The New York Times: U.S. Sets Record For Daily New Cases As Virus Surges In South And West
More than two months after the United States recorded its worst day of new infections since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the nation reached another grim milestone on Wednesday as it reported 36,880 new cases. (6/24)

The Wall Street Journal: Coronavirus Cases Are Accelerating Across U.S. 
Covid-19’s spread is picking up steam in a larger swath of the U.S. as cases have increased at a faster rate nationwide for nearly two weeks, an acceleration that isn’t attributable solely to increased testing, a Wall Street Journal analysis shows. Thirty-three states, from Oklahoma to South Carolina and Washington, had a seven-day average of new cases on Tuesday that was higher than their average during the past two weeks, according to a Journal analysis of Johns Hopkins University data. That was the situation in 21 states at the start of the month, so the data reflect recent increases in new cases. (Krouse, DeBarros and Abbott, 6/24)

AP: 'Coming Back And Biting Us': US Sees Virus Resurgence
A coronavirus resurgence is wiping out two months of progress in the U.S. and sending infections to dire new levels across the South and West, with hospital administrators and health experts warning Wednesday that politicians and a tired-of-being-cooped-up public are letting a disaster unfold. The U.S. recorded a one-day total of 34,700 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, the highest level since late April, when the number peaked at 36,400, according to a count kept by Johns Hopkins University. (Merchant and Lozano, 6/25)

CNN: US Coronavirus: 'Apocalyptic' Surges Feared In Some Cities
The three most populous states set records for new coronavirus cases daily with fears of "apocalyptic" surges in major Texas cities if the trend continues. Coronavirus has killed at least 121,979 people and infected nearly 2.4 million nationwide, according to Johns Hopkins. Florida and Texas announced Wednesday that they'd recorded more than 5,000 new Covid-19 cases the prior day, a new daily record. California reported more than 7,000 cases, obliterating a record hit a day earlier. (Karimi and Wood, 6/25)

AP: Virus Cases Surge Among The Young, Endangering Older Adults
Coronavirus cases are climbing rapidly among young adults in a number of states where bars, stores and restaurants have reopened — a disturbing generational shift that not only puts them in greater peril than many realize but poses an even bigger danger to older people who cross their paths. (Johnson and Lush, 6/25)

The Washington Post: Coronavirus Deaths Lag Behind New Spike In Infections, But May Catch Up Soon
With novel coronavirus infections setting a single-day national record Wednesday, health experts are taking little solace from one of the few bright spots in the current resurgence: Deaths are not rising in lockstep with caseloads. But that may be just a matter of time. (Bernstein, Weiner and Achenbach, 6/24)

Reuters: U.S. Northeast Governors Order Quarantine Of Visitors From Coronavirus Hot Spot States 
The governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut on Wednesday ordered travelers from eight other U.S. states to be quarantined for two weeks on arrival, as COVID-19 infections surged in regions spared the brunt of the initial outbreak. The unprecedented travel restrictions came as Disney announced it would delay the reopening of its theme parks, and Nevada’s governor signed a directive requiring face coverings in casinos and all other public places from Friday. (Allen and Szekely, 6/24)

The New York Times: N.Y., N.J. And Conn. To Begin Coronavirus Travel Quarantine For Hot Spot States 
A few months ago, New York was suffering through the worst ravages of the coronavirus pandemic. Hospitals filled to near capacity. Hundreds of people died each day, reaching a peak in mid-April. The rest of the country recoiled at the sight of a New York license plate. Florida and Rhode Island singled out New York travelers, who researchers now believe helped to seed the spread of the virus in other states. (Goodman, 6/24)

ABC News: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut Announce Quarantine For Travelers From High-Risk Coronavirus Areas 
Anyone visiting New York, Connecticut or New Jersey from Florida and other high-risk states for coronavirus will have to quarantine for 14 days, the governors announced Wednesday. "We have to make sure the virus doesn't come on again in a plane," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at a press conference, joined by Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy. "We worked hard to get the viral transmission down and don't want it to go back up again." (Torres and Katersky, 6/24)

AP: Heading To These 3 States? Quarantine Might Be In The Cards
New York, Connecticut and New Jersey asked Wednesday for travelers from states with high coronavirus infection rates to go into quarantine for 14 days in a bid to preserve hard-fought gains as caseloads rise elsewhere in the country. “We now have to make sure the rates continue to drop,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday at a briefing in New York City, joined via video by Govs. Phil Murphy of New Jersey and Ned Lamont of Connecticut, both fellow Democrats. “We also have to make sure the virus doesn’t come on a plane again.” (Hill, 6/25)

