Rick Bright, who was ousted from his position as head of a top U.S. vaccine agency last month, testified Thursday before a House subcommittee that the Trump administration failed to take "critical steps" early on, and that his repeated warnings about the lack of preparedness in the face of the coronavirus pandemic were ignored.

The former director of the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority drew the ire of President Trump even before he appeared before the committee. The president lashed out at Bright in a tweet, calling him a "disgruntled employee."

Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro had equal fury reserved for the whistleblower, calling him a "deserter in the war on the China virus."

"Serious" Allegations

Outside the Trump administration, Bright's warnings were taken more seriously. Rep. Greg Walden, a Republican member of the House subcommittee, said his allegations were "serious" and deserved an investigation. Other GOP members agreed.

Fox anchor Bret Baier called Bright's testimony “significant.” 

“The president calls him a disgruntled employee but whether he is that or not, he does have a lot of experience," Baier said. “And he’s telling the story about not being prepared for this pandemic. This is potentially politically damaging for the president as he is talking about getting a handle on the health crisis and open up around the country."

Among Bright's warnings: “Without better planning, 2020 could be the darkest winter in modern history.”

Rogan Claims He's Eying Texas

Joe Rogan joined Elon Musk this week in musing about fleeing California, currently under a strict lockdown, for Texas, which is not.

“I don’t know if [California] is a good place to live,” Rogan said. “First of all, it’s extremely expensive — the taxes are ridiculous. They really say we can’t do stand-up until 2022 or something, I might jet. I’m not kidding. I don’t need to be here.”

“I like Austin a lot, I like Dallas a lot, I like Houston,” Rogan continued. “I don’t know if I would live in Houston. The summer is a motherfucker.”

It's probably prudent to not take Rogan's wanderlust too seriously. Given his career as a podcaster who interviews celebrities, leaving Los Angeles is more of a pipe dream than a feasible plan.

Biden: If You Believe Tara...

Joe Biden encouraged Democrats not to vote for him if they believe former Senate staffer Tara Reade's sexual assault allegation.

On The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell, Thursday Biden said, "I think they should vote their heart. If they believe Tara Reade, they probably shouldn’t vote for me... I wouldn’t vote for me if I believe Tara Reade."

Biden went on, however, to deny the allegation, claiming, "This is just totally thoroughly completely out of character. And the idea that in a public place, in a hallway, I would assault a woman? I mean, anyway, I promise you it never happened."

Late Night Roundup

Having trouble keeping up with the latest Trump administration whistleblower? Late night hosts Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, and Jimmy Kimmel tackled the "new new whistleblower" speaking out on the U.S. coronavirus response.

What is, the Virus?

Kevin Vesey, a reporter for News 12 Long Island, was subjected to verbal abuse, threats, and was even stalked while trying to report from a demonstration protesting the lockdown in Commack, New York Thursday.

“Go home! You’re fake news!” One protester said.

“Traitor!” Another shouted.

“You are the virus!” Another said.

It got worse. Watch the wild footage here