U.S. elite commandos team rescue American citizen, Philip Walton, 27, held hostage in Nigeria after being abducted from neighboring Niger Republic

Elite SEAL Team Six

CC™ Global News

An American citizen abducted last week in Niger has been rescued during a high-risk U.S. military raid in neighboring Nigeria, officials told ABC News early Saturday.

The mission was undertaken by elite commandos as part of a major effort to free the U.S. citizen, Philip Walton, 27, before his abductors could get far after taking him captive in Niger on Oct. 26, counterterrorism officials told ABC News.

The operation involved the governments of the U.S., Niger and Nigeria working together to rescue Walton quickly, sources said. The CIA provided intelligence leading to Walton's whereabouts and Marine Special Operations elements in Africa helped locate him, a former U.S. official said.

Then the elite SEAL Team Six carried out a "precision" hostage rescue mission and killed all but one of the seven captors, according to officials with direct knowledge about the operation.

"They were all dead before they knew what happened," another counterterrorism source with knowledge told ABC News.

President Donald Trump called the rescue mission a "big win for our very elite U.S. Special Forces" in a tweet and the Pentagon lauded the rescue mission in a statement.

“U.S. forces conducted a hostage rescue operation during the early hours of 31 October in Northern Nigeria to recover an American citizen held hostage by a group of armed men," said Pentagon chief spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman. "This American citizen is safe and is now in the care of the U.S. Department of State. No U.S military personnel were injured during the operation.

"We appreciate the support of our international partners in conducting this operation."

Related: American hostage held by ISIS still alive: Niger president

And Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said: "Thanks to the extraordinary courage and capabilities of our military, the support of our intelligence professionals, and our diplomatic efforts, the hostage will be reunited with his family. We will never abandon any American taken hostage."

ABC News consultant Mick Mulroy, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense and retired CIA officer, said preparations for Walton's rescue likely started when he was abducted.

“These types of operations are some of the most difficult to execute," he said. "Any mistake could easily lead to the death of the hostage. The men and women of JSOC [Joint Special Operations Command], and the CIA should be proud of what they did here. And all Americans should be proud of them. “

Eric Oehlerich, an ABC News consultant and retired Navy SEAL, said Walton was "lucky" that such a mission was possible such as short time after he was abducted, when others have been held for years.

"Men in these top-tier Special Forces units train their entire adult lives to be ready when called upon, hostage rescue operations are inherently dangerous," he said. "Those men put someone else's life above their own, they do so selflessly....it's an illustration of utter commitment."

A former U.S. counterterrorism official emphasized generally how long the odds are for rescue in the "highly dangerous" missions -- less than 30%. But the official said that it's crucial to act as quickly as possible so that hostages don't wind up in the hands of al Qaeda or ISIS.

"The longer a hostage is held the harder it is to find an exact location to be able and conduct a rescue operation," the official said.

U.S. and Nigerien officials had said that Walton was kidnapped from his backyard last Monday after assailants asked him for money. But he only offered $40 USD and was then taken away by force, according to sources in Niger.

Walton lives with his wife and young daughter on a farm near Massalata, a small village close to the border with Nigeria.

Nigerien and American officials told ABC News that they believed the captors were from an armed group from Nigeria and that it was not considered terror-related. But hostages are often sold to terrorist groups.

Concern grew quickly after the kidnapping that an opportunity to rescue Walton could become much more dangerous if he was taken by or sold to a group of Islamist militants aligned with either al Qaeda or ISIS and American special operations commanders felt they needed to act swiftly before that could occur, said one counterterrorism official briefed on the hostage recovery operations.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson confirmed after the kidnapping that an American citizen had been abducted in Niger and said the U.S. government was "providing their family all possible consular assistance."

The spokesperson declined to comment on the case, citing "privacy considerations," but added, "When a U.S. citizen is missing, we work closely with local authorities as they carry out their search efforts, and we share information with families however we can."

Another American, Christian humanitarian aid worker Jeffery Rey Woodke, 60, has been held hostage for the past four years since being kidnapped in northern Niger by armed militants.

Niger, home to 22 million people and three times the size of California, is one of many Sahel nations plagued by terrorism and instability, but its military has been a close U.S. partner in the fight against regional jihadist groups, including affiliates of both al Qaeda and ISIS.

Last week, a U.N.-backed donor summit raised $1.7 billion to support the region's governments as Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned the humanitarian crisis is at a "breaking point," with 13.4 million people in need of assistance.

