Take As Directed

In this episode, Andrew asks Steve to interpret the guidelines issued by President Trump yesterday in a three-phase process of reopening. Why the pivot away from “total authority” putting responsibility back onto governors? What’s in the guidelines, and what is missing? Amid the intensifying tension between protecting the health and lives of citizens versus the crushing decline of the U.S. economy, how are the calls to accelerate reopening being met across America? If a great gap persist in terms of testing and the capacity to surveil, isolate, quarantine, and contact trace, what are the options?

Dr. Christopher Murray joins Steve Morrison and Andrew Schwartz to discuss the “Murray Model,” what a rolling reopening of the economy would look like and what that would do to the Murray Model projections. Dr. Murray also discusses which states may be ready to reopen and what hotspots he’s worried about most.

In this episode, Susan Glasser, staff writer at The New Yorker, joins Steve and Andrew to discuss the full range of rapidly evolving issues surrounding President Trump and the White House’s engagement with the coronavirus pandemic and the companion economic crisis – from testing, to protecting essential item supply chains, to preparing the way of safely lifting social distancing to allow schooling and businesses to resume. All with the questions – how do we make sense of what is happening, and what does all of this tell us about the nature of this presidency?   Susan B. Glasser is a staff writer at The New Yorker, where she writes a weekly column on life in Trump’s Washington. Ms. Glasser has had a long and distinguished career as a journalist, including founding Politico Magazine, serving as editor-in-chief of Foreign Policy, and a decade at the Washington Post. She is co-author of Kremlin Rising: Vladimir Putin’s Russia and the End of Revolution, written with her husband, Peter Baker.

In this episode, Steve and Andrew are joined by Congresswoman Susan Brooks (R-IN05) to talk about her work on the CSIS Commission on Strengthening America’s Health Security and her experience working through Covid-19. This week with Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA07), Rep. Brooks released a letter calling for the creation of a crisis response corps to manage the pandemic response. They discuss how this could include returned Peace Corps Volunteers, what essential duties this corps could cover, and how these workers could be protected from risk. From there, they move to how Rep. Brooks is now relating to her constituents under these new realities, how Hoosiers are experiencing the pandemic, and where she finds strength and hope.  Congresswoman Susan W. Brooks represents the 5th District of Indiana, and is a Member of the CSIS Commission on Strengthening America’s Health Security. Find her letter on a Covid-19 crisis corps here.

Today’s guest is Ron Klain, former Ebola response coordinator in the Obama Administration and current senior adviser to presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden. At the top of this week, when the pandemic is predicted to reach horrific peak levels in the New York/New Jersey region, Steve and Andrew ask Ron to look out in time – what are the conclusions that future observers might make about how we reached this treacherous moment? And what will be the deep structural changes required, post-pandemic, if we are to break the cycle of crisis and neglect and protect Americans, and resume leadership to shape the rest of the world? We round off the conversation with a discussion of former Vice President Biden’s thinking on the pandemic response, and what gives Ron confidence and hope.  ​Ron Klain served as chief of staff to two U.S. vice presidents – Al Gore and Joe Biden, and served as the United States Ebola response coordinator in the Obama Administration. He is currently a Washington Post columnist

Steve and Andrew speak with Helen Branswell, a premiere journalist and one of the world’s leading experts on dangerous infectious disease outbreaks, based for the past five years at STAT. The conversation focuses on the acute challenges: as the coronavirus pandemic advances, how do journalists makes sense of this historic moment? As we fail in the United States and elsewhere to protect health workers, in the face of dangerously escalating demands, how are we to understand the profound human and institutional consequences?

Today, Andrew and Steve talk to Dr. Tom Frieden, President and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives and former CDC Director. They discuss why Dr. Frieden has ‘tears in my eyes’ about the infections and deaths in New York and the risk to healthcare workers. While different communities need different responses, there is a need for clear federal guidance. They discuss how political priorities have infiltrated the national approach and sidelined public health experts, and how we can organize to minimize the harm from this pandemic. Dr. Frieden details how every health system should be getting ready to deal with “World War C”, and how we need a global commitment after this pandemic to never let this happen again.  Dr. Frieden serves as President and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives. He was formerly the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. 

Today, Andrew and Steve talk to Secretary John Wiesman, Secretary of Health for Washington state. They discuss the testing and hospital capacity in Washington state, the scramble for resources that states are finding themselves in and how Washington is working with the private sector to develop these products, and when social distancing might end.  Dr. John Wiesman was appointed secretary of health by Governor Jay Inslee in April 2013.

In mid-February, Steve Morrison of the CSIS Global Health Policy Center attended the Munich Security Conference. There, he moderated a roundtable on health in disordered settings, a town hall on COVID-19, and a dinner with Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg. He also spoke with a variety of policymakers, donors, and agency heads that are leading the response to the coronavirus epidemic. In this fourth episode, Steve speaks with Paul Stoffels, Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee and Chief Scientific Officer at Johnson & Johnson. They discuss the unknowns surrounding the COVID-19 virus, the Chinese response, and the role J&J is playing in developing a vaccine.

