8 of our top opinion columns this week: ICYMI
From Trump's advocacy of hydroxychloroquine to his coronavirus failure to a furloughed physician assistant, here are some of our top columns of the week.
In today's fast-paced news environment, it can be hard to keep up. For your weekend reading, here are some of this week's top Paste BN Opinion pieces, most of them dealing with aspects of the coronavirus pandemic. As always, thanks for reading, and for your feedback. And be safe.
— Paste BN Opinion editors
1. Trump's coronavirus briefings are too dangerous for news media to show them live
By Chet Czarniak
"But then came Sunday. Watching [Trump] live, talking about how Americans should embrace hydroxychloroquine in a way that offered so much hope and no mention of potential downside, I changed my mind."
2. What do you have to lose taking hydroxychloroquine for coronavirus? Potentially your life
By Dr. Raymond L. Woosley
"HCQ has been tested in several viral illnesses but never found effective. Importantly, there is no evidence whatsoever that HCQ can prevent COVID-19, and there is only anecdotal evidence that it improves the course of the disease."
3. I'm a physician assistant on furlough when I could be helping coronavirus patients
By Jamie Goldstone
"I am a board-certified physician assistant. PAs are trained to handle the symptoms arising from COVID-19 that you would typically see in the emergency room, the floor of a hospital or an intensive care unit. Many of my peers, people I went to school with and work in my industry, are facing furloughs, shortened hours or layoffs."
4. 2 coronavirus tests hold the key to reopening America from pandemic lockdown
By The Editorial Board
"But for the millions of Americans not yet immune to COVID-19, the diagnostic tests that were in short supply during the outbreak (and are still not available to anyone who wants them, as the president falsely promised March 6) will still play a crucial role in many return-to-work proposals that experts outside the White House are offering."
5. Former prosecutor: Here's how I'd cross-examine Donald Trump about the coronavirus
By Michael J. Stern
"Sometimes Trump is asked one question and answers as if he had been asked a completely different question. Sometimes Trump ignores the question altogether and responds with a web of exaggerated self-praise. And sometimes Trump simply lies."
6. Ex-Republican on Trump coronavirus failures: Our lives depend on electing Joe Biden
By Bruce Bartlett
"So I'll say it again, defeating Trump is a matter of life and death. For good or ill, Biden is the only one who can do that. We must lash ourselves to his sail if we want to live. The cost of another Trump term is too horrible to contemplate."
7. As coronavirus spreads, cash bail is a virtual death sentence
By Seann Riley
"The need to deploy sensible, proven, cost-saving and humanitarian solutions is ever so dire. There indeed are workable alternatives that fulfill criminal justice objectives and protect the health needs of a historically vulnerable population"
8. Congress needs a way to vote remotely so lawmakers can do their jobs and avoid coronavirus
By Haley Victory Smith
"There has to be a way for our representatives to continue performing their duties without endangering themselves or their families. Some have suggested that lawmakers stay away from Washington for the time being, but during a national crisis, do we really want them rendered utterly unable to do their jobs? Remote voting is the most obvious solution."