CNN: Trump Won't Follow New Jersey Quarantine Mandate During Upcoming Trip 
President Donald Trump will not abide by a new travel advisory in New Jersey requiring a quarantine period for visitors from coronavirus hotspots when he visits his Bedminster golf club this weekend. "The President of the United States is not a civilian. Anyone who is in close proximity to him, including staff, guests, and press are tested for COVID-19 and confirmed to be negative," White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement. (LeBlanc and Liptak, 6/24)

CIDRAP: As US COVID Cases Surge, NY Quarantines Travelers From Hot Spots
The United States tracked more than 36,000 cases of COVID-19 yesterday, the third highest daily count ever. According to the Johns Hopkins University tracker, the country now has 2,369,806 cases, including 121,846 deaths. In response to growing case counts across the country, the governors of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut today announced they will require self-quarantine for 14 days of visitors from Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Washington, Reuters reported. (Soucheray, 6/24)

Boston Globe: Rhode Island May Require Visitors From Coronavirus Hotspots To Quarantine
Governor Gina M. Raimondo on Wednesday said she’s thinking of requiring that people visiting Rhode Island from places with high coronavirus infection rates go into quarantine -- similar to a step announced earlier in the day by the governors of New York, Connecticut and New Jersey. Back in March, Raimondo ordered anyone traveling to Rhode Island from New York to stay quarantined for 14 days, and had the State Police stop cars with New York license plates to give the drivers copies of her quarantine order to help halt the spread of the illness. (Fitzpatrick, 6/24)

AP: US Supports Legal Challenge To Hawaii Traveler Quarantine
A quarantine imposed on travelers arriving to Hawaii discriminates against out-of-state residents, the U.S. Department of Justice said in support of a lawsuit challenging the mandate meant to protect the islands against the spread of the coronavirus. “This case raises issues of national public importance regarding the interplay between the government’s compelling interest in protecting the public and citizens’ constitutional rights,” the Justice Department said in a “statement of interest.” (Sinco Kelleher, 6/25)

CNN: Dozens Of Secret Service Agents Will Be Quarantined After Trump's Tulsa Rally 
Dozens of Secret Service agents will be quarantined as a precaution following President Donald Trump's rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a law enforcement official told CNN on Wednesday. The mass quarantine has led to the decision that Secret Service agents involved with presidential trips must be tested for coronavirus for the next couple of weeks, according to an email sent to agency personnel. The email sent out Wednesday was confirmed by the law enforcement official. Agents must now be tested 24 to 48 hours before a presidential trip, the email said. The new testing mandate will be in place until July 4. (Acosta and LeBlanc, 6/24)

The Washington Post: Dozens Of Secret Service Officers And Agents Told To Self-Quarantine After Trump’s Tulsa Rally 
The Secret Service instructed employees who worked the Tulsa event to stay at home for 14 days when they returned from the weekend trip, according to two people familiar with the agency’s decision. The order came in the wake of the discovery — hours before the president’s Saturday evening rally — that at least six advance staffers who helped organize the trip had tested positive for the virus, including two Secret Service employees. Another two advance staffers tested positive after Trump returned to Washington on Sunday. (Leonnig and Partlow, 6/24)

The Hill: Trump Rally Sparks Self Quarantine Of Dozens Of Secret Service Agents 
The Secret Service field office in Tulsa arranged for a testing session at a hospital to determine if area agents and some local officials were infected with COVID-19, the Washington Post reported. "The U.S. Secret Service remains prepared and staffed to fulfill all of the various duties as required. Any implication that the agency is in some way unprepared or incapable of executing our mission would be inaccurate," U.S. Secret Service Director of Communications Catherine Milhoan told The Hill on Wednesday. (Pitofsky, 6/24)

ABC News: Trump Administration Says It Will No Longer Directly Run COVID-19 Testing Sites
The Trump administration said Wednesday it will no longer directly run virus testing sites, which it had been doing in hard-hit parts of the country, opting instead to "transition" control of the last of its 13 sites to the states, including seven in Texas. Administration officials defended the move as necessary to scale up testing at local pharmacies and other retail sites where Americans routinely visit, and they insisted that sites exclusively run by federal bureaucrats were never meant to be permanent. (Flaherty and Siegel, 6/24)

