In the latest example of how the Trump administration is monumentally botching the response to a public health emergency, the president called the CDC’s guidance for safely reopening schools too“ tough” and “expensive” and even threatened to cut funding from schools that were planning virtual instruction. In response, CDC head Dr. Robert Redfield suggested that the guidance was indeed “guidance, not requirements” and that it shouldn’t be used to justify keeping schools closed. By restricting what CDC scientists can recommend on how to open schools safely, the Trump administration is heightening the risk to children, their families, and their teachers of contracting a potentially deadly disease. Read more >