The Republican Party of Florida excluded numerous journalists from covering a fundraising dinner starring Gov. Ron DeSantis: 'This is not normal'

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit held at the Tampa Convention Center on July 22, 2022 in Tampa, Florida.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

• The Republican Party of Florida once invited a lot of media to its big "Sunshine Summit" fundraiser.
• But this year the list was far more exclusive, though Insider was granted access to a dinner.
• DeSantis often bashes the media but fields a wide range of questions at press conferences. 

HOLLYWOOD, Florida — The Republican Party of Florida and the Gov. Ron DeSantis campaign on Saturday refused credentials to numerous journalists for a major fundraiser that typically includes a broader media presence. 

Among the publications denied credentials to the "Sunshine Summit" breakout speeches, debates, and banquet at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino were Politico, the Palm Beach Post, and the Miami Herald.

The Washington Post and The New York Times also did not receive access, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. 

—Patricia Mazzei (@PatriciaMazzei) July 21, 2022

 

The Republican Party of Florida invited only a few media outlets, including Insider, to cover the "Victory Dinner" in person. Among the other outlets present were the New York Post, The Wall Street Journal, the Florida Sun-Sentinel, and the Tampa Bay Times.

"I've covered RPOF annual convention since 2012," one reporter who was not on the list told Insider, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized by their employer to do interviews. "Never once had issue covering. This is not normal." 

The 2015 summit had 350 credentialed media. Donald Trump spoke that year as a candidate for president.

—Kimberly Leonard (@leonardkl) July 24, 2022

The journalists given access to the "Victory Dinner" were seated on top of risers in the back of the banquet room, where 1,500 people were dining on a meal of fish and steak. 

—Kimberly Leonard (@leonardkl) July 23, 2022

 

Gov. Ron DeSantis was the star speaker, though guests also heard from Sen. Marco Rubio, who is up for reelection this year, as well as Lt. Gov. Jeanette Núñez. 

—Kimberly Leonard (@leonardkl) July 24, 2022

 

Conservative-leaning outlets such as Florida Voices, Breitbart, and the Washington Free Beacon were invited to cover other events throughout the day, according to a spreadsheet obtained by Politico and posted on Twitter. Insider did not receive an invitation to the other portions of the summit and did not learn until Saturday the option was made available to select outlets. 

—Matt Dixon (@Mdixon55) July 23, 2022

Reporters who weren't authorized to cover the event from inside the room obtained recordings and interviewed attendees outside the banquet hall.

The Sunshine Summit is a major gathering organized by the Republican Party of Florida, but the Republican National Committee and the DeSantis campaign were also involved in organizing the event.  

Asked about the limited guest list, Dave Abrams, DeSantis campaign spokesperson, brushed off the complaints.  

"It's funny that the very reporters who were uninterested in the Sunshine Summit were the same ones huddled in a corner across from the entrance hoping for a peek," he said. "We aren't bothered by their tantrums — in fact it validates our presumption that fair coverage was never a thought for them."

A schedule of the event shows the event showcased speeches from conservative columnists, Republicans running for office, and congressional debates. 

—Kimberly Leonard (@leonardkl) July 24, 2022

The Republican Party of Florida did not livestream the event but NBC 6 and other TV outlets were permitted to carry the event live if they chose, said Lindsey Curnutte, spokeswoman for the DeSantis campaign. A Getty photographer was invited but didn't attend, though a Bloomberg photographer was present. 

The Florida GOP live-tweeted some of DeSantis' quotes from his speech.  

Curnutte acknowledged the media this year was "invite only" but didn't share details about the screening process.

'Try crying about it'

DeSantis often casts himself as an attack dog against the media at a time when polling shows public trust in the press is low.

DeSantis has particularly sparred with journalists over their scrutiny regarding his COVID-19 pandemic response in Florida, which often conflicts with federal health guidance. On Saturday he boasted that he "stood up to the media" and specifically derided the "corporate media." 

Yet DeSantis' actual press relationship is more nuanced. His official press conferences tend to be open to a wide range of media outlets. At the majority of events, he fields numerous questions from reporters that often are off topic from the event's intended purpose, though every once in a while he does not take any questions following an event. 

Saturday's event, in contrast, was a political event — not an official event for the governor's office.

"My message to them is to try crying about it. Then go to kickboxing and have a margarita," DeSantis spokeswoman Christina Pushaw said on Twitter, mocking a comment previously made by former White House press secretary Jen Psaki. "And write the same hit piece you were gonna write anyway."

The Tallahassee Democrat speculated the DeSantis campaign might not want the governor's event to overshadow another event happening across the state in Tampa, where former President Donald Trump was speaking at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit. 

DeSantis spoke at that same summit on Friday evening and there is growing speculation that he may choose to run for president in 2024 as Trump continues to dangle the possibility of a White House run. Trump, too, often clashed with the press. 

President Joe Biden's White House has faced complaints from reporters about transparency as well. In June, 68 White House journalists asked press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre to stop prescreening and routinely turning away the same reporters for the president's public events. 

"The continued inability of the White House to be candid and transparent about the selection process for reporters attending his remarks undermines President Biden's credibility when he says he is a defender of the First Amendment," the letter said. 

Jean-Pierre said at a White House briefing earlier this month that reopening the events was a "priority."

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed Republicans to 'hold Biden and his minions accountable' if they get control of Congress

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit held at the Tampa Convention Center on July 22, 2022 in Tampa, Florida.

Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis headlined the Sunshine Summit GOP state fundraiser in Hollywood, Florida.
• He pushed congressional Republicans to go after the Biden administration if they win in November.
• "I'm sick of them telling us what they're going to do," DeSantis said. 

HOLLYWOOD, Florida — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was the starring act for a major statewide fundraiser on Saturday, where he sent a message to Republicans back in America's capital: Get President Joe Biden. 

"We need to see some action to hold Biden and his minions accountable," DeSantis said before a 1,500-person crowd packed into a banquet room at the Sunshine Summit, a fundraiser held by the Republican Party of Florida. 

The governor went on a tirade against Biden's immigration policy. He described the administration's approach as "open border," referring to the record number of migrants that have arrived in the US during the last year. 

DeSantis, who previously served in the US House, also criticized his own party, saying they were too much talk and not enough action.  

"If they get majorities in the Congress, I'm sick of them talking," he said during the "Victory Dinner" event as dessert was being served. "I'm sick of them telling us what they're going to do. I'm sick of them going on cable and doing this, and prattling."