AGENCY NEWS

Bankruptcy Incorporated: Trump campaign runs out of cash

CC™ Politico

U.S. President Donald Trump campaign machine is in the throes of a cash crunch, forcing it to pull back television advertising in some crucial states.

A flustered Trump will now embark on a heavier fundraising schedule in coming weeks, seeking money from small and big donors, a strategy that his Democratic rival Joe Biden has been using.

Trump's campaign started the year with more than 10 times as much money as Democratic rival Joe Biden.

But to the alarm of some Republican donors, the former vice president closed the gap as Democratic donors consolidated behind him and the Trump campaign burned through its cash more quickly.

Biden, who leads Trump in most national and battleground state polling ahead of the Nov. 3 election, had about $99 million in the bank to Trump's $121 million by the end of July, according to disclosures by each side's campaign.

But in August, Biden out-raised Trump nearly $365 million to $210 million in August.

"I am flabbergasted that the money lead we had in February has completely evaporated," said Dan Eberhart, a Republican fundraiser and executive in the oil and gas industry who cut a $100,000 check to the Trump Victory Fund in June.

Trump this week said his campaign had to spend millions on advertisements earlier this year to fight the impression that he mishandled the corona virus pandemic, which has killed more than 194,000 Americans and devastated the U.S. economy.

A couple of donors questioned whether the campaign's purchase of a multi-million dollar ad during the Super Bowl in February so far ahead of the election, as well as ads in the heavily Democratic Washington, D.C. market in June, were more about Trump's vanity than strategy.

Eberhart said some of the campaign's recent actions, including buying ads in few-day increments as opposed to weekly and going dark in some states for a stretch, suggested the campaign now faces a cash pinch.

Bill Stepien, who became Trump's campaign manager in July, told reporters this week that the campaign was "very comfortable and confident in how we're spending and where we're spending."

Biden is poised to outspend Trump on ads in the final weeks of the race.

The Democrat's campaign has booked about $181 million in television and radio ad spending between September and November, compared to $156 million by the Trump campaign, according to ad tracking firm Advertising Analytics.

The current bookings show Biden will spend more than Trump in battleground states North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona and Wisconsin. Trump is slated to outspend Biden in Florida and Ohio.

Stepien said in a statement that the incumbent's campaign has invested heavily in a field operation and ground game aimed at turning out voters "while the Biden campaign is waging almost exclusively an air war."

"We like our strategy better," Stepien said.

In the final week of the race, the Trump campaign will increase its outreach to donors of all means, advisers said.

Trump's closing agenda includes meeting with deep-pocketed donors for more cash flow in the hopes of combining a frenetic final campaign stretch with some aggressive but targeted campaign ads in key battleground states.

Jesse Watters, Fox News and a culture of lies, deception and unbridled depravity

CC™ Video Scope - Editorial Team

Along with everything else that Rupert Murdoch's News Corp rolls off its conveyor belt of deception, dishonesty and journalistic debauchery, Jesse Watters' weak hit job on Joe Biden as it relates to the unproven allegations of impropriety in his son, Hunter Biden's business dealings, ranks right up there with the very worst of them. 

Rather than go into any unnecessary verbal hissicuffs, I will direct our readers to the video from Watters' show on 10/24/2020. A closer look (much clearer on TV than in the YouTube video) at 3:56 of the show's video (below) from that day will show that Joe Biden's head is actually superimposed on the body of another person in the group picture of four with a supposed business partner of Hunter Biden called Devon Archer.

Never mind the fact that Fox News' sister publication recently stated that Tony Bobulinski's records show no proof of Joe Biden's business relationship with the former. This is worse than yellow journalism and it is further proof that Fox News will always be what they are and have always been..... a jaundiced and eternally dishonest excuse for a news and information outlet. 

Again, a closer look at the image on TV (on-demand will have the playback) and here will show this depraved dishonesty to be exactly what it is, an assault on the basic tenets of journalistic integrity.

Feds Arrest Rapper Who Bragged About Getting Rich From Filing EDD Claims In Music Video

The hoodlum with ill-gotten money from his criminal activities

CC™ National News 

A rapper who bragged in a YouTube music video (which has since been removed) about getting rich from an unemployment scam was arrested Friday on federal charges of fraudulently applying for more than $1.2 million in jobless benefits, the Department Of Justice officials said.

Fontrell Antonio Baines, 31, of Memphis, Tenn., is known online as Nuke Bizzle. Federal officials say he is currently a resident in the Hollywood Hills and is expected to make his first court appearance Friday afternoon in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles.

