Pool Reports by Emily Goodin, Daily Mail
| Sent: | Reports: |
| February 3, 2023 12:08 EST |
FLOTUS pool report #1 - departing JBA Dr. Biden exited her motorcade and boarded Executive One Foxtrot at 11:59 am. She is headed to a three-day trip to California that begins in San Diego and ends in Los Angeles on Sunday with her presenting at the Grammys. Motorcade left the White House at 11:32 am and had an uneventful drive. FYI there will be a TV pool by KNSD NBC San Diego. If you need to request footage, please contact NBCSanDiegoDesk@nbcuni.com or Jason.guinter@nbcuni.com. Here is background on today from the East Wing and we are wheels up shortly: REPORTABLE BACKGROUND FROM THE OFFICE OF THE FIRST LADY: On Friday, February 3rd through Saturday, February 4th, the First Lady will travel to San Diego, California for a series of events in support of the Biden Administration's Cancer Moonshot and her Joining Forces initiative for military and veteran families, caregivers, and survivors. Visit to Logan Heights Family Health Center, San Diego Today, February 3, at 3:15 PM, ahead of World Cancer Day (Feb. 4th) and following the one-year anniversary of the reignition of the Cancer Moonshot, the First Lady will visit Logan Heights Family Health Center, a Family Health Centers of San Diego (FHCSD) clinic, to highlight how the Biden-Harris Administration is supporting health centers to improve access to cancer screenings and early detection efforts aimed at helping underserved communities. FHCSD received Cancer Moonshot funding through the Biden Administration's Accelerating Cancer Screening (AxCS) Program last year to increase cancer screenings in underserved communities. Dr. Biden will participate in a conversation about FHCSD's efforts to improve access to cancer screening and early detection, and how FHCSD is using Accelerating Cancer Screening funding to support that work, including by using patient navigators to support patients through screening, referral, and follow-up. Throughout the visit, Dr. Biden will be joined by:
Accelerating Cancer Screening (AxCS) Program Funding Announcement Yesterday (Feb. 2), on the one-year anniversary of the reignition of the Cancer Moonshot, the Biden Administration awarded new fundingawarded nearly $11 million in Accelerating Cancer Screening (AxCS) Program funding to 22 community health centers – doubling the investment the Administration made last September ($5 million to 11 community health centers). Through the AxCS award, community health centers, in partnership with National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Designated Cancer Centers, deploy patient navigators and outreach specialists to promote early detection, connect patients to screening services, and provide hands-on assistance with accessing high quality cancer care and treatment. Cancer Moonshot As Vice President, in 2016, Joe Biden led the Cancer Moonshot with the mission to accelerate the rate of progress against cancer. The cancer advocacy, patient, research, and health care communities responded with tremendous energy and ingenuity. On February 2, 2022, President Biden and Dr. Biden reignited the Cancer Moonshot and set new national goals: if we work together, we can cut the death rate from cancer by at least 50 percent over the next 25 years, and improve the experience of people and their families living with and surviving cancer. Background on Dr. Biden's Cancer Advocacy Efforts The First Lady has been a tireless champion of the Cancer Moonshot – traveling the country and the world to hear from cancer patients and their families, as well as those who support them – focusing on the importance of early detection and improving the experience of patients, families, and caregivers. First Lady Jill Biden's advocacy for cancer education and prevention began in 1993, when four of her friends were diagnosed with breast cancer. Following that year, she launched the Biden Breast Health Initiative to educate Delaware high school girls about the importance of cancer prevention. As First Lady, she continues her work emphasizing early detection efforts and improving the patient, family and caregiver experience with cancer. She has also focused on the importance of cancer screenings, especially those delayed or put off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She has encouraged government partners, the business community, and non-profit sectors to help make screenings more accessible and available to all. Family Health Centers of San Diego Family Health Centers of San Diego (FHCSD) is one of the nation's ten largest federally qualified health centers (FQHC*). FHCSD operates 72 sites across San Diego County, California. In San Diego County, FHCSD is the largest community clinic provider of health care to the uninsured. *FQHCs – or "community health centers" – are community-based health care providers that receive funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to provide primary care services in underserved areas. Visit with USS Gabrielle Giffords Crew and Families Today, Friday, February 3, at 5:00 PM, as part of the First Lady's Joining Forces initiative, Dr. Biden will deliver remarks at a gathering and dinner hosted by the Armed Services YMCA with the crew and families of the USS Gabrielle Giffords, the U.S Navy littoral combat ship for which she serves as sponsor, in San Diego, CA. Dr. Biden's Previous Engagements with USS Giffords:
Joining Forces The mission of Joining Forces is to support those who also serve: military and veteran families, caregivers, and survivors. The First Lady's work and priorities of Joining Forces are informed by the life experiences and the perspectives shared during listening sessions with military families. A recap of the initiative's efforts in 2022 is available on the White House's Joining Forces blog. The First Lady has prioritized military families through the Joining Forces initiative since day one of the Biden-Harris Administration. The First Lady has visited over 24 military installations; worked with Joining Forces partners to support over 30 events with the military-connected community; and helped coordinate the Administration's efforts to increase and raise awareness of resources and support for military and veteran families, caregivers, and survivors. Recent events include:
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| February 3, 2023 14:58 PST |
