A look at the president-elect’s pandemic plans -- and the challenges he’ll face
By Laura Santhanam, @LauraSanthanam
Health reporter

In his first working remarks after being declared the winner of the 2020 election, President-elect Joe Biden said on Monday he would launch a group of scientists and public health experts to inform the nation’s COVID-19 response. 

There are a lot of questions about his plan and the challenges he’ll face in combating a virus that has so far claimed the lives of nearly 240,000 Americans -- one being that he will likely inherit a split Congress, depending on how a few key runoff races play out in January. But for now, here’s a quick glance at what’s in Biden’s seven-point plan and the environment he’ll enter as president.

Offer “regular, reliable and free testing” to all Americans. That includes doubling the number of drive-through testing sites, investing in at-home and instant tests, standing up a Pandemic Testing Board to ramp up testing supplies and infrastructure and establishing a U.S. Public Health Jobs Corps to staff up contact tracing.

Secure enough personal protective equipment. Biden’s team said it would authorize the Defense Protection Act to ramp up production and stockpile PPE to protect staff working to save lives, in an effort to avoid the scramble and shortages health care providers saw early on in the pandemic.

Share “clear, consistent, evidence-based guidance for how communities should navigate the pandemic.” To foster better public understanding and improve overall health outcomes, this step is critical to get everyone on the same page, health experts say. Under the Trump administration, state and local governments have been tasked to come up with their own responses to the pandemic, meaning the U.S. has dozens of strategies competing against a single virus.

Distribute treatments and vaccines equitably and effectively. That includes investing $25 billion to make vaccines cost-free to Americans.

Protect Americans who are especially vulnerable to COVID-19. The Biden administration also commits to creating a Nationwide Pandemic Dashboard so Americans can know in real time how their communities are doing. During the Trump administration, the COVID Tracking Project and other groups have been forced to stand up these efforts in the absence of a federally available, accessible and easy-to-understand way to monitor data on the virus as it spreads across the country.

Restore the U.S.’s ability to predict, track and mitigate pandemics. That means rebuild the White House National Security Council Directorate for Global Health Security and Biodefense and rejoining the World Health Organization, from which the Trump administration has taken steps to withdraw funding amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Implement a nationwide mask mandate. While he was on the campaign trail, Biden endorsed a nationwide mask mandate to prevent further spread of COVID-19. Initial guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did not encourage the use of masks. Weeks into the pandemic it revised its guidance to include the recommendation, but the message from the White House has not been clear, Sharfstein said, as the president has held rallies before unmasked crowds and often not worn a mask himself, including in some moments captured by photographers shortly after returning from treatment for his own positive diagnosis. Experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci have stressed their importance, and many states and localities have implemented mask requirements as a growing body of research has shown their effectiveness. Roughly two-thirds of Americans said they supported a national facemask mandate, according to an Oct. 15 PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll. Currently, the decision is left up to state and local leaders

Read the full story here.

FIVE OVERLOOKED POLITICAL STORIES FROM THE PAST WEEK
By NewsHour Politics Team

Under Trump asylum policy, hundreds of Cubans remain locked up in US detention centers - Nov 9. Hundreds of asylum seekers from Cuba, some of whom have been detained for over a year, have experienced crowded conditions, mistreatment by officers and inadequate medical care, all amid a global pandemic. Why it matters: Critics say it’s hypocritical for Trump to suggest he has taken a tough stance on socialist regimes but not embraced refugees who have fled oppressive governments. -- Arizona Republic 

LGBTQ candidates notch milestone wins in both blue and red states - Nov 5. History was made this election by the first transgender person to win a state senate seat and the first openly gay Black men to win seats in Congress. Why it matters: There are now only three states that have not elected an LGBTQ candidate and the recent slate of winners shows that they are finding success even in deep-red states where legislatures have opposed more inclusive policies. -- The Los Angeles Times

Dem leaders warn liberal rhetoric could blow Georgia races - Nov 5. In a blunt statement on Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her lieutenants warned that moving too far to the left could turn off voters in two runoffs this January that will determine control of the Senate. Why it matters: Battle for control of the Senate aside, Pelosi’s warning foreshadows internal tensions Democrats will likely face as progressives press Biden and party leadership to deliver on their priorities.  -- Politico 

Antrim County figures prominently in election conspiracy theory - Nov 8. Trump received more votes than Biden in Antrim County, Michigan, but a software error amplified by the president and his sons exploded into a full-blown conspiracy theory about voter fraud. Why it matters: While officials corrected the voter data and said an audit of the voting process can prove there was no fraud, small instances like this, taken out of context, can lead people to believe claims that the presidential election was not valid. -- Detroit Free Press.

#POLITICSTRIVIA
By Kate Grumke, @KGrumke
Politics producer

On this day in 2008, President George W. Bush met with then-President-elect Barack Obama. On this day in 2016, President Obama welcomed then-President-elect Donald Trump to the White House. The U.S. has a long history of peaceful transitions and concessions from president to president-elect, and one recent tradition has been for presidents to leave their successors a note. 

Our question: Which president started the tradition of leaving a note for their successor?

Send your answers to [email protected] or tweet using #PoliticsTrivia. The first correct answers will earn a shout-out next week.

Last week, we asked: Since the voting age was lowered to 18, the highest turnout the U.S. has seen in a presidential election was 61.6 percent of eligible voters. In what year was that record-high turnout?

The answer: 2008

In 2008, 61.6 percent of eligible voters turned out, contributing to the election of Barack Obama. This year, the U.S. is already at 62 percent, with some votes still being counted. And both President-elect Joe Biden and President Donald Trump received more votes than any president in U.S. history. 

Congratulations to our winner: Tom Holston !

Thank you all for reading and watching. We’ll drop into your Inbox next week.