Baines was arrested Sept. 23 by Las Vegas police and was found to be in possession of eight EDD debit cards, seven of which were in the names of other people, according to an affidavit filed with the criminal complaint against Baines.

In the video, which apparently was posted on Sept. 11, prosecutors say Baines rapped about doing “my swagger for EDD” and getting rich by “go[ing] to the bank with a stack of these” while holding up a several envelopes from EDD. A second man in the video raps, “you gotta sell cocaine, I just file a claim…”

The criminal complaint alleges Baines exploited the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance provision of federal coronavirus relief, or CARES Act, that was supposed to expand unemployment benefits to freelance and gig workers.

According to the affidavit, the investigation turned up at least 92 EDD debit cards preloaded with more than $1.2 million in fraudulent obtained benefits mailed to addresses that Baines had access to in Beverly Hills and Koreatown. Federal investigators say Baines and his co-schemers allegedly withdrew or spent more than $704,000 in cash from these cards.

Baines has been charged with access device fraud, aggravated identity theft and interstate transportation of stolen property. If convicted as charged, he faces a statutory maximum sentence of 22 years in federal prison.

CBSLA

CNN's Jake Tapper scolds Lara Trump for seemingly mocking Joe Biden's stutter in heated interview

CC™ Politico News

By Jeva Lange 

CNN's Jake Tapper cut off Lara Trump during a tense interview on State of the Union on Sunday after she dodged a question about appearing to mock Joe Biden's stutter by claiming the Democratic presidential candidate is in "cognitive decline."

Tapper had aired a clip of Trump's daughter-in-law claiming that every time Biden speaks, "I'm like 'Joe, can ya get it out, let's get the words out, Joe.' You kinda feel bad for him." Tapper asked Lara Trump in response, "How do you think it makes little kids with stutters feel when they see you make a comment like that?"

Trump said she didn't know Biden had famously overcome a stutter, and pivoted to alleging his speech was evidence of "cognitive decline." Tapper quickly interrupted: "I think you have absolutely no standing to diagnose somebody's cognitive decline," he told her, pointing out that "I'm sure it offends you" when people do the same to President Trump.

"I'm not diagnosing him," Trump protested. "I'm saying Joe Biden is struggling at times on stage and it's concerning to a lot of people that this could be the leader of the free world. That is all I'm saying. I genuinely feel sorry for Joe Biden."

But Tapper's patience had run out. "I'm sure [your comments] were from a place of concern," he said. "We all believe that." Watch below.

The Week

My Cousin Was Murdered By Police, Nigerian-Born Canadian provincial Justice Minister Supports #EndSARS

Alberta Solicitor-General Kaycee Madu

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Nigerian-born Kaycee Madu , Minister of Justice and Solicitor-General of Alberta in Canada has endorsed the #EndSARS protest in Nigeria.

He was recently appointed as a Minister.

“I support the people of Nigeria as they protest to end police brutality and extrajudicial killings,” Mr. Madu stated on Twitter.

The solicitor-general revealed that his cousin was a victim of police brutality in Nigeria.

The Alberta Minister of Justice said, “I support the people of Nigeria as they protest to end police brutality and extrajudicial killings. My own cousin Chrisantus Nwabueze Korie was murdered by Nigerian police in April 2013. Fundamental human rights like peace, security and freedom from police brutality are universal. The Nigerian government has an obligation to protect its citizens and deliver substantive police reform.

Furthermore, Changing the name of SARS and reconstituting it without significant reform won’t be sufficient to satisfy the cry of the Nigerian people for justice.

Lipstick on a pig: Nigeria's Police Inspector-General moves to replace murderous SARS unit with a 'new' SWAT unit

CC™ Global News

Nigeria’s head of police Mohammad Adamu has established a new Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) squad to “fill the gaps” left by the notorious police unit Federal Special Anti-robbery squad (FSARS).

The force spokesman Frank Mba said the IGP had also ordered all personnel of the disbanded SARS to report at force headquarters in Abuja for debriefing.

"The Inspector-General of Police, IGP M.A. Adamu, NPM, mni has, today, 13th October, 2020, in accordance with Section 18 (10) of the Police Act 2020, ordered all personnel of the defunct SARS to report at the Force Headquarters, Abuja for debriefing, psychological and medical examination. The officers are expected to undergo this process as a prelude to further training and reorientation before being redeployed into mainstream policing duties," Mba said.

Mba said prospective members of this new team will also “undergo psychological and medical examination to ascertain their fitness and eligibility for the new assignment.”

