August 1, 2020

The rift between President Trump and his infectious-disease experts bursts into open conflict on the first day of August. Trump tells Axios that Dr. Anthony Fauci is “wrong” about the surge in coronavirus cases, and Tucker Carlson on Fox calls Fauci a “fraud” after a tense House hearing. Bill Gates weighs in from the sidelines, calling the U.S. testing system “absolutely useless” because results arrive too slowly to matter. A viral video of a U.S. doctor promoting hydroxychloroquine as a cure for the virus draws fresh attention as the drug’s champion doubles down on his claims.

Mask mandates become a battleground across the country. Wisconsin Republicans announce they “stand ready” to strike down the Democratic governor’s new mask requirement, lawsuits challenge mandates and business closures across the South, and a crowd rallies against Minnesota’s mandate at the state capitol. In the Netherlands, public health officials remain unbending in their refusal to recommend masks, citing a lack of scientific evidence for their efficacy. Mask disputes turn physical: a Staples customer recovering from a liver transplant is thrown to the ground and suffers a broken leg after confronting another shopper about not wearing one, while people unable to comply for health reasons report being abused in public.

The reopening of schools — a central flashpoint of the month — produces early warning signs. An Arizona school superintendent tells the Washington Post that bringing students back in person this fall is “a fantasy,” while an Indiana school that reopened sees the coronavirus creep in within days, as documented by the New York Times. Private and parochial schools in Maryland prepare to welcome students on campus even as the state’s public schools commit to remote learning.