TRUMP WEARS MASK IN PUBLIC
WASHINGTON» President Donald Trump wore a mask during a visit to a military hospital on Saturday, the first time the president has been seen in public with the type of facial covering recommended by health officials as a precaution against spreading or becoming infected by the novel coronavirus.
Trump flew by helicopter to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in suburban Washington to meet wounded service members and health care providers caring for COVID-19 patients. As he left the White House, he told reporters: “When you’re in a hospital, especially ... I think it’s a great thing to wear a mask.”
Trump was wearing a mask in Walter Reed’s hallway as he began his visit. He was not wearing one when he stepped off the helicopter at the facility.
Trump has declined to wear a mask at news conferences, coronavirus task force updates, rallies and other public events. People close to him have said the president feared a mask would make him look weak and he was concerned that it shifted focus to the public health crisis rather than the economic recovery.
Carlson writer resigns after racist posts revealed.
NEW YORK» Tucker Carlson’s top writer has resigned from Fox News after secretly posting racist and sexist remarks online.
CNN reported Friday that writer Blake Neff used a pseudonym to write bigoted comments about Black and Asian people, as well as women, on the online forum Autoadmit.
Neff began working on “Tucker Carlson Tonight” in 2016 and was known as Carlson’s top writer.
Neff previously worked as a reporter for the right-wing news outlet The Daily Caller, which Carlson co-founded.
Fox News executives on Saturday said they condemned Neff’s “horrendous and deeply offensive” comments.
Fire destroys much of 249-yearold church.
SAN GABRIEL, CALIF.» A fire early Saturday destroyed the rooftop and most of the interior of a Catholic church that was undergoing renovation to mark its upcoming 250th anniversary celebration.
Fire alarms at the San Gabriel Mission rang around 4 a.m. When firefighters arrived, they saw smoke rising from the wooden rooftop in one corner of the historic structure, Fire Capt. Paul Negrete said.
Firefighters entered the church and tried to beat back the flames, but they had to retreat when roofing and other structural materials began to fall, Negrete said.
After evacuating the church, the crew was joined by up to 50 firefighters who tried to douse water on the 50-foot-high structure from ladder trucks, he said.
“The roof is completely gone,” the captain said. “The fire traversed the wood rapidly. The interior is pretty much destroyed up into the altar area.”
Disney World reopens as coronavirus cases surge in Florida. ORLANDO, FLA.» “The Most Magical Place on Earth” has reopened after nearly four months with new rules in place to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom reopened Saturday, and Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios will follow four days later.
The reopening comes as a huge surge of Floridians have tested positive for the coronavirus in recent weeks.
On Saturday, there were about 10,000 new cases reported, according to state statistics.