"In Florida we don't just talk, we do," he added. 

Republicans are expected to win a majority in the House in November, which will give them control over which public hearings to hold. The Senate's fate is more uncertain. 

DeSantis took the stage to a standing ovation in a ballroom at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Only a few media outlets, including Insider, were invited to cover the dinner in person. 

—Kimberly Leonard (@leonardkl) July 24, 2022

 

Even though the banquet was a campaign event and the governor is up for reelection in Florida, he didn't once mention his Democratic challengers. They include Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and Rep. Charlie Crist of Florida, who was governor of the state once before as a Republican. They'll be facing each other in the August 23 primary to vie against DeSantis.

The governor is expected to win reelection largely because of his national name recognition and because Florida Republicans have out-registered Democrats in the state by 220,000 people. 

On Saturday, DeSantis revisited many of his favorite talking points in a speech that lasted nearly 30 minutes. But mainly, he aimed to cast himself as a foil to Biden, who has COVID-19. 

"We should all extend our best wishes to president Joe Biden for a speedy recovery from his bout with COVID," he said. "And hopefully the United States will have a speedy recovery from its bout with Joe Biden." 

Throughout the speech, the governor looked back on his time in office and pitted himself as a fighter against the media, "cancel culture," and "the woke mob" — but mostly as a fighter against Biden. 

"You have to have the courage to stand in the way of the Brandon Administration," DeSantis said, using an anti-Biden nickname often invoked by TV personalities and voters on the right. 

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about DeSantis' speech. The Democratic National Committee pointed to its statement issued prior to the speech, which bashed DeSantis over his administration refusing to order COVID-19 vaccines for babies and toddlers.

DeSantis otherwise touted his battle against COVID-19 vaccine mandates, his high-profile fight against Disney over a school curriculum his critics called "Don't Say Gay," and how he reopened schools sooner than most states. 

More than 77,000 people have died of COVID-19 in Florida, and the governor's actions have drawn the ire of Democrats. 

But they have also endeared DeSantis to the right, with some polls even showing that he may overtake former President Donald Trump if he runs for president in 2024. Conservative commentator Dave Rubin introduced DeSantis before he came onstage and said he had been "acting as president for the last year and a half." 

DeSantis didn't mention Trump in his speech, though the former president frequently takes credit for endorsing DeSantis during his 2018 race and helping him land the GOP nomination. On Saturday, Trump was across Florida, in Tampa, delivering his own speech to the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit. DeSantis also appeared at that event on Friday. 

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Cursed cruise ship where 120 passengers tested positive for COVID-19, now is facing 20-foot waves and brutal wind, stranding it off Australia

The Coral Princess cruise ship is seen docked at the International Terminal on Circular Quay in Sydney in July 2022.

MUHAMMAD FAROOQ/AFP via Getty Images

• A Coral Princess cruise ship with more than 2,000 passengers onboard is stranded at sea.
• Strong winds and 20-foot waves are preventing the ship from safely docking in Australia, per reports.
• This isn't the ship's only challenge in recent days. Last week, it reported 120 cases of COVID-19 onboard.

Passengers on the Coral Princess cruise ship, now stuck off Australia's coast, can't seem to catch a break. 

Last week, the ship reported 120 cases of COVID-19. Now, its 2,000-plus passengers are stranded at sea.

Strong winds and 20-foot waves are preventing the vessel from safely docking, according to news reports from The Daily Mail and Sky News Australia. The ship was supposed to dock in Brisbane at 7am local time Friday, the last day of its weeklong voyage, with stops along the Queensland and New South Wales coasts, but bad weather has made that impossible.

It's unclear when the ship will be able to dock. 

"The Port of Brisbane is closed ... " a Princess Cruises spokesman told The Daily Mail Australia, citing "adverse weather conditions associated with the East Coast Low off Queensland."

The ship's arrival and reopening of the port will depend on when conditions improve, the spokesman said.

The ship has been hit with waves measuring roughly 20 feet, according to passenger footage cited by The Daily Mail. Australia's Bureau of Meteorology issued a warning for winds with gusts up to roughly 55 miles per hour, for parts of the southern Queensland coast Friday.

Princess Cruises did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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This might be the best time yet to buy a used Peloton bike

Peloton

• Now might be the best time since the start of the pandemic to buy a Peloton bike on the second-hand market.
• Listings are proliferating on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. One seller said, "I just want it gone." 
• The second-hand market appears to be in full swing, with some bikes selling for a 50% discount.

Many former pandemic-era Peloton fans appear to be moving on from their bikes, and now might be the best time to buy one second-hand. 

On a recent day, Insider spotted no fewer than 100 pages of results on Craigslist when searching for "Peloton bike" in the New York area, with some bikes listed at a significant discount. For example, one post offered a used bike in "good condition" for $250, more than 80% off of a new "Bike Basic" from Peloton, though Insider could not confirm whether the listing was legitimate. 

Search results for "Peloton bike" on Facebook Marketplace and eBay similarly turn up dozens of results. 

"In the past, there was an obvious price constraint, but there was also a supply constraint. We're watching both of those evaporate," said Simeon Siegel, an analyst who covers Peloton at BMO Capital Markets. 

"I think it's fair to assume that we'll continue to see these listings grow, and they're no longer special, which means the price points will continue to go lower," Siegel said.  

Peloton could not be immediately reached for comment. 

The bike maker's fate has suffered from the US effectively returning to "normal life," despite the pandemic's recent surge that is still killing 3,000 Americans a week. As consumers started to venture out from their homes again, gym memberships and in-person classes rebounded; at-home fitness options seemed unnecessary to some.

"After things became a bit more opened up, I was realizing I enjoyed in-person gym sessions and in-person classes a lot more." said Nikilesh Eswarapu, who works in tech strategy in Manhattan. "The Peloton was a great replacement while things were remote." He recently sold his bike for $750, more than 50% below the current price of the "Bike Basic." 

Peloton saw a massive surge in sales at the start of the pandemic as gyms and other fitness studios were forced to close due to the covid-19 pandemic. However, the at-home fitness company has recently been felled by slowing demand and several managerial missteps that resulted in founder John Foley stepping down as Peloton's CEO in February. 

Jack, another New Yorker who works in sales and asked Insider to use only his first name, said he rode his Peloton 5 days a week for the first six months after he bought it in early 2021, but that number dwindled as people started going out more. 

He said once Peloton increased its monthly subscription fee, that was the "final insult."

Jack he sold his used Peloton for $800 this week. "It's not even about the money... I just want it gone." 

