AP: 200,000 dead as Trump vilifies science, prioritizes politics
“…Over the past six months, the Trump administration has prioritized politics over science at key moments, refusing to follow expert advice that might have contained the spread of the virus and COVID-19, the disease it causes. Trump and his people have routinely dismissed experts’ assessments of the gravity of the pandemic, and of the measures needed to bring it under control. They have tried to muzzle scientists who dispute the administration’s rosy spin…” (Dearen, 9/23).

The Hill: Despair at CDC after Trump influence: ‘I have never seen morale this low’
“The Trump administration’s bungled response to the coronavirus pandemic and its subsequent efforts to meddle with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are taking a substantial toll on the nation’s foremost public health institution. In interviews with half a dozen current and former CDC officials, they described a workforce that has seen its expertise questioned, its findings overturned for political purposes, and its effectiveness in combating the pandemic undermined by partisan actors in Washington…” (Wilson, 9/23).

Washington Post: FDA poised to announce tougher standards for a covid-19 vaccine that make it unlikely one will be cleared by Election Day
“The Food and Drug Administration is expected to spell out a tough new standard for an emergency authorization of a coronavirus vaccine as soon as this week that will make it exceedingly difficult for any vaccine to be cleared before Election Day. The agency is issuing the guidance to boost transparency and public trust as it approaches the momentous decision of whether a prospective vaccine is safe and effective…” (McGinley/Johnson, 9/22).

Additional coverage of the FDA’s new guidance is available from Financial Times.