Trump cuts head start

So, it never occurred to me to go into the White House until I could see that we were missing pieces that I thought were very important in the response. And so after many weeks of saying, no, no, no, the president announced the new task force with the vice president in the lead. They said this would be very technical, and that I would have a very technical position. And because I thought that I could be helpful, which is the only reason I go and do anything. If I think I have something to add, I feel like it's my obligation to the American public to go in and do that. That's what a civil servant is supposed to do. … [Read more...] about Dr. Deborah Birx on the Trump White House, the politics of the pandemic, retirement and more

There were more warning signs for House Democrats, who lost four California seats and two in South Florida while failing to pick up any in Texas. Booming Hispanic populations reflected in new U.S. census figures may see Texas and Florida gain congressional districts before 2022's midterm elections, which could make correcting the problem all the more pressing for Democrats. … [Read more...] about Why Biden’s immigration plan may be risky for Democrats

DR. BIRX: I always feel like I could have done more, been more outspoken, maybe been more outspoken publicly- publicly. I didn't know all the consequences of all of these issues. When you're put into a new situation and you only know one person in the White House, you know, and you don't understand the culture of the White House, it's very difficult to get your footing. I'm not making excuses. I'm just saying I didn't know how far I could push the envelope.  … [Read more...] about Transcript: Dr. Deborah Birx on “Face the Nation,” January 24, 2021

DR. BIRX: I'm not looking to be vindicated. I'm looking to be able- in that moment I think my service was important. I think it was important to make progress in testing. I think it was important in making progress with some of the therapeutics. And I think it was important to really- we had great innovation in vaccines. I also wanted to make sure that we had some of the tried and true vaccines under development. And I think that the history will show my real commitment to ensuring that the subunit vaccines continue to move forward. It's really important because those subunit vaccines can be made in high volumes and would be very important for a potential booster in the future, but also important to the global community. And so there- there are places where I know I had an impact, but that's not- I never allowed myself- I was focused solely on the mission, and the mission was to try to save as many American lives during this pandemic as possible. And so I couldn't get distracted on … [Read more...] about Full Transcript: Dr. Deborah Birx on “Face the Nation,” January 24, 2021

Compared to the UK, France - which has some nationwide restrictions in place but not a full lockdown - appears to be doing relatively well, with cases and deaths both holding steady and below their pre-Christmas peak. … [Read more...] about France confirms ski resorts will not reopen for February half term as Spanish PM says British tourists won’t be allowed in until the end of summer at the earliest