Demand in the second-hand market does not appear to be waning, though.

Majd Zeidan, a realtor in Philadelphia, listed his barely-used Peloton on Facebook Marketplace for $900, and got more than a dozen responses to his listing. He said someone came to pick up the bike last Friday.  

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A 3-way game of geriatric chicken featuring Trump, Biden, and Bernie has younger Democrats and Republicans itching for change

Joe Biden, Donald Trump, and Bernie Sanders are all top top contenders for the 2024 presidential election.

David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images; Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

• The 2024 presidential race is already coming into view.
• It looks as though the two oldest presidents in history are readying for a rematch.
• And don't count 80-year-old Bernie Sanders out entirely.

The 2024 presidential campaign, at this earliest of stages, is becoming an epic game of 3-way geriatric chicken. 

In one corner is Joe Biden, who at 79 insists he's running for reelection despite being the oldest president in nearly 250 years of US history. 

Sen. Bernie Sanders is in another corner. A top political advisor for the 80-year-old socialist has said he'd make a third attempt to win the White House as a Democrat, but only if Biden doesn't run. 

And the biggest wild card of them all is Donald Trump. At 76, the man who before Biden held the designation of being the oldest president in US history appears intent on getting his old job back for the power and prestige, for revenge, and perhaps to even pardon himself should it come to that.

No one can lay exclusive claim to a spot on their respective party primary ballots. 

But each of those three men do hold an outsized sway right now over their party's leadership apparatus in what could be an otherwise wide-open presidential campaign. 

To many observers, the three have created a power vacuum unlike anything seen in modern US history. It's also the case that Trump and Biden have the most say in the entire matter.

"Maybe they can have a meeting and shake hands and agree that neither would run," Trent Lott, the former Senate GOP leader, told Insider in an interview where he acknowledged the desire for fresh faces in the next crop of 2024 presidential candidates. 

That's a growing sentiment. 

Mitch McConnell, the current Senate Republican leader, recently predicted there would be a "crowded" field for the GOP in 2024. Others worry that if Trump, Biden, and Sanders don't get out of the way then everyone else on the bench may need to wait even longer to forge their own path to the White House. 

"I think it's time to get a fresh look at some new candidates," Utah Republican Gov. Spencer Cox, 47, said in an interview. 

Added presidential historian Douglas Brinkley: "It's a sad state when the parties can't put up candidates in their 40s, 50s, and maybe in their 60s, but they're having to resort to people in their 70s and 80s. It stunts the outgrowth of democracy. You lose years on that kind of safe strategy."

Joe Biden and Donald Trump exchange words at the final presidential debate of 2020.

Chip Somodevilla / POOL / AFP

The sole candidate who can beat Trump?

Biden won the presidency in the first place by making the argument that he was the sole candidate among the Democrats who could beat Trump. 

It's an argument he's ready to try to make again as Trump flirts with another run, even if there are now many new headwinds including his own abysmal public approval rating, soaring inflation, and angst from inside the party that Democrats failed to deliver on an ever-growing list of demands from the economy to climate change to safeguarding democracy. 

It's also the case that Sanders' 2024 aspirations remain in their own holding pattern until Biden makes his own formal declaration of his intentions.

After spending stretches of the 2020 presidential campaign in his basement, Biden sought to portray himself as a youthful, active commander-in-chief.

But that hasn't always worked out. Conservatives gleefully highlight his every misspoken word or verbal stumble as evidence of mental decline. Biden tumbled from his bicycle during a June ride in Delaware. And after a lengthy swing through the Middle East, Biden returned to Washington with an unexpected parting gift: COVID-19. 

—Kevin Liptak (@Kevinliptakcnn) June 18, 2022

 

Biden would be 86 years old when, in 2029, he'd complete a second term. It's a fact the White House doesn't want to talk about. 

"That is not a question that we should be even asking," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded in June when asked on CNN about Biden's health and stamina.  

Biden recently snapped at a reporter during a White House picnic for lawmakers when asked if he should skip a second term because of public opinion polling that says he shouldn't run. 

"They want me to run," the president remarked. "Read the poll. Read the polls, Jack. You guys are all the same. That poll showed that 92% of Democrats, if I ran, would vote for me."

Age is likewise something neither Trump nor Sanders are keen to discuss.

"78 is not old," Trump told a New York Post gossip columnist this week ahead of the funeral for his ex-wife, Ivana, who died earlier this month after a fall at the age of 73.

Although Sanders hasn't spoken publicly about his 2024 intentions, a recently leaked memo written by a top political advisor described a scenario in which he'd jump in if Biden didn't. 

Asked recently about the age of America's overall leadership, Sanders snapped to Insider: "The issue facing America is not age. It is the power of a handful of billionaires who to a significant degree, control the economic and political life of the country."

Votes are tabulated on the set of ABC-TV's news coverage of the 1972 presidential election between President Richard Nixon and the Democratic nominee, George McGovern. Nixon won 49 states and captured a second term.

Hulton Archive/Getty Images

'George McGovern syndrome'

What's driving all three men — who'd all otherwise be well into their retirements — to stay engaged? Experts cite ego as a major factor for both Biden and Trump.

"The fact they both made it to the White House makes them think they both know how to get to the White House," said Brinkley. "Once you have power, it's very hard to let it go." 

Biden's insistence on staying in office also likely stems from his own awareness of history. In particular, he has a longstanding fear that Democrats nominating a more liberal candidate such as Sanders would mean giving Republicans a better shot at winning the White House.

"The problem with the Democratic party is George McGovern syndrome," said Brinkley, referencing the anti-war nominee Democrats ran in 1972 against the incumbent GOP President Richard Nixon. McGovern won a single state — Massachusetts — plus the District of Columbia. Incidentally, 1972 is the same election cycle when Biden, at age 29, was first elected to the US Senate.

This history in mind, Democratic brass are likely to continue to coalesce against the likes of Sanders — or even a Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York — as a party standard-bearer.

Mark Longabaugh, a longtime Democratic operative who worked on Sanders' 2016 and 2020 campaigns, said Trump is the singular driving force behind what happens to the rest of the field. If the ex-president ultimately enters the race, Biden will find it even easier to stick around. 

"I think Trump is at the center of the decision just because of the way Biden and Biden's core supporters have positioned him as the only one to defeat Trump," he said.

But Longabaugh also said he's not completely convinced any of them will enter the 2024 primaries. 