NPR: Trump Administration Moving To Close Federally Funded COVID Testing Sites
The testing sites are located in Colorado, Pennsylvania, Illinois, New Jersey and Texas. They are the last of 41 federally operated testing sites. Federal officials say the sites have been closing or transferring to state or local control because it's more efficient to run testing that way. In other instances they argue there are readily available testing sites nearby. (Romo, 6/24)

Politico: Trump Administration Ending Support For Drive-Thru Testing Sites 
The sites, which HHS says are spread across five states, are the remnants of a larger federal testing program established early in the pandemic. Seven sites are in Texas, which is experiencing record numbers of confirmed coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. (Lim, 6/24)

Modern Healthcare: HHS, FEMA End Funding For 13 COVID-19 Test Sites
The sites, called Community-Based Testing Sites, had been supported by Federal Emergency Management Agency and HHS since mid-March. The agencies formulated an agreement in May to sunset funding for the sites at the end of June. ... Dr. Brett Giroir, HHS' assistant secretary for health and the official heading up the Trump administration's COVID-19 diagnostic testing effort, said on a call with reporters Wednesday that the agencies have worked with governors to ensure the sites can transition smoothly. (Bannow, 6/24)

The Hill: Trump 'Not Withdrawing Support' From COVID-19 Testing Sites, Official Says 
The Trump administration is not abandoning federally funded coronavirus testing sites, the administration's COVID-19 testing czar said Wednesday. Adm. Brett Giroir, the assistant secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services, said that even though the government will stop directly funding 13 community-based coronavirus testing sites, the amount of testing will not decrease and the sites should not lose resources. (Weixel, 6/24)

CBS DFW: North Texas Leaders Request Trump Administration Extend Funding For Coronavirus Testing Sites
With Covid-19 cases rising in Dallas County, Judge Clay Jenkins said Wednesday, he and Mayor Eric Johnson have asked the Trump administration to reconsider the decision to end federal funding for its community testing sites after June 30 and instead, to extend it, as it has done before. “We really can’t afford to lose any of our resources right now.” (Fink, 6/24)

ABC News: COVID-19 Antibodies May Fade In As Little As 2 Months, Study Says 
As the world grapples with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a new study suggests that antibodies -- the proteins produced by the immune system that can grant protection against reinfection -- may fade in as little as two months after infection in certain people who have recovered from the virus. The study was conducted in China and published in Nature Medicine. (Nunez, 6/24)

Reuters: Exclusive: Vaccine Alliance Finds Manufacturing Capacity For 4 Billion Doses Of Coronavirus Vaccines 
An influential foundation focused on preparation and response to epidemics that is backing nine potential coronavirus vaccines has identified manufacturers with capacity to produce four billion doses a year, the group’s top manufacturing expert told Reuters. (Steenhuysen, 6/25)

AP: Flu Vaccine Was Disappointing Vs. Some Strains Last Season
The flu vaccine did a disappointing job last winter in the U.S., and officials worry that might be a bad sign for the fall. Flu vaccines had been about 60% effective against the type of flu that caused the most lab-confirmed illnesses last winter, but last season’s vaccine was only about half that good, according to study results reported Wednesday. (Stobbe, 6/24)

In other news —

The New York Times: Breakthrough Drug For Covid-19 May Be Risky For Mild Cases 
Scientists in Britain announced a major breakthrough in the battle against the coronavirus last week, reporting they had found the first drug to reduce deaths among critically ill Covid-19 patients. The results were first made public in a sparsely detailed news release. Now the full study, neither peer reviewed nor published yet, has been posted online, and it holds a surprise. (Rabin, 6/24)

The Washington Post: Trump Is Headlining Fireworks At Mount Rushmore. Experts Worry Two Things Could Spread: Virus And Wildfire. 
President Trump is planning a massive fireworks display at Mount Rushmore on July 3, despite a decade-long ban on pyrotechnics at the iconic spot because of concerns about public health, environmental and safety risks. Trump has wanted to stage fireworks at the national memorial in South Dakota’s Black Hills since 2018, according to two individuals familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. But the idea was scuttled or delayed by a number of his advisers, these individuals said. (Eilperin, Fears and Dawsey, 6/24)

