Biden Shoots To Cut Cancer Deaths In Half Over Next 25 Years
"We can do this," President Joe Biden said at an event Wednesday that aimed to reinvigorate his "cancer moonshot," an initiative he previously launched as vice president. This push sets new priorities but has no additional funding. News outlets look at how the administration intends to accomplish the ambitious goal.
NPR:
Here's How The Biden Administration Says It Will Halve Cancer Death Rates By 2047
President Biden announced on Wednesday that he is reigniting "Cancer Moonshot," the project he spearheaded as vice president during the Obama administration. "My message today is this: We can do this. I promise you, we can do this," Biden said in Wednesday remarks at the White House. "All those we lost, all those we miss. We can end cancer as we know it." The initiative aims to dramatically reduce the national death rate from cancer, as well as improve the experience of survivors and family members of those living with the disease. In a seven-page fact sheet announcing the relaunch, the White House said it would cut "today's age-adjusted death rate from cancer by at least 50 percent" over the next 25 years. (Treisman, 2/2)
AP:
Biden Aims To Reduce Cancer Deaths By 50% Over Next 25 Years
The American Cancer Society estimates there will be 1,918,030 new cancer cases and 609,360 cancer deaths this year. Biden is essentially aiming to to save more than 300,000 lives annually, which the administration believes is possible because the age-adjusted death rate has already fallen by roughly 25% over the past two decades. The cancer death rate is currently 146 per 100,000 people, compared with nearly 200 in 2000. Dr. Otis Brawley, a professor of oncology and epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University and former chief medical and scientific officer for the American Cancer Society, said advances in medical research have led to a “better understanding of the biology of cancer and will do even more for us in the future.” (Boak and Miller, 2/3)
ABC News:
Biden Relaunches Cancer 'Moonshot' Initiative To Help Cut Death Rate
The initiative is personal for Biden, who lost his son Beau to brain cancer in 2015 and who first launched the initiative as vice president. "I committed to this fight when I was vice president," Biden said Wednesday. "It's one of the reasons why quite frankly why I ran for president. Let there be no doubt, now that I am president, this is a presidential, White House priority. Period." (Gittleson, 2/2)
In other Biden administration news —
AP:
Sen. Luján To Be Out At Least 4 Weeks, Biden Agenda At Risk
The Democrats’ fragile hold on the Senate majority became vividly apparent Wednesday with the sudden illness of New Mexico Sen. Ben Ray Luján, who won’t be back to work for at least four weeks, throwing President Joe Biden’s Supreme Court pick and lagging legislative agenda in doubt. The 49-year-old Democrat remained hospitalized after suffering a stroke and is expected to make a full recovery. But Senate colleagues were blindsided by the news — even top-ranking leaders were reportedly unaware that Luján fell ill last Thursday, a stunning oversight. Barring any complications, he is expected to be back at work in four to six weeks, according to a senior aide granted anonymity to discuss the situation. (Mascaro and Amiri, 2/3)
And in updates on "Havana Syndrome" —
The Wall Street Journal:
Some Havana Syndrome Cases Likely Caused By Electromagnetic Waves, Panel Finds
Some incidents of the debilitating medical condition known as Havana Syndrome are most likely caused by directed energy or acoustic devices and can’t be explained by other factors, a panel of U.S. intelligence analysts and outside experts reported on Wednesday. The signs and symptoms of suspected Havana Syndrome are “genuine and compelling,” the executive summary of the panel’s report states. (Strobel, 2/2)
The Washington Post:
External Energy Source May Explain ‘Havana Syndrome,’ Panel Finds, Renewing Questions About Possible Foreign Attack
An external energy source may explain disorienting and sometimes debilitating symptoms suffered by U.S. government personnel, a panel of experts has found, reaching a conclusion that, while not definitive, suggests a foreign power could have mounted attacks on U.S. diplomats, intelligence officers and military personnel serving overseas. The findings by the expert panel, which was convened by U.S. intelligence agencies, are the latest attempt to solve the years-long mystery of what, or who, is behind a constellation of symptoms known as “Havana syndrome.” (Harris, 2/2)