"I think there's a lot of doubt on all three of those and whether they square off again in 2024," Longabaugh said. "I can be dead wrong and Biden and Trump are in, and that's that, and we've got a general election. But I just see a lot more play on the playing field than is conventional wisdom." 

That's a view that Cox, the 47-year-old first-term Utah governor, said he hopes plays out.

"A lot can change over the next year, year and a half," he said. "I'm certainly hoping that there are governors on both sides of the aisle, other candidates, who are willing to step up and challenge the status quo that are going to say, 'Hey, look, for the good of our country, we're not going to stand aside and we're going to go to battle here because we think that we have a vision to offer.'"

That Democratic bench could include Vice President Kamala Harris, 57; California Gov. Gavin Newsom, 54; Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, 40; and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, 57.

Potential Republican challengers for 2024 include well-known names such as former Vice President Mike Pence, 63; Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, 43; former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, 50; former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, 58; and Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, 51; Marco Rubio of Florida, 51; and Tom Cotton of Arkansas, 45.

Lott, the former Senate GOP leader, said it was important for new people to assume leadership at the highest levels of government. 

His own career in politics lasted from the time he was age 32 until he turned 67. 

"You have to know when to hold `em," said Lott, who left public office to work as a lobbyist, "and when to fold `em."

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Trump's ex-economic advisor is 'really nervous' about the housing market and 'prays' it's not in a bubble

Former Trump economic advisor Stephen Moore.

Getty Images.

• Rising inflation and interest rates have driven housing costs to new highs. 
• As affordability declines, Stephen Moore says he's fearful of a potential collapse in the real estate market. 
• But experts have told Insider this is not the housing market of 2008.

As inflation and interest rate hikes further reduce affordability for American home shoppers, former Trump economic advisor Stephen Moore says he's fearful of a potential collapse in the U.S. real estate market. 

"I am really nervous about the housing market," Moore said in an interview with Kitco News. "We've had a red-hot housing market for five to six years. I pray we're not facing a bubble like we did in 2007 and 2008."

Moore's worry stems from the recent uptick in rates, which has resulted in monthly mortgage  payments that are more than $400 higher than they were just a year ago. Although he says he's no expert on the matter, his concern is whether or not the increase in housing costs will either "pinch" or "collapse" one of the economy's largest sectors.

"We've had such a run up in housing values," he said. "I think you're going to see a slowdown in housing purchases because people won't be able to afford it."

Indeed, a lack of affordability has already led to a slowdown in the housing market. But while Moore fears a potential repeat of the housing crash of 2008, experts have told Insider that it's very unlikely to happen.

"This is not the same market of 2008," Odeta Kushi, First American's deputy chief economist, previously told Insider. "It's no secret the housing market played a central role in the Great Recession, but this market is just fundamentally different in so many ways."

Kushi says the Covid-19 housing market is a different beast as its irregularities are attributed to an imbalance between supply and demand, rather than wider access to mortgage financing. Unlike 2008, homebuyers today have much stricter lending standards, stronger household finances and their home values remain at historic highs.

So, although affordability is dampening consumer and homebuilder sentiment, it surely won't lead to a downturn like the mid-2000s. Rather than crashing, Doug Duncan, the chief economist at Fannie Mae, says the real estate market is more likely bracing for a soft landing. 

"Mortgage rates have ratcheted up dramatically over the past few months, and historically such large movements have ended with a housing slowdown," Duncan said in a statement. "Consequently, we expect home sales, house prices, and mortgage volumes to cool over the next two years."

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Why are so many flights being canceled? Aviation analysts say it's due to airlines' inability to plan amid a tight labor market.

Delays and cancelations have been a common theme this summer.

vaalaa / Shutterstock.com

• Airlines have collectively canceled thousands of flights, with labor shortages often being blamed. 
• Insider spoke to aviation consultants and a union boss to discover why airlines are short-staffed. 
• They blame COVID-19, uncertainty, and the tight labor market for leading carriers to cancel flights. 

It's not a surprise if you're feeling nervous about flying at the moment. The list of global airlines to have canceled flights over the last few months reads like a departure board. 

Delta, Lufthansa, British Airways, Southwest, EasyJet, Alaska, and JetBlue are among the long list of carriers to have all culled flights in by the hundreds. The result has been long queues at airports, lost luggage, long layovers, and acute disappointment.

Some passengers who have phoned customer services to complain have been left on hold for hours and others faced the prospect of being separated from their children.

There are multiple reasons fueling the disruptions, from bad weather to the economic impact of the war in Ukraine, but labor shortages have been cited as a common reason. 

Insider spoke to two aviation consultants and a union boss about why the industry is struggling with staff shortages. 

Firstly, it's complicated …

The labor shortage is "not black and white," said John Strickland, of JLS Consulting. Different employers within the industry are affected in their own individual way. 

Some aren't suffering from a shortage at all, either because they were able to retain more of their workforce during the pandemic, or received longer packages of support from their governments.

While highly disruptive for passengers, the cancelations represent a small proportion of flights globally, he said. 

The pandemic exacerbated existing shortages and changed the labor market

Like many industries, staff shortages were a long-running problem before the pandemic but the pandemic made it much worse as airlines were forced to furlough or let go of workers in their thousands. 

Oxford Economics estimates that globally, there were 2.3 million fewer people working in aviation by September 2021 compared with the beginning of the pandemic, per the FT. 

"Now that you're coming out of COVID, and the demand is actually showing signs of rapid recovery. You're starting to see that they have fewer pilots, and the same amount of flying to do," said Umang Gupta, of Alton Aviation, a consultancy.  Something that was made worse by airlines offering pilots voluntary opt-outs during the pandemic, Gupta added. 

Add into that a squeezed post-pandemic labor market, which is making it harder for some aviation companies to recruit as workers demand higher pay, or reflect on their career. 

"Now you're seeing that people are not ready to take the job at the salary levels that were offered before so they have to pay more to get the same people," Gupta said. 

Perhaps the best example of this is a simmering battle ongoing at London's Heathrow airport, hundreds of workers threatened to strike, though the strike has since been called off. Union bosses said the planned strike was due to pay issues. An 8% pay rise has now been agreed.

In general, industry leaders have "been too optimistic about the preparedness of people they've let go to come back," said Mike Clancy, general secretary of the Prospect union, which represents air traffic controllers, licensed technical engineers, and air traffic systems specialists in the UK.  

"At the present minute, if you are working in an airport environment, it's even more stressful than normal. Because the traveling public are not happy," Clancy told Insider. 

