California Projected A $6 Billion Budget Surplus In January. Now, Its Deficit Forecast Tops A Daunting $54 Billion.
May 8, 2020
Morning Briefing
With tax revenue drastically down and demand for social services soaring during the pandemic, California’s financial outlook has reversed and the state now faces a $54 billion budget deficit. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) says the state’s reserve will only go so far and calls on the federal government to provide emergency funding. Other coronavirus-related news out of the state reports on hospitals’ financial crunch, ongoing equipment shortages and questions about the distribution of COVID-19 medicines.
‘Devastating’ Toll: Nursing Homes Turn To Federal Government For $10B In Relief Funds
May 7, 2020
Morning Briefing
The coronavirus death toll exceeds 11,000 in nursing homes, which say the requested money would be used for protective equipment, hazard pay and lost revenue. News on the industry also reports on liability protections, a behind-the-scenes look at how infection spread in Maryland facilities, a lawsuit in Arizona to reveal data, a Massachusetts law shielding facilities, one family’s struggle for information, higher wages promised in Illinois and Louisiana’s changing efforts to name facilities with outbreaks, as well.
‘Things Are Moving So Quickly’: Gilead Expands Drug Trials For Promising Antiviral That May Treat COVID-19
February 27, 2020
Morning Briefing
There are currently no approved treatments for illnesses caused by coronaviruses, including the new one, known as COVID-19. Meanwhile, top FDA officials warn that potential treatments, like Gilead’s drug remdesivir, are going to come long before vaccines make it to market. Meanwhile, concerns about the drug supply into the United States heat up.
Consumers’ Fear Of Pandemic Could Thwart Some States’ Eager Rush To Reopen Economy
April 29, 2020
Morning Briefing
Just because stay-at-home orders are lifted doesn’t mean Americans will want to flood into movie theaters and bowling alleys, which could be fertile ground for the coronavirus. Meanwhile, the day-to-day choices of what is safe for Americans is made harder when states partially lift lock-downs. In other news on the shutdowns: quarantine fatigue, the future of handshakes and a potential second wave this fall. Media outlets also cover which states are lifting restrictions.
Pence Defies Mask Rule As He Tours Mayo Clinic Confident He Doesn’t Have Virus
April 29, 2020
Morning Briefing
Vice President Mike Pence raised eyebrows when images emerged of him as the lone person touring the Mayo Clinic without a mask. Pence, who leads the White House’s coronavirus task force, says that masks are meant to prevent the wearer from spreading the virus and since he’s been regularly tested he knows he’s not infected. The move was part of a larger trend within the Trump administration to forgo masks counter to CDC guidance.
Partisan Bickering In Congress Crippled Response To Zika In 2016. Experts Warn Lawmakers: Don’t Repeat History.
March 2, 2020
Morning Briefing
Lawmakers are discussing emergency funding for the coronavirus, but there’s not even a draft of the legislation yet. Public health experts worry that the funding will get held up in the gridlock created by a hyper-partisan Congress, leaving cash-strapped state health departments underwater. Meanwhile, Democrats seize on the Trump administration’s response to the crisis as a talking point on the campaign trail.
Trump Was Warned About Virus Threat In More Than A Dozen Intelligence Reports In January, February
April 28, 2020
Morning Briefing
The Washington Post offers more evidence that President Donald Trump was informed of the coronavirus threat at least a dozen times in the President’s Daily Brief early in the year, while he continued to downplay the outbreak to the public. Meanwhile, Trump’s dangerous comments about injecting disinfectants haunt him more than other false claims he’s made. And Trump’s decision to freeze WHO funding allows China to step up into a more prominent global role.
Pompeo Claims There Is Evidence Virus Came From Chinese Lab, But Intelligence Experts Say It’s Circumstantial
May 4, 2020
Morning Briefing
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo backed up President Donald Trump’s assertions that the coronavirus may have originated in a Chinese lab. While scientists have found that the virus is not man-made or genetically altered, some experts say it still could have come from a lab if a worker was exposed while studying the natural virus. Still, senior officials at U.S. intelligence agencies say in private that any evidence pointing to a lab accident is mainly circumstantial and based on public material.
Time To Quit: Health Officials Sound New Alarms About Risky Habits Of Smoking, Vaping
April 10, 2020
Morning Briefing
A recent study has shown that people who smoke are twice as likely to have severe infections. Some health experts wonder if the numbers of young people impacted could be due to vaping habits. “I believe it is critically important for us to help people quit inhaling anything into their lungs that could be causing any type of inflammation, as the coronavirus will only find an inviting environment otherwise,” said Dr. Carolyn Dresler,
Planning Underway To Help U.S. Physicians Make Tough Ethical Decisions On Who To Treat Amid Equipment Shortages
March 23, 2020
Morning Briefing
Little research has been done to see whether certain strategies would save more lives or years of life compared with a random lottery to assign ventilators or critical care beds. But doctors may be forced to make such decisions if the expected wave of coronavirus patients manifests. Meanwhile, health care providers continue to have to scrounge for protective gear and hospitals begin canceling elective surgeries.
