Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
White House Trade Adviser Issued Stark Warning To Trump In Late January, New Memo Reveals
The New York Times: Trade Adviser Warned White House In January Of Risks Of A Pandemic
A top White House adviser starkly warned Trump administration officials in late January that the coronavirus crisis could cost the United States trillions of dollars and put millions of Americans at risk of illness or death. The warning, written in a memo by Peter Navarro, President Trump’s trade adviser, is the highest-level alert known to have circulated inside the West Wing as the administration was taking its first substantive steps to confront a crisis that had already consumed China’s leaders and would go on to upend life in Europe and the United States. (Haberman, 4/6)
The Hill: Trump Confronts Most Difficult Week Yet In Coronavirus Battle
President Trump and his administration are confronting the most difficult week yet of the novel coronavirus outbreak as cases are expected to approach peak levels in some of the hardest-hit areas of the country. The administration is facing growing pressure to get medical supplies to states where hospitals fear shortages, and critics say a leadership vacuum has hurt the disbursement of critical resources. (Chalfant, 4/6)
The Washington Post Fact Check: Trump’s Claim That He Imposed The First ‘China Ban’
President Trump regularly pats himself on the back for announcing travel restrictions on China as the novel coronavirus emerged in January. Before the caseload in the United States exploded, Trump attributed what he considered a small number of cases to that decision. Even as deaths from covid-19 in the United States started to soar, he said he saved lives by imposing what he calls a “ban” on China. (Kessler, 4/7)
Politico: ‘Doctors Disagree All The Time’: Navarro Drags Fauci Feud Into The Open
White House trade adviser Peter Navarro on Monday questioned the experience and medical judgment of Dr. Anthony Fauci — dragging his reported dispute with the nation’s top infectious diseases expert out of the White House Situation Room and onto cable news. In a fiery interview on CNN’s “New Day,” Navarro appeared to confirm media accounts of his altercation with Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, during a meeting of the White House coronavirus task force Saturday. (Forgey, 4/6)
Politico: Inside DOJ's Nationwide Effort To Take On China
The leadership of the Justice Department has put a bull’s-eye on the Chinese government, pushing prosecutors across the country to focus on investigations of Chinese state-backed efforts to steal intellectual property. The work involves investigations into American academics and work with U.S. universities, and department officials say their nationwide undertaking isn’t slowing it down. The department’s targets range from Chinese military officers to American college professors — evidence, its leadership says, that the Chinese government is targeting every sector of American public life. (Woodruff Swan, 4/7)
Modern Healthcare: VA Delays Cerner EHR Project Amid COVID-19 Outbreak
The Veterans Affairs Department has paused the rollout of its multibillion-dollar electronic health record project on account of the novel coronavirus, VA Secretary Robert Wilkie wrote in a letter to Congress on Friday. "The worldwide pandemic created by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has shifted the overall priorities of the Department of Veterans Affairs," he wrote. "Our priority is the care of veterans and providing surge capabilities for civilian healthcare systems." (Cohen, 4/6)
Meanwhile, Trump spoke with 2020 front-runner Joe Biden about the outbreak for the first time —
The New York Times: Biden And Trump Speak About Coronavirus
Joseph R. Biden Jr. and President Trump spoke on Monday about the coronavirus pandemic, a rare direct conversation between the incumbent president and his likely Democratic challenger. Mr. Biden, who has been harshly critical of Mr. Trump’s handling of the crisis, had offered to speak with Mr. Trump in recent days. The two connected after Mr. Biden’s team renewed efforts to reach out to the White House on Monday after a tweet by Mr. Trump that read, “What ever happened to that phone call he told the Fake News he wanted to make to me?” (Goldmacher, 4/6)
The Associated Press: Trump, Biden Spoke By Phone About Coronavirus Outbreak
“He gave me his point of view, and I fully understood that, and we just had a very friendly conversation,” Trump said at his daily press briefing. The president said he and Biden agreed not to share the details of their conversation, but confirmed an earlier statement from the Biden campaign that the Democrat offered “suggestions” on how to address the pandemic. Biden had previously said he’d like to share with Trump some lessons he learned from dealing with similar crises during the Obama administration. (Jaffe and Miller, 4/7)
The Wall Street Journal: President Trump And Biden Speak By Phone About Coronavirus Response
Mr. Biden’s deputy campaign manager, Kate Bedingfield, characterized the discussion as “a good call.” “VP Biden shared several suggestions for actions the Administration can take now to address the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and expressed his appreciation for the spirit of the American people in meeting the challenges facing the nation,” Ms. Bedingfield said in a statement. (Siddiqui, 4/6)
Kaiser Health News: Second Time Around? Health Care Issues Trump Might Tackle If Reelected
If President Donald Trump wins a second term in the White House, what health care policies might the nation expect from his administration? Julie Rovner, Kaiser Health News’ chief Washington correspondent, examines that issue in the new edition of Washington Monthly magazine. Although changes in health care might not have ranked high on the president’s priorities for a second term ― particularly if Democrats retain a majority in the House of Representatives — external factors such as the coronavirus pandemic could force the White House and Congress to work together to improve the nation’s public health infrastructure. (4/6)
