In a statement to the press on Tuesday, President Trump declared that the United states would fight and win the battle against opioid addiction. Despite the fact that opioid overdoses killed tens of thousands last year, with 2017 on track to set a grim record, ABC and CBS skipped over Trump’s latest statement and new recommendations from his opioid commission. NBC was the only network in the Big Three to even mention them.
“And now we turn to another major story,” announced Anchor Lester Holt during NBC Nightly News to denote its importance. “President Trump today vowing to win the battle against the deadly opioid epidemic in this country.”
NBC’s Blake McCoy traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio to report on their dire reality. “This past Saturday, Hamilton County saw 22 suspected overdoses in 24 hours, prompting public health officials to issue a community wide alert,” he reported. “Dr. Sammarco, the coroner here, said she's already seen 313 overdose deaths this year, the county easily on track to pass last year's record, 403 deaths.”
On Fox News Channel's Special Report, Correspondent Kevin Corke went into a bit more detail on what the administration was looking to do:
This is a situation that affects millions of American families and the White House and this administration who is saying tonight they are going to aggressively approach the battle against opioid abuse in this country. Most notably they hope to do so by having more arrests and more prosecutions.
“They looked at this scourge and they let it go by. And we're not letting it go by. Strong law enforcement is absolutely vital to having a drug-free society,” said the President in a clip Corke began his report with.
“President Trump's working vacation continued today with what he called a major briefing on the epidemic of opioid drug use in the U.S.,” Corke stated. “The briefing comes as the President's commission, created to study the matter, is asking him to declare the opioid fight a national emergency and to wave the federal rule that restricts the number of people who can receive residential addiction treatment under Medicaid.”
After Trump’s “major briefing,” Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price told reporters “when you have the capacity of Yankee Stadium or Dodgers Stadium, dying every single year in this nation, that's a crisis that has to be given incredible attention. And the President is giving it that attention.”
Both ABC and CBS have covered the opioid epidemic in depth for a long time (well over a year), which made their silence on Trump’s briefing and the opioid commission’s public recommendations even more disappointing.
Transcripts below:
NBC Nightly News
August 8, 2017
7:06:47 PM EasternLESTER HOLT: And now we turn to another major story. President Trump today vowing to win the battle against the deadly opioid epidemic in this country. Though he stopped short of taking his commission's recommendation to declare a national emergency over it. Tonight NBC's Blake McCoy takes us inside a community in Ohio where this crisis is truly hitting home.
[Cuts to video]
BLAKE MCCOY: Beneath Cincinnati's scenic beauty lies an epidemic that is rotting away at this community. This past Saturday, Hamilton County saw 22 suspected overdoses in 24 hours, prompting public health officials to issue a community wide alert.
DR. LAKSHMI SAMMARCO: We're yelling as loudly as we can and nobody's listening. The ones that don't listen end up here.
MCCOY: Dr. Sammarco, the coroner here, said she's already seen 313 overdose deaths this year, the county easily on track to pass last year's record, 403 deaths.
…
MCCOY: As the crisis drags on, there's growing concern about heroin fatigue.
POLICE CHIEF THOMAS SYNAN: We can't say we're not overwhelmed. We are. It is frustrating to know that you want to help people but you don't have the tools and resources to do it.
MCCOY: First responders, responding again and again in a community ravaged by addiction. Blake McCoy, NBC news, Cincinnati.
...
Fox News Channel
Special Report
August 8, 2017
6:11:44 PM Eastern…
KEVIN CORKE: This is a situation that affects millions of American families and the White House and this administration who is saying tonight they are going to aggressively approach the battle against opioid abuse in this country. Most notably they hope to do so by having more arrests and more prosecutions.
[Cuts to video]
DONALD TRUMP: They looked at this scourge and they let it go by. And we're not letting it go by. Strong law enforcement is absolutely vital to having a drug-free society.
CORKE: President Trump's working vacation continued today with what he called a major briefing on the epidemic of opioid drug use in the U.S. A Healthcare crisis that killed nearly 100 Americans daily. The briefing comes as the President's commission, created to study the matter, is asking him to declare the opioid fight a national emergency and to wave the federal rule that restricts the number of people who can receive residential addiction treatment under Medicaid.
The problem is metastasizing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which said in a statement: “The amount of opioids prescribed and sold in the U.S. quadrupled since 1999. But the overall amount of pain reported by Americans hasn't changed. This epidemic is devastating American lives, families, and communities.”
…
TOM PRICE: When you have the capacity of Yankee stadium or Dodgers stadium, dying every single year in this nation, that's a crisis that has to be given incredible attention. And the President is giving it that attention.
…
