COVID-19 Fractures Republican Support of Trump, the Wildlife Issue for Pandemics, and More

May 12, 2020

As the coronavirus continues to claim lives in the United States, some Republican governors and members of Congress are beginning to waver on their support of President Trump. Elaine Kamarck writes that if the Trump administration’s response to COVID-19 does not change, more party fractures are likely to surface.

Pandemics can arise for a wide array of reasons—from improper husbandry of wild and domestic animals, veterinary failures, or encroachment on certain habitats. Vanda Felbab-Brown argues that Mexico needs to rethink its relationship with nature if it is to prevent future zoogenic outbreaks of disease.

“2020 will be the first time this century that the number of poor people will rise.” Homi Kharas and Kristofer Hamel explain that all the progress in reducing global poverty since the launch of the Sustainable Development Goals has been lost, and outline ways to reduce the impact of the pandemic on developing economies.

A note on the Brookings response to COVID-19:

The Brookings Institution campus in Washington, D.C. will be closed through at least June 1. For more information, read our full guidance here. As Brookings experts continue to assess the global impacts of COVID-19, read the latest analysis and policy recommendations at our coronavirus page or stay up to date with our coronavirus newsletter.

The conclusions and recommendations of any Brookings publication are solely those of its author(s), and do not reflect the views of the Institution, its management, or its other scholars.

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