Vice President Pence took to social media today to criticize a USA Today report as "#FAKENEWS" that U.S. figure skater Adam Rippon "rebuffed a request that his office set up a conversation between the two men." A White House official was "explaining to reporters traveling with the vice president to South Korea that Pence's team did contact" the USOC. But Pence's office was "offering --not requesting -- a meeting with Rippon and wanted to give the skater as much space as possible." USA Today columnist Christine Brennan reported yesterday that Pence had become "so concerned about criticism he faced from Rippon, an openly gay athlete, that his staff reached out to the USOC to set up a conversation between the two." Rippon "turned the offer down" (USA TODAY, 2/8).
LOCAL FAVORITE: U.S. snowboarder Chloe Kim's pre-Games press conference today "turned into a rugby scrum as the world's media clambered to get a piece" of the Gold Medal favorite. Kim's parents are Korean and South Koreans are "looking to claim Kim as one of their own ... in the absence of a truly transcendent athlete such as figure skater Kim Yuna." Kim said, "I was warned there was going to be a lot of press." She added, "Competing at my first Olympics in the country where my parents came from is pretty insane. It's kind of a crazy coincidence" (AFP, 2/8).
IN YOUR DREAMS: United Airlines made U.S. figure skater Bradie Tennell's "dream come true by providing plane tickets" for her mother and two brothers to join her in Pyeongchang. A friend of Tennell "made a GoFundMe page for the athlete, whose single mother works two jobs as a registered nurse, in hopes of raising enough money for the travel expenses." United Airlines "caught wind of the fundraiser and last week showed up at the rink where Tennell trains to deliver a special surprise: tickets to send all three to the Olympics and watch their champion go for the gold" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 2/8).
MEDICAL TENT: POCOG said that another 42 cases of norovirus "have been reported at the Olympics, bringing the total to 128 in the past week." Most of the cases, 97 in all, are people "staying at a youth center in Pyeongchang that housed security personnel for the games" (AP, 2/8). NBC’s Savannah Guthrie referenced the growing number of norovirus cases while talking to the net's Kate Snow, who is already in South Korea reporting on the Olympics, and said, “Hope you packed your Purel” (“Today,” NBC, 2/8).
