POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: How the REOPENING RULES are made — TRAFFIC is getting WORSE — ‘BOORISH UNDERSIDE’ of DUXBURY football

 

BY STEPHANIE MURRAY Presented by Uber Driver Stories GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. HOW BALL PITS GOT ON THE REOPENING LIST — When Gov. Charlie Baker laid out his economic reopening plan for the summer, most of the steps were predictable. The outdoor mask mandate loosens tomorrow, and larger gatherings will be allowed in May. But the governor also shined a spotlight on a particular industry that left some scratching their heads. Slated to open Aug. 1 are nightclubs, saunas, hot tubs, steam rooms, health clubs, indoor water parks — and ball pits. It quickly became a sort of #mapoli inside joke. A reporter even asked the governor at his Tuesday press conference if he was going to a ball pit. Baker answered, “I have not.” Is there someone lobbying for ball pits? How did they end up in a prominent spot on the reopening list? A search through the state lobbying database indicates there is not a ball pit lobbyist. I reached out to dozens of Beacon Hill insiders — lawmakers, administration officials, and others, and a couple of ball pit operators. Nobody knew. “Forgive me, what the hell is a ball pit?” one lawmaker said. “I can assure you I have not heard from the ball pit people,” texted another. “That wasn’t a type-o?” said a third. If someone is lobbying for the ball pit industry, they’re running a covert operation. A group that represents recreational businesses, the Alliance of Massachusetts Amusement Businesses & Attractions, said it does not count ball pit operators among its members, though they do work with carnivals, water parks and arcades. A lobbyist for McDonald’s said they weren’t involved in the ball pit negotiations, but had weighed in on food court reopening. The Chuck E. Cheese corporate headquarters didn’t respond to a request for comment. Obviously, this is not the most pressing issue facing Massachusetts. But it does offer a glimpse into how the economic reopening plans are made, and how niche industries do, or don't, get on the administration’s radar. For the past year, businesses, lobbyists and industry groups have spent hours on conference calls with the Baker administration, pleading for the green light to reopen. Others send frequent (and lengthy) emails. From there, officials run the requests by health experts and draw up the reopening guidance. The results can sometimes seem to defy logic. Ice rinks were allowed to open last year, for example, while roller rinks were not. It helps to have a strong industry group on your side, like the Massachusetts Restaurant Association or the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, business owners say. Smaller industries, like arcades, laser tag and roller rinks, resorted to lawsuits. For their part, the governor’s office pointed out ball pits have been on various reopening lists for a while. And the Massachusetts ball pit rules even caught the attention of the Washington Post last year. One reason why ball pits might have a particular spot on the list is because they’re particularly gross. Ball pits are difficult to clean and were covered in germs even before the pandemic. ONE LAST TIME — If you’ve ever wanted to be the source on a Mass Playbook scoop, we’ve got one more day together. Reach me at smurray@politico.com. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com. TODAY — Boston Acting Mayor Kim Janey visits businesses in Chinatown. The Job Training Alliance hosts a Boston mayoral forum. Candidate for Boston City Council Alex Gray holds a fundraiser with former Sen. Chris Dodd. A message from Uber Driver Stories: Meet Olivia. Because of her multiple sclerosis (MS) and fibromyalgia, Olivia has trouble standing for long periods of time. A traditional 9-to-5 job just won’t work for her. Driving with Uber gives Olivia the flexibility to decide when to work, when to spend time with her family, and when to focus on rest. Watch her story in her own words below.     JOIN TUESDAY FOR A CONVERSATION ON SMALL BUSINESSES POST-COVID-19: About one in six small businesses closed their doors since the pandemic began. The small businesses that remained open are getting by with fewer employees after laying off workers or a hiring freeze. What is ahead for small businesses in 2021 as they try to weather the ongoing economic uncertainty? And how does President Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package intend to support small-business owners? Join POLITICO for a virtual conversation on what small businesses need to survive and thrive beyond the Covid economic crisis. REGISTER HERE.     