TSA Absences Surge During Government Shutdown as ICE Agents Prepare Airport Deployment 
S&P 500 Rebounds After Netanyahu's Statements on Iran's Military Setbacks 
US-Iran War: Trump Eyes Military Exit as Markets React to Potential De-escalation 
Trump Threatens ICE Airport Deployment Amid TSA Shutdown Crisis 
Taiwan Strengthens Deterrence Amid Ongoing Chinese Military Threat 
Cuba Rejects U.S. Demands to Remove President Diaz-Canel Amid Ongoing Negotiations 
Palestinian Activist Leqaa Kordia Released from U.S. Immigration Detention After Judge's Order 
U.S. Prosecutors Scrutinize Colombian President Petro in Drug Trafficking Probes 
Ukraine-U.S. Peace Talks Continue in Florida as Zelenskiy Pushes for Diplomatic Progress 
Trump Links DHS Funding to Voter ID Legislation 
Trump Issues 48-Hour Ultimatum to Iran Over Strait of Hormuz, Threatens Power Grid Strikes 
Federal Reserve Crisis: DOJ Standoff Threatens Powell's Succession and Rate Stability 
Iran Threatens Gulf Infrastructure as U.S.-Israel War Enters Critical 48-Hour Window 
Federal Judge Blocks Pentagon's Restrictive Press Access Policy 
U.S. Officials Express Optimism Over New CDC Director Selection Amid Vaccine Policy Turmoil 
Robert Mueller, Former FBI Director and Special Counsel, Dies at 81 
Vice President Mike Pence struggled to justify President Donald Trump’s claims about the so-called game-changing coronavirus drugs.
Earlier this week, the POTUS claimed that chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine could help treat the deadly coronavirus. The president also claimed that the former has already been approved by the FDA. However, the Food and Drug Administration released a statement shortly after saying that they haven’t approved anything.
Following a heated press conference this week, Trump was criticized for saying that FDA approved the drugs when they didn’t. The president walked out of the press conference room after he was lambasted.
Shortly after, Pence took the podium to explain Trump’s side without disregarding Dr. Anthony Fauci’s medical take on the issue. After pausing for a few seconds and appearing to stumble over his words, the vice president gave a pretty good and respectful response.
“I think the president reiterated the hopefulness that he feels about this, that because these are medications that are time-honored and tested, they’ve been taken for many, many years, that we want to pursue, number one, making those available if someone’s doctor believes that it’s appropriate,” he said. “The doctor would be able to prescribe that medicine, even though that’s not indicated. That’s called off-label use,” he added.
Pence then tried to explain Dr. Fauci’s side.
“But the other piece is, as Dr. Fauci said, and I’ll yield to him, in deploying those medicines, we’re working specifically with one state to do so in a way that represents a clinical trial. So it would not just be compassionate use, which the medicines are already being used for in some jurisdictions today, but also we could study it and determine the viability of it,” he said.
Pence concluded his statement by saying that they are working diligently right now with the supply chain to ensure that those medicines are available.
Meanwhile, Pence and his wife, Karen both tested negative for coronavirus. Katie Miller, the press secretary for the vice president, confirmed the news on Twitter.
“Pleased to report that the COVID-19 test results came back negative for both Vice President @Mike_Pence and Second Lady @KarenPence,” she wrote.
