August 7, 2020

Anthony Fauci warns that a coronavirus vaccine may not be highly effective, telling CNBC that scientists are hoping for at least 75% efficacy but that 50% or 60% would still be “acceptable.” The admission lands alongside a Gallup poll showing one in three Americans would refuse an FDA-approved vaccine, a skepticism the media increasingly frames as a misinformation problem requiring platform crackdowns—Facebook and Twitter penalize President Trump for posts containing what they deem coronavirus misinformation on the same day.

Russia’s race for a vaccine draws international concern, with Western officials and media questioning the ethics and safety of Moscow’s accelerated timeline. Meanwhile, congressional negotiators fail to reach a deal on the next coronavirus relief package, and Trump vows to issue executive orders amid the stalemate. The U.S. approaches 5 million confirmed cases as debate over masks continues to fracture the country, with Vox profiling anti-mask activists and a New Yorker essay noting that for most of the nearly five million American cases, the point of infection remains unknown.