Trump Administration Eliminated CDC Position Intended To Detect Disease Outbreaks In China Several Months Ago
March 23, 2020
Morning Briefing
Dr. Linda Quick left amid a bitter U.S. trade dispute with China when she learned her federally funded post, officially known as resident adviser to the U.S. Field Epidemiology Training Program in China, would be discontinued as of September. Meanwhile, a government watchdog is assessing HHS’ response to the coronavirus outbreak, amid criticism that early missteps exacerbated the pandemic.
Democrats Pan McConnell’s Push For Liability Coverage In Next Relief Package
April 29, 2020
Morning Briefing
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said that if Democrats want another stimulus package it will need to include liability protections for businesses whose employees may sue if they get sick. “I don’t think at this time, with the coronavirus, that there’s any interest in having any less protection with our workers,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). Meanwhile, the House abruptly reversed its decision to return to Washington next week.
Scientists Work Around The Clock At Incredible Speeds To Map Virus, Find Treatments And Develop Vaccines
March 18, 2020
Morning Briefing
Researchers from around the globe are working at an unprecedented pace to try to get ahead of the fast-moving virus. So far, scientists have mapped the human proteins that the coronavirus interacts with and identified existing drugs that may prove effective against it. But a blood shortage could throw a wrench in the progress. Meanwhile, China has given the go-ahead for researchers to start human trials on a vaccine.
An Early Look At Risk Factors Involved In Fatalities Include Diabetes, Heart Disease And Other Underlying Conditions
March 9, 2020
Morning Briefing
Experts say it’s too early to get an accurate sense of what’s happening with coronavirus fatalities, but a study of 116 deaths found that 114 patients had some kind of underlying medical condition. Meanwhile, another study looks at how infectious people are once they’ve contracted the virus. And in other news: “patient zero,” misinformation, the most vulnerable populations, and more.
CDC Warned Security Leaders About Threat Of A Mysterious Pathogen On Jan. 2. What Happened Next?
April 3, 2020
Morning Briefing
Behind the scenes, the National Security Council worked around the clock to try to understand the novel coronavirus after the CDC’s Dr. Robert Redfield tipped the members off in early January. Meanwhile, the Trump administration had ended a pandemic detection program two months before the outbreak started in China. And mixed messages and shifting leadership from President Donald Trump and within the White House and Defense Department sow confusion.
Passengers From Quarantined Ship Prepare To Disembark; Government Warns Americans Against Taking Cruises
March 9, 2020
Morning Briefing
“We’re making every effort to get them off the ship as safely and quickly as possible,” said Dr. John Redd of HHS. Passengers have been quarantined after a previous traveler who had disembarked the ship later died from the coronavirus. Meanwhile, the State Department warns against taking cruises, a blanket advisory that shocked some experts.
Criticism Against Japan’s ‘Chaotic’ Response Ramps Up After Deaths Of 2 Elderly Cruise Passengers
February 20, 2020
Morning Briefing
Hundreds of passengers were finally released from the quarantined cruise ship that’s been docked off the coast of Japan and has been criticized as a floating petri dish for the coronavirus. Japan is weathering harsh criticism over how it handled the quarantine, underscored by the deaths of two older passengers who had previous medical conditions.
‘Tremendous Resource’: More Than 7,000 Scientists Respond To Researcher’s Tweet To Join Database
March 31, 2020
Morning Briefing
Government agencies are tapping into the nationwide database created last week by a 34-year-old Harvard University scientist looking for others wanting to volunteer to help fight the virus. Other public health news is on what makes coronavirus so risky for the elderly, a call to loosen blood donor restrictions, advice from two women who survived Spanish Flu, Holocaust, plasma treatments, and high risks for cancer patients.
The One-Two Punch That Changed Trump’s Mind On Re-Opening: Poll Numbers And Projected Deaths
March 31, 2020
Morning Briefing
President Donald Trump walked back optimistic projections that the country would start returning to normal by Easter. Reporting on what changed his mind shows that it wasn’t just the coronavirus forecasts that swayed him–voters’ opinions did as well. Meanwhile, a statistical model that the White House is consulting shows a death total that could climb past 84,000 Americans, though numbers shift daily with more information.
