COVID-19

In this podcast episode, Paul discusses with Peter Wolf, a CPOST researcher, the long-term implications of the COVID-19 virus and how it could change global power relations. 

The United States is in the midst of the greatest mass mobilization of public health resources in nearly a century. Every day brings new restrictions: social distancing, self-quarantine, and city- and state-wide restrictions on public life, from restaurants to movies. Washington is taking dramatic measures to reduce the economic harm from these measures. Just yesterday President Trump signed a massive bipartisan bill expanding unemployment insurance and paid sick leave. Sadly, such actions do little to address the disproportionate impact protective measures will have on poor and at-risk children.

President Trump promised Friday to “unleash the full power of the federal government” against the novel coronavirus, officially declaring the outbreak a “national emergency” — “two very big words,” as he put it. But although this announcement drew headlines, the reality is that the president’s legal authorities in a pandemic are limited. Trump will continue to capture an outsize share of media coverage, but the most important actions in the fight against the virus probably won’t come from the president — they will come from governors and mayors.