The SARS was dissolved on Sunday but there are allegations that they were still on the streets attacking and brutalizing protesters.

Just hours after Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday tried to assuage protesters by promising "extensive" reforms to stop the rising crisis of police brutality, another civilian was shot and killed by police during a protest in Surulere, Lagos State.

Protesters, who clamored for the dissolution of the unit, have continued to protest noting the government's ineffectual promises of police reforms and investigations in the past.

The Guardian has earlier reported that the police boss ordered all state commissioners of police to ensure no officer and other insignia of the defunct SARS is seen in public.

In the “police wireless message” dated October 12, 2020, seen by The Guardian, the state commissioners of police are to ensure “strict compliance” of the directive.

Investigation and prosecution of erring officers are the latest demands of the protesters with the standing demand that police brutality in the country must end.

With celebrities adding their voice to the #EndSARS hashtag, it jumped to the top global trend on Twitter and drew international support from UK-based footballers like Mesut Ozil and Marcus Rashford, musicians and actors.

Nigeria’s global superstars, Wizkid and Davido, who are also part of this generation of protesters, have been physically present in London and Abuja – where the latter’s presence stopped police officers from shooting at protesters.

The protests against the police have largely been organized on social media, fuelled by personal accounts of police abuses and videos of brutal incidents, including the beating of civilians and the firing of live ammunition at protesters.

GUARDIAN

Nigeria's Super Eagles: Nigeria Football Federation urged to replace Gernot Rohr with competent coach

Rohr (L) continues to live in the shadow of the accomplishments of the legendary Stephen Keshi (R)

CC™ Sports News

By Emmanuel Afonne

A former House of Representatives Committee Chairman on Sports, Godfrey Gaiya, has called for the sack of Super Eagles Technical Adviser Gernot Rohr following the team's poor outing in Austria.

The Super Eagles ended their Tuesday's friendly with Tunisia's Carthage Eagles 1-1, four days after they lost 0-1 to the Desert Foxes of Algeria.

Gaiya in an interview with NAN wondered what would happen in a competitive match if the "highly rated" coach could not defeat any African opponent in both friendlies played in Austria.

"We need another coach that will give us a national team; Gernot Rohr keeps embarking on trials.

"He brings people from nowhere to come and do what they like, and tomorrow, he brings a new set.

"We don't have a team. We have always advocated for a very competent coach, whether foreign or local because the colour of one's skin does not give him or her credentials of a good coach.

"A good coach is a coach that can transform our football and uplift our game to enable Nigeria be among best football playing countries. I am particular about what the coach is bringing in to the national team.

"I want to see my national team rated among the best. I know we have players that can do that, but as it is now, we cannot see anything good," Gaiya said.

The former lawmaker urged the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to review its contract with Rohr, noting that rewards and sanctions must be part of every contract if positive results must be achieved.

Gaiya added that the Super Eagles cannot remain stagnant because of the contract given to an individual.

"In every contract you sign there are clauses and rules of engagement and there are conditions for the contract to be valid.

"So, if I sign a contract with a low achiever and I have an ambition to get to somewhere and I know that the contract I signed with Mr A cannot take me to where I am going to, then, I should apply the clauses to cancel out the deal.

"At any point in time, if there is any reason to be convinced that my employee cannot take me to where I am going, I cannot be tied down because I signed a contract.

"So if the contract that was signed cannot take us to where we are going, then let it be quickly reviewed to enable Nigeria get to its football destination," he added.

Gaiya stressed that good coaches usually deliver on tough assignments or matches, Rohr should not be an exception to the norm.

NAN

Fox News and the New York Post: The ascent of yellow journalism and the dangers it portends to democracy

Rudy Giuliani anchors the Barbarians at the Gate

CC™ ViewPoint 

By David G. Yarborough - Contributing Editor

As we enter the last weeks of probably the most crucial elections in the history of the United States, I am reminded that one thing will hold constant as sure as the sun rising at the dawn of a new day, the usual suspect(s) will be there again as a trusted last ditch resource for Donald Trump and his dead-in-the-water campaign for re-election.

As an Independent and someone who like most Americans is fiscally conservative (I am somewhat reluctant to use the term 'conservative' these days as it has been hijacked by right-wing racists and neo-fascists in the Republican Party) and socially centrist, I am always looking to get both sides of the story. While CNN and the rest of the alphabet soup gang have not necessarily clothed themselves in glory, there is no denying that Fox News as a media outlet can be seen as nothing but a propaganda arm of the current White House.

