| CORONAVIRUS & SCIENCE: The world’s ultimate rescue from COVID-19 will come from a cure, not mitigation, isolation or massive testing, although all of these responses are necessary, according to public health experts. Of more than 100 COVID-19 vaccine candidates in development, 10 have reached the clinical testing stage, according to California-based think tank Milken Institute. There is ample confidence that a cure is possible, but there are no guarantees. French pharmaceutical company Sanofi is partnering with GlaxoSmithKline for early-stage trials with hundreds of subjects to begin in September (Reuters). Pfizer and a German company are collaborating and embarked on human trials of a possible vaccine on Monday (The New York Times). In Israel, the health minister said on Tuesday that researchers isolated a monoclonal antibody that could neutralize the new coronavirus in what is described as a “significant breakthrough” toward a treatment (Reuters). Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told National Geographic in an interview that many trials occurring with speed appear promising. “You want a lot of shots on goal. We want four or five candidates that we put out there all within a reasonable time,” he said. He pointed to a vaccine candidate made by Cambridge, Mass.-based Moderna Therapeutics, which brought what’s known as an mRNA vaccine to human trials in a record 42 days. The Moderna drug uses a bit of the virus’s own genetic material to help trigger protective immunity in humans. Trump on Tuesday repeated his faith that “tremendous progress” is occurring in the hunt for a cure. “We’re looking to get a vaccine that works,” he said. The president marvels at what scientists have learned in little more than four months since the emergence of a never-before-seen pathogen. That collaborative, emergency education has revealed incorrect assumptions and pronouncements at the same time that COVID-19 keeps surprising researchers around the world, writes Reid Wilson. Understanding the biology of the new coronavirus is one thing. Unpacking what it does in humans in different settings and among various demographic groups is another. Scientists and researchers examine data sets, run calculations and make predictions to help politicians and clinicians try to outsmart COVID-19 with their responses, and to draw mountainous-looking pictures of what happens if they fail (The Hill). The Washington Post: There are European and Chinese strains of COVID-19. Is one strain now more contagious? Some non-peer-reviewed research makes that case. However, the scientific community’s consensus has been that strains of the coronavirus are functionally the same, even if they look genetically different. The New York Times: The New York City Health Department on Monday issued a bulletin asking doctors to report any cases of a COVID-19 related syndrome emerging over the past two weeks in children. The collection of symptoms, seen in patients ages 2 to 15 hospitalized in intensive care, differ from the disease’s respiratory effects in adults, caused by immune responses. In some young patients, the syndrome appears similar to a rare childhood illness called Kawasaki disease, which can lead to inflammation of the blood vessels, especially the coronary arteries. On Tuesday, the ousted director of the federal office involved in developing a coronavirus vaccine, Rick Bright, accused the administration of playing politics in reaction to his early warnings in January about COVID-19 and his professional view that the drug hydroxychloroquine was unlikely to be a breakthrough therapy to speed recovery, as stated by Trump. Bright, who was ousted by Health and Human Services bosses from his post as leader since 2016 of the influential Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority and transferred to a smaller assignment at the National Institutes of Health, filed a whistleblower complaint and has been called to testify before Congress (CNN and NBC News). The administration denies political retribution, and Trump has publicly challenged Bright’s claim to whistleblower status. 
© Twitter **** POLITICS & CAMPAIGNS: A TV ad by the Lincoln Project, a group of so-called Never Trump Republicans, drew the ire of the president earlier this week, continuing a war of words between the two sides that has lasted since Trump’s 2016 insurgent bid for the GOP nomination. Undoubtedly, the Never Trump movement was battered four years ago and has struggled since then. However, as Niall Stanage explores in his latest memo, there is the question of whether the cadre of ex-Republicans can be any more effective in this year's election campaign. While they have the capacity to make a lot of noise and attract media attention from many corners, their reach has not extended to influencing public opinion; the president continues to enjoy massive support from Republican voters as measured by polls. “I don’t think the Conway effort is indicative of how Republicans feel about the president,” said GOP strategist Ron Bonjean, a former Capitol Hill aide who worked on Justice Neil Gorsuch’s confirmation in 2017. “They don’t have a hostility to the president, and they believe COVID-19 took everyone by surprise.” > Biden allegations: Biden has the support another high-profile Democrat in the wake of allegations of sexual assault: Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). Warren told reporters on Capitol Hill that Biden’s denial of accusations by Tara Reade, a former Senate aide of the then-Delaware senator, was “credible” and “convincing.” “I believe that everyone has a right to tell her story, to be listened to, and treated with respect,” Warren told reporters on Monday. “I saw the reports of [what] Ms. Reade said, I saw the interview with Vice President Biden. I appreciate that the vice president took a lot of questions, tough questions — and that he answered them directly and respectfully. … The vice president’s answers were credible and convincing” (The Hill). Warren joins other top female Democrats, including Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Stacey Abrams, in backing Biden over the allegations. The Washington Post: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) declines to back Warren as possible Biden running mate despite liberal pedigree. > Primaries: A federal judge ruled on Tuesday that the New York Democratic presidential primary must take place June 23, saying that it’s cancellation would be unlawful, siding with Sanders and Andrew Yang due to potential representation issues at the Democratic National Convention in August. U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres in Manhattan ruled for the candidates after lawyers for Sanders and Yang argued Monday that they would be harmed in the process, saying that there is a requisite amount of time for the state to figure out how to hold the primary in a safe fashion due to COVID-19. Torres pointed to the actions of other states as most postponed primary contests, but none canceled them outright (The Associated Press). The Hill: Former President Obama endorses the Democrat in a California special House election. Politico: Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) embraces her wealth — and private jet — to jump-start campaign. | 