In mid-February, Steve Morrison of the CSIS Global Health Policy Center attended the Munich Security Conference. There, he moderated a roundtable on health in disordered settings, a town hall on COVID-19, and a dinner with Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg. He also spoke with a variety of policymakers, donors, and agency heads that are leading the response to the coronavirus epidemic. In this third episode, Steve speaks with Jeremy Farrar, Director of the Wellcome Trust. They talk about his experience with SARS in Vietnam, the number of unknowns surrounding the coronavirus, China's unprecedented response and its impacts, and the role Wellcome is playing. 

Today, Andrew and Steve are joined by Jude Blanchette, Freeman Chair in China Studies at CSIS. They discuss how the U.S. and China are dealing with the pandemic in their own countries, and how this might affect U.S.-China trade and diplomacy, as well as scientific research partnerships between the U.S. and China.

Today, Andrew and Steve talk to Dr. Margaret "Peggy" Hamburg, foreign secretary of the National Academy of Medicine and member of the CSIS Commission on Strengthening America’s Health Security. They discuss what’s happened with testing in the U.S., the ‘global arms race’ to develop a vaccine, and how the U.S. and the world can develop, produce, and distribute any potential vaccine in an equitable way.  Dr. Hamburg is an internationally recognized leader in public health and medicine. She currently serves as the foreign secretary of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) and 2018 president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Dr. Hamburg is a former Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), known for advancing regulatory science, modernizing regulatory pathways, and globalization of the agency.

In this episode, Steve and Andrew invite CSIS's Kathleen Hicks to discuss how the military can respond to COVID-19, and to what extent that can be done. They also examine how, as President Trump labels himself a 'wartime president,' more and more national guard units are operating at state capacity under the direction of governors, and what the Department of Defense can offer. Kathleen Hicks is senior vice president, Henry A. Kissinger Chair, and director of the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

In this first remote episode, Steve and Andrew discuss what’s happening with the U.S. response: the wholesale suspension of work and cultural events, the mixed messages coming from the Administration, and the unknown period we’re currently in as we wait for the worst part of the pandemic. They also discuss the role Dr. Tony Fauci is playing in this crisis, the role the military could play in a response, and how people need to remain calm and comfortable.

In today’s episode, Steve and Andrew speak with Stephanie Segal, senior fellow and deputy director of the William E. Simon Chair in Political Economy. They talk about the economic shocks COVID-19 is causing, the so-far inadequate policy response, and the possible prolonged economic crisis to come.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is closely watching the coronavirus outbreak, also known as COVID-19, as it spreads throughout China and around the world and the United States. As knowledge on COVID-19 evolves, Take as Directed will bring you the latest updates in this miniseries Coronavirus Crisis Update. In today’s episode, Steve and Andrew speak with Heather Conley, senior vice president for Europe, Eurasia, and the Arctic and director of the Europe Program at CSIS. They discuss the quarantine of 16 million people in northern Italy; how it came about, what it will mean for Italy’s economy and politics, and how Italy’s neighbors are responding.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is closely watching the coronavirus outbreak, also known as COVID-19, as it spreads throughout China and around the world and the United States. As knowledge on COVID-19 evolves, Take as Directed will bring you the latest updates in this miniseries Coronavirus Crisis Update. In today’s episode, Steve Morrison speaks with Julie Gerberding, co-chair of the CSIS Commission on Strengthening America’s Health Security and chief patient officer at Merck. Dr. Gerberding is also the former Director of the CDC (2002-2009). Dr. Gerberding testified on March 4th before the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security on “Confronting the Coronavirus: Perspectives on the Response to a Pandemic Threat.” They discuss the mood in Congress, the transition in the United States from a phase of containment to one of managing the spread of the virus, and her outstanding concerns and reasons for hope. 

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is closely watching the coronavirus outbreak, also known as COVID-19, as it spreads quickly throughout China and around the world. As knowledge on COVID-19 evolves, Take as Directed will bring you the latest updates in this miniseries Coronavirus Crisis Update. In this episode, CSIS’s Steve Morrison and Andrew Schwartz discuss newly concentrated hotspots and the politicization of COVID-19, and how an adequate response to the outbreak requires more leadership, clarity and trust.

In mid-February, Steve Morrison of the CSIS Global Health Policy Center attended the Munich Security Conference. There, he moderated a roundtable on health in disordered settings, a town hall on COVID-19, and a dinner with Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg. He also spoke with a variety of policymakers, donors, and agency heads that are leading the response to the coronavirus epidemic. In this second episode, Steve speaks with Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Health Emergencies Programme. They discuss what dynamics are driving this outbreak, why it should be seen as a security risk as well as a health risk, and what the WHO is doing. They also talk about “infodemics”: the online epidemic of misinformation and weaponized social media.

In mid-February, Steve Morrison of the CSIS Global Health Policy Center attended the Munich Security Conference. There, he moderated a roundtable on health in disordered settings, a town hall on COVID-19, and a dinner with Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg. He also spoke with a variety of policymakers, donors, and agency heads that are leading the response to the coronavirus epidemic. In this first episode, Steve speaks with Orin Levine, director of Vaccine Delivery at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. They discuss the investments the Foundation is making into the epidemic response, the urgent need for diagnostics and treatments, and how this infection might play out over the next year.