| | |  | BY MYAH WARD | | With help from Eleanor Mueller WILL YOU NEED ONE EXTRA SCHOOL SUPPLY? At least nine states — Arkansas, Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Vermont — have banned school districts from requiring masks in schools, according to CNN. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis slammed the idea of making kids wear face coverings in Florida classrooms today, saying “we want kids to be able to be kids.” Yet the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended earlier this week that all children over 2 wear face masks at school, regardless of vaccination status. President Joe Biden added his perspective to the latest pandemic tension point Wednesday when he said children under 12 “should probably be wearing masks” in schools this fall and hinted that the CDC may release updated guidance on the issue.
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A teacher walks among masked students sitting in a socially distanced classroom at Medora Elementary School in Louisville, Ky. | Jon Cherry/Getty Images | Should children have to wear masks in the classroom? What if they’re vaccinated? Nightly asked public health experts to weigh in. These responses have been edited. “Two months ago I was a big fan of kids going back to school unmasked. No longer. “Given the rise of cases and hospitalizations due to the Delta variant and the plateau of vaccinations, I think all unvaccinated children should wear masks to start the school year. Covid-19 is very mild in almost all pediatric infections, so I am not worried about the health of children unable to be vaccinated (and I have 2 children below age 12). I am worried about community spread in the unvaccinated leading to another surge that stresses our hospitals. “While I thought our level of vaccination would protect against this, what is currently happening in Missouri is proof that states with vaccination rates below 50 percent (like Indiana, where I live) are susceptible to enough disease to overwhelm medical resources. “If I’m honest, I don’t want my unvaccinated kids to have to wear masks in school. And once cases start to fall or we prove that cases are not going to overwhelm hospitals, I think reconsidering masks in schools is reasonable. But until we have enough adults vaccinated, masking for the unvaccinated in schools seems to be the most prudent.” — Gabriel Bosslet, professor of clinical medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas for us at nightly@politico.com. Or contact tonight’s author directly at mward@politico.com or @MyahWard. Now lunch break is over — here are the rest of our experts on mask mandates in schools this fall. “A significant portion of school children are not yet eligible for vaccines. They are therefore at risk of becoming infected and then of transmitting the virus to unvaccinated people around them. Masking is proven to reduce transmission of the virus and to protect those who are not vaccinated. “Many schools will not have a system to monitor vaccine status of students, teachers and staff. In this circumstance, masking will protect the unvaccinated. “Many communities have low vaccination uptake where the virus may be circulating more prominently. Masking will slow the spread of disease in these communities. “By requiring masks and slowing the spread of disease, school systems increase the likelihood that they will be able to stay open this year and not force children to go through another mind-numbing year of remote learning.” — Philip Landrigan, director of the Program in Global Public Health and Common Good at Boston College “The CDC’s original guidance on May 13 that the vaccinated need not wear masks was rooted in science and was meant to motivate vaccinations among the unvaccinated . However, the CDC guidance is clear that local regions should have discretion in re-instituting mask guidelines for the vaccinated. “In regions where hospitalizations are exceeding >5 Covid hospitalizations/100,000, I could recommend re-instituting mask recommendations indoors for the vaccinated as well as unvaccinated to normalize mask wearing for the latter in public spaces. “Yesterday, three ’ left leaning’ MDs from Boston wrote also published that we should start out masking in schools but that parents need a metric for when the masks will come off based on community transmission rates. “They didn’t give a specific metric, but the CDC should decide on one to give comfort to parents that there is an ‘endpoint’ or ‘off ramp.’ Thereafter, parents can still mask their children but without a mandate. “Giving a metric like <5/100K gives an endpoint for people who are upset about this recommendation.” — Monica Gandhi, infectious diseases expert at the University of California at San Francisco “While we know that children under 12 may not be spreading the virus as much as adults, they still can and do, and until vaccines are available, it should be considered for those indoors. Until vaccines are available for children and we have very low transmission in the community, I think it’s important to encourage masking for school-age children when indoors. In areas of high prevalence and low vaccination rates, we should require masks indoors for children who aren’t vaccinated. This should also be required for buses and transportation.” — Saskia Popescu, infectious disease epidemiologist at George Mason University “Children now account for 15 to 20 percent of weekly new Covid cases in the U.S. Until we have achieved widespread vaccination of school-aged children, we must recognize that mitigation of the pandemic must address the role children play in ongoing dissemination of this virus. “Although vaccines provide lifesaving protection against the Delta variant, breakthrough infections are occurring in immunized individuals. Thus, blocking the chain of transmission from children to adults is of even more importance. Protecting children from infection protects their vulnerable household contacts and the community. “Third, and most important, is the need to protect the children themselves from Covid. We must get past this tiresome and incorrect assertion that Covid-19 is a trivial infection in children. The data simply don’t support that viewpoint. The most recent report from the American Academy of Pediatrics and Children’s Hospital Association notes that in the period from May 20, 2020 to July 15, 2021, 346 pediatric deaths from Covid-19 have been