Sep 25, 2018 - Health

Ban Ki-moon: U.S. health care system "morally wrong"

Ban Ki-Moon. Photo: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

The U.S. health care system is "unethical" and "politically wrong, morally wrong," former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in an interview with The Guardian, adding that government officials are beholden to industry interests.

Why it matters: Ban's comments echo the left's growing enthusiasm for "Medicare for All," or something closer to a single-payer system. "Medicare for All" caught on in many Democratic primaries this year and is already shaping up as a defining debate for 2020.

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Alayna Treene, Hans Nichols
2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

The apocalypse scenario

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Democratic lawyers are preparing to challenge any effort by President Trump to swap electors chosen by voters with electors selected by Republican-controlled legislatures. One state of particular concern: Pennsylvania, where the GOP controls the state house.

Why it matters: Trump's refusal to commit to a peaceful transfer of power, together with a widely circulated article in The Atlantic about how bad the worst-case scenarios could get, is drawing new attention to the brutal fights that could jeopardize a final outcome.

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Axios
2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Federal judge rules Trump administration can't end census early

Census workers outside Lincoln Center in New York. Photo: Noam Galai/Getty Images

A federal judge ruled late Thursday that the Trump administration could not end the 2020 census a month early.

Why it matters: The decision states that an early end — on Sept. 30, instead of Oct. 31 — would likely produce inaccuracies and thus impact political representation and government funding around the country.

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Caitlin Owens, author of Vitals
2 hours ago - Health

Where bringing students back to school is most risky

Data: Coders Against COVID; Note: Rhode Island and Puerto Rico did not meet minimum testing thresholds for analysis. Values may not add to 100% due to rounding; Cartogram: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

Schools in Southern and Midwestern states are most at risk of coronavirus transmission, according to an analysis by Coders Against COVID that uses risk indicators developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The big picture: Thankfully, schools have not yet become coronavirus hotspots, the Washington Post reported this week, and rates of infection are lower than in the surrounding communities. But that doesn't mean schools are in the clear, especially heading into winter.

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