Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
In Controversial Interviews, Trump Stirs Up Issues Of 'Birtherism,' Racism
Axios: Trump Remarks On Harris' Race Echo His Birtherism About Obama
Donald Trump's audacious lie about Vice President Kamala Harris' race confirmed what many had long suspected: running against a Black woman could summon the former president's worst impulses. Trump's political rise began with a yearslong crusade to delegitimize the nation's first Black president, Barack Obama. Much has changed since 2011, but Trump has never strayed far from the conspiratorial and racist roots of the birther movement. (Basu, 8/1)
PBS NewsHour: Trump Claims Harris, Who’s Married To A Jewish Man, ‘Doesn’t Like Jewish People’
Former President Donald Trump in an interview on Tuesday claimed Vice President Kamala Harris, who is married to a Jewish man, “doesn’t like Jewish people” and seemed to agree with a radio host who called second gentleman Doug Emhoff “a crappy Jew.” (7/30)
The New York Times: Trump Remarks On Harris Evoke A Haunting And Unsettling History
The audacity of Donald Trump, a white man, questioning how much a Black woman truly belongs to Black America was particularly incendiary. And it evoked an ugly history in this country, in which white America has often declared the racial categories that define citizens, and sought to determine who gets to call themselves what. (Lerer and King, 7/31)
The New York Times: Fact-Checking Trump’s Remarks on Race
The former president falsely accused Vice President Kamala Harris of “only promoting” her Indian heritage, among other inaccurate claims. Here’s a fact check. (Qiu, 7/31)
In case you missed it: Why racism is a public health crisis —
USA Today: After George Floyd's Death, Many Declared Racism A Public Health Crisis. How Much Changed?
In 2020, hundreds of communities agreed racism is a public health crisis. But experts say progress has been slow and the issue has become polarizing. Racial and ethnic minority groups have significantly lower life expectancies and experience higher rates of illness and death from conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity, asthma and heart disease. (Bragg and Nurse, 5/25)
NPR: Experiencing Racism May Physically Change Your Brain
Scientists know that Black people are at a greater risk for health problems like heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease than white people. A growing body of research shows that racism in health care and in daily life contributes to these long-standing health disparities for Black communities. Now, some researchers are asking whether part of the explanation involves how racism, across individual interactions and systems, may physically alter the brain. (Hamilton, Carlson and Ramirez, 1/24)
In other news from the campaign trail —
Stat: Kamala Harris Potential VP Picks On Health Care
With less than 100 days until the presidential election, Democratic candidate Kamala Harris is expected to name her pick for vice president as early as this week. The pool of potential VP picks share some traits: They are largely white men from battleground or conservative-leaning states who can boast working across the aisle and bridging gaps with moderate voters. (Owermohle, 8/1)
KFF Health News: GOP Charge That Harris Backed Taxpayer-Funded Care For All Immigrants Overlooks Details
Attacking Vice President Kamala Harris on immigration, Republicans and allies of former Donald President Trump’s are saying the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate supported using taxpayer dollars to provide free health coverage to immigrants who are in the country without legal permission. Senate and House candidates, an American political action committee supporting Trump, and the Republican National Committee have made similar assertions in recent days. (Armour, 8/1)
The Guardian: JD Vance Writes Glowing Foreword To Project 2025 Leader’s Upcoming Book
JD Vance endorses the ideas of Kevin Roberts, leader of Project 2025, as a “fundamentally Christian view of culture and economics” and a “surprising – even jarring” path forward for conservatives, the Republican vice-presidential nominee writes in the foreword of Roberts’ upcoming book. The foreword was obtained and published in full by the New Republic on Tuesday. Roberts’ book is out in September. Its title was watered down recently to remove references to “burning down” Washington. (Leingang, 7/30)