reported in the U.S and territories. This represents substantially more deaths than we observe in children even during the most severe influenza seasons. Over 90 percent of pediatric influenza deaths occur in unimmunized children.” — Mark R. Schleiss, pediatric infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota Medical School “I think it’s tough to answer this as a black and white question. Children 12 and up have the opportunity to get the vaccine, but many parents have not done so, leaving many eligible children vulnerable to infection. We know this is the group of kids that also seems to be the hardest-hit with Covid symptoms, so masking in this age group while encouraging vaccination and perhaps offering in-school vaccine availability to increase protection would be the best option for fall. “For those 12 and under and ineligible for the vaccine, strong mask mandates should remain in place. Hopefully school-aged children will be able to be vaccinated by late 2021 or early 2022; I think that would be a more sensible time point to remove such mandates, once most children are able to be vaccinated.” — Tara Smith, epidemiologist at Kent State University’s College of Public Health
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A message from AARP: Americans are sick of paying the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs — more than three times what people in other countries pay for the same medicine. The President, members of Congress in both parties, and the people agree: we must cut drug prices. By giving Medicare the power to negotiate, we can save hundreds of billions of dollars. Tell Congress: Cut prescription drug prices now. | | | | | — Capitol physician considers recommending masks again: The Capitol’s chief physician is considering reimposing a mask recommendation in the Capitol after two months of mostly face-covering-free business in the House and Senate, according to three sources familiar with the matter. An imminent announcement is not expected, but the Office of the Attending Physician is weighing whether to suggest that people wear masks again inside the Capitol complex. — Pelosi mulls adding more anti-Trump Republicans to Jan. 6 investigation: Speaker Nancy Pelosi is considering adding another anti-Trump House Republican to the select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, with Rep. Adam Kinzinger as the leading contender. Pelosi suggested today that she would consider appointing more Republicans to the Jan. 6 probe, less than 24 hours after she nixed two vocally pro-Trump GOP lawmakers for the select panel. — U.S., Iraqi officials to announce U.S. military shift to advisory role in Iraq by year’s end: U.S. and Iraqi officials are finalizing a shift in the U.S. military mission in Iraq to a purely advisory role by the end of the year , marking the official end of the U.S. combat mission in the country, according to a U.S. official and two people familiar with the issue. Officials plan to announce this shift on Monday after Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi meets with Biden at the White House, according to one of the people familiar with the discussions. — Delta variant sweeps through states that dialed back health powers: The Delta strain of the coronavirus is racing across the country, driving a surge of new cases and hospitalizations. But local and state officials this time have fewer options to slow the spread . In Texas, where Covid hospitalizations are up 30 percent and deaths up 10 percent over the past week, Gov. Greg Abbott recently barred counties, cities and school districts from requiring masks. Montana did the same for vaccine and mask mandates, while letting local officials overrule health department orders. And Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose state accounts for one in five of new U.S. infections, asserted power to nix local health orders if he concludes they infringe on individual rights. — Former Rep. Finkenauer running for Senate in Iowa: Former Rep. Abby Finkenauer launched a Senate bid in Iowa today , becoming the highest-profile Democrat to jump into the race in a bid to reverse the party’s struggles in statewide elections over the past decade. Finkenauer, 32, flipped a House seat in 2018 before losing last November after just one term. She’s now aiming to take on GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley, the longest currently-serving Republican senator, who is still deciding whether to seek an eighth term in the chamber.
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| | SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST" TODAY: Power is shifting in Washington and in communities across the country. More people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. The Recast is a twice-weekly newsletter that explores the changing power dynamics in Washington and breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics and policy in America. Get fresh insights, scoops and dispatches on this crucial intersection from across the country and hear critical new voices that challenge business as usual. Don't miss out, SUBSCRIBE . Thank you to our sponsor, Intel. | | | | | | | THE TOURIST JOBS TRAP — Labor politics and policy reporter Eleanor Mueller emails Nightly: We’re halfway through summer, and students of all ages — high school, college and beyond — are getting ready to leave their seasonal jobs and go back to school. There’s just one problem: There isn’t anyone to take their place. Summer jobs, particularly those in touristy areas — filled with restaurants, hotels, waterfronts, amusement parks and more — are often filled primarily by younger Americans and foreign workers. But there’s a shortage of foreign workers, employers warn — a result of the current cap on H-2B visas, which enable employers who would otherwise lose money to hire foreign workers, typically for seasonal work. Travel restrictions and closed consulates are exacerbating the problem, as POLITICO’s Rebecca Rainey reported at the beginning of the month. “These are long-standing programs that allow kids who are trying to come here for the summer” to work while they’re here, said Ed Egee, National Retail Federation’s vice president of government relations and workforce development. “There’s no question that employers in tourist areas have a ton of demand, which is great for them — but by the same token, they just simply don’t have the labor.”
