In Washington

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revised guidance for coronavirus testing is confusing and alarming many. The CDC now says people who have been in close contact with a person infected with COVID-19 and don’t have virus symptoms may not need testing unless they are a vulnerable individual or his/her health care provider recommends being tested. Asymptomatic transmissions by individuals showing no signs is known to be contributing significantly to the pandemic. Many are worried that CDC Director Robert Redfield has caved to the political pressure and the changes are an intentional move by the administration to conceal the true number of citizens infected with COVID-19. Previously, the CDC said that testing was recommended for all close contacts of persons infected with COVID-19. The agency is also eliminating its 14-day quarantine recommendations for those traveling from a place where COVID-19 infections are high. The changes were made on the CDC website without an announcement. The White House coronavirus testing coordinator Adm. Dr. Brett Giroir said during a phone call with reporters on Wednesday that White House coronavirus task force members were aware of the change in CDC testing guidelines. "The new guidelines are a CDC action. As always, guidelines received appropriate attention, consultation and input from task force experts, and I mean the medical and scientific experts," said Giroir.
• White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said Wednesday he is not optimistic about reaching a new coronavirus relief deal before the end of September. Meadows says he is anxious to restart negotiations but expects House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to use the pending funding deadline before the government shutdown at the end of next month as leverage to strike a deal with more Democratic priorities on pandemic aid. "It's really been Speaker Pelosi really driving this train as a conductor more so than really anybody," Meadows told POLITICO. "And I think privately she says she wants a deal and publicly she says she wants a deal, but when it comes to dealing with Republicans and the administration, we haven't seen a lot of action.” A spokesperson for Speaker Pelosi said that Meadows has not contacted them about negotiations despite him speaking Sunday on ABC News that he would call the Speaker. "Democrats have compromised in these negotiations," Drew Hammill said. "We offered to come down US$1 trillion if the White House would come up US$1 trillion. We welcome the White House back to the negotiating table but they must meet us halfway."
• White House chief of staff Mark Meadows says the White House is considering using executive orders to help save airlines jobs from looming layoffs at the end of September if Congress doesn’t act on a relief package in time. As we reported yesterday, American Airlines announced Tuesday that they will have to lay off 19,000 employees on 1 October, unless they have the payroll support that was provided in the CARES Act extended.
• Infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci told the Washington Post that he views Vice President Mike Pence as “truly decent” and “very smart.” Fauci “spoke glowingly of his relationship with Pence,” who he said is “a truly decent person, and very smart, who is trying to do his best in a very difficult and fluid situation.” Fauci went on to describe Pence as “an optimist” and a “glass half full type of person” who always presents the “optimistic” side of issues to President Trump.
• Tuesday night marked the second night of the Republican National Convention (RNC) as the President continues his ambitious effort to shape the public’s perception of how he has handled the pandemic crisis. The convention has gone to great lengths to remove visual reminders of the virus, with public appearances devoid of masks or social distancing. In the last speech of the evening, First Lady Melania Trump was the first speaker to acknowledge and express sympathy for the over 175,000 Americans who have died and 5,744,000 citizens infected with COVID-19.

In the News

• The Florida Department of Health has confirmed almost 9,000 new COVID-19 cases among children within 15 days in August as schools reopen, according to state data released Tuesday. In total, Florida has recorded a total of 48,730 confirmed coronavirus cases among children.
• Swing state voters’ concerns about the coronavirus have fallen and President Trump’s approval rating has ticked higher in six swing states over the last two weeks, according to a new CNBC/Change Research poll. Sixty-six percent of likely voters in Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin said they have serious concerns about COVID-19, down from 69 percent two weeks ago. Trump’s approval rating among respondents increased two points to 48 percent. Fifty-two percent of respondents disapprove.
• An early-stage clinical trial of Moderna’s potential coronavirus vaccine boosted participants’ immunity response to COVID-19, the company announced Wednesday. The company tested its vaccine on 20 adults 56 and up, Moderna said. The volunteers produced neutralizing antibodies, which researchers believe are necessary to build immunity to the virus, and killer T-cells, Moderna said. No vaccine is expected before late 2020 or early 2021.
• New York’s public transportation system is facing a severe financial crisis. Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) presented a plan that will have to reduce the city’s subway and bus services by 40 percent if they do not receive as much as US$12 billion in federal aid.
• Organizers for the 2021 World Economic Forum announced that they are postponing its annual summit in Davos, Switzerland, from January to early next Summer.
• A Kentucky man faces a US$569,000 fine and up to six months in prison following accusations that he broke Canada's coronavirus rules. John Pennington of Walton, Kentucky was initially fined for violating several of Alberta's coronavirus regulations, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police told NPR.

[View source.]