, many parents are fatigued by the draconian restrictions implemented in their communities over the past year, especially as it relates to children who, by in large, are not as affected by the virus.

Given Collins' failure to provide concrete evidence indicating that the Delta variant is more dangerous to children, critics are likely to perceive that he is needlessly stoking fear.

Along those lines, FaithWire editor Tré Goins-Phillips used Collins' own words to argue, "This is not 'uncomfortable' or 'weird,' @NIHDirector, this has crossed the threshold into lunacy."

This is not “uncomfortable” or “weird,” @NIHDirector, this has crossed the threshold into lunacy. https://t.co/GRw8yu4Syw

— Tré Goins-Phillips 😎 🇺🇸 (@tregp) 1628010101.0

CNN host pushes back on CDC director's call for vaccinated people to mask up: 'Why the hell do I have to pay the price for this?'



Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky has been tasked with making the television rounds to justify her agency's decision Tuesday to reverse its mask guidelines.

In an interview with CNN's "New Day" Wednesday, the show's co-host grilled her, wanting to know "why the hell" vaccinated people should have to go back to wearing masks.

What happened?

Just two months ago, the CDC declared that vaccinated people no longer needed to wear masks. But with the surge of the Delta variant, the agency flipped its recommendation and is now calling for vaccinated Americans to mask up indoors if they are in an area of the country with high or substantial transmission of COVID-19.

Critics of the CDC's move blasted the agency for offering what they viewed as essentially political advice, not health advice. And Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the onetime director of the Food and Drug Administration, called the newly issued guidelines "confusing" and said they would have a "negligible impact" on the Delta surge.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, naturally, defended the CDC's mask reversal and even said, "The CDC hasn't really flip-flopped at all."

When Walensky appeared on left-leaning CNN to promote her agency's latest move, she likely expected a fairly friendly back-and-forth.

What she got was probably a little more pushback from "New Day" co-host John Berman than she had hoped for.

"You can understand the frustration in those of us who are vaccinated saying, 'Why the hell do I have to pay the price for this?'" Berman asked.

Walensky, as has been her wont, offered a fairly unhelpful and uninformative answer.

.@CDCDirector Dr. Rochelle Walensky on the new mask guidance: "With prior variances, when people had these rare bre… https://t.co/G2Eg4hhPqY

— New Day (@NewDay) 1627473137.0

"Right," Walensky replied. “So we're asking everybody in those areas of orange and red to mask up. Here is the reason why — if you're a vaccinated person and you're in one of those areas, as you said, a sea of red, a sea of COVID, you have a reasonably high chance, if nobody is wearing a mask, to interact with people who may be infectious."

"Every 20 vaccinated people, one or two of them could get a breakthrough infection," she added. "They may only get mild disease, but we wanted them to know that they could bring that mild disease home. They could bring it to others."

Who are the "others"? One would assume that she's referring to people 12 and older who have chosen not to receive the vaccine — the very people for whom vaccinated folks like Berman don't want to have to "pay the price." They've chosen to go unvaxxed, let them deal, the thinking goes.

If Walensky's referring to kids, then she has some explaining to do: During that same interview, HotAir's Allahpundit noted, she admitted that the CDC has no evidence that the Delta variant is making children sicker than any prior variant.

Biden’s CDC Director on mask mandates for kids: “We don’t have any evidence” that the Delta variant makes kids sick… https://t.co/IEUzH7uV0j

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) 1627479184.0

(H/T: Mediaite)

Has Justice Stephen Breyer decided when he will retire? 'No', he says, frustrating progressives



Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer says he has not decided when he will retire from the bench, telling a CNN reporter Wednesday what factors he might consider in making his decision but refusing to discuss his plans directly.

In an interview with CNN's Joan Biskupic, the 82-year-old justice, who will be 83 in August, said "primarily, of course, health" would influence his decision about retiring, and so would "the court."

These are the first public comments from Breyer on the question of his potential retirement. They will no doubt come as a bitter disappointment to the progressive left, who fear that if he does not step aside before the 2022 midterm elections, Republicans could win control of the U.S. Senate and refuse to confirm any Supreme Court nominees President Joe Biden might put forward to fill a vacancy.

