Looking Forward Episode 83: Trump's COVID: Halo or Catastrophe?

Trump has tested positive for COVID-19 less than one month before the US election. What will this mean for the politics surrounding the upcoming election and could this revelation play for or against Trump’s faltering campaign? (1:59-21:45)

Trump has also received a kind of ‘cocktail’ of medication in response to contracting the virus, not all of which is available to the common American citizen. In the spirit of Right to Try, should this accelerate clinician’s access to beneficial drugs rather than just waiting for a vaccine? And are lockups and the wait for a vaccine just making people’s health worse? (21:45-35:59)

We discuss last night’s budget and our sudden emergence as a big-State social democratic country with a small state low(er) tax revenue base. Will this Keynesian but pro-business budget lift us out of recession, or is it time to look at productivity? (36:00-50:31)

Culture picks this week include Musical label, Cryo Chamber; Aeschylus’ play, The Eumenides; and a two-part TV series by Billy Ray, The Comey Rule. (51:29-1:04:21)

Show notes:

“Effect of calcifediol (Vitamin D treatment; M Castillo, et al

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960076020302764?fbclid=IwAR0Cl-D-Qx9g7YqbesGxjzQYGJ7-o5s7VY144QDyqLpHRZ4ffPTKXIlpoko

Is it wrong if I ask for the same?; Tyler Cowen

https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2020/10/is-it-wrong-if-i-ask-for-the-same.html

Donald Trump takes zinc. Maybe you should too; Allysia Finley

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/the-wall-street-journal/donald-trump-takes-zinc-maybe-you-should-too/news-story/79c7e91c0476d0f44e3dd62cbdea3f02

Why Human Challenge Trials Will Be Necessary to Get a Coronavirus Vaccine; Alex Tabarrok

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/coronavirus/why-human-challenge-trials-will-be-necessary-get-coronavirus-vaccine-152786

All the president’s medicine: How doctors are treating Donald Trump; Sascha Pezenik, Sony Salzman and Dr. Divya Chhabra

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/presidents-medicine-doctors-treating-donald-trump/story?id=73423761

Debt To Hit $2.05 Trillion, 60 Years To Pay Off; IPA