Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'Most Deadly Phase': Birx Contradicts Trump On Election Eve
The Hill: Internal Memo Shows Birx Contradicting Trump On Pandemic: This Is 'Most Deadly Phase' Yet
An internal memo from Deborah Birx that circulated among top officials in President Trump's administration pokes holes in the his claim that the country is "rounding the corner" in the fight against the coronavirus and soon will have defeated it. "We are entering the most concerning and most deadly phase of this pandemic ... leading to increasing mortality," Birx said Monday in a memo reported by The Washington Post. (Mastrangelo, 11/2)
The New York Times: Birx Suggests The White House Has Spent Too Much Time On Preventing Lockdowns And Not Enough On Controlling The Virus.
Dr. Deborah L. Birx, who has carefully straddled the line between science and politics as she helps lead the Trump administration’s coronavirus response, delivered a stark private warning on Monday, telling White House officials that the pandemic is entering a new and “deadly phase” that demands a more aggressive approach. The warning, contained in a private memo to White House officials as the nation’s daily coronavirus caseload has broken records and approached 100,000, amounted to a direct contradiction of President Trump’s repeated — and inaccurate — assertions that the pandemic is “rounding the corner.” (11/3)
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The Hill: Trump Ramps Up Fauci Attacks On Eve Of Election Dominated By COVID-19
President Trump is ramping up his attacks on Anthony Fauci in the closing hours of the 2020 campaign, increasing tensions with the nation's top infectious disease doctor as the COVID-19 pandemic rages across the country. During a rally that lasted well past midnight into Monday morning, Trump suggested he might fire Fauci after Tuesday’s election. (Weixel, 11/2)
The Hill: Obama Rips Trump Over Suggestion That He May Fire Fauci
Former President Obama hammered President Trump on Monday for suggesting that he may fire Anthony Fauci after Election Day, saying that Trump’s “second-term plan” is to oust “the one person who can actually help them contain” the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking at a rally in Atlanta on behalf of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and Democratic Senate candidates in Georgia, Obama expressed incredulity at Trump’s suggestion on Sunday that he may try to have Fauci removed from his post at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases following the 2020 general election. (11/2)
ABC News: Can Trump 'Fire Fauci?' Not Easily, But He Could Make It Messy
At a rally Sunday in Opa-locka, Florida, that stretched late into the night, President Donald Trump entertained the raucous crowd with the idea that he might fire Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, after the election. Trump made the suggestion after his supporters began chanting "Fire Fauci." It's a favorite among Trump’s most ardent supporters, who believe the severity of the virus is being overplayed by Fauci and the news media in a bid to undermine the president’s popularity. (Flaherty and Ebbs, 11/2)