AP: 'Faces Of The Conquerors': Trump Trip To Rushmore Draws Fire
Several groups led by Native American activists are planning protests for Trump’s July 3 visit, part of Trump’s “comeback” campaign for a nation reeling from sickness, unemployment and, recently, social unrest. The event is slated to include fighter jets thundering over the 79-year-old stone monument in South Dakota’s Black Hills and the first fireworks display at the site since 2009. But it comes amid a national reckoning over racism and a reconsideration of the symbolism of monuments around the globe. Many Native Americans activists say the Rushmore memorial is as reprehensible as the many Confederate monuments being toppled around the nation. (Groves, 6/25)

The New York Times: Trump’s False Attacks On Voting By Mail Stir Broad Concern 
President Trump is stepping up his attacks on the integrity of the election system, sowing doubts about the November vote at a time when the pandemic has upended normal balloting and as polls show former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. ahead by large margins. (Haberman, Dorasaniti and Qiu, 6/24)

AP: Mail-In Ballots Thrust Postal Service Into Presidential Race
The U.S. Postal Service’s famous motto — “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers” — is being tested like never before, by challenges that go well beyond the weather. ... Results were delayed this week in Kentucky and New York as both states were overwhelmed by huge increases in mail ballots. (Weissert, 6/25)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia Lawmakers Move To Ban Mass Absentee Ballot Solicitations
A Georgia House committee voted Wednesday to prohibit election officials from mailing absentee ballot request forms to voters, as Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger did before this month’s primary election to encourage voting from home. The legislation would prevent the kind of large-scale absentee voting effort undertaken during the coronavirus pandemic, when Raffensperger sent absentee ballot applications to 6.9 million Georgia voters. (Niesse, 6/24)

AP: Election Results Are Delayed Again. Get Used To It.
Kentucky and New York had primaries Tuesday, but the winners of the closest races probably won’t be known until next week. What’s going on? Get used to it. Slow vote counts and delayed results are a feature of elections during the pandemic and are likely to continue into the general election in November, when many election officials say that, absent a landslide, it won’t be clear who won the presidential election for several days. (Riccardi and Ohlemacher, 6/25)

The Washington Post: Black And Gay Candidates Tap The Energy Of Racial Justice Protests And Push For Equality In Bid For Electoral Breakthroughs 
Young black and gay candidates were heading for electoral breakthroughs this week, turning the public clamor for racial justice and equality into likely primary upsets in New York, Kentucky and Virginia. Those results have revealed a resurgent left, which has pivoted from defeat in the Democratic presidential primary to a focus on down-ballot races. In safe blue seats, and in places where the party has tended to nominate moderates, a coalition of white liberals and nonwhite voters is transferring energy from the past month’s protest movements into challenges of the party’s establishment. (Weigel and Kane, 6/24)

AP: Democrats Confirm Plans For Nearly All-Virtual Convention
Democrats will hold an almost entirely virtual presidential nominating convention Aug. 17-20 in Milwaukee using live broadcasts and online streaming, party officials said Wednesday. Joe Biden plans to accept the presidential nomination in person, but it remains to be seen whether there will be a significant in-person audience there to see it. (Barrow, 6/24)

The Wall Street Journal: Biden To Attend Milwaukee Convention, But Democrats Will Tell Delegates To Stay Home 
The DNC said convention organizers will encourage state delegations to plan to conduct their official business remotely. The committee is developing a process to ensure that delegates can cast their votes on convention matters, including the presidential nomination, without being at the convention in person. The party will also host events in several satellite cities across the nation during the convention. (Thomas and Glazer, 6/24)

The Washington Post: Delegates Told To Stay Home For Joe Biden’s Nominating Convention In Milwaukee
The decision to shift gears and shrink attendance, abandoning the city’s basketball arena for a nearby convention hall, is intended to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus and establish a clear contrast with President Trump, who wants a large and raucous event with thousands of cheering supporters to celebrate his nomination. “The thing that I believe more than anything is that Donald Trump needs the roar of a crowd to feel he is in charge,” Democratic convention CEO Joe Solmonese said. “And Joe Biden was born to be in charge.” (Scherer, 6/24)

In other election news —

The New York Times: Biden Takes Dominant Lead As Voters Reject Trump On Virus And Race
Joseph R. Biden Jr. has taken a commanding lead over President Trump in the 2020 race, building a wide advantage among women and nonwhite voters and making deep inroads with some traditionally Republican-leaning groups that have shifted away from Mr. Trump following his ineffective response to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new national poll of registered voters by The New York Times and Siena College. (Burns, Martin and Stevens, 6/24)

