Face The Nation Season 66 Episode 37 11/29: Birx, Duggan, Margo, Gottlieb, Beasley

On November 29, 2020, the popular Sunday morning political talk show Face The Nation aired its 37th episode of the 66th season. The episode was titled "11/29: Birx, Duggan, Margo, Gottlieb, Beasley." This episode aired during a highly contentious time in American politics, as the country continued to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and a fraught presidential transition period.

As always, the episode was hosted by veteran journalist Margaret Brennan, who began the show with a quick recap of some of the biggest political news stories of the week. From there, the show moved to the first guest: Dr. Deborah Birx, a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force. Birx is an expert in infectious diseases and a highly respected voice in the public health community, so her insights on the state of the pandemic were highly anticipated.

During her interview, Birx spoke about the alarming surge in cases that was occurring across the country at the time, and urged Americans to take the virus seriously and take steps to protect themselves and others. She also discussed the recent news that several companies had developed highly effective vaccines, though she cautioned that it would be months before these vaccines were widely available to the public.

Next up was Mike Duggan, the mayor of Detroit. He spoke about how his city had managed to keep virus cases relatively low despite being an urban hotspot, and discussed his plans for distributing vaccines when they became available to his constituents. He also spoke about the importance of federal aid for local governments hit hard by the pandemic.

Then came Dee Margo, the mayor of El Paso, Texas. El Paso had been hit particularly hard by COVID-19, and Margo spoke about the devastating toll the virus had taken on his community. He discussed the challenges of balancing public safety with economic concerns, and urged Americans to come together to protect each other and support one another during this difficult time.

The final guest was Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. Gottlieb spoke about the state of vaccine development and distribution, and emphasized the importance of getting vaccines distributed efficiently and equitably. He also spoke about the potential for a surge in cases as Americans gathered for the holiday season, and what steps could be taken to mitigate that risk.

Finally, the episode concluded with a panel discussion featuring Gretchen Whitmer, the governor of Michigan, and David Beasley, the executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme. The panel discussed a wide range of topics related to the pandemic, from the importance of food aid to the need for federal relief for states and local governments.

All in all, the 37th episode of the 66th season of Face The Nation provided a valuable snapshot of the state of the COVID-19 pandemic in late 2020, and featured insightful commentary from a diverse range of experts and policymakers.