FLOTUS pool report #2 - San Diego arrival Executive One Foxtrot was wheels up from JBA at 12:15 pm ET and wheels down San Diego International Airport at 2:29 pm PT. Note all times going forward will be local. It is sunny, windy, and 66 degrees. FLOTUS deplaned at 2:40 pm wearing a yellow patterned dress and dark blazer. Greeters per the East Wing: Upon arriving at San Diego International Airport, Dr. Biden will be greeted by: Representative Sara Jacobs (D, CA-51) FLOTUS shook hands with everyone before getting in her car. Motorcade is rolling at 2:44 pm to the Family Health Center where FLOTUS will talk about cancer screenings and early detections ahead of World Cancer Day, which is Saturday, and follows the one year anniversary of the Bidens' Cancer Moonshot. |
| February 3, 2023 15:42 PST |
FLOTUS pool report #3 - health clinic visit/FLOTUS discusses own cancer scare Dr. Biden addressed her recent Mohs surgery and skin cancer scare during her remarks. See below. Motorcade arrived at the Family Health Clinic at 2:55 pm. FLOTUS came in at 2:58 pm wearing a white face mask with a blue flower on it. After the greetings she joined a roundtable discussion where she introduced as "Hi I'm Jill." She talked about her own recent cancer scare in her opening remarks. "Cancer touches us all - the Bidens are no exception. You know, I've lost several family members to cancer. And, actually I just recently had a bout with cancer myself that I've just experienced. And so I wanted to come and see what you're doing - especially the navigators because I can tell you from personal experience how much a navigator means because you hear that word cancer, and you don't hear anything else. And, you know, it's so frightening and you don't know where to go, who to talk." As always please check against official transcript. Note that the local NBC station is TV pool. During the round table she heard how the clinic serves its cancer patients and the large international community of patients. The doctors and experts did most of the talking while FLOTUS listened. In her closing remarks, she thanked them and asked people to remember to get their cancer screenings and to encourage loved ones to get them. FLOTUS: "Really early detection is the key and a lot of cancers, a lot of cancers are curable. And people don't need to be scared like they - I mean, you're always scared when you hear the word cancer but they don't need to be afraid like people were 10 years ago, because now things have advanced so far." Throughout the visit, Dr. Biden was joined by:
At 3:31 pm, motorcade is rolling to next stop. |
| February 3, 2023 16:11 PST |
FLOTUS pool report #4 - USS Gabrielle Giffords visit FLOTUS made an OTR stop at the USS Gabrielle Giffords at 3:40 pm to meet the crew who couldn't make dinner and bring them pizza. Pool was not allowed on board the ship with FLOTUS and is waiting on the pier. From East Wing: Ahead of the dinner, Dr. Biden will visit the USS Gabrielle Giffords to greet and deliver Oggi's pizza to the crew members on duty. She will be greeted by Commander Phil Herndl, USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS10) Blue Crew and Command Senior Chief Randy Griffeth, USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS10) Blue Crew. Note that FLOTUS is wearing very snazzy blue sneakers with her dress. Motorcade will roll to the dinner next, which is at the Admiral Kidd. |
| February 3, 2023 18:27 PST |
FLOTUS pool report #5 - dinner remarks, pics with kids FLOTUS visited the USS Gabrielle Giffords for 54 minutes. The ship, a littoral combat ship, is docked at Naval Base San Diego. It was named after former Rep. Gabby Giffords and is the third Navy ship to be named after a woman. Dr. Biden attended its christening ceremony in Alabama in 2015, where she broke a champagne bottle on the bow. The pier area is pretty cleared out for FLOTUS visit but pool did spy some crew members stationed on the ship at the neighboring pier peeking out at what was going on. After the ship visit, FLOTUS then went to the Admiral Kidd to address a dinner for the crew and family members of the combat ship. The Admiral Kidd is part of the Naval Base Point Loma Annex. It's right on the Pacific Ocean and the sun was setting as motorcade arrived. The room FLOTUS spoke in overlooked the ocean with boats docked outside and a sailboat sailing by. The crowd applauded when Dr. Biden entered the room at 5 pm. About 75 people were in the room at small tables. There are a mix of adults and kids in the room. She addressed her footwear saying she just toured the USS Gabrielle Giffords "so I had to have my sneakers because I was up and down the ladders. I thought the heels weren't great for that." She described Gabby Giffords as "a woman who never stops fighting with courage and resilience." She mentioned her military connections - her father served in the Navy and the Bidens' son Beau who served in the Army National Guard. She talked about christening the USS Gabrielle Giffords in 2015: "I had that bottle in my hand and was just praying it was going to break." She said she became an honorary member of the crew that day: "It's a privilege to call you my community, my military family and it's wonderful to be here with all of you today." When some if the kids grew noisy: "That's okay. No one has to be quiet. I'm a nana. I get it." After her remarks she did a group photo with all the kids at the dinner. Parents swarmed in to record the shot. Dr. Biden then manned the dessert table - serving goodies to the families. There were giant chocolate chip cookies, yellow and chocolate cake, mini cupcakes and fruit. She took a photo with two girls who went to Villinova - which is where Dr. Biden got her masters. They made the V for Villinovia sign in the pic. Annie Rafferty, who was in the pic, is the navigator for the USS Gabrielle Giffords. FLOTUS talked to them about the Eagles, saying of the Super Bowl: "I'm going. I'll wave to you at the game." Dr. Biden the posed for many pictures with people who asked for them, including with parents and their fourth-month old daughter Ellison, who dressed in an adorable sailor outfit. The kids were all excited about the event. One little boy - who looked about 2 or 3 - ran up to some of the photographers and said "cheese!" They dutifully took his photo. The event is wrapping at 5:41 pm so this is it from the pool. More tomorrow ... |
Jill Biden, First Lady Pool Reports of February 3, 2023 Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/359686