RECOVERY LAB – MISSING CONNECTIONS: POLITICO’s Recovery Lab today looks at how closing the digital divide in schools is more nuanced than simply connecting kids to computers and the internet. Connecticut was the first state in the nation to provide every needy student a remote learning device. But it wasn’t enough: Thousands of Connecticut’s students did not log onto remote classes, even after the state allotted tens of millions of federal aid dollars for its ambitious remote learning program. Educators and parents, what academic challenges are your students facing during the pandemic? Tweet @politico with what you’re seeing using #RecoveryLab. THE LATEST NUMBERS – “COVID hospitalizations, active infections continue steady decline as Massachusetts approaches 50% of population with at least one vaccine dose,” by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: “Active COVID cases continued their steady decline on Wednesday, dropping from 28,043 yesterday to 27,321, according to the latest data from the Department of Public Health. State health officials confirmed another 1,392 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday.” DATELINE BEACON HILL – “Senators mull amendments ahead of debate on $600 million bond bill for Holyoke Soldiers’ Home, Massachusetts veterans’ services,” by Stephanie Barry, Springfield Republican: “It’s been a short and winding road for the bond bill, born of a COVID-19 outbreak at the Soldiers’ Home that claimed the lives of at least 77 veterans last year. After clearing three legislative committees and the full House, the bill is now scheduled for debate before the Senate. Depending on the outcome, the bill could be headed for another hearing committee or straight to Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk.” – “Watchdog group seeks delay on millionaires' tax vote,” by Christian M. Wade, The Salem News: “A Beacon Hill watchdog group wants lawmakers to delay voting on a constitutional amendment to tax the state's wealthiest residents. In written testimony, the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation asks legislative leaders to postpone a second and final vote on the proposed amendment, which seeks a 4% surtax on the portion of an individual's annual income above $1 million.” – “Teachers unions call for Mass. school board member’s resignation after ‘demeaning’ comment,” by Felicia Gans, Boston Globe: “The presidents of two local teachers unions echoed calls for state education board member Michael Moriarty to resign on Wednesday, saying his ‘inflammatory remarks’ during a public meeting last week were insulting.” – “Business groups hope for full reopening before August,” by Greg Ryan, Boston Business Journal: “Some Massachusetts business leaders are calling on Gov. Charlie Baker to consider lifting all Covid-19 restrictions before the Aug. 1 date announced Tuesday or allowing for a greater loosening of capacity limits ahead of a full reopening.” FROM THE HUB – “Boston City Council passes tear gas, rubber bullet limits on second attempt,” by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: “The city council has passed heavy limitations on crowd-control agents like tear gas and rubber bullets, taking a second crack at a bill vetoed by the previous mayor. The council passed the bill on Wednesday by a 7-5 vote. Councilors Frank Baker, Annissa Essaibi-George, Michael Flaherty, Ed Flynn and Matt O’Malley voted against it.” – “New student representative Xyra Mercer to join Boston School Committee,” by Alexi Cohan, Boston Herald: “The Boston School Committee is welcoming a new student representative following the resignation of the previous member who left the board citing disrespect. Xyra Mercer, a junior at the Dr. William W. Henderson K-12 Inclusion School in Dorchester, was sworn in Tuesday at City Hall and participated in her first school committee meeting on Wednesday night where she received a warm welcome.” – “As most Mass. middle schools reopen fully for in-person learning, some feel like they’ve ‘time-warped into September,’” by Naomi Martin and Felicia Gans, Boston Globe: “The mood was festive on a street corner here Wednesday, as two smiling sisters joined thousands of middle-schoolers across the state in returning to school for the first time since the pandemic began.” – “New coalition forms to fight Mass. General Brigham's $2B expansion,” by Jessica Bartlett, Boston Business Journal: “A coalition of community groups, local health care providers and for-profit companies has formed to oppose the planned $2 billion expansion by Mass General Brigham, saying it would threaten the viability of local hospitals and health systems and raise health care spending .” – “Investors Mine For Profits In Affordable Housing, Leaving Thousands Of Tenants At Risk,” by Beth Healy and Christine Willmsen, WBUR: “Charles Clark moved to Boston’s South End when he was a young musician, just getting by. Forty years later, he lives in the same historic brownstone, even as rising wealth has pushed many people out of the neighborhood.” THE RACE FOR CITY HALL – “Boston Pushing Preliminary Election Up One Week To Sept. 14,” by Saraya Wintersmith, GBH News: “The Boston City Council voted Wednesday to move the 2021 preliminary election up a week to Sep. 14. A spokesman for the acting Mayor Kim Janey said she intends to approve the move. The change, originally requested by former Mayor Marty Walsh, would give the city