Uncertainty has not let bosses adequately plan

Airline bosses have been accused of failing to act quickly enough to counter staff shortages and of optimistically overselling tickets for flights that they knew they couldn't service.

Strickland — who used to work in network planning for airlines — insists amid two years of uncertainty, emergent COVID-19 variants and constantly changing travel restrictions, airlines have been unable to plan adequately because their normal planning cycle has been disrupted and the data which supports it effectively rendered almost useless.

The swathe of cancelations the industry is seeing is an attempt to slim down capacity and stabilize operations. 

How long will it last?

No one knows quite how long it could last. 

The dropping of the requirement for international travellers into the US to test negative for COVID-19 is likely to further boost international traffic. Gupta highlights that many East Asian airlines are still yet to resume full international travel. 

"I can't see the summer being anything but lumpy and bumpy," Strickland said. "There are many uncertainties." 

 

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North Korea warns of 'undesirable' consequences as the US and South Korea get ready for bigger war games

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walks away from what state media report is a "new type" of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in this photo released by by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency on March 24, 2022

KCNA via Reuters

• The US and South Korea are preparing for expanded joint military drills, which will include live field exercises.
• North Korea has warned the two countries may face "an undesirable consequence."
• South Korea's president told reporters on Friday that the North could conduct a nuclear test at any moment.

As the US and South Korea prepare for expanded summertime joint military exercises, North Korea is warning that the two allies will face "unprecedented" security challenges and "undesirable" consequences if they do not stop their "military confrontation." 

Choe Jin, the deputy director of North Korea's Institute of Disarmament and Peace, a state-run organization operated by the North Korean foreign ministry, told the Associated Press this week that the US-South Korean military drills are "driving the Korean Peninsula to the brink of war."

"Should the US and its allies opt for military confrontation with us, they would be faced with unprecedented instability security-wise," Jin said, adding that "the US should keep in mind that it will be treated on a footing of equality when it threatens us with nukes." 

Jin also said that the US should stop its "suicidal policy of hostility" with North Korea if it does not wish to face "an undesirable consequence." 

Joint military drills between the US and South Korea, long-time allies, are regular events. Exercises have been smaller in recent years, but this year, the two countries will resume joint field exercises for the first time since 2018, the South Korean defense ministry has said. The North Korean reaction has so far been consistent with responses to past drills, which it regards as a precursor to an invasion.

The summertime military exercises have been scaled down due to COVID-19, attempts to curb tensions with the North, and, during the Trump administration, presidential complaints about the cost of the drills.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol, whose first term began in May, has said though these joint drills should be normalized as a deterrence against North Korea that is again engaging in provocative behavior.

A missile is fired during a joint US-South Korean exercise on South Korea's East Coast, June 6, 2022.

South Korean Defense Ministry/Dong-A Daily via Getty Images

"The US and South Korea are clearly demonstrating how close their alliance is," Bruce Bennett, a senior defense analyst at the RAND Corporation told Insider. "One has to wonder if Kim Jong-Un isn't realizing that this is his fault. If he hadn't done multiple missile tests this year, we would not be out showing the strength of our alliance."

North Korea has conducted 31 missile tests in 2022, including one it claims was its first successful ICBM launch since 2017. On June 6, just 24-hours after North Korea launched eight short-range missiles, the US and South Korea carried out a joint-missile test that the latter's Joint Chiefs of Staff said "demonstrated the capability and posture to launch immediate precision strikes on the origins of provocations, even if North Korea launches missiles from various locations." 

People watch a TV broadcast about a North Korean missile launch at the Seoul Railway Station, June 5, 2022.

Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images

But South Korea says more provocative testing from the North may be soon to come, including its first nuclear test since September 2017. President Yoon said North Korea is ready to conduct a nuclear test at any moment. 

"We believe that not only at the end of this month, but ever since my inauguration, it's fully ready and able to do it whenever it decides," Yoon told reporters on Friday.  In May, CNN reported that the US had assessed that North Korea could be ready to conduct another nuclear test by the end of the month.

Bennett said it would be no surprise if North Korea turned to a nuclear test as their "next major provocation."

"The fact that the US is participating in this training is going to be causing Kim all kinds of concerns," Bennett told Insider. "He doesn't want to strengthen our alliance, but he's been doing a really good job of that this year." 

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A play-by-play of how the Trump and Biden administrations handled their septuagenarian commander-in-chiefs getting sick with COVID

President Joe Biden, left, and former President Donald Trump, right, have now both had COVID-19.

Getty Images

• Biden and Trump have something in common besides the presidency: they both caught COVID. 
• Thanks to vaccines and treatments, the pandemic is in a different place today than it was before the 2020 election.
• Both Biden and Trump projected resilience through the illness — with different results.

Contracting COVID-19 as president may be the one thing that unites Joe Biden and Donald Trump — beyond their time behind the Resolute Desk.

Even so, experience suggests the two political foes won't be calling each other to compare notes on symptoms, governing, or Netflix binge-watching.

Their approaches to testing positive, at least in the early stages, have been markedly different, from the diagnosis announcement to White House management of their illness. 

Presidential personalities and health play a role. But a bigger factor is where we were then 

and are now with the virus. Biden is vaccinated and twice boosted, though 437 people in the US are still dying every day of COVID. No vaccine was yet available to Trump, who was hospitalized for three days at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and received what was then an experimental drug.

But both men have taken steps to project strength in their own ways. Here's how Biden and Trump's early handling of a COVID diagnosis compares:

In this image released by the Saudi Royal Palace, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, right, greets President Joe Biden with a fist bump after his arrival at Al-Salam palace in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Friday, July 15, 2022.

Bandar Aljaloud/Saudi Royal Palace via AP

Before testing positive

Biden's diagnosis announcement on July 21 follows a busy couple of days that included travel Wednesday to Massachusetts with members of Congress and his administration. On Tuesday, he met with Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska at the White House. Photos show Biden was mask-free during his meeting in Saudi Arabia with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud a week ago. 

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a Thursday statement that Biden had tested negative as recently as Tuesday. 

As for Trump, he announced on October 2, 2020, that he had COVID. 

But his former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows revealed in his book published last year that Trump tested positive for COVID-19 on September 26, 2020 — three days before his presidential debate with Biden. He then tested negative shortly after the positive test, and the White House did not publicly disclose either result.

Trump held a Rose Garden Ceremony to celebrate the Senate's confirmation of his Supreme Court nominee, Justice Amy Coney Barrett. 

