A version of this story appeared in the September 30 edition of CNN's Coronavirus: Fact vs. Fiction newsletter. Sign up here to receive the need-to-know headlines every weekday.
If his goal during the first debate on Tuesday was to obscure his coronavirus record, Trump may have been successful, Eric Bradner and Kevin Liptak write. Despite Joe Biden's attempts to inject it back into the discussion, the debate devolved into arguments and bickering that ultimately did not center on the global pandemic, which has now killed 1 million people.
But there were moments where Biden, who has a 47-year career in politics, cut through.
Speaking directly to families who now have an "empty seat at the kitchen table," Biden slammed the President for having "no plan" to contain the virus, or limit its impact on the American economy. He added, "You should get out of your bunker and get out of the sand trap and your golf course and go in your Oval Office and bring together the Democrats and Republicans and fund what needs to be done now to save lives."
Instead of mounting a robust defense of his administration's response to the crisis, Trump mocked Biden for wearing a mask, sought to claim that were Biden president, he would have done worse, and alleged that the former-VP wanted to shut down the economy. Check out our fact-check of those claims below.
FACT-CHECKING COVID-19 FALSEHOODS FROM THE DEBATE
Coronavirus and masks
In a heated exchange with Biden, Trump said that Dr. Anthony Fauci changed his mind about the impact of wearing masks.
Facts First: This needs context. Fauci, the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, did change his mind about masks, but the need to wear one is not an ongoing debate, as Trump implied. Last week, Fauci told CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta that his evolving advice about masks is a "classic example" of how guidance can change as additional scientific evidence emerges. The pandemic, he said, is an "evolving situation."
Fauci explained that in the spring, "we were not aware that 40 to 45% of people were asymptomatic, nor were we aware that a substantial proportion of people who get infected get infected from people who are without symptoms. That makes it overwhelmingly important for everyone to wear a mask." -- Jen Christensen
Coronavirus and the economy
Trump claimed several times that Biden wants to shut down the country to address the coronavirus, while he wanted to keep it open.
Facts First: This is false. Biden said in an August interview with ABC that he would shut down the country if scientists told him it was necessary -- but he has not himself advocated a shutdown or introduced a shutdown plan. Additionally, he clarified his comments after the interview, saying in September, "There is going to be no need, in my view, to be able to shut down the whole economy."
It's also worth noting that presidents themselves cannot shut down the country. You can read a longer fact-check here. -- Tara Subramaniam
Coronavirus and travel restrictions
Trump referenced the travel restrictions his administration imposed on foreign nationals who had been in China, then attacked Biden for remarks he had made the same day: "I closed it, and you said, 'He's xenophobic. He's a racist and he's xenophobic,' because you didn't think I should have closed our country."
Facts First: This needs context. It's not clear Biden even knew about Trump's China travel restrictions when he called Trump xenophobic on the day the restrictions were unveiled; Biden has never explicitly linked his accusation of xenophobia to these travel restrictions.
The campaign says Biden's January 31 accusations -- that Trump has a record of "hysterical xenophobia" and "fear mongering" -- were not about the travel restrictions, which Biden did not know about at the time of his speech. Biden never took an explicit position on the restrictions until his April declaration of support. You can read more about Biden's comments here. -- Tara Subramaniam
ON OUR RADAR
- The World Bank has announced plans for a $12 billion vaccine financing plan to help poor and developing countries secure doses as effective drugs become available, Reuters reports.
- India could have 60 million Covid-19 cases -- 10 times the official figure.
- Filippo Grandi, the UN's high commissioner for refugees, estimated that half of all refugee girls won't go back to school after the pandemic in an interview with CNN's Becky Anderson.
- Writing in The Washington Post, seven former commissioners of the US Food and Drug Administration said the Trump administration is undermining the agency's credibility as it prepares to roll out a vaccine.
- Disney is laying off 28,000 employees as the pandemic hammers its theme parks.
- The NFL is facing its first major outbreak of the season after players and personnel for the Tennessee Titans and the Minnesota Vikings tested positive for Covid-19.
- As colleges in the US reopened in August, coronavirus cases surged among 18- to 22-year-olds by 55%, with the Northeast seeing the largest increase, according to a new CDC report.
- New York City will offer free masks to people -- and fine those who refuse to wear one -- as the rate of positive tests in parts of Brooklyn and Queens climb above 3% for the first time in months.
- Germany could see nearly 20,000 new infections per day in the winter months unless urgent action is taken, Chancellor Angela Merkel said.
- The Dutch government is introducing stricter measures in an attempt to clamp down on coronavirus infections -- the daily rate is now more than double the record during the first wave.
- UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson blundered in explaining his government's own coronavirus lockdown rules, fueling criticism that they are too complicated.
TODAY'S TOP TIP
The coronavirus is leading to a secondary pandemic -- hunger. The need for emergency food has exploded since March of 2020. According to an Oxfam report, this hunger crisis could soon kill more people each day than the infection itself.
The hunger crisis had already been exacerbated by climate change, existing conflicts, and inequalities. But now, coupled with Covid-19, people worldwide have hunger and malnutrition to worry about even more. Here are some ways you can help:
- Look for volunteer opportunities at your local food bank or community kitchen
- Buy locally grown food to directly support smallholder farmers in your own community, many of whom donate unsold and unused food to neighbors in need
- Financial donations to anti-hunger initiatives also help. CNN's Impact Your World has compiled a list of non-profits who are helping fight the coronavirus-related hunger crisis.
TODAY'S PODCAST
"We were very concerned, obviously, about what we could do to control exposure inside the athletic environment. And so we have very specific protocols ... not using locker room areas, not showering, they're not changing." -- Dr. James Borchers, Ohio State University football team physician
Two months ago, it looked like some of the best college football programs in the country wouldn't see competition this year. But recently the Big Ten and Pac-12 conferences both reversed course and decided to play this fall. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks to Dr. Borchers about how teams are keeping players safe. Listen Now.
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