Reuters: Biden To Attack Trump On Healthcare In Election Battleground 
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Thursday will visit the heart of must-win Pennsylvania to highlight healthcare policies that his campaign hopes will sway voters to choose him over President Donald Trump. As part of a slow creep out of his Delaware home amid coronavirus concerns to destinations further afield, Biden, who grew up in the Pennsylvania rust-belt city of Scranton, is headed to the city of Lancaster as part of a trip intended to weaken the Republican president’s standing with swing-state voters. (Hunnicutt, 6/25)

The Hill: Trump Campaign Sues Democratic Super PAC Over Ad Criticizing Coronavirus Response 
President Trump’s reelection campaign is suing the largest Democratic super PAC for running an ad that it says misrepresents the president’s remarks about the coronavirus. The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Wisconsin, alleges that Priorities USA, the main super PAC backing former Vice President Joe Biden’s presidential bid, “knowingly and intentionally” manipulated audio clips of Trump to make it seem as if the president had called the coronavirus a “hoax” and downplayed the threat posed by the pandemic. (Greenwood, 6/24)

AP: Police Overhaul Dims, But House Democrats Push Ahead On Vote
A policing overhaul may have collapsed in Congress, but House Democrats are returning to Washington for a daylong debate on their sweeping proposal that now serves as a signal to voters after the global outcry over the death of George Floyd and other Black Americans. The House is set to vote Thursday evening on the Justice in Policing Act, perhaps the most ambitious proposed changes to police procedures and accountability in decades. (Mascaro, 6/25)

The Washington Post: Pence Tries To Assure GOP Senators As Coronavirus Cases Spike 
Vice President Pence urged GOP senators on Wednesday to focus on “encouraging signs” despite a recent spike in coronavirus cases in numerous states as various localities move swiftly to reopen their economies, according to several people present. Pence made the remarks in a closed-door lunch with Republican senators on Capitol Hill as lawmakers have begun to express alarm because of rising infection rates in Florida, Arizona, Texas and several other states, some of which are likely to be critical to the outcome of the presidential race in the fall and control of the Senate. On Wednesday, five states hit new highs in coronavirus hospitalizations. (Werner, 6/24)

In other government news —

Politico: Coronavirus Threatens Democracy, Prominent Figures Warn 
The future of liberal democracy is under threat because of the Covid-19 pandemic, as even democratically-elected governments have accumulated emergency powers that restrict human rights, numerous prominent figures argue in an open letter published Thursday. "Parliaments are being sidelined, journalists are being arrested and harassed, minorities are being scapegoated, and the most vulnerable sectors of the population face alarming new dangers as the economic lockdowns ravage the very fabric of societies everywhere," says the letter, commissioned by IDEA, a Stockholm-based think tank. (Gehrke, 6/25)

Modern Healthcare: N.C. Blues To Pay Primary-Care Practices To Weather COVID-19
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina on Wednesday said it plans to shore up independent primary care practices in the state and help them move into value-based payment arrangements. The Blues insurer said it would make lump sum payments to participating primary care practices in 2020 and 2021 to help them weather the COVID-19 pandemic, which has drained many providers of income and prompted some to close their doors. Those payments would be based on 2019 revenue and begin by September. (Livingston, 6/24)

Meanwhile —

Modern Healthcare: Anthem Members Can Now Use Amazon's Alexa To Get Basic Plan Info
Members of Anthem's commercial medical and dental health plans can now access benefit information through Amazon's voice assistant Alexa, the insurance giant announced Wednesday. Previously, Anthem's Alexa application had been limited to sharing general information, like common health insurance terms and member updates. As of Wednesday, the application—first released about two years ago—can now offer members more tailored information they would otherwise get on a member portal or by calling an agent. (Cohen, 6/24)

Reuters: Three Men Indicted With Murder Of Black Jogger In Georgia 
Three white men arrested last month in the slaying of a Black man who was gunned down as he jogged through a suburban neighborhood in Georgia four months ago were indicted on Wednesday on murder and other charges. Video footage showing the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, 25, in the coastal Georgia town of Brunswick emerged on social media and went viral in May, some 10 weeks after his death, stoking public outrage at the lack of arrests at that time. (McKay, 6/24)

