Sunday, October 11, 2020

Election surge: COVID-19 and the 2020 race

Trump returns to campaign mode while recovering from Coronavirus

"Who cares about fundraisers?"

-- RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel when pressed on COVID-19 precautions the GOP party is taking in the wake of the President Trump's positive diagnosis


Welcome to the "Face the Nation" Five at Five newsletter. Scroll down for your five takeaways from today's broadcast with moderator Margaret Brennan on CBS.

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1. Up for debate: RNC Chair McDaniel says commission protecting Biden

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Ronna McDaniel, the chair of the Republican National Committee, lambasted the Commission on Presidential Debates for canceling next week's event between President Trump and Joe Biden, claiming the bipartisan commission is "corrupt" and attempting to protect the Democratic presidential nominee.

What we asked: Do you think these days off the campaign trail and now a canceled debate for this week have put the president behind?

What McDaniel said: "You know, we've been looking at our numbers internally as well. We are not seeing that. We've seen the president actually increase in his numbers. I think voters are very frustrated by the corrupt debate commission that they would cancel a second debate. I think it feeds into the belief that this 47 years that Joe Biden has had is- has had in DC is again protecting him from facing the voters. And Americans are frustrated that this election commission interfered with our ability to see these two candidates debate."

Why it matters: As Margaret Brennan explained to the chairwoman, there are Republicans on the Presidential Debate Commission, and the decision to forgo this week's second match-up between President Trump and Joe Biden was made in part due to health concerns because of lack of disclosure.

2. Whitmer speaks on foiled abduction plot

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In a Sunday show exclusive, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer told "Face the Nation" she feels safe after a foiled abduction plot against her, but says she believes the threats posed by similar groups like the one that plotted her kidnapping are alive and well.

What we asked: Do you know if this security threat is over? Do you feel safe?

What Whitmer said: "I do believe that there are still serious threats that groups like this group, these domestic terrorists, are finding comfort and support in the rhetoric coming out of Republican leadership from the White House to our state House. And so I remain concerned about safety and integrity going up to this election."

Why it matters: FBI investigators say the alleged plot was supposed to be set in motion in the days leading up to the election. A group of suspected militia members, including two people who were part of an armed protest against Whitmer's coronavirus safety measures at the state capitol in April, allegedly planned to kidnap Whitmer at her vacation home.

At one point, officials say one of the suspects wanted to recruit 200 men to help storm the Michigan capital and take hostages, including Whitmer.

3. Gottlieb forecasts a tough road ahead

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Dr. Scott Gottlieb warned Sunday amidst the growing number of positive coronavirus cases and hospitalizations that there is going to be "a lot of death and disease" from now until the end of 2020.

What we asked: Friday, we saw the largest one day increase in new cases in two months. How prepared are we as a country for what's about to happen?

What Gottlieb said: "We're in a difficult situation heading into the fall. I think the only- the only caveat is in terms of us being better prepared for this wave is that we have dramatically improved clinical care in hospitals. So I think we're going to have better outcomes overall, but we're still going to have a lot of death and disease between now and the end of the year."

Why it matters: There have been more than 7.7 million confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the U.S., and 15 states have a positivity rate above 10%. Forty states have an expanding epidemic, Gottlieb said, and hospitalizations are also rising.

4. Regeneron CEO talks antibody cocktail

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Dr. Leonard Schleifer, the founder and CEO of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, which developed the antibody cocktail heralded by President Trump, estimated Sunday that a $450 million contract the company won from the federal government over the summer will secure roughly 300,000 doses of the treatment.

What we asked: The president has also said he wants to make your drug free to anyone who needs it. Have you talked to the president about this idea, and how would it work?

What Schleifer said: "They bought from us several hundred thousand, maybe around 300,000 doses, which they are going to make it for free. What I think that the administration has been working recently- I saw an announcement with- with AstraZeneca. Look, we need- Regeneron can't do this alone. We need the entire industry. And I'm so proud the industry has risen. We have companies like Lilly, great companies. We're partners with Roche, one of the best companies in this whole field. Amgen is involved. AstraZeneca is involved. Black-Scholes is involved. We all have to step up."

Why it matters: The Trump administration announced in July it signed a $450 million contract with Regeneron to supply the treatment. But with the number of new coronavirus cases outpacing the doses of the drug available, Schleifer conceded the federal government, together with ethics experts at the Food and Drug Administration, will have to decide who receives the limited supply.

5. Kashkari calls on Congress to get "aggressive"

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Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President Neel Kashkari urged lawmakers Sunday to get aggressive in its approach to provide much-needed relief to America's workers as talks on Capitol Hill once again faltered this month.

What we asked: You're talking about flashing yellow lights. What is it that you see that worries you?

What Kashkari said: "I'm seeing- especially on the small business front, I mean, some sectors of the economy are doing fine. If you are a white collar worker like I am, like you are, you're able to work from home. You're really not affected by this pandemic. But there are many sectors of the economy that are still being devastated. The travel and tourism industries, the front line service industries, restaurants, and that's where you're seeing big job losses and bankruptcies. And this is going to continue to spiral and continue to- to bleed on. You know, if 11 million Americans can't pay their bills, can't put food on the table, can't make their credit card payments, their car payments, that- that has spillover effects to other sectors of the economy. The reason the economy bounced back as strongly as it did in June and July is because Congress was so aggressive in the spring. We need Congress to continue to be aggressive so that the recovery can be stronger."

Why it matters: Asked what would happen without that additional round of relief from Congress? Kashakri painted a grim picture: "We're going to continue to see a grinding, very slow recovery with thousands of small businesses around the country going bankrupt."

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