elections department an additional week to certify votes and prepare the next batch of ballots between the preliminary and the November general election.” – “Proposals seek to make same-day registration, vote-by-mail the norm for Boston elections,” by Christopher Gavin, Boston.com: “Two home rule petitions introduced to the Boston City Council Wednesday seek to expand voting rights in city elections by establishing same-day voter registration and making permanent the vote-by-mail option used in elections last year.” PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES – “Traffic is getting worse in Massachusetts (but it’s not back to pre-pandemic levels... yet)” by Emily Sweeney, Boston Globe: “Traffic in Massachusetts has been increasing in recent months but hasn’t reached pre-pandemic levels, at least for now. From March 29 to April 11, statewide traffic volumes were down between 5 and 14 percent from 2019, according to the state Department of Transportation. That’s quite a jump when compared to April 2020 when traffic levels plummeted by about 60 percent, officials said.” – “Sumner Tunnel fix to cause commuting headaches,” by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: “At nearly a century old, the Sumner Tunnel is set for a major facelift, and motorists can expect detours and delays when the project gets underway in two years. The renovation, which is scheduled to begin in 2023, will involve a complete rebuilding of the mile-long tunnel's infrastructure and roadway, as well as technology upgrades to modernize the dilapidated gateway to downtown Boston.”       DAY IN COURT – “'Lousy businessman with great ideas': Unpaid bills, confusion over leadership plagued SnoOwl,” by Jo C. Goode, Linda Murphy, Dan Medeiros and Lynne Sullivan, The Herald News: “Even before Jasiel Correia II was sworn in as mayor in 2016, money was running out at his app company SnoOwl, his staff wasn’t getting paid and investors were getting nervous. The new mayor was becoming increasingly disinterested in the start-up he founded.” – “‘Incredible challenges’: When COVID hit, Massachusetts courts found themselves in new territory,” by Steph Solis, MassLive.com: “This virtual setup is a familiar scene for attorneys, judges and citizens in Massachusetts waiting out the COVID-19 pandemic. Masked judges and video proceedings are one facet of the seismic shift the SJC made in its 329-year history, a transition the latest SJC justices are navigating.” – “Convicted murderer Raymond Gaines freed after 46 years amid new evidence,” by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: “Nearly 46 years after Raymond Gaines was sent to prison for murder, a Suffolk Superior Court judge on Wednesday ordered his release after new evidence raised questions about his guilt, and about potential misconduct by the Boston police who investigated the case.” WARREN REPORT – “Elizabeth Warren and other Democratic senators demand to know how US pharmaceutical companies plan to share vaccine technology as COVID-19 devastates India,” by Charles Davis, Insider: “In the next few weeks, more than half of Americans will have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine. In much of the developing world, if current trends hold, people will be lucky to get a shot by 2022 — all the more reason, a group of US senators say, that pharmaceutical companies should be sharing their know-how and hastening the end to this global health crisis.” DATELINE D.C. – “Senate confirms Samantha Power to be U.S.A.I.D. administrator.” by Pranshu Verma, The New York Times: “The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Samantha Power, a human-rights activist and President Barack Obama’s ambassador to the United Nations, to lead the U.S. Agency for International Development.” IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN – “Coastal Seniors And Climate Change: Retirement Dreams Threatened As Coastal Living Increasingly Risky,” by Eve Zuckoff, GBH News: “Retiring to the shore is a deep-rooted American dream. In fact, more older Americans are living in coastal communities than ever before, with census data showing that the coastal population over age 65 rose by 89% over just a few decades. Many of those seniors want nothing more than to stay in their homes, but experts say threats from climate change could make it harder for them to do that.” – “Study: Northeastern U.S. Has Widest Tree Cover Disparities In The Country,” by Jesse Remedios, WBUR: Low-income neighborhoods have less tree cover in 92% of urban areas across the U.S. — with the widest disparities in the Northeast — according to a new study from The Nature Conservancy.” ABOVE THE FOLD — Herald: “GO TIME," "THIS IS A HOLDUP!” — Globe: “In Duxbury, winning comes with a dark side," "100 days in, Biden outlines more plans for a new America.” FROM THE 413 – “‘We had to go big’: US Rep. Richard Neal, Massachusetts House Speaker Ron Mariano lay out path to recovery at Springfield Chamber event,” by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican: “Thirteen months ago, the ill-understood