AP: 3 Men Indicted On Murder Charges In Killing Of Ahmaud Arbery
Prosecutor Joyette Holmes announced Wednesday that a grand jury has indicted Travis McMichael, Greg McMichael and William “Roddie” Bryan Jr. on charges including malice and felony murder in Arbery’s death. “This is another positive step, another great step for finding justice for Ahmaud, for finding justice for this family and the community beyond,” Holmes said at a news conference outside the Glynn County courthouse in Brunswick that was streamed online by news outlets. (Brumback, 6/25)

The Washington Post: Georgia Grand Jury Indicts Three Men In Killing Of Ahmaud Arbery 
If convicted on the murder charges, the defendants would face a minimum of life in prison and could face a death sentence. “This is another step forward in seeking justice for Ahmaud,” said Joyette M. Holmes, the district attorney in Cobb County, who was specially appointed to handle the case. “We will continue to be intentional in the pursuit of justice for this family and the community at large as the prosecution of this case continues.” (Witte and Brice-Saddler, 6/24)

The Wall Street Journal: Three Men Indicted On Murder Charges In Ahmaud Arbery’s Shooting
“This is another step forward in seeking justice for Ahmaud,” Ms. Holmes said in a statement Wednesday. “We will continue to be intentional in the pursuit of justice for this family and the community at large as the prosecution of this case continues.” Although most courts in Georgia remain closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the district attorney’s office said it was able to present the case on Wednesday under a judicial order that allowed grand juries that are already impaneled or are recalled from a previous term to assemble. (Siddiqui, 6/24)

The New York Times: Ahmaud Arbery Shooting: Suspects Indicted On Murder Charges
Mr. Arbery, 25, was spotted in the Satilla Shores neighborhood, outside of Brunswick, Ga., while running on a Sunday afternoon. A surveillance camera showed that Mr. Arbery stopped for a few minutes inside a house under construction before resuming his jog. Gregory McMichael later told the authorities he thought Mr. Arbery was a suspect in a series of break-ins in the neighborhood. He and Travis McMichael armed themselves, they told the police, got into a pickup truck, and tried to catch Mr. Arbery. Mr. Bryan, who is known as Roddie, also gave chase in his vehicle, a state investigator said, and used his cellphone to film the killing of Mr. Arbery. (Fausset, 6/24)

The New York Times: NASA Names Headquarters After Its First Black Female Engineer, Mary Jackson 
NASA announced on Wednesday that it would name its Washington, D.C., headquarters after Mary Jackson, the organization’s first black female engineer and a pivotal player in helping U.S. astronauts reach space. Jim Bridenstine, the administrator of NASA, said the agency would continue to honor those whose histories have long been overlooked. (Waller, 6/24)

The Washington Post: NASA To Rename Headquarters For Mary W. Jackson, Agency’s First Female African American Engineer
Mary Jackson began her career in the 1950s in a segregated computing unit at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., that recently drew national attention as the setting for the 2016 movie “Hidden Figures,” based on a book by the same name. ...The news came the same day some in the space industry began to push NASA to change the name of the Stennis Space Center in southern Mississippi, named for John C. Stennis, the longtime senator from Mississippi, a segregationist who opposed racial equality and the integration of schools. (Davenport, 6/24)

KQED: 'I Feel So Overwhelmed': COVID-19 And Police Violence Takes A Toll On Black Health Care Workers 
Across the United States, and the world, health care workers are experiencing high levels of anxiety and stress due to the overwhelming workload of the COVID-19 pandemic. A March study of over 1,200 health care workers in China found that a large proportion experienced symptoms of “depression, anxiety, insomnia and distress.” (Wiley, 6/24)

The Washington Post: Nooses, Hangings And Cross Burnings: Imagery Of America’s Dark Racial History Sparks Fear Nationwide 
Some of the ugliest, most resonant symbols of the nation's history of racial violence have returned after more than half a century to galvanize national demonstrations in recent weeks driven by the Black Lives Matter movement. On both coasts, black men have been found hanging from tree branches, suspected suicides that have revived the images of lynchings. Cross burnings are under investigation in at least two Southern states. And nooses have been reported in places as varied as the Sonoma Raceway in California and a construction site in Portland, Ore. (Green, Hawkins and Wilson, 6/24)

Kaiser Health News: Officials Seek To Shift Resources Away From Policing To Address Black ‘Public Health Crisis’ 
From Boston to San Bernardino, California, communities across the U.S. are declaring racism a public health crisis. Fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic’s disproportionate impact on communities of color, as well as the killing of George Floyd in the custody of Minneapolis police, cities and counties are calling for more funding for health care and other public services, sometimes at the expense of the police budget. (Almendrala, 6/25)

