Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Study: Trump Rallies Spreading Coronavirus And Death
The Hill: 18 Trump Rallies Have Led To 30,000 COVID-19 Cases: Stanford University Study
A new study from Stanford University found that 18 of President Trump’s campaign rallies have led to more than 30,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and likely led to more than 700 deaths. Researchers examined rallies held between June 20 and Sept. 22, 2020, only three of which were held indoors. The researchers then compared spread of the virus in the counties that held the rallies to counties that were on similar case trajectories before the rallies occurred. (Williams, 10/31)
CNBC: Trump Campaign Rallies Led To 30,000 Cases, Stanford Researchers Say
The researchers said the findings support the warnings and recommendations of public health officials concerning the risk of Covid-19 transmission at large group gatherings, “particularly when the degree of compliance with guidelines concerning the use of masks and social distancing is low.” “The communities in which Trump rallies took place paid a high price in terms of disease and death,” said B. Douglas Bernheim, chairman of Stanford’s economics department and a lead author of the paper, wrote. (Lovelace Jr., 10/31)
The New York Times: Tests Show Genetic Signature Of Coronavirus That Likely Infected Trump
President Trump’s illness from a coronavirus infection last month was the most significant health crisis for a sitting president in nearly 40 years. Yet little remains known about how the virus arrived at the White House and how it spread. The administration did not take basic steps to track the outbreak, limiting contact tracing, keeping cases a secret and cutting out the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The origin of the infections, a spokesman said, was “unknowable.” But one standard public health technique may still shed some light: tracking the cluster’s genetic fingerprints. (Glanz, 11/1)
Also —
Politico: 'The Virus Is Kind Of Tough To Talk Down': Trump Can't Shake Covid In Final Sprint
Trump’s claim Friday that “doctors get more money if someone dies from Covid” drove headlines throughout the weekend, with a senior adviser, Jason Miller, amplifying the baseless accusation Sunday. The White House picked a fight over the weekend with Anthony Fauci, the infectious disease expert whose public approval rating on the virus is far better than the president’s. And on a frigid day in Michigan on Sunday — one day after the state recorded a record number of new coronavirus cases — Trump said again that the country is “rounding the turn.” (Siders and Shepard, 11/1)
Politico: White House Plots Possible Second-Term Cabinet Purge
President Donald Trump and his top aides are planning a huge overhaul of his Cabinet if he wins a second term, scuttling officials in key health-related and intelligence jobs who Trump views as disloyal, slow-acting or naysayers. The shift would amount to a purge of any Cabinet member who has crossed the president, refused to mount investigations he has demanded, or urged him to take a different, more strict tack on the coronavirus response. (Cook, 11/1)
The Hill: Chris Wallace 'Pissed Off' First Family Didn't Wear Masks During Debate, Suggests Trump Has 'Daddy Issue'
Fox News's Chris Wallace said he was “pissed off” when he learned the first family had disregarded the rules and not worn masks during the first presidential debate. In an Instagram Live interview with Washington Post reporter Geoff Edgers posted Sunday, Wallace, who moderated the debate, said he was “not fully conscious of the fact they weren’t wearing masks” because he was focused on his preparation. (Choi, 11/1)
Politico: ‘A Political Thing’: How Mask Mandates Became A Defining Issue In Iowa
People in this heartland community say they never wanted, or even expected, to wrestle with the proposed mask mandate that's dividing their county, which is now reeling from one of the nation's worst Covid-19 outbreaks. But that was before Vice President Mike Pence in June punted questions about mask mandates to state leaders, touting "the genius of America is the principle of federalism." Then Iowa's Gov. Kim Reynolds vowed in August and September that she would never order universal masking despite doctors' pleas, with the GOP governor claiming a mask mandate was a "feel-good" measure that wouldn't actually save lives. (Diamond, 11/1)
