Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Harris Urges Americans To Listen To Scientists, Not Trump, On Vaccine
CNN: 'I Will Not Take His Word For It': Kamala Harris Says She Would Not Trust Trump Alone On A Coronavirus Vaccine
Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris said that President Donald Trump's word alone on any potential coronavirus vaccine is not enough. Asked by CNN's Dana Bash in a clip released Saturday whether she would get a vaccine that was approved and distributed before the election, Harris replied, "Well, I think that's going to be an issue for all of us." (Kelly, 9/5)
Politico: Harris Says She Wouldn't Trust Trump On Any Vaccine Released Before Election
Harris also expressed concern that Trump has continued to contradict his own health officials amid a pandemic and suggested Friday that a vaccine would “probably” be available in October for the virus, which has killed more than 188,000 people in the U.S. as of Saturday. “If past is prologue ... they'll be muzzled. They'll be suppressed,” Harris said of health experts and scientists. “They will be sidelined because he’s looking at an election coming up in less than 60 days, and he's grasping for whatever he can get to pretend he has been a leader on this issue when he has not.” (Semones, 9/5)
The Washington Post: Kamala Harris Visits Milwaukee For Her First In-Person Campaign Event
Sen. Kamala D. Harris visited Milwaukee on Monday for her first in-person campaign stop since being named the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, highlighting the campaigns’ continued convergence on Wisconsin, the epicenter of ongoing protests against police violence and a state President Trump won by fewer than 30,000 votes in 2016. Hours after Vice President Pence toured an energy facility in La Crosse — and just days after Biden himself visited Kenosha and Milwaukee — Harris toured an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers training facility and held a roundtable with Black business owners in Milwaukee. President Trump also visited Kenosha last week. (Janes, 9/7)
In other news from the Biden-Harris campaign —
NBC News: As Presidential Race Narrows In North Carolina, Voters Say They Want Face Time With Biden
Debbie George, 61, a yoga instructor in Charlotte, North Carolina, said she "desperately" wants Joe Biden to carry her battleground state and defeat President Donald Trump in the general election. But from what George, a lifelong Democrat, said she has seen so far, Biden just isn't doing enough to galvanize support among Democrats and independents to win the state. "He needs to come. He needs to address North Carolinians. Some kind of socially distanced event, a small conference or roundtable," she said. "These rehearsed speeches in front of no one are not cutting it." (Edelman, 9/7)
Politico: Biden: QAnon Is ‘Bizarre’ And ‘Embarrassing,’ Supporters Should Seek Mental Health Treatment
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden denounced the QAnon conspiracy theory as "dangerous" and "embarrassing" Friday, suggesting those that support it should seek mental health treatment. "I've been a big supporter of mental health," Biden said. "I'd recommend the people who believe it maybe should take advantage, while it still exists, of the Affordable Care Act." (Choi, 9/4)