Multiple news outlets called it a "super-spreader" event. 

President Donald Trump gets into a SUV at Walter Reed Medical Center in May 2018.

Alex Edelman-Pool/Getty Images

The announcement 

True to form, Trump broke his own news on Twitter. 

At 1 a.m.

"Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19," Trump said. "We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!" 

Then-White House physician Sean Conley issued a statement shortly after Trump's tweet confirming the positive result.  

"The President and First Lady are both well at this time, and they plan to remain at home within the White House during their convalescence," Conley wrote.

The news came just two days after Bloomberg broke the story that White House advisor Hope Hicks had COVID. At that time, Trump had said he planned to quarantine. 

When Biden tested positive for COVID, the US first learned of the diagnosis through an email Jean-Pierre sent to reporters, which they then widely disseminated through tweets and news reports. 

The statement said Biden was taking the antiviral Paxlovid. It also included a letter from Biden's White House physician, Kevin O'Connor, who has worked with him for decades. Biden himself then followed up on Twitter: "Folks, I'm doing great."

Later in the day, the White House conducted a press conference with Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House coronavirus coordinator, who answered questions about Biden's health. But the White House refused to make O'Connor available for questions. 

Still, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insisted the Biden administration is doing things "very differently" from the last administration when reporters asked why they weren't being transparent by allowing Biden's doctor to take questions.

Jean-Pierre also told a reporter, "I don't think it matters" when asked during the news briefing where Biden caught COVID. 

"What I was trying to say is what's important now is that he has mild symptoms, is that he's working from the residence on behalf of the American people," she later said.

President Joe Biden acknowledges guests and staff as he boards Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House July 20, 2022 in Washington, DC.

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Plans change

After Biden's illness, he had to cancel a planned trip to Pennsylvania to tout a new crime-fighting fund. Instead, he is isolating in the White House for at least five days, the White House said. 

Biden's diagnosis also meant canceling a trip to Florida that he had planned for Monday. There, he planned to deliver remarks at a law enforcement conference, and separately, at a rally for the Democratic National Committee.

On Friday morning, O'Connor said that Biden's temperature went up the previous night but he responded to Tylenol. 

Less than a day after Trump first announced he had COVID, the White House flew him eight miles to Walter Reed hospital in a helicopter to be hospitalized. 

Wearing a navy blue suit and a face mask, Trump walked across the White House lawn to board Marine One. 

In this photo provided by The White House, President Joe Biden talks on the phone with his national security team from the Treaty Room in the residence of the White House in Washington, Friday, July 22, 2022.

Adam Schultz/The White House via AP

The reel 

Shortly after arriving at Walter Reed, Trump posted an 18-second video to his Twitter account to reassure the nation of his condition.

"I want to thank everybody for the tremendous support," he said. "I'm going to Walter Reed Hospital. I think I'm doing very well. We're going to make sure that things work out. The first lady is doing very well. So thank you very much, I appreciate it. I will never forget it. Thank you." 

In similar fashion, Biden's White House team also posted an upbeat video of the president's condition. In it, Biden was maskless and wearing a blue blazer, and said he was hard at work and "doing well." 

"In the meantime, keep the faith," he said. "It's going to be OK."

Both presidents posted to Facebook pictures of themselves working. Trump even posted a photo while at Walter Reed. There, the presidential suite — where he could both work and receive care — awaited him. 

President Donald Trump and Judge Amy Coney Barrett in the Rose Garden at the White House on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020.

Alex Brandon/AP Photo

The reaction 

Trump was fixated on the most recent, primetime January 6 hearing the day of Biden's announcement. He didn't say anything about his successor's illness. 

Biden, in contrast, wished Trump well when he contracted the novel coronavirus, saying he and his wife, Jill, were praying for the Trumps' "quick and full recovery," while calling it "a bracing reminder to all of us that we have to take this virus seriously."

Democrats joined in wishing Trump well but also scolded him for not taking the virus seriously enough. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that Trump had created a "brazen invitation for something like this to happen" after appearing before maskless crowds.

Opinion columns called Trump "reckless," and "foolish," and said he demonstrated "arrogant negligence." USA Today even posted a picture of all the people who attended the Barrett Rose Garden ceremony and asked readers to help reporters identify who was present, so they could trace the origins of the virus and see who else got infected. 

Biden faced some backlash for his infection, too. Some critics mocked him on Twitter for last year calling the post-vaccination COVID surges a "pandemic of the unvaccinated" and for falsely saying, "You're not going to get covid if you have these vaccinations." 

On Thursday, "President Harris" began trending on Twitter, and news organizations, including Insider, wrote explainers about the presidential line of succession in the event Biden couldn't execute his duties. 

Republican Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas, a former White House physician, tweeted: "Hope President Biden is feeling better soon, but as the former White House Physician, I recommend he remain in isolation for the next 913 days, 20 hours, and 51 minutes. Just to be safe…."

White House Covid Response Coordinator Ashish Jha speaks at a press briefing at the White House in Washington, Friday, July 22, 2022.

Andrew Harnik/AP Photo

Doctor's orders

Biden and Trump both released post-COVID-diagnosis statements from their doctors. And they both faced criticism about transparency.

Biden's White House has refused to make O'Connor available for questions despite multiple requests from journalists during the White House press briefing. 

Conley, meanwhile, came under criticism for his refusal to answer some of reporters' questions when Trump was at Walter Reed. Instead, it was Meadows who disclosed that Trump's condition was worse than previously disclosed — he had a fever and his blood oxygen level dropped rapidly.

Presidential doctors face a difficult ethical and legal dilemma, however. By law, doctors cannot disclose information about patients without their explicit consent — even when a patient happens to be the president of the United States. If doctors do share such information without patients' consent, they could lose their license, face fines, or even go to prison.  

Adding to the public's partial view of the situation is that no law requires presidents to provide information to the public about their health. 

In this image released by the White House, former President Donald Trump works in the Presidential Suite at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland on Saturday, October 3, 2020, after testing positive for COVID-19.

Joyce N. Boghosian/The White House via AP

'Show him working'

Both presidents tried to ease concerns about their conditions and show they're still working.

But that's where style similarities end.

Trump alarmed medical experts by leaving the hospital to drive past supporters and wave while still under medical care, raising concerns for the Secret Service agents who drove him. They wore full medical protective gear.

After being released from Walter Reed, Trump returned to the White House and took off his mask to pose for photos on the Truman balcony. 

"Don't be afraid of Covid," Trump said in a tweet. "Don't let it dominate your life."