AP: Census Shows White Decline, Nonwhite Majority Among Youngest
For the generation of Americans not yet old enough to drive, the demographic future has arrived. For the first time, nonwhites and Hispanics were a majority of people under age 16 in 2019, an expected demographic shift that will grow over the coming decades, according to figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday. (Schneider, 6/25)

The New York Times: How To Raise An Anti-Racist Kid 
When kids on the gaming site Roblox were darkening the skin color of their avatars to support Black Lives Matter, 12-year-old Garvey Mortley decided to speak up. She created a video explaining the offensive history of blackface, and offered viewers more appropriate ways they could show support.“Changing your skin tone to a darker skin color in Roblox or any game is essentially painting your face with shoe polish,” she explained in the video. “It’s like you’re putting on blackface.” A better way to show virtual support, she suggested, would be to dress the character in a Black Lives Matter T-shirt. (Parker-Pope, 6/24)

Stateline: Black Homeowners Pay More Than 'Fair Share' In Property Taxes 
A national reckoning with racism, combined with the economic damage wrought by the pandemic, is prompting some state and local officials to take a closer look at an issue that has long bedeviled Black homeowners: inflated property tax assessments. For decades, white tax assessors placed a heavier tax burden on Black residents by intentionally overvaluing their property. In the Jim Crow South, officials used property taxes to punish Black homeowners and churches that boycotted white businesses or hosted civil rights meetings. (Wiltz, 6/25)

The New York Times: Amazon Workers Urge Bezos To Match His Words On Race With Actions 
Last week, Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s chief executive, wrote a rare note to all of the company’s employees. His leadership team had been reflecting on the “systemic racism” facing black communities, he said, and he urged employees to take time to learn and reflect on Juneteenth, the holiday marking the end of slavery in the United States.“I’m canceling all my meetings on Friday, and I encourage you to do the same if you can,” he said. But some of Amazon’s employees said there was one big problem with his suggestion: For the vast majority of Amazon’s black workers, canceling a meeting is not an option. (Weise, 6/24)

More news on efforts to address racism and police violence is reported out of Arizona, Washington, D.C.,  Wisconsin, Michigan and California —

The Washington Post: Tucson Police Chief Offers To Resign After Releasing Video Of Officers Restraining Hispanic Man Who Later Died 
Chris Magnus, the police chief in Tucson, offered to resign Wednesday after releasing video footage showing police officers restraining Carlos Ingram-Lopez, a young man who died in their custody earlier this year. The footage was made public more than two months after Tucson police officers responded to a call about Ingram-Lopez, a 27-year-old Hispanic man, and wound up restraining him facedown. The three officers resigned last week, before the department’s internal probe had concluded, Magnus said. (Berman, 6/24)

The New York Times: Tucson Police In Turmoil After Death Of Latino Man In Custody
The police chief of Tucson, Ariz., abruptly offered to resign on Wednesday while releasing a video in which a 27-year-old Latino man, Carlos Ingram Lopez, died in police custody two months ago. The video, taken by police officers’ body cameras and not made public until Wednesday, depicts a gruesome episode on April 21. Before his death, Mr. Lopez is seen handcuffed while pleading repeatedly in English and Spanish for water and for his nana, or grandmother. (Romero, 6/24)

AP: Impatience Grows For Cops' Arrests In Breonna Taylor's Death
The outcry has reverberated for weeks online and at demonstrations nationwide: Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor. But three months after plainclothes detectives serving a warrant busted into her Louisville, Kentucky, apartment and shot the 26-year-old black woman to death, only one of the three officers who opened fire has lost his job. No one is facing criminal charges. (Lovan, 6/25)

The Washington Post: Army Activates 400 D.C. National Guard Members For Monument Protection 
The Army activated about 400 unarmed members of the Washington, D.C., National Guard to “prevent any defacing or destruction” of monuments, defense officials said Wednesday, as protests over police violence continue alongside efforts to pull down statues in the capital.Interior Secretary David Bernhardt requested the Guardsmen to bolster the National Park Police, said Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Craig Clapper, a D.C. Guard spokesman. The Guardsmen were posted at an armory awaiting directions for when and where they will be used, Clapper said. (Horton, 6/24)