The term 'State TV' could not be more apt in describing Fox News as the outlet does not even try to hide its disdain for the truth as evidenced by the fact that every single news production aired through the outlet seeks to extol the virtues of the Trump administration, and when they even as much as deviate from that course, the 'Dear Leader' is always there to let them know it.

We have thus always known why Fox News exists but there is another arm of the 'bifecta' and that is the New York Post. For the record, in case most do not know, the Post is essentially a tabloid (just above the National Enquirer) and its distribution ranked 4th in the U.S. in 2018 according to AllSides™.

If you thought Fox News was obtuse and jarring, then be prepared to be even more astonished by the artistry in the art of obfuscation and distortion that is the New York Post. According to Wikipedia, the New York Post has been criticized for "sensationalism, blatant advocacy, and conservative bias." It continues:

Perhaps the most serious allegation against the Post is that it is willing to contort its news coverage to suit Murdoch's business needs, in particular that the paper has avoided reporting anything that is unflattering to the government of the People's Republic of China, where Murdoch has invested heavily in satellite television.[51] However, it has recently allowed criticism of the People's Republic of China and its handling of the Hong Kong protests.[52]

According to a survey conducted by Pace University n 2004, the Post was rated the least-credible major news outlet in New York. It was the only news outlet to receive more responses calling it "not credible" than credible (44% not credible to 39% credible).

It is therefore no surprise that both the New York Post and Fox News are both owned by News Corp, Rupert Murdoch's multinational mass media corporation that spun off from the original News Corporation. That should tell you all you need to know.

In concluding, while voting has already started and in some cases completed in earnest, the American people must remain vigilant in these last couple of weeks and understand that EVERYTHING and I mean EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING, will be done by Donald Trump and his surrogates to win this election. The alternative is a non-starter for him (Trump) as whatever is left of his sanity and his personal freedom (he may go to jail eventually with the legal battles brewing around his business and personal dealings) literally hinges on his re-election.

We must reclaim our democracy. 

New York Post   Fox News   News Corp   Rudy Giuliani  

Doctor says Trump won’t transmit virus, but stays mum on the results of the president's latest test

Still no word on the last time Trump tested negative for COVID-19

CC™ Politico News

By Jonathan Lemire and Aamer Madhani

The White House doctor said Saturday night that President Donald Trump was no longer at risk of transmitting the coronavirus but did not say explicitly whether Trump had tested negative for it. The diagnosis came as the president prepared to resume campaign rallies and other activities.

In a memo released by the White House, Navy Cmdr. Dr. Sean Conley said Trump met the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for safely discontinuing isolation and that by “currently recognized standards” he was no longer considered a transmission risk.

The memo did not declare Trump had tested negative for the virus. But sensitive lab tests — like the PCR test cited in the doctor’s statements — detect virus in swab samples taken from the nose and throat. Dr. William Morice, who oversees laboratories at the Mayo Clinic, said earlier this week that using the PCR tests, the president’s medical team could hypothetically measure and track the amount of virus in samples over time and watch the viral load go down.

Some medical experts had been skeptical that Trump could be declared free of the risk of transmitting the virus so early in the course of his illness. Just 10 days since an initial diagnosis of infection, there was no way to know for certain that someone was no longer contagious, they said.

Dr. Albert Ko, an infectious disease specialist and department chairman at the Yale School of Public Health, said Saturday night that the White House appeared to be following CDC guidelines for when it is appropriate to end isolation after mild to moderate cases of COVID-19.

But Ko cautioned that those who have had severe cases of the diseases should isolate for 20 days. He noted that Trump was treated with the steroid dexamethasone, which is normally reserved for patients with severe COVID.

Ko added that White House had issued “convoluted” statements about Trump’s health that left many questions unanswered, including whether the president ever had pneumonia.

CDC guidelines note that most people do not require testing to decide when they can be around others. Ko said people who have had COVID-19 can continue to test positive for weeks or longer after they are no longer infectious.

The memo stated that Trump had reached day 10 from the onset of symptoms, had been free of fever for well over 24 hours, and that all symptoms had improved.

Saskia Popescu, an infectious disease epidemiologist at George Mason University, said the tight time frame laid out by the White House made it appear that “they’re really just pushing to get him out of isolation” and back to campaigning.

The memo followed Trump’s first public appearance since returning to the White House after being treated for the coronavirus at a military hospital. Hundreds of people gathered Saturday afternoon on the South Lawn for a Trump address on his support for law enforcement from a White House balcony.

