Page 2 - Aruba-today-17 Sept 2020

A2 UP FRONT
Thursday 17 sepTember 2020
ington, the committee's billions of dollars in taxpayer
top Democrat, said politi- funding approved by Con-
cal interference from HHS gress and allocated by the
had damaged public trust Trump administration. The
in the government's health goal is that patients won't
information. be separately charged for
"The Trump administration administration of their shots,
needs to leave the science and officials say they are
to the scientists immediate- working to ensure that's the
ly," Murray said. case for all Medicare recip-
Democratic presidential ients and uninsured people
nominee Joe Biden said as well those covered by
while campaigning that insurance at their jobs.
he trusts what scientists say — States and local com-
about a potential vaccine munities will need to devise
— but not Trump. precise plans for receiving
Biden has said he would and locally distributing vac-
take a vaccine "tomorrow" cines, some of which will re-
if it were available but he quire special handling such
would want to "see what as refrigeration or freezing.
the scientists said" first. States and cities have a
As for the planned vac- month to submit plans.
cine campaign, Redfield — A massive information
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H.,, and Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., listen at a hearing with the Senate Ap- said that his agency will be technology effort will be
propriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agen-
cies, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020. working with state health needed to track who is
Associated Press officials to implement the getting which vaccines
preparations in coming and when, and the key
Continued from Front Tuesday that waiters have to gain editorial control days. challenge involves getting
Redfield and other health struggled with their face over the CDC's scientific Among the highlights of the multiple public and private
officials testifying before coverings and do not like publications on COVID-19, plan: databases to link with each
the Senate Appropriations them. which he contended were — For most vaccines, peo- other. Some of the broad
Committee also empha- The entire vaccine enter- hurting the Trump adminis- ple will need two doses, 21 components of the federal
sized the effectiveness of prise faces continued skep- tration. to 28 days apart. Double- plan have already been
masks in stopping the pan- ticism. Only about half of Redfield said that the dose vaccines will have to discussed, but Wednes-
demic's spread, given that Americans said they'd get "scientific integrity" of his come from the same drug- day's reports attempt to
no vaccine is 100% pro- vaccinated in an Associat- agency's reports "has not maker. There could be sev- put the key details into a
tective. The flu vaccine, ed Press-NORC poll taken been compromised and it eral vaccines from different comprehensive framework.
for example, is generally in May. Since then, ques- will not be compromised manufacturers approved Distribution is under the um-
about 40% to 60% effec- tions have only mounted under my watch." He also and available. brella of Operation Warp
tive against the annual viral about whether the gov- rejected questions about — Vaccination of the U.S. Speed, a White House-
strain. ernment is trying to rush whether the CDC's timeline population won't be a backed initiative to have
Redfield, masked in the treatments and vaccines for states to be ready for a sprint but a marathon. Ini- vaccines ready to ship in 24
hearing room, said,"I might to help Trump's reelection vaccine by Nov. 1 was po- tially there may be a limited hours from when a version
even go so far as to say chances. The Health and litically motivated. supply of vaccines, and the is given emergency use
that this face mask is more Human Services Depart- "The worst thing that could focus will be on protecting approval by the Food and
guaranteed to protect me ment announced Wednes- happen is if we have a vac- health workers, other essen- Drug Administration.
against COVID than when I day that political appoin- cine delivered and we're tial employees, and people However, public skepticism
take a COVID vaccine." tee Michael Caputo would still not ready to distribute," in vulnerable groups. A sec- remains. Of the Americans
Trump has continued to take a leave of absence Redfield told Senate law- ond and third phase would who said in the May AP poll

downplay the effectiveness to "focus on his health and makers. "There was abso- expand vaccination to the that they wouldn't get vac-
of masks in spite of the rec- the well-being of his family." lutely no political thinking entire population. cinated, the overwhelm-
ommendations of his own The news followed revela- about it." — The vaccine itself will be ing majority said they were
health experts, mentioning tions that Caputo had tried Sen. Patty Murray of Wash- free of charge, thanks to worried about safety.q

Vision 2020: What happens if the U.S. election is contested?

WASHINGTON (AP) — Is it possible the election tors were set to meet. tion gets one vote, and 26 votes are required
will be up in the air and we won't have a presi- When the electors meet, the candidate who to win. In the Senate, the choice is between
dent on Inauguration Day: Jan. 20, 2021? gets at least 270 of the 538 electoral votes wins. the top two electoral vote-getters and each
Even if the election is messy and contested in But what happens if election issues still prevent senator gets a vote, with 51 votes required to
court, the country will have a president on In- a winner from being named? The Constitution win.
auguration Day. The Constitution and federal has an answer. What if that fails and the House hasn't elected
law ensure it. Here's what happens after voters The 12th Amendment says that in that case, a president by Inauguration Day? Then the
go to the polls on Nov. 3: the House of Representatives elects the presi- 20th Amendment takes over. It says the vice
First, states have more than a month to count dent and the Senate elects the vice president. president-elect acts as president until a presi-
ballots, including the expected surge of mail- The new Congress that enters in January is the dent is picked. And if there's no vice president
in ballots, and conduct recounts if necessary. one tasked with carrying out the so-called selected by Inauguration Day?
But states' electoral votes have to be cast on "contingent election." The president has only Well, then the Presidential Succession Act ap-
Dec. 14. been selected this way once, in 1825. The win- plies.
Courts will be mindful of that in refereeing any ner was John Quincy Adams. It says that the speaker of the House of Repre-
disputes. During the 2000 election, the U.S. Su- In a contingent election, House members sentatives, the Senate president or a Cabinet
preme Court ultimately ended Florida's vote have to choose among the three people with officer, in that order, would act as president
recount, saying time had run out before elec- the most electoral votes. Each state delega- until there's a president or vice president.q