At that point in time, 210,000 people living in the United States had died from the disease in a matter of months.

Biden told supporters, via his video, that he appreciates their concerns, and he's been holding virtual meetings. He started an economic briefing Friday by apologizing for his voice. 

"I'm feeling much better than I sound," he said.

Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Thursday that the White House has been preparing for Biden contracting COVID for "several months," given the percentage of cases in the US. 

She praised the White House for being transparent and making clear that there would be daily updates.

"What they need to do over the next couple of days is show him working and show him still active and serving as president and I'm certain they'll likely do that," Psaki said on MSNBC, the network she'll join in the fall.

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A bipartisan bill years in the making to boost the US semiconductor industry and competition with China will soon hit the Senate floor for a final vote

Pat Gelsinger, CEO, of Intel Corporation, testified in March at a Senate hearing on competitiveness in the semiconductor industry.

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

• The Senate is expected to vote on a bipartisan bill that would boost American chipmaking.
• The measure currently provides $52 billion in government support to the semiconductor industry.
• The bill aims to bolster competition with China and address the chip shortage. 

As soon as next week, the Senate is expected to hold a vote on a bipartisan bill that would provide billions of dollars in federal funding to rebuild the US semiconductor industry. It's an effort years in the making designed to boost competition with China, home to one of the fastest-growing chip markets in the world.

The Senate on Tuesday held an important procedural vote that passed 64-34 to clear the way for the legislation to be considered for a final vote. The bill, known as the CHIPS Act, would provide around $52 billion in subsidies and tax breaks to American chip manufacturers to incentivize them to build new factories and bolster production in the country.

"Members of both sides know that America's chips crisis is sending shockwaves across the economy. It is endangering our national security," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday. "To ignore the chips crisis means higher costs, squandered job opportunities, greater dependence on foreign chip producers. Thankfully, the Senate is close to finally taking action."

The bill attempts to combat the global chip shortage, largely driven by supply issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It also aims to provide new jobs across a slew of industries that rely on chipmaking, including the automotive, energy, electronics, and transport sectors, to name a few. Computer chips are essential to countless products, from cars to phones to laundry machines and digital services.

"Of course I believe America will lead the way, if this chamber is willing to do what is necessary for our economic and our national security," Schumer said.

The US, once the global leader in chip-making, has faced increased competition from several countries, including China, Taiwan and the European Union, which have poured major investments into their domestic industries.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo has repeatedly warned about China's increased competition and called on Congress to take action in response. American chipmakers, such as Intel, have also urged Congress to reach a deal to help the industry and mitigate the shortage.

"If Congress fails to pass this the next couple of weeks, China wins, America loses," Raimondo told reporters on July 15, according to the Columbus Dispatch. "In fact, China is lobbying against this bill precisely because they know it will make America stronger and enable us to compete. China is not waiting. The rest of the world is not waiting."

Negotiations in Congress have dragged, though both Democrats and Republicans are united in seeking to constrain China's economy. The Senate last year passed a bill to strengthen the semiconductor industry and US research and development, but the House had its own legislation, and neither version became law, CNBC reported. 

Yet there appears to be a greater urgency to get something done this time around. If the bill, which has yet to be finalized, is approved by the Senate, it would then head to the House for passage and lastly to President Joe Biden's desk for his signature. The Biden administration has pushed for the legislation to advance before Congress leaves for its summer recess starting in August. 

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Live updates: President Biden says he's 'doing great' after testing positive for COVID-19

President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the Russian invasion of Ukraine in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on April 21, 2022.

AP Photo/Evan Vucci

• President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, the White House announced. 
• The 79-year-old is fully vaccinated and has received two booster shots. 
• This is the first time Biden has had the virus, and he is the second US president to come down with COVID-19. 

President Joe Biden on Thursday tested positive for COVID-19, the White House announced.

This is the first time he has tested positive for the virus. 

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement that Biden, who tested positive on Thursday morning, is "experiencing very mild symptoms" and "has begun taking Paxlovid," an antiviral drug. 

Biden received his first two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in December 2020 and January 2021, and received two Pfizer booster shots in September 2021 and March 2022, making his case a so-called breakthrough infection.

The 82-year-old senator who is third in line for US succession is recovering from hip surgery

Sen. Patrick Leahy questions Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson during her confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on March 22, 2022.

AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

Sen. Patrick Leahy is third-in-line for the presidency, but the 82-year-old DC veteran is recovering from hip surgery.

Leahy is 82, born on March 31, 1940, just five days after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is second in line to the presidency behind Vice President Kamala Harris.

Leahy is three years older than 79-year-old President Biden, who tested positive for COVID-19 Thursday.

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Here's who would take over if Joe Biden can't perform his duties as president

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

If Joe Biden is unable to perform the duties of the US president, there is a long list of people in line to take over.

However, if Biden becomes unable to serve, the Presidential Succession Act stipulates that the presidential line of succession goes down heads of Congress and then the president's cabinet. 

The line of succession includes Vice President Kamala Harris, two members of Congress, and cabinet officials. Third in the line of succession is Sen. Patrick Leahy, 82, a Vermont Democrat and the president pro tempore of the Senate, who is recovering from a surgery he had on Tuesday after a hip replacement. 

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Biden said he is "doing great" in a tweet posted hours after the White House announced his positive COVID-19 test

President Joe Biden motions while boarding Air Force One at Los Angeles International Airport after attending the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, Calif., on June 11, 2022.

AP Photo/Evan Vucci

President Joe Biden said he is doing well following news of a positive COVID-19 test. 

"Folks, I'm doing great. Thanks for your concern," the president tweeted Thursday.

"Just called Senator Casey, Congressman Cartwright, and Mayor Cognetti (and my Scranton cousins!) to send my regrets for missing our event today. Keeping busy!" he added alongside a photo of him in a suit at his desk. 

—President Biden (@POTUS) July 21, 2022

 

Timeline: Where Biden was before his positive COVID-19 test and who he met with

President Joe Biden acknowledges guests and staff as he boards Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House July 20, 2022 in Washington, DC.

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

President Joe Biden was giving speeches, attending meetings, and traveling in the Middle East before his COVID-19 diagnosis on Thursday.

Thursday, July 14

Biden was on his second day of travel in Israel, where he held a press conference with Prime Minister Yair Lapid. The president also met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, along with leaders from India and the United Arab Emirates.

Friday, July 15

Biden gave a speech at a hospital in East Jerusalem, and also traveled to the West Bank and met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. 

