Wednesday morning news - October 7, 2020

White House: Trump “energetic,” hard at work » President Trump says he feels great as he recovers from COVID-19. 

White House officials say they’re taking precautions to keep others safe around the president. And Communications Director Alyssa Farah said Trump is very much on the job. 

FARAH: He’s energetic. It’s taking senior staff around him to tell him let’s slow down the pace, but he is working. He is here at the White House. He’s making calls. He’s meeting with senior advisers. 

And one of the president’s senior advisors has also also contracted the virus. Stephen Miller tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday. 

Meantime, the heads of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, as well as Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, are self-quarantining.

That after Adm. Charles W. Ray, the vice commandant of the Coast Guard, tested positive on Monday. 

Officials do not believe Ray contracted the virus in connection with the outbreak among White House staff.

But another person who attended a recent Rose Garden ceremony has also tested positive. Greg Laurie, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California says his symptoms so far are mild and he expects to make a full recovery.

Trump halts COVID-19 relief talks until after election » President Trump on Tuesday called an abrupt end to talks with Democrats over a new COVID-19 relief bill until after the election.  

Trump tweeted that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was “not negotiating in good faith.” 

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday…

MCCONNELL: Well, I think his view was they were not going to produce a result and we needed to concentrate on what’s achievable. 

Trump said he’s asked McConnell to direct all his focus right now on confirming Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett.

WH Blocks FDA Coronavirus Vaccine Guidelines / CDC coronavirus guidance » The Food and Drug Administration laid out updated safety standards Tuesday for makers of COVID-19 vaccines after the White House reportedly blocked their formal release. WORLD’s Anna Johansen has more. 

ANNA JOHANSEN, REPORTER: The FDA said vaccine makers should follow trial participants for at least two months to rule out safety issues before seeking emergency approval. That requirement would almost certainly mean no vaccine before the Nov. 3rd election.

The Associated Press reports that a “senior administration official” confirmed that the White House had blocked the FDA’s plan to formally publish the safety guidance. The White House reportedly argued there was “no clinical or medical reason” for it.

But the FDA tucked the information into a memo posted ahead of a meeting with an outside panel of advisers. And it makes clear the FDA will impose those safety standards for any vaccine seeking an expedited path to market.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Anna Johansen. 

CDC: Coronavirus can spread beyond 6 feet, but infections are rare » Meantime, the CDC said this week that the coronavirus can spread more than 6 feet through the air, especially in poorly ventilated and enclosed spaces. 

Dr. Ashish Jha is dean of the Brown University School of Public Health. 

JHA: It does remind us that when you’re indoors with somebody that’s infected and they’re not wearing a mask, it can be quite dangerous even if you’re more than 6 feet away. 

But the agency maintained that infection beyond that range is uncommon so the current social distancing guidelines still make sense.

Some experts disagree, insisting the virus spreads beyond 6 feet more easily than the CDC suggests. They say the public should wear masks even in prolonged outdoor gatherings when they’re more than 6 feet apart.

Hurricane Delta takes aim at Mexico, US Gulf Coast » Yet another hurricane is heading for the Gulf Coast. 

At the moment, Hurricane Delta appears to be taking aim at New Orleans. But the eye of the storm could strike as far west as the Texas state line or as far east as Pensacola, Florida.

Daniel Brown with the National Hurricane Center…

BROWN: We’re seeing an increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge, damaging winds and flooding rains over portions of the north-central Gulf Coast, southern U.S. as we get toward later in the week. 

It’s too early to see exactly when Delta will make landfall in the United States, but right now forecasters say most likely Friday or Saturday. 

But today, Delta is set to ravage the northeastern tip of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. It could slam Mexico as a Category 4 hurricane. From there, it’s expected to weaken somewhat as it spins north across Gulf waters. 

Netflix faces felony charges over controversial film » Streaming giant Netflix faces felony charges in the state of Texas for distributing a controversial film. WORLD’s Leigh Jones has that story. 

LEIGH JONES, REPORTER: Some lawmakers, both in Texas and in Washington have described the film Cuties as “child pornography.”

A state lawmaker tweeted an image Tuesday of the grand jury filing in a Tyler County court. It said Cuties “appeals to the prurient interest in sex, and has no serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.”

Netflix angered its fans and lost subscribers when it released the film in September. It depicts young girls dancing in a sexually suggestive way. 

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Leigh Jones. 

Rock ‘n’ roll icon Eddie Van Halen dies » Rock ‘n’ roll icon and guitar virtuoso Eddie Van Halen has died. 

Van Halen is among the top 20 best-selling artists of all time. The band burst onto the charts in the late ’70s and went on to produce smash hits like “Jump” and “Panama.” 

MUSIC: [PANAMA]

Van Halen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. 

A person close to his family confirmed the rocker died Tuesday due to cancer. He was 65.

Singer-songwriter Johnny Nash dies » Also on Tuesday, singer-songwriter Johnny Nash died at the age of 80. 

Nash, who was also an actor and producer, was best known for his chart-topping anthem in 1972 “I Can See Clearly Now.”

MUSIC: [I can See Clearly]

Nash died of natural causes at home in Houston.

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon) President Donald Trump returns to the White House Monday, Oct. 5, 2020, in Washington, after leaving Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, in Bethesda, Md. Trump announced he tested positive for COVID-19 on Oct. 2. 

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.