Friday, January 30, 2015

Happens again. Martha Raddatz wants me for ABC This Week on Sunday and other Sunday shows. She says no. Courtney calls up and asks for an explanation. Sara says CDC has lead. As usual, Courtney says but the Shows are asking specifically for Tony and there was an agreement between Francis Collins and Bill Corr that when networks and cable ask for me they can get me. Sara says she does not know anything about this agreement. Sara also says, I am not really saying no to Dr. Fauci, I am just saying that you should give it to CDC. Courtney insists that “You are in fact saying no to Dr. Fauci”. I must include in my book this unbelievable controlling theme for the Press of the HHS and Obama Administration. They would rather have a jerk out there than violate their inexplicable rule of various lanes for various topics. Truly a bunch of assholes. Jan. 31 – Feb. 1, 2015 – Francis Collins sent an e-mail to Sylvia Burwell explaining the situation with ASPA and my media appearances. Sylvia says that she will ask Leslie to take care of it and that there should not be any restrictions on me. However, over the weekend, approval for several requests for me are delayed making it very inconvenient for Patty Conrad to arrange them, and some requests are denied. Also, Sarah Baldauf now sends me talking points on things that are actually scientific issues!! Unbelievable. She monitors my TV appearances and comments on them to me via e-mail. She even makes suggestions on scientific issues. I told Francis and he agrees that this must stop. He spoke to the ASPA today and he will speak with Leslie Dach. (Feb. 1) -The big feature on me in the Sunday “Home” section of the Financial Times came out today. Many tweets and e-mails from people all over the world who loved the piece. It was a feature about me as a person and my home with great pictures of the various rooms in the house and the deck, which they described as my favorite “object/thing”. That is what they do with all of these features – they ask the “celebrity’ what his/her favorite thing is. Mine was my deck. Also, today (Sunday – Feb. 1) the crew from “CBS- Sunday Morning” visited my house and filmed the last part of what will be an hour feature on me within the next few weeks. Producer is Emmy-nominated Sari Aviv and famous NPR correspondent (now doing CBS) Scott Simon. They filmed Chris and I running on the track at American University and then back in the kitchen making a typical Sunday breakfast. Also, BBC is doing a feature on me similar to the CBS feature. Theirs will show globally. They followed me around NIH and interviewed a bunch of people including activists.