Biden then left for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where he met with King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. 

Saturday, July 16

Biden was in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and attended a slew of meetings. The president returned to Washington, DC, late Saturday evening. 

Sunday, July 17

Biden attended church at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Georgetown, and held no public events.

Monday, July 18

Biden held no public events.

Tuesday, July 19

First lady Jill Biden met with Ukrainian First lady Olena Zelenska at the White House, and Biden greeted upon her arrival.

Wednesday, July 20 

Biden delivered remarks on climate change and clean energy from Brayton Point Power Station, a power plant in Somerset, Massachusetts. 

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Biden has tested positive for COVID-19 and is fully boosted and vaccinated. Just 22.7% of Americans his age have kept up to date with their shots.

US President Joe Biden touches his face mask as he steps off Air Force One upon arrival at Hagerstown Regional Airport in Hagerstown, Maryland on April 14, 2022.

Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

President Joe Biden — who is fully boosted and vaccinated — tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, becoming the second US president to get infected by the virus. 

And as the country sees a steady rise in daily new COVID-19 infections, just 22.7% of Americans in his age bracket have kept up to date with their vaccination shots, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Biden, who is 79 years old, falls under the "65+ Years" category — which the CDC says consists of nearly 55 million Americans. Of that population, just 12.5 million have received their second booster shot. 

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Biden tests positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing 'very mild symptoms'

President Joe Biden speaks on Earth Day at Seward Park in Seattle, Washington, on April 22, 2022.

MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

Biden tested positive one day after traveling to Massachusetts and Rhode Island to discuss climate change, and four days after returning from an action-packed overseas trip to the Middle East.

Biden rode Air Force One to and from New England with Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey of Massachusetts, as well as Reps. Bill Keating and Jake Auchincloss.

On the ground, he appeared with elected officials including Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee and Sen. Sheldon White House of Rhode Island.

First Lady Jill Biden tested negative on Thursday morning, her office told Politico.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who previously recovered from a COVID-19 case in the spring, had no planned events on her schedule for Thursday. 

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Senator Patrick Leahy, age 82, third in line to the presidency, recovers from hip surgery as President Joe Biden, age 79, has COVID

Sen. Patrick Leahy questions Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson during her confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on March 22, 2022.

AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

• Sen. Patrick Leahy, as the Senate's president pro tempore, is third in line for the presidency.
• As President Biden deals with "very mild" COVID-19 symptoms, Leahy is recovering from hip surgery.
• At the age of 79, Biden is younger than two of the top three people in line to succeed him.

A lot would have to go wrong if the duties of the US presidency passed, in the line of succession, to Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat.

Leahy, as the Senate's president pro tempore, is third in line for the presidency. But as President Joe Biden deals with "very mild" symptoms from COVID-19, Leahy is recovering from surgery he had on Tuesday.

At the age of 79, Biden is younger than two of the top three people in line to succeed him.

Leahy is 82, born on March 31, 1940, just five days after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is second in line to the presidency behind Vice President Kamala Harris.

The White House announced Harris, traveling on Thursday in North Carolina, had tested negative for COVID earlier in the morning and had last met with Biden on Tuesday. Pelosi had COVID in April but has recovered. She spoke on the House floor on Thursday ahead of the chamber passing a bill that would protect access to contraceptives.

Leahy's Tuesday surgery follows a June 30 operation to repair and replace a fractured hip that he suffered from a fall at his house in McLean, Virginia, his office says. Though the senator has continued to make progress in his rehabilitation, his surgical team decided it was necessary to perform the additional procedure to "help advance his recovery."

"Senator Leahy was back in his rehabilitation room by Tuesday evening and is once again working diligently with the physical therapists to return home as soon as possible," says an office update, as of the morning of July 20. Leahy's spokesperson said Thursday that he had no additional updates.

The eight-term Democrat, first elected in 1974, is one of the Senate's longest-serving members in the chamber's history. He announced in November 2021 that he would not seek reelection this year, saying "it's time to come home."

 

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Timeline: Where Biden was before his positive COVID-19 test and who he met with

President Joe Biden acknowledges guests and staff as he boards Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House July 20, 2022 in Washington, DC.

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

• President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday.
• He attended several meetings and traveled to Israel and Saudi Arabia in the days before.
• Here's a timeline of his public events over the past week.

President Joe Biden was giving speeches, attending meetings, and traveling in the Middle East before his COVID-19 diagnosis on Thursday.

The president, who's fully vaccinated and twice boosted, is experiencing mild symptoms and isolating at the White House, taking meetings by phone and Zoom, the White House announced. His travel plans have been canceled for at least the next five days. 

Here's a timeline of where Biden was and who he met with on his public calendar in the week before his positive test:

Thursday, July 14

Biden was on his second day of travel in Israel, where he held a press conference with Prime Minister Yair Lapid. The president also met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, along with leaders from India and the United Arab Emirates.

Several Biden administration officials also traveled to the region with Biden, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, and a dozen other advisors. 

Israeli President Isaac Herzog (R) speaks ahead of presenting US President Joe Biden with the Presidential Medal of Honor from at the Presidential residence in Jerusalem on July 14, 2022.

MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

Friday, July 15

Biden gave a speech at a hospital in East Jerusalem, where he pledged an additional $100 million aimed at helping Palestinian hospitals in the area.

The president also traveled to the West Bank and met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. 

Biden then left for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where he met with King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. 

US President Joe Biden and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at Alsalam Royal Palace in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on July 15, 2022.

Royal Court of Saudi Arabia / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Saturday, July 16

Biden was in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and attended a slew of meetings, inlcuding with the leader of Iraq, Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, president of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. 

The president returned to Washington, DC, late Saturday evening. 

Sunday, July 17

Biden attended church at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Georgetown, and held no public events.

Monday, July 18

Biden held no public events.

Tuesday, July 19

First lady Jill Biden met with Ukrainian First lady Olena Zelenska at the White House, whom Biden greeted upon her arrival, carrying a bouquet of flowers, according to a pool report. The president held no public events.

Wednesday, July 20

President Joe Biden, US Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), US Senator Ed Markey (D-MA), and US Representative Bill Keating (D-MA), disembark Air Force One on July 20, 2022.

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

Biden delivered remarks on climate change and clean energy from Brayton Point Power Station, a power plant in Somerset, Massachusetts. 

He traveled with eight of his White House advisors, along with a group of Massachusetts Democrats, including Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren and Reps. Jake Auchincloss and Bill Keating.

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