Free Republic

The Trump administration deliberately undermined the nation's coronavirus response for political purposes, including by weakening testing guidance and championing widespread "herd immunity," according to a new report from the House panel investigating the pandemic response. The staff report released Friday was a summation of the year's work investigating political interference in the pandemic response from Trump officials and the former president himself.

Former President Trump and other White House officials were "distracted" by the 2020 election and prioritized campaigning over any COVID-19 mitigation strategies, the administration's former coronavirus advisor Deborah Birx told House investigators earlier this month. In excerpts of closed-door testimony conducted Oct. 12-13 to the House Select Coronavirus Subcommittee shared with The Hill, Birx said she felt the White House focus on campaigning took people’s time away, and distracted them from focusing on the pandemic. "I felt like the White House had gotten somewhat complacent through the campaign season, and I wanted to make sure that as soon as everyone...

The Biden administration is working to stamp out misinformation that might dissuade people from getting coronavirus shots, a crucial task as the nation shifts into the next, more difficult phase of its vaccination campaign. The White House announced Friday that 100 million Americans are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, but the nationwide rollout is plateauing as fewer people sign up for shots. Administration officials and health experts know the difficulty ahead in getting vaccines into as many people as possible, and are trying to eliminate the barriers to doing so. Authorities need to dispel the legitimate concerns that make people...

All businesses in Maryland will be allowed to reopen with some capacity restrictions starting later this week, Gov. Larry Hogan (R) announced Tuesday. Hogan's order to move into the third phase of reopening starting Friday includes movie theaters and indoor concert venues, which will be able to reopen at a maximum 50 percent capacity or 100 people, whichever is smaller. Outdoor venues will be allowed to operate with a maximum of 200 people, and houses of worship will be allowed to expand capacity to 75 percent. Local governments will be allowed to keep the current restrictions in place for longer...

Top infectious disease doctor Anthony Fauci, a key member of the White House coronavirus task force, said he thinks his reputation for speaking bluntly may be why he hasn't been on television as much recently. In an interview with the Financial Times published Friday, Fauci acknowledged that he won't water down the truth and indicated that may be why his public appearances on behalf of the administration have decreased at a time when the president has sounded an optimistic tone about the crisis. “I have a reputation, as you probably have figured out, of speaking the truth at all times...

An anti-malaria drug touted by President Trump as a potential "game changer" amid the coronavirus outbreak showed no benefit for patients, according to an analysis of those hospitalized in Veterans Health Administration medical centers. The analysis found the two primary outcomes for COVID-19 patients treated with hydroxychloroquine were death and the need for mechanical ventilation.

A majority of House and Senate Democrats are calling on the Supreme Court to block a Louisiana abortion law. The court is set to hear oral arguments in March challenging the law, which would require doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital, a requirement that critics say is designed to force abortion clinics to close. A group of 161 House Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), and 36 Senate Democrats, including Minority Leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.), filed an amicus brief in support of the law’s challengers, June Medical Services. It will be the first...