threat known as COVID-19 loomed over the Springfield Regional Chamber’ annual Outlook luncheon. The event at the MassMutual Center ballroom included hastily set-up hand sanitizing stations — the first time those had been seen locally.” – “Franklin County shuts ICE detention center,” by Sarah Betancourt, CommonWealth Magazine: “The Franklin County Sheriff’s office shut down its detention center for immigrants, saying the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency was not steering enough detainees its way. The 80-bed facility at the Greenfield jail dropped from an average of 65 immigrant detainees to an average of 20 in the past couple of years. On the final day of the contract, the facility held only nine detainees.” – “A $20,000 bill: Woodstar Café owner braces for doubled unemployment taxes if state lawmakers don’t find a fix,” by Steph Solis, MassLive.com: “Employers earned a last-minute reprieve when the state’s quarterly tax bill deadline was postponed a month to June 1, buying legislators time to respond. But the possibility of a massive bill, indirectly born out of a collective shutdown to reduce infections, hovers over Massachusetts business owners.” THE LOCAL ANGLE – “In Duxbury, a celebrated football team with a boorish underside,” by Hanna Krueger and Elizabeth Koh, Boston Globe: “For years, Duxbury High’s football players have leaned on a three-word motto: Strength, Honor, Liberty, the last word a tribute to the daughter of a former Duxbury student who died in combat in Afghanistan in 2011. It was often shortened to a simple ‘SHL’ in hashtags and yearbooks inscriptions. But in the affluent town on Massachusetts’ South Shore, another mantra entirely was widely used as a pregame pump-up slogan: ‘MFB,’ for ‘murder f---ing b--ches.’” – “Council approves creation of Worcester Ballpark Commission for Polar Park,” by Steven H. Foskett Jr., Telegram & Gazette: “The City Council Tuesday approved the creation of a Ballpark Commission to oversee the general operation of Polar Park. As with previous council discussions about creation of the commission, it wasn't without debate, and it wasn't without another attempt to send it back to City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. for further revisions.” – “Fairhaven Selectman: As Recall Moves Forward, ‘I Will Resign,’” by Tim Weisberg, WBSM: “It appears as though the chairman of the Fairhaven Board of Selectmen is about to resign his seat rather than face a recall election. Dan Freitas is the subject of an effort by a group of citizens calling themselves Recall Dan Freitas, which started a petition to force a recall election in an attempt to oust the controversial selectman from office.” TRANSITIONS – Tufts University renames the Tisch College Distinguished Speaker Series in honor of retiring Dean Alan Solomont and his wife Susan Solomont. The program is now the Susan and Alan Solomont Distinguished Speaker Series. Link. CONGRATS! – Auditor Suzanne Bump’s office received the National State Auditors Association Special Projects Award for its report on police training and accountability. HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to Quentin Palfrey, acting general counsel at the U.S. Department of Commerce; Karen Dynan, Peter Diamond and Lauren Janes. NEW EPISODE: THE GIF THAT KEEPS ON GIVING – On this week’s Horse Race podcast, hosts Jennifer Smith, Steve Koczela and Stephanie Murray discuss redistricting in Massachusetts and across the country. Friend of the pod and Law360 reporter Sarah Betancourt breaks down gun regulations in Massachusetts. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud. Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com. A message from Uber Driver Stories: When Olivia was diagnosed with MS in 2017, it became clear to her that having a regular job would no longer be possible. “I drive with Uber because I love to drive,” she says. “It just puts the MS far out of my head. There’s no way I could work a regular 9-5.” With Uber, Olivia can choose when, where, and how long she wants to drive. This flexibility lets Olivia be there for her daughter and for her own health needs. If she’s not feeling well, or her daughter needs her, she doesn’t have to worry about asking her boss or requesting time off—she can take the time she needs to focus on herself and her family. To see more stories like Olivia’s, click here. *Driver earnings may vary depending on location, demand, hours, drivers, and other variables.     TUNE IN TO GLOBAL TRANSLATIONS: Our Global Translations podcast, presented by Citi, examines the long-term costs of the short-term thinking that drives many political and business decisions. The world has long been beset by big problems that defy political boundaries, and these issues have exploded over the past year amid a global pandemic. This podcast helps to identify and understand the impediments to smart policymaking. Subscribe and start listening today.       Follow us on Twitter Stephanie Murray @StephMurr_Jour   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters FOLLOW US

