Political, Institutional Failures Undermined U.S. Response In Early Phase Of Outbreak: What Happened In Those Key 70 Days?
The Washington Post investigates government and White House actions during the first two months of the year when top officials knew about the threat but the country failed to rise to meet it. And AP looks at how that critical time was squandered in terms of stocking up on equipment. Meanwhile, health care was already a losing issue for President Donald Trump and Republicans, and this pandemic highlights that vulnerability.
The Washington Post:
Denial And Dysfunction Plagued U.S. Government As Coronavirus Raged
By the time Donald Trump proclaimed himself a wartime president — and the coronavirus the enemy — the United States was already on course to see more of its people die than in the wars of Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq combined. The country has adopted an array of wartime measures never employed collectively in U.S. history — banning incoming travelers from two continents, bringing commerce to a near-halt, enlisting industry to make emergency medical gear, and confining 230 million Americans to their homes in a desperate bid to survive an attack by an unseen adversary. (Abutaleb, Dawsey, Nakashima and Miller, 4/4)
The Associated Press:
U.S. 'Wasted' Months Before Preparing For Virus Pandemic
After the first alarms sounded in early January that an outbreak of a novel coronavirus in China might ignite a global pandemic, the Trump administration squandered nearly two months that could have been used to bolster the federal stockpile of critically needed medical supplies and equipment. A review of federal purchasing contracts by The Associated Press shows federal agencies largely waited until mid-March to begin placing bulk orders of N95 respirator masks, mechanical ventilators and other equipment needed by front-line health care workers. (Biesecker, 4/6)
The Associated Press:
Lost Time: How Coronavirus Spread While Supply Orders Lagged
An Associated Press review has found that the Trump administration squandered precious months before bolstering the federal stockpile of urgently needed medical supplies and equipment. (4/6)
NBC News:
Two Months In, Trump's Coronavirus Response Creates More Chaos
More than two months into what President Donald Trump calls a "war" against COVID-19, his administration's efforts to combat the deadly disease, along with its disastrous effects on the U.S. economy, are often creating more problems than they solve. Bidding wars for lifesaving equipment, a power struggle between Trump's son-in-law and the vice president, political gamesmanship, the centralization of authority and decentralization of accountability, and the creation of new government programs while standing bureaucracies are ignored have all contributed to chaos within the political, economic and health care systems. (Allen, 4/5)
The Associated Press:
Trump Sees Limits Of Presidency In Avoiding Blame For Virus
President Donald Trump is confronting the most dangerous crisis a U.S. leader has faced this century as the coronavirus spreads and a once-vibrant economy falters. As the turmoil deepens, the choices he makes in the critical weeks ahead will shape his reelection prospects, legacy and the character of the nation. The early fallout is sobering. In the White House’s best-case scenario, more than 100,000 Americans will die and millions more will be sickened. At least 10 million have already lost their jobs, and some economists warn it could be years before they find work again. (Peoples, Colvin and Miller, 4/6)
NBC News:
'His Achilles' Heel': Coronavirus Crisis Highlights Trump's Lack Of Health Care Plan
Health care was already a vulnerability for President Donald Trump before the coronavirus pandemic hit. Now his lack of a plan to fix the system is coming under a new microscope as the crisis costs many Americans their coverage and overwhelms providers. (Kapur, 4/6)
Politico:
Trump Tries On A Fourth Chief Of Staff In The Middle Of A Devastating Crisis
President Donald Trump’s fourth chief of staff relinquished a safe seat in Congress and agreed to join the White House in early March, when the unemployment rate sat at a historic low and Trump’s team appeared confident about his reelection. A month later, Mark Meadows is now presiding over vastly different West Wing, which is under siege like never before due to the coronavirus pandemic. The administration still lacks the ability to widely test Americans for the virus. (Cook and Zanona, 4/6)
