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US ends federal mask mandate; COVID protection is personal responsibility
US Ends Federal Mask Mandate; Biden Unlikely to Appeal | US Politics In :60 | GZERO Media

US ends federal mask mandate; COVID protection is personal responsibility

Jon Lieber, head of Eurasia Group's coverage of political and policy developments in Washington, discusses the end of federal mask mandates:

What are the implications of the end of the federal mask mandate?

A federal judge in Florida this week ruled that President Biden's order requiring masks, facial coverings on federally regulated forms of transportation, including planes, buses, and trains is unlawful and should not be enforced. The mask mandate was the most visible and impactful mandate handed down by President Biden, who campaigned in 2020 on doing more than his predecessor, Donald Trump to stop the spread of the virus, but was really limited by the limited authorities the federal government has to take drastic measures to control public safety, most of which are controlled by the states. This is the latest setback to Biden's pandemic policies. Earlier this year, a federal judge said that he did not have the ability to impose a vaccine mandate for large employers. And at this point, Biden lacks both the policy tools and the political standing to do much else.

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Mark Suzman’s big lesson learned from COVID
Mark Suzman’s Big Lesson Learned From COVID | GZERO Media

Mark Suzman’s big lesson learned from COVID

When now-CEO Mark Suzman joined the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2007, global health efforts were focused on the transition to fighting diseases like HIV, malaria, or TB under initiatives such as The Global Fund or PEPFAR.

Fifteen years later, the main lesson he's learned from COVID is is that "we have and did in the end respond albeit late," Suzman said during a livestream discussion on equitable vaccine distribution hosted by GZERO Media in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

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Why pandemic was "perfect storm" for violence against women: Dr. Okito Wedi
Why Pandemic Was "Perfect Storm" for Violence Against Women: Dr. Okito Wedi | GZERO Media

Why pandemic was "perfect storm" for violence against women: Dr. Okito Wedi

Gender-based violence tends to jump in any emergency situation, and the pandemic was no different. During COVID-related lockdowns around the world, Creative Development CEO Dr. Okito Vanessa Wedi says the home was no safe space for women. "Preexisting toxic social norms, together with actually being in a pandemic, losses of jobs, anxiety about the future [and] the restriction of movement" all created a "perfect storm" that turned partners into abusers.

She spoke during "Measuring what matters: How women are critical to pandemic recovery," a livestream conversation on October 28, 2021, hosted by GZERO Media in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The Graphic Truth: COVID deaths falling in leading countries

The entire world has been affected by COVID, but some countries have felt the pain more than others. A combination of poor political leadership, lack of resources, and socioeconomic factors has resulted in unprecedented death tolls in several countries over the past 20 months. But there's some good news on the horizon: deaths are plummeting in four of the top five countries with the highest overall COVID death tolls to date. We take a look at the weekly death toll in the US, Brazil, Mexico, Russia, and India since the start of the pandemic.

GDP should reflect cost of polluting planet, says Microsoft's John Frank
GDP Should Reflect Cost of Polluting Planet Says Microsoft’s John Frank | Global Stage | GZERO Media

GDP should reflect cost of polluting planet, says Microsoft's John Frank

As the 76th UN General Assembly gets underway, dealing with the pandemic is still the top priority for world leaders. But for John Frank, vice president of UN Global Affairs at Microsoft, COVID is not the only major challenge the world faces today.

One of them — included in the UN Secretary-General's new Common Agenda for strong, inclusive pandemic recovery — is a different way to measure economic growth beyond the traditional productivity-led GDP model by taking more into account the cost of pollution, one of the main causes of climate change.

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Niall Ferguson: Blame bureaucrats, not leaders, for mismanaging disasters
Niall Ferguson: Blame Bureaucrats, Not Leaders, for Mismanaging Disasters | GZERO World

Niall Ferguson: Blame bureaucrats, not leaders, for mismanaging disasters

When a government fails on disaster response, Stanford University historian Niall Ferguson says we often point the finger at the wrong person: the president — even if he's Donald Trump — instead of the mid-level bureaucrats who're actually responsible for most decisions. "When people are inclined to blame the person at the top, on closer inspection the point of failure is not there," Ferguson tells Ian Bremmer in the upcoming episode of GZERO World. Check local listings to watch on US public television.

How will we deal with the next pandemic?
How Will We Deal with the Next Pandemic? | GZERO Media

How will we deal with the next pandemic?

While most of the world is still grappling with COVID, some countries — mostly wealthy ones with early access to vaccines — are thinking about preparing for the next pandemic. This sentiment ties into a wider debate about health security that was missing when the virus hit us all early last year.

Indeed, we should aspire to ensure the health security of our population instead of waiting for it to get sick, Flagship Pioneering CEO Noubar Afeyan said on June 9, during a live discussion,Stronger Partnerships for a Healthier World: Mutually Assured Protection— the second in GZERO Media's two-part discussion, Beyond the Pandemic: A Radical New Approach to Health Security, presented in partnership with Flagship Pioneering.

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Watch our live event: global health beyond the pandemic

Could the biggest health crisis of our lifetimes actually lead to a healthier world? Watch the second part of our live event series about what public health will look like after the COVID-19 pandemic, presented in partnership with Flagship Pioneering, the bio-platform company that founded Moderna and dozens of other life sciences firms.

Days before world leaders G7 meeting, we will bring political leaders and policy makers together with health experts and scientists to discuss lessons learned from and the latest innovations to preempt both COVID-19 variants and future infectious disease pandemics.

Attendance is free and open to the public. Please register to attend.

The virtual event will be hosted by Noubar Afeyan, founder & CEO of Flagship Pioneering, and Ian Bremmer, president and founder of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media.

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