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POLITICO NIGHTLY: 5 ideas for what Biden should tackle next

 

BY MYAH WARD AND RENUKA RAYASAM BEFORE THE SPEECH — President Joe Biden is scheduled to give his first joint address to Congress at 9 p.m. ET tonight. Head to POLITICO’s liveblog for the latest news and analysis and watch Playbook author Ryan Lizza break down what to expect from Biden’s big speech. AFTER THE SPEECH — By the time Biden ends his speech tonight, he is expected to have unveiled an agenda that adds up to $4 trillion in spending. That’s on top of an already passed $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill and more than 60 executive actions. But what has Biden left undone? Nightly reached out to a group of experts to ask: What’s the most important challenge facing the country that Biden hasn’t tackled in his first 100 days? Here are their edited answers: “Of all the crises President Biden faces, his greatest has not been seen since the days of Abraham Lincoln: a bitterly divided country that gets more polarized daily. And a tribal racial climate not seen since the days of the Jim Crow 1960s. He opened his campaign with racial justice, and as president I believe it will be his singular greatest challenge and opportunity to heal this great land of ours before 2024 comes and he decides to either seek a second term or not.” — Sophia A. Nelson, contributing editor theGrio & USA Today opinion columnist “The more important question is the most vital issue that President Biden and Vice President Harris have ignored in their first 100 days … which is the crisis they have created on our southern border.” — Tate Reeves, Mississippi’s Republican governor “President Biden and Congress must act now to establish sustainable mechanisms that ensure we invest in our core public health infrastructure and health security programs to prevent the next pandemic and break the deadly cycle of panic and neglect. This is best achieved through a permanent budget cap exemption for our health defense: public health functions that are critical to prevent, detect and respond to infectious diseases. The creation of a Health Defense Operations budget designation would exempt critical health protection funding from spending caps so our public health agencies can protect us.” — Tom Frieden, former CDC director and president and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives “President Biden’s top campaign promise was to unify America, and he then made it the theme of his inaugural address. He has failed miserably. The first actions on taking office were to unilaterally destroy women’s sports and push several other divisive issues using executive authority alone. He is leading Democrats to pass the most extreme socialist power-grab agenda in U.S. history. Biden is moving this agenda without any congressional Republicans, then in another Orwellian move Biden redefines ‘bipartisan’ to say that as long as polls show any Republican voters who support a bill, that it is ‘bipartisan’ without a single Republican vote. He refuses to compromise on anything.” — Ken Blackwell, former Ohio secretary of State “President Biden must help Americans recognize that the barriers that harm and hold back so many people — because of structural racism, sexism and ableism, among others — took centuries to erect and will require years and significant, sustained resources to eliminate. For instance, the American Rescue Plan Act is projected to reduce poverty by 30 percent and child poverty by 50 percent in 2021, but these investments are limited and time-restrained. “Some of our most basic needs — access to high-quality, affordable health care, safe housing, a good education, food security, paid family or sick leave, child care — are universal, and access to them should not be determined by skin color, income or where we live. Given this fractious moment in time, asking any president to unify this nation feels like an impossible request. Instead, the president must turn these long-term aspirations into shared American goals — rather than party-line priorities.” — Richard Besser, president and CEO Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas for us at mward@politico.com and rrayasam@politico.com, or on Twitter at @myahward or @renurayasam.   