excess deaths
![COVID vaccines](https://talkingpointsmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/GettyImages-1298099084-scaled.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1)
Clinical trials demonstrate how effective vaccines are individually, but the real world shows how effective they are at a population level.
![](https://talkingpointsmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/GettyImages-1219818017.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1)
This is your TPM early-afternoon briefing.
In the Trump administration, officials are more likely to dig their heels into errors than admit any level of wrongdoing.