Today's episode focuses on gene editing of embryos and the prospect of "designer babies," based on recent claims by a controversial Chinese scientist. Plus, the fall of Silicon Valley's "adults" and why the Marlboro Man may soon begin vaping.
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
President Trump has not attended a White House coronavirus task force meeting in “several months,” NIAID director Anthony Fauci told MSNBC on Friday.
Why it matters: At the beginning of the pandemic, the task force, led by Vice President Mike Pence, met every day, but in the "last several weeks," members have held virtual meetings once a week, Fauci said, even as the number of new cases continues to surge in the country.
People wear face masks outside Grand Central Terminal in New York City. Photo: Noam Galai/Getty Images
Nearly 130,000 fewer people will die of COVID-19 this winter if 95% of Americans wear face masks in public, according to research published Friday.
Why it matters: “Increasing mask use is one of the best strategies that we have right now to delay the imposition of social distancing mandates," Dr. Christopher Murray of the University of Washington told the N.Y. Times.