JOIN TUESDAY FOR A CONVERSATION ON SMALL BUSINESSES POST-COVID-19: About one in six small businesses closed their doors since the pandemic began. The small businesses that remained open are getting by with fewer employees after laying off workers or a hiring freeze. What is ahead for small businesses in 2021 as they try to weather the ongoing economic uncertainty? And how does President Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package intend to support small-business owners? Join POLITICO for a virtual conversation on what small businesses need to survive and thrive beyond the Covid economic crisis. REGISTER HERE.     FROM THE TAX DESK HOW BIDEN WANTS TO PAY FOR IT — Biden will propose another slate of tax increases tonight on top of a previous round of tax hikes targeting corporations that he wants to use to defray the cost of two big spending packages, writes senior tax reporter Brian Faler . But raising taxes is hard — for all the loose talk about money-hungry politicians, tax hikes are actually somewhat rare in Washington. And Democrats will be contending with tiny majorities in both the House and Senate. Biden’s proposals will only be the starting point in negotiations and lawmakers will have their own ideas. Here’s a look at eight of Biden’s proposed tax increases, ranked from most likely to happen to least likely. PALACE INTRIGUE UNPACKING THE GIULIANI RAID — The Justice Department sharply escalated an investigation into President Donald Trump’s longtime confidant and lawyer Rudy Giuliani today by executing search warrants at his Manhattan home. The actions were part of a long-running probe into Giuliani’s dealings with a shadowy cast of characters in Ukraine during Trump’s presidency, write Josh Gerstein, Meridith McGraw and Betsy Woodruff Swan. The FBI also arrived this morning at the D.C.-area home of another attorney who had dealings with Ukrainians and remains close to Giuliani and Trump, Victoria Toensing, and took her cellphone pursuant to a search warrant, according to a person familiar with the episode. Toensing’s home was not searched and officials indicated that she is not a focus of the probe, the person said. The raids are a highly unusual intrusion into a former president’s inner circle and a rare case of law enforcement deploying such aggressive tactics against attorneys.   DON'T MISS OUT ON OUR NEW PLAYBOOK DEEP DIVE PODCAST: Washington is full of whispers, colorful characters and little-known back stories that even D.C. insiders might not know. Playbook Deep Dive is a new, weekly podcast that pulls back the curtain on the stories behind the power. From Congress and the White House to bar stools and backrooms, POLITICO's top reporters and Playbook authors bring you the most compelling and confounding stories that explain what’s really going on in Washington. SUBSCRIBE NOW.     WHAT'D I MISS? — FDA readies menthol cigarettes ban: The Food and Drug Administration is preparing to bar menthol cigarettes nationwide in a plan to be released Thursday, according to two people familiar with the matter. The menthol ban would be one of FDA’s most aggressive tobacco reform efforts since the agency first began regulating the industry in 2009, and one long-awaited by scores of public health groups. — Biden to invite lawmakers to W.H. next week: White House press secretary Jen Psaki said today that the president will likely invite members of Congress to the White House next week for bipartisan meetings on his sprawling infrastructure and social welfare proposals. — NYC mayoral candidate denies accusations: A lobbyist and former intern accused mayoral candidate Scott Stringer of sexual harassment and assault when she worked on his 2001 public advocate campaign, during a press conference in Manhattan today — allegations Stringer denied later in the day. — Pelosi defends tax increases: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi defended Biden’s proposed tax increases against GOP criticism today, slamming Republicans for their 2017 tax cuts, which had a $1.5 trillion price tag over 10 years. NIGHTLY NUMBER 44 The percentage of independents who gave Biden an “A” or “B” grade for his first 100 days in office, according to today’s POLITICO and Morning Consult poll. Eighty-five percent of Democrats and 14 