The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plans to issue an order temporarily halting residential evictions until Dec. 31 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the White House announced on Tuesday.
Why it matters: One estimate last month found that 23 million Americans are at risk of eviction. The CDC's order marks another example of the administration circumventing Congress, where coronavirus stimulus talks have stalled, to deal with the economic impact of the pandemic.
A panel of experts at the National Institutes of Health on Tuesday weighed into the FDA's emergency use authorization (EUA) of convalescent plasma as a coronavirus treatment, stressing that "there are insufficient data to recommend either for or against" the use of plasma to treat COVID-19 patients.
Why it matters: President Trump and other officials pressured the FDA to grant an EUA for plasma despite warnings from public health experts, including those at the NIH, that data from randomized clinical trials was needed to determine the effectiveness of the treatment.
The Trump administration has decided to go it alone on developing and distributing a coronavirus vaccine, after refusing to join the World Health Organization's efforts to provide equitable doses for all countries, the Washington Post reports.
Why it matters: The U.S. is betting it will win the race for a coronavirus vaccine without any help from foreign countries.
Apple and Google are expanding their digital coronavirus exposure notification system so that it can notify people without the regional health authority needing to create a separate app, potentially expanding the adoption of the technology.
Why it matters: The companies say 25 U.S. states and territories are exploring digital contact tracing options. Just six have already launched apps.
The White House will resume public tours at limited capacity on Sept. 12 with all guests required to wear face coverings and practice social distancing, the Office of the First Lady announced Tuesday.
The big picture: The tours, handled by the National Park Service, will be limited to Fridays and Saturdays. The number of guests will be capped at 18% of normal capacity, and "social distancing dots" will designate where guests should stand during the check-in process. The White House did not say whether they will conduct temperature checks or rapid testing.
Most Americans think the federal government is making the coronavirus pandemic worse, according to the latest installment of the Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index.
Why it matters: This is a pretty searing indictment of the federal response — not only that it has not helped, but that it’s part of the problem.
Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks, whose company has a coronavirus treatment in Phase 3 of clinical trials, told "Axios on HBO" that it'd be smart to share with other countries rather than going America first.
The big picture: 66% of Americans don't want to share a vaccine right away with the rest of the world if the U.S. gets there first, according to a recent Harris poll, Axios' Sam Baker reported last week.