Democrats have bluntly called on Breyer to retire in recent months, but after serving on the court for 27 years, Breyer only now finds himself as the senior liberal justice since Ruth Bader Ginsburg died last year. The pressure began after Republicans confirmed Justice Amy Coney Barrett to the court, and while the supposed 6-3 "conservative majority" has actually failed to fundamentally alter the dynamics of the court's decisions, progressives are nevertheless furious that Breyer won't step aside.

Asked directly if he has decided when he will step down, Breyer replied with a curt, "no."

He indicated that his seniority "has made a difference to me."

"It is not a fight. It is not sarcasm," Breyer said of the court's private conferences. "It is deliberation."

Discussing the interview with Breyer on CNN"s "New Day", Biskupic's takeaway was "he's not going anywhere just now."

"He didn't say that explicitly, but that was certainly between the lines," she said. "He hadn't wanted to speak about this, but I went up there and he was willing to give me some material to at least know what we can expect in the near future, but I think your reading between the lines is exactly what mine is: not for a while."

Justice Stephen Breyer has not decided when he will retire and is especially gratified with his new role as the sen… https://t.co/cxAc1LtUVU

— New Day (@NewDay) 1626346148.0

Liberal activists were not pleased with Breyer's answers.

"Especially after Justice Ruth Ginsburg lost her bet on her own longevity, with the rest of us forced to pay, it's astonishing that Justice Stephen Breyer would court the same risk," Yale Law professor Samuel Moyn told CNN. Moyn was one of several academics who signed a letter calling on Breyer to retire.

"It's not a good look," said University of Houston Law Associate Professor Daniel Morales, another signatory.

Senate Democrats also weighed in.

"I'm very concerned about the sustainable liberal wing of the party," said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), who serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee. "And I'm very concerned about the court right now because it seems to have a very rightward tilt, and we need balance, which Justice Breyer provides."

Most emphasized that it was solely Breyer's decision on when he should retire, refraining from outright saying the justice should go.

"It's his decision and his alone," said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).

Democrats likely do not want to give the appearance of politicizing the court by calling for Breyer's retirement. An overt call for Breyer to step down would in all probability backfire, as Breyer has maintained a personal commitment to fighting partisanship on the bench.

"My experience of more than 30 years as a judge has shown me that once men and women take the judicial oath, they take the oath to heart," Breyer told a group of Harvard Law students in April. "They are loyal to the rule of law, not to the political party that helped to secure their appointment."

Former surgeon general blasts CDC over mask communication: ‘They fumbled the ball at the 1-yard-line’



Former Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams blasted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after he said they "fumbled the ball at the 1-yard-line" in handling mask guidance for Americans.

Adams served under the Trump administration from 2017 until former President Donald Trump left office in January.

What are the details?

Adams said that he agreed with the plan of eliminating the need for masks in fully vaccinated Americans, but the execution was subpar to say the least.

During a Monday appearance on CNN's "New Day," Adams said, "I think this was an appropriate call based on the science. I think the play call was right, but they fumbled the ball at the one-yard line in terms of communicating this to the public."

Adams also said that CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky's announcement left those people working in public health "blindsided."

“I think you miss the nuance about protecting yourself versus protecting an organization," Adams explained. “It was a little bit of whiplash for the American public in terms of them saying just a week before, 'Keep your mask on' and then all of sudden they're saying, 'Now you can take them off.'"

The new CDC guidance on mask wearing “was an appropriate call based on the science,” says Dr. Jerome Adams, the for… https://t.co/IMK6XvmvKI

— New Day (@NewDay) 1621250620.0

What else?

In Thursday remarks made in a White House press briefing, Walensky said, “Anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities — large or small — without wearing a mask or physically distancing. If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing the things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic."

Walensky's announcement came just one day after she addressed Congress and told them that masks were still necessary for Americans — vaccinated or not.

Walensky told Fox News' Chris Wallace on Sunday that the organization is "getting data, evolving data, on the science."

"It certainly would have been easier if this science had evolved a week earlier and I didn't have to go to Congress making this statement," Walensky admitted. "But I'm delivering the science ... and you know, it evolved over this last week.

“And so taking all of these data together, we've been working really actively just this whole last week to try and move the science, move the data, to the American people and tell people — deliver the science to them," she added.