percent of Republicans gave Biden relatively high marks. PARTING WORDS People are silhouetted against multiple burning funeral pyres of patients who died of the Covid-19 coronavirus disease at a crematorium on April 24, 2021 in New Delhi, India. | Getty Images ‘INDIAN WALL’ — Nightly’s Renuka Rayasam writes about the dire Covid situation in India: The headlines and pictures out of India are terrifying: hospitals running out supplies, planes airlifting oxygen, bodies piling up at crematoriums, sobbing family members mourning their dead. But among my cousin’s friends in Hyderabad, in South India, life is continuing as normal. When we talked on the phone this morning, she described a state of extreme denial among people in her social circle. One friend was having her maid continue to work every day even though she had symptoms that clearly resembled Covid. The friend finally told her maid to stop coming after the maid’s mother died. Another friend organized a sleepover for her daughter’s 16th birthday — my cousin tried to lobby the other moms, including one doctor, into cancelling the party with no success. My cousin, who lived in California for about a decade before moving back to India 15 or so years ago, told me that it would be easy for many people in her circle to avoid social gatherings, and they could afford to pay their maids to not work. (Domestic and farm workers and others living day-to-day don’t have that luxury.) But they just aren’t scared. People are still going to movies and having big weddings, she said. She sees them drinking sugarcane juice at crowded street stalls unworried about a virus that’s killed more than 200,000 people by official estimates — the current mortality rate is likely 10 times higher than official numbers. Some epidemiologists believe the country could reach a million deaths by the end of August. My cousin describes Indians as an overly optimistic bunch, confident that Ayurvedic medicine and heaps of turmeric will protect them from illness. “Until it strikes the family, they think it’s OK,” she said. Covid is now striking a lot of families in India: Many of my own relatives have tested positive in recent days. Some were told not to go to the hospital because there is no room for them. People have named the surge “The Indian wall,” after the charts showing the rapid rise in cases, essentially a vertical line that splits off from a horizontal one, said Rupali Limaye, global vaccine expert at Johns Hopkins University. That precipitous shift in reality has been difficult to comprehend. “From a risk perception standpoint, it’s really hard for people to wrap their heads around,” said Limaye, who runs several projects in India. “They were told that India has scooted by.” That complacency, combined with the lack of lockdowns, a more contagious and deadly variant, and the slow pace of vaccinations, means cases in the country are projected to rise for at least the next three weeks. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has shown little appetite to order countrywide Covid safety measures for now. His Hindu nationalist government has taken steps to blunt criticism, refusing to call the situation an official emergency for fear of looking like the country’s Covid response failed. Today Facebook blocked posts calling for Modi’s resignation for several hours. Limaye believes that Indians will change their behavior once they start to see more people getting sick. But convincing Indians to get vaccinated will be an even bigger challenge, she said. Indians are bombarded with reams of misinformation about vaccine risks. Limaye talked this morning with a group she works with in India to launch a new campaign to encourage vaccinations featuring Bollywood stars, cricket players and Instagram celebrities. My cousin is less optimistic about India’s Covid trajectory, issuing what I hope won’t be a chilling warning for those in the U.S. who also think the pandemic has passed. “Until last month we thought we were out of danger,” she said. “We were laughing at other people. Now you see. You never know what could happen. It’s changing very fast.” Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter Renuka Rayasam @renurayasam Chris Suellentrop @suellentrop Tyler Weyant @tweyant Myah Ward @myahward   FOLLOW US

