T-Squared: With COVID cases and hospitalizations climbing, The Texas Tribune Festival will be all-virtual after all
Weโd hoped to present some programs in person, but the health and well-being of our attendees, speakers and staff is top of mind. The good news is that we can stream the same smart conversations online, where they can be viewed conveniently, comfortably and safely.
T-Squared: What you can expect at this yearโs Texas Tribune Festival
Nearly 150 speakers (including 20 more biggies revealed today) across more than 50 sessions. Four days of virtual programs. Two jampacked days of in-person programs. Everything streamed. Everything on demand. Are you as excited as we are?
Medical schools, hospitals and plenty of coronavirus: How Texas became a leading COVID-19 research hub
In the race to develop a vaccine and other stopgap treatments for coronavirus patients in the meantime, Texas has emerged as a leading site for COVID-19 research. U.S. health officials announced last week that they had approved another large-scale COVID-19 vaccine trial, which reportedly has plans to recruit participants in Texas. Johnson & Johnson is the fourth company to begin large-scale clinical trials, behind Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech and AstraZeneca, all of which have trials running in Texas. A recent Axios-Ipsos poll found that 6 in 10 Americans say they would not take a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it is available. At the same time, leaders of vaccine clinical trials say theyโve seen unprecedented numbers of people asking to sign up.
Dr. Anthony Fauci says Americans should trust credibility of COVID-19 vaccine process
Dr. Anthony Fauci downplayed concerns about the safety of a COVID-19 vaccine during a conversation on Tuesday at the 2020 Texas Tribune Festival. This comes as a growing majority of people say they are not likely to be immunized as soon as a vaccine is available. It's "disturbing" that so many people are reticent to get a vaccine, he said, blaming โmixed messages that have come out of Washingtonโ for waning public trust. Others have viewed Trumpโs forecast that a vaccine could be ready by Election Day as politically motivated and expressed fears that the president might sidestep the regulatory process. โI feel cautiously optimistic, as a scientist, that we will have a safe and effective vaccine," Fauci said.
Hillary Clinton says Democrats should frame fight for Supreme Court seat around health care
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman to serve on the high court, died last week due to complications from cancer. Clintonโs advice to Democrats: Play up the risks to health care access that could result from a more conservative high court overturning laws such as the Affordable Care Act. Instead, she said, Democrats should โclearly define what the fight is.โโUltimately this fight, it seems to me, is about health care,โ Clinton said. โHealth care is literally before the court. She claimed those same people will not be eligible for affordable health insurance plans if Republicans take control of the Supreme Court and strike down the Affordable Care Act.
Gov. Greg Abbott used pandemic as cover to ban abortions in Texas, former Planned Parenthood head says
Greg Abbott used the pandemic as a guise to limit access to abortion. Greg Abbott of using the coronavirus pandemic as a guise to end abortion access in Texas. During the month-long period when Texas was shut down, top state officials and the courts effectively banned nearly all abortions. Circuit Court of Appeals largely sided with state officials throughout the legal back and forth. In the initial weeks of the pandemic, a number of states including Texas tried to ban abortions as part of emergency orders.
T-Squared: Okay, *this* is the best Texas Tribune Festival program ever
A sample of the more than 250 speakers at the 2020 Texas Tribune Festival. Back in June, we shared the general plan for virtual TribFest, the digital pivot from our signature in-person ideas weekend, made necessary by the coronavirus. Today we released the bulk of the 2020 Texas Tribune Festival program in glorious detail: more than 100 sessions over those 30 days, more than 250 speakers, and enough thought-provoking, news-making discussions to get you through your worst bout of cabin fever. Well soon announce our opening and closing night conversations, along with film screenings were finalizing for each weekend of the festival. Tickets remain on sale here, with generous discounts for Texas Tribune members, educators and students.
T-Squared: Heres our plan for the virtual Texas Tribune Festival. Tickets are on sale now.
On May 1 an eternity ago in public health crisis time we announced that this years Texas Tribune Festival would be online. Youll find the mix of marquee names from politics, policy and the media youve come to expect from us. Another big change: Early-bird tickets for our 2020 festival are $99 our best introductory rate ever. Were going to sell a limited number of these, at which point well raise the price for Tribune members and raise it a bit more for nonmembers. Disclosure: The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts and the University of Houston have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors.