Only a few people know what it's like to lead the White House's response to a public health crisis. Ron Klain is one of them. He was chosen in 2014 by President Obama to steer the U.S. effort to fight Ebola, just when it looked like the outbreak was about to spiral out of control. Ron joined POLITICO's Dan Diamond to explain how he became the U.S. Ebola "czar" (starts at the 2:00 mark), why he thinks the nation is losing the current fight against Zika (8:25), why a travel ban was a "horrible idea" for Ebola and would be "pointless" for Zika (17:00), why he wouldn't cancel Brazil's Olympics yet (23:00), how he'd design a new federal agency to fight the next public health emergency (24:30), and how fighting Ebola compares to his experiences in the Bush v. Gore recount, the Clarence Thomas hearings, and other high-profile Washington battles (32:00). Plus: Don't miss the lightning round quiz at 36:45. In a bonus, POLITICO's Jen Haberkorn — who's been covering the Zika funding fight on the Hill — offers details on the latest funding packages and why Congress is dawdling (41:00). Have questions, suggestions or feedback? Email ddiamond@politico.com.
Only a few people know what it's like to lead the White House's response to a public health crisis. Ron Klain is one of them. He was chosen in 2014 by President Obama to steer the U.S. effort to fight Ebola, just when it looked like the outbreak was about to spiral out of control.
Ron joined POLITICO's Dan Diamond to explain how he became the U.S. Ebola "czar" (starts at the 2:00 mark), why he thinks the nation is losing the current fight against Zika (8:25), why a travel ban was a "horrible idea" for Ebola and would be "pointless" for Zika (17:00), why he wouldn't cancel Brazil's Olympics yet (23:00), how he'd design a new federal agency to fight the next public health emergency (24:30), and how fighting Ebola compares to his experiences in the Bush v. Gore recount, the Clarence Thomas hearings, and other high-profile Washington battles (32:00). Plus: Don't miss the lightning round quiz at 36:45.
In a bonus, POLITICO's Jen Haberkorn — who's been covering the Zika funding fight on the Hill — offers details on the latest funding packages and why Congress is dawdling (41:00). Have questions, suggestions or feedback? Email ddiamond@politico.com.