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RSN: FOCUS: Joseph E. Stiglitz and Lori Wallach | Preserving Intellectual Property Barriers to COVID-19 Vaccines Is Morally Wrong and Foolish

 

 

28 April 21

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FOCUS: Joseph E. Stiglitz and Lori Wallach | Preserving Intellectual Property Barriers to COVID-19 Vaccines Is Morally Wrong and Foolish

Joseph E. Stiglitz and Lori Wallach, The Washington Post
Excerpt: "New covid-19 variants are spreading quickly. An outbreak anywhere could lead to a more deadly or infectious strain hopping around the globe."

ew covid-19 variants are spreading quickly. An outbreak anywhere could lead to a more deadly or infectious strain hopping around the globe.

So why, after three months of making great progress on domestic vaccination, has President Biden not ended a self-defeating policy from the Trump administration that hinders a global initiative to increase access to covid-19 vaccines and treatments? More than 100 countries support a temporary waiver of some World Trade Organization rules that guarantee pharmaceutical firms monopoly control over how much medicine is produced, yet the United States remains opposed.

Had WTO members agreed to waive aspects of its agreement on trade-related intellectual property for covid-related medicines when some countries proposed it last October, poor nations might not wait until 2024 for vaccines, as projected.

Waiving intellectual property rights so developing countries could produce more vaccines would make a big difference in reaching global herd immunity. Otherwise, the pandemic will rage largely unmitigated among a significant share of the world’s population, resulting in increased deaths and a greater risk that a vaccine-resistant variant puts the world back on lockdown.

Pharmaceutical corporations claim the problem is not intellectual property barriers, but that companies in developing nations don’t have the skill to manufacture covid-19 vaccines based on new technologies. This is self-serving and wrong.

Firms in the Global South are already making covid-19 vaccines. For example, South Africa’s Aspen Pharmacare has produced hundreds of millions of doses of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine, even though only a fraction of those went to South Africans. Other drug corporations simply refuse to work with qualified manufacturers in developing countries, effectively blocking more production.

These companies are focused not on global access but on sales in profitable markets. This underscores why the “third way” proposal from WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, in which she promotes more of the same old, industry-controlled voluntary deals, is a distraction and not a remedy.

Not one vaccine originator has shared technologies with poor countries through the World Health Organization’s voluntary Covid-19 Technology Access Pool. The global Covax program, which aims to vaccinate 20 percent of developing countries’ most vulnerable populations, has delivered about 38 million doses to 100 countries; meanwhile, the United States administers 3 million doses daily.

There is no way to beat covid-19 without increasing vaccine production capacity. And some production must be in the Global South for a host of reasons, including that prompt suppression of new variants is how we avoid more deaths and quarantines.

A waiver would immediately increase government leverage over vaccine makers that refuse to license the technology. Firms could choose to either expand production by negotiating with governments, alternative suppliers and global initiatives, or risk governments circumventing them and forcing the transfer of technology.

A waiver would also provide legal certainty for governments and investors that are inclined to repurpose existing pharmaceutical manufacturing or build new facilities but are fearful of intellectual property liability. And it could boost production of covid-19 treatments unavailable in much of the world, as well as diagnostic tests and vaccine supply chain products.

The principle that all countries should have access to intellectual property related to medicines has already been accepted by the international community. In the early 2000s, as millions without access to treatments died of AIDS, WTO members clarified that countries have “flexibilities” to issue compulsory licenses for medicines. The United States itself threatened to do this for ciprofloxacin, a treatment for anthrax, during the 2001 scare. If there were ever a moment to invoke this principle, it is now.

Unfortunately, the drug companies have consistently done whatever they can to preserve their monopoly control. Even today, as they battle the waiver and argue that existing compulsory licensing rights are sufficient, they lobby the U.S. government to sanction countries that use that tool.

These corporations have also undermined this option by building “thickets” of intellectual property barriers. They fortify their monopolies by registering exclusive rights to industrial designs and undisclosed data, such as trade secrets and test data, in addition to numerous patents and copyrights for each medicine. Each element would require a license, and the WTO’s flexibilities might not even encompass all of them.

Making matters more difficult, “product-by-product” and “country-by-country” compulsory licensing is nigh impossible to coordinate across countries for medicines with complex global supply chains, such as covid-19 vaccines.

Even more absurd is the argument from pharmaceutical companies that temporarily waiving their monopolies for covid-19 medicines would undermine their ability to respond to the next health crisis. Governments transferred more than $110 billion to pharmaceutical firms to finance research and production, so companies face little risk while earning billions on vaccine sales. The market for covid-19 vaccines is literally the entire world, so any successful vaccine maker stands to profit handsomely even with technology transfer.

Any delay in ensuring the greatest availability of vaccines and therapeutics is morally wrong and foolish — both in terms of public health and the economy. The waiver is a critical first step.

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