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A Now Hiring sign in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images | Congress capped H-2B visas at 66,000 for the current fiscal year. The White House announced in April it would open up another 22,000 visas. But business groups like NRF say that’s not even close to enough, particularly amid employer reports of a post-Covid worker shortage. “The cap has not kept up with demand,” Toby Malara, government affairs counsel at the American Staffing Association, said. Egee and Malara warn that if the issue isn’t resolved, the same problem could be repeated this winter: “This issue is particularly acute in tourist areas that may see a flood of consumers for short periods of time,” Egee said. “It’s been very, very challenging for folks in beach areas for the summer. And if they don’t fix it, it’s going to be challenging for winter areas” like ski resorts, too. Employers are lobbying hard to put the issue on Congress’ radar — and their efforts appear to be paying off. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) quizzed Labor Secretary Marty Walsh on the issue at a hearing on Labor Department spending last week. “We have a lot of seasonal businesses that rely on H2-B visa workers to fill those temporary jobs when we don’t have workers in New Hampshire willing to take those jobs,” Shaheen said. “I was disappointed to see the administration’s ultimate decision to release just 22,000 additional visas.” They “were fully applied for less than two weeks after being made available,” she added. “It was as somebody who was literally on the job about three weeks at that particular moment” that he sat down with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to determine the visa bump, Walsh said in response. “My office and Homeland Security’s office is coming with a better formula for how we operate and move forward next year.” He added that he recognizes that “tourism industry is in desperate need of these workers,” and pledged that lawmakers “have my commitment” that “this same thing doesn’t happen” next year. On the other side of the Hill, a bipartisan group of House members introduced a bill, H.R. 3897 (117), in June that would exempt foreign workers who have previously participated in the program from the H-2B visa cap. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), a cosponsor, said he’s reached out to Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) to try to get legislation moving in the Senate — and that he’s open to including the H-2B language in must-pass government funding legislation later this session if lawmakers are unable to attract enough support to pass the bill on its own. “The visa issue brings together very liberal Democrats and very, very conservative Republicans on the same side of the issue,” Malara said.
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| | | | | SANCTIONS HEAD TO HAVANA — Biden slapped targeted individual sanctions on Cuba regime officials today, bucking the progressive voices in his own party who called for an end to the embargo, Marc Caputo and Sabrina RodrÃguez write from Miami. Biden’s response to Cuba — which also includes calls for more international pressure on the totalitarian government — was outlined Wednesday night in a call with Democratic Cuban-American activists in Miami who had been calling for more action ever since the July 11 uprisings on the island. The proposal to extend the targeted sanctions of the Magnitsky Act, originally passed in response to Russian government oppression and then extended to governments such as Venezuela, has most encouraged activists who want more pressure on Cuba. “This is huge,” said Sasha Tirador, a top Miami political operative who was briefed on the plans Wednesday night. “No administration has ever announced that they will hold each individual who violates human rights on the island of Cuba accountable,” she said.
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419,000 The number of jobless claims last week, according to the Labor Department . The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits rose last week from the lowest point of the pandemic, even as the job market appears to be rebounding on the strength of a reopened economy. |
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| | SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST" TODAY: Power is shifting in Washington and in communities across the country. More people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. The Recast is a twice-weekly newsletter that explores the changing power dynamics in Washington and breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics and policy in America. Get fresh insights, scoops and dispatches on this crucial intersection from across the country and hear critical new voices that challenge business as usual. Don't miss out, SUBSCRIBE . Thank you to our sponsor, Intel. | | | | | | | PUTTING THE L IN NFL — The country’s leading professional sports league announced today that Covid outbreaks among unvaccinated players could force teams to forfeit games that cannot be rescheduled. Multiple news organizations reported today that the National Football League sent a memo to its 32 teams that any game postponed due to the coronavirus will not be granted time to be rescheduled outside of the designated 18-week season, and teams affected by an outbreak will be forced to forfeit if the calendar doesn’t line up. The prospect of cancellations stands out as one of the most forceful steps taken by a high-profile company to nudge workers to get vaccinated shy of an outright requirement, and comes as the White House and public health officials are leaning on institutions to do more to encourage vaccination uptake. “While there is no question that health conditions have improved from last year, we cannot be complacent or simply assume that we will be able to play without interruption — either due to Covid outbreaks among our clubs or outbreaks that occur within the larger community," the memo from Commissioner Roger Goodell reportedly states.
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A message from AARP: It’s outrageous that Americans pay more than three times what people in other countries pay for the same medicine. And these unfair prices keep going up. Even during the pandemic and financial crisis, the prices of more than 1,000 drugs were increased. It’s time for the President and Congress to cut prescription drug prices.
Currently, Medicare is prohibited by law from using its buying power to negotiate with drug companies to get lower prices for people. This must change. Giving Medicare the power to negotiate will save hundreds of billions of dollars.
And the American people agree. In a recent AARP survey of Americans 50+, a vast majority supported allowing Medicare to negotiate with drug companies for lower prices, including 88% of Democrats and 85% of Republicans.
Tell Congress: Act now to lower prescription drug prices. Let Medicare negotiate. | | | Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. | |
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