Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'COVID Shaming' Won't Keep Trump From Holding Rally, But Some Safety Measures Will Be Used
The Wall Street Journal: Trump Presses Ahead With Plans For Tulsa Rally Despite Coronavirus Concerns
President Trump indicated he has no plans to postpone a campaign rally in Tulsa, Okla., this weekend despite mounting concerns from local officials and residents about the event’s potential to spread the new coronavirus. In recent days, the top health official in Tulsa, the local newspaper and the Trump administration’s top infectious disease expert have raised alarms about the plan for the president to convene thousands of supporters in an indoor arena on Saturday—an event Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines classify as “highest risk.” (Ballhaus, 6/15)
The Washington Post: Trump Signals A Move Past Coronavirus With Rallies, Even As Cases Spike In Many States
To observe Trump and his entourage this month as he prepares to resume normal campaign activity coast to coast could lead one to conclude that the coronavirus pandemic is over. In reality, the virus continues to ravage the United States and is fast spreading in some midsize and small cities that avoided bad outbreaks this spring. Recent spikes in coronavirus cases have been recorded in Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, Texas and Oklahoma — all states where Trump has said he plans to soon hold campaign rallies. (Rucker, Partlow and Stanley-Becker, 6/15)
Reuters: Trump Campaign To Give Tulsa Rally-Goers Masks, Fever Checks
People attending President Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Saturday will receive temperature checks, masks and hand sanitizer before entering the arena, the Republican’s campaign said. The campaign said there have been more than 1 million ticket requests for the indoor rally, Trump’s first in the three months since the new coronavirus curbed travel and shut down the economy. (6/15)
Politico: Trump Accuses Critics Of Attempting To 'Covid Shame' Upcoming Rally
In a tweet, the president complained about discrepancies in media coverage of his upcoming rally in Tulsa, Okla., compared with that of mass protests across the country over police killings of unarmed black Americans. “The Far Left Fake News Media, which had no Covid problem with the Rioters & Looters destroying Democrat run cities, is trying to Covid Shame us on our big Rallies,” he wrote, continuing a pattern of failing to distinguish between the majority peaceful protesters and those who engaged in property destruction and looting at some of the events. (Oprysko, 6/15)
The Associated Press: Oklahoma Governor Seeks Larger Event For Trump's Tulsa Rally
So many people have expressed an interest in attending President Donald Trump’s rally Saturday in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that the governor said he’s asked the campaign to consider a larger, outdoor venue to accommodate them. Gov. Kevin Stitt said Monday after talking with Trump and Vice President Mike Pence that nearly one million people have requested tickets to the event. Some Trump supporters have already started waiting in line outside the 19,000-seat BOK Center in downtown Tulsa. (Murphy, 6/16)
The New York Times: Pence Misleadingly Blames Coronavirus Spikes On Rise In Testing
Vice President Mike Pence encouraged governors on Monday to adopt the administration’s explanation that a rise in testing was a reason behind new coronavirus outbreaks, even though testing data has shown that such a claim is misleading. “I would just encourage you all, as we talk about these things, to make sure and continue to explain to your citizens the magnitude of increase in testing,” Mr. Pence said on a call with governors, audio of which was obtained by The New York Times. “And that in most of the cases where we are seeing some marginal rise in number, that’s more a result of the extraordinary work you’re doing.” (Rogers and Martin, 6/15)
The Hill: Trump On Coronavirus: 'If We Stop Testing Right Now, We'd Have Very Few Cases, If Any'
President Trump on Monday downplayed concerns of a rising number of coronavirus cases in states across the country, indicating that the increase was due to more testing. "If we stop testing right now, we’d have very few cases, if any,” Trump said during a White House event highlighting administration actions to help senior citizens. (Weixel, 6/15)
In other news on Trump and his administration —
The Associated Press: AP FACT CHECK: Trump's False Security On Kids And COVID-19
President Donald Trump may be giving parents a false sense of security when it comes to kids and COVID-19. In remarks Monday, Trump expressed a desire to have K-12 schools reopen in the fall in “full blast” while minimizing the risk that children and adults who are around them may face from the coronavirus. TRUMP, on children: “They’ve come out of this at a level that’s really inconceivable. By the way, the regular flu, other flus, other things, SARS or H1N1, any of them, if you look at the young people they were affected like everybody else, but for whatever reason with respect to COVID, the numbers are very, very low.” (Yen, 6/15)
Modern Healthcare: Birx, Fauci: America's Chief Health Science Communicators
Drs. Deborah Birx and Anthony Fauci have garnered near-universal praise from the healthcare community for their leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. While both physicians have extensive track records of public service, they were relatively unknown to the public until bursting onto the national stage in March as America’s chief health science communicators, explaining the intricate details of previously arcane topics like disease transmission and vaccine development to an anxious and bewildered nation during their daily news briefings. (Brady, 6/12)