Trump took off a mask moments after he emerged on the balcony to address the crowd on the lawn below, his first step back onto the public stage with just more than three weeks to go until Election Day. He flouted, once more, the safety recommendations of his own government just days after acknowledging that he was on the brink of “bad things" from the virus and claiming that his bout with the illness brought him a better understanding of it.

His return was a brief one. With bandages visible on his hands, likely from an intravenous injection, Trump spoke for 18 minutes, far less than his normal hour-plus rallies. He appeared healthy, if perhaps a little hoarse, as he delivered what was, for all intents and purposes, a short version of his campaign speech despite the executive mansion setting.

Though the gathering was billed as an official event, Trump offered no policy proposals and instead delivered the usual attacks on Democrat Joe Biden while praising law enforcement to supporters, most of whom wore masks while few adhered to social distancing guidelines.

“I’m feeling great,” said Trump, who said he was thankful for their good wishes and prayers as he recovered. He then declared that the pandemic, which has killed more than 210,000 Americans, was “disappearing” even though he is still recovering from the virus.

In either an act of defiance or simply tempting fate, officials organized the crowd just steps from the Rose Garden, where exactly two weeks ago the president held another large gathering to formally announce his nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. That event is now being eyed as a possible COVID-19 superspreader as more than two dozen people in attendance have contracted the virus.

Trump had hoped to hold campaign rallies this weekend but settled for the White House event. But even as his health remained unclear, he planned to ramp up his travel with a rally in Florida on Monday, followed by trips to Pennsylvania and Iowa on subsequent days.

Security was stepped up around the White House before the event, which was called a “peaceful protest for law & order” and predominantly attended by Black and Latino supporters. Police and the Secret Service closed surrounding streets to vehicles and shut down Lafayette Square, the park near the White House that has long been a gathering place for public protest.

As questions linger about his health — and Democratic opponent Joe Biden steps up his own campaigning — Trump has more frequently called into radio and TV programs to speak with conservative interviewers, hoping to make up for lost time.

Biden's campaign said he again tested negative on Saturday for COVID-19. Biden was potentially exposed to the coronavirus during his Sept. 29 debate with Trump, who announced his positive diagnosis barely 48 hours after the debate.

The president had not been seen in public — other than in White House-produced videos — since his return five days ago from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he received experimental treatments for the coronavirus.

On Saturday, all attendees were required to bring masks or were provided with them, and were given temperature checks and asked to fill out a brief questionnaire. Some in the crowd removed their mask to listen to Trump.

Trump's Monday event in Sanford, Florida, what he's described as a “BIG RALLY," was originally scheduled to be held on Oct. 2, the day after he tested positive. Ahead of his Saturday event, Trump used Twitter to share news articles about problems with mail-in ballots in New Jersey, Ohio and Texas. Trump has repeatedly made unsubstantiated claims that universal mail-in voting is beset by widespread fraud.

Trump's return to public activity came as Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious-disease expert, cautioned the White House again to avoid large-scale gatherings of people without masks.

Fauci said of the Barrett event in an interview with The Associated Press, “I was not surprised to see a superspreader event given the circumstances." That means “crowded, congregate setting, not wearing masks. It is not surprising to see an outbreak," he said.

District of Columbia virus restrictions prohibit outdoor gatherings larger than 50 people, although that rule has not been strictly enforced. Masks are mandatory outdoors for most people, but the regulations don’t apply on federal land, and the Trump White House has openly flouted them for months.

Confined to the White House as he recovers, Trump spent sizable chunks of the past few days making the rounds of friendly conservative media, calling in to Fox News host Sean Hannity on Thursday night and spending two hours live on air with radio host Rush Limbaugh on Friday in what his campaign billed as a “radio rally.”

Holding court on his reelection battle, his fight against the coronavirus and revived negotiations with Democrats to pass an economic stimulus bill, Trump made a direct appeal to his base of loyal supporters, whom he needs to turn out to the polls in droves.

In a Friday night interview on Fox's Tucker Carlson's show, Trump was asked if he has been retested for COVID-19. “I have been retested, and I haven’t even found out numbers or anything yet. But I've been retested, and I know I’m at either the bottom of the scale or free," he said.

White House officials, however, have declined to answer when Trump last tested negative for the virus before his diagnosis or release detailed information about lung scans taken while Trump was hospitalized.

While reports of reinfection in COVID-19 victims are rare, the CDC recommends that even people who recover from the disease continue to wear masks, stay distanced and follow other precautions. 

It was unclear if Trump, who has refused mask wearing in most settings, would abide by that guidance as he resumes his campaign.

AP