Tony's Diary Package — page 691

,200,000/560,600 PRESS: White House Press Conference with Jen Psaki and Jeff Z.; CBS Evening News with Norah O'Donnell; NBC Evening News with Lester Holt; ABC Evening News with Linsey Davis; MSNBC with Chris Hayes April 14, 2021 - Global -137,000,000/3,000,000; USA - 31,200,000/560,600 There is a very important issue going on regarding a dispute between the vaccine Research Center an Moderna regarding the inventorship of the patent associated with the confirmation of the spike protein. For some strange reason Moderna wants to give us Co ownership of the patent but not inventorship of the patent. The VRC insists with good reason that we are true inventors of the patent. We had a conversation this morning among Francis Collins , myself , John Mascola, and Mark Rohrbaugh concerning any leverage that we might have over Moderna to pressure them in sharing the expertise of their technology with developing countries particularly in southern Africa. They have made a public statement that they will not interfere with any countries that want to use their technology. However, given the complexity of the technologies it is important that they pitch in and help the companies transfer the technology. Peter Staley and his activist friends are understandably pushing us to exert pressure on Moderna to transfer their technology to the developing world. The reason why the patent issue becomes relevant here is that the more control we have over what Moderna does the better we will be able to pressure them into the above. We decided that the best approach would be for Francis Collins and I to have a telephone call with the CEO of Moderna , Stephane Bancel and the POresident of Moderna, Stephen Hoge. Had call with Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro of the House Appropriations Committee. She wants to know what I think she should do with the $6.5 billion that they want to give to ARPA-H that would go to NIH. There is a fear among NIH grantees that the regular increases that NIH usually receives on a yearly basis will be diminished be 'cause the Congress is now giving the NIH $6.5 billion for "special projects". They were thinking of giving the NIH $2.5 billion for the regular appropriation plus $6.5 billion for the special projects for a total of $9 billion, which is a lot. I suggested to Rosa that she called some of the money off the $6.5 billion and add it to the regular appropriation for the NIH. She seemed OK with this. I had recently received a letter from senator Lindsey Graham essentially demanding that as the chief medical advisor to president Biden, I go down to the border and look at the difficult health conditions there regarding the SARS coronavirus. Subsequent to that I received a letter from about 8 or 9 congressmen asking me to do the same thing. In fact, in his letter to me senator Graham said I was neglecting my responsibility as the adviser to the president if I did not go down to the border and report back on the "terrible conditions" on the border. This is clearly a set up trying to embarrass the president. Tomorrow I testify before the house Energy and Commerce Select Committee on COVID-19. Two congressmen who signed the letter will be there. I anticipate that they will ask me the same question about going to the border. Today I asked Jeff Zients to ask Ron Klain and the president if it is OK for me to say that since I am the chief medical advisor to the president I would be happy to go to the border if the president ask me to. However, with all due respect I am not the adviser to the Congress but to