The Washington Post: U.S. Marshals Told To Prepare To Help Protect Monuments Nationwide As Trump Targets People Who Vandalize Structures During Protests 
U.S. marshals have been told they should prepare to help protect national monuments across the country, according to an email directive viewed by The Washington Post, as President Trump has vowed stern punishment for those who vandalize or destroy such structures as part of police violence protests. In an email, Marshals Service Assistant Director Andrew C. Smith wrote that the agency “has been asked to immediately prepare to provide federal law enforcement support to protect national monuments (throughout the country).” (Barrett and Zapotosky, 6/24)

AP: Wisconsin Governor Activates National Guard After Violence
Wisconsin’s governor activated the National Guard on Wednesday to protect state properties after a night of violence that included the toppling of two statues outside the state Capitol, one of which commemorated an abolitionist Civil War hero.Protesters also attacked a state senator, threw a Molotov cocktail into a government building and attempted to break into the Capitol Tuesday night, only to be repelled by pepper spray from police stationed inside. (Bauer and Richmond, 6/25)

AP: Detroit Police Challenged Over Face Recognition Flaws, Bias
A Black man who was wrongfully arrested when facial recognition technology mistakenly identified him as a suspected shoplifter wants Detroit police to apologize — and to end their use of the controversial technology. The complaint by Robert Williams is a rare challenge from someone who not only experienced an erroneous face recognition hit, but was able to discover that it was responsible for his subsequent legal troubles. (O'Brien, 6/25)

The New York Times: Talladega Noose Incident Puts Spotlight On NASCAR’s Troubles With Racism 
Darrell Wallace Jr. said he was relieved to hear the F.B.I. say he had not been the target of a hate crime at Talladega Superspeedway last weekend, after a noose hanging in his garage stall was found to have been there since at least last fall. ... The national turmoil over race and serial injustice has complicated both Wallace’s reaction and the public’s response to the F.B.I.’s findings. (Macur and Blinder, 6/24)

AP: California Voters To Decide Fate Of Affirmative Action Ban
California’s 1996 ban on affirmative action policies will be tested at ballot box in November as voters will decide whether governments and public colleges and universities can consider race in their hiring and admissions decisions — all against the backdrop of a presidential election and cultural upheaval over racial injustice. California has banned affirmative action since 1996, when 55% of voters approved a constitutional amendment that made it illegal to give preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin. (Beam, 6/25)

CNN: California Reports More Than 7,000 New Coronavirus Cases In A Day, Breaking Its Daily Record Again 
California, the country's most populous state and the first to implement a state-wide lockdown to combat the coronavirus outbreak, is setting daily records for new cases this week. The state reported Wednesday it broke a record Tuesday with an increase of more than 7,000 cases in a day, obliterating a record hit the day before when more than 5,000 new cases were recorded. (Maxouris, 6/25)

Kaiser Health News: As COVID Cases Spike, California Shifts Its Strategy
Coronavirus infections are rising so fast in Fresno County that California public health officials have identified it as one of nearly a dozen counties entering dangerous territory as economies reopen. Cases there have more than doubled over the past month, and county residents are testing positive at nearly twice the rate of Californians as a whole. Outbreaks at nursing homes and Avenal State Prison in nearby Kings County — where more than 900 inmates and workers have been infected — are big contributors. (Hart and Barry-Jester, 6/25)

San Jose Mercury News: Coronavirus: Cases Surge, But California Reopening Continues
At a news conference Wednesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom attributed the spread of the virus to increased social interactions — and a lack of social distancing — as counties continue to reopen, admonishing people who he said have “taken their guard down” after more than three months of tight restrictions on daily life. “When we begin to go back to our old ways and our old habits, a consequence is we are spreading this virus,” Newsom said at a press conference Wednesday. “It is our behaviors that are leading to these numbers, and we are putting people’s lives at risk.” (Savidge and Deruy, 6/24)

The Hill: Texas, Florida, Arizona See New Highs In Coronavirus Cases 
In the past two weeks, more than half of the states in the country have seen a spike in their daily number of new COVID-19 cases. Some spikes have been worse than others, though, with multiple states last week setting new records in terms of daily new cases. As a result of the surge, 34,700 new cases of COVID-19 nationally were reported on Tuesday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The daily number of cases in the U.S. have not been that high since April, the initial peak of the pandemic. (Johnson, 6/24)

The Hill: Florida Sees 5,500 New Coronavirus Cases, Shatters One-Day Record 
Florida recorded more than 5,500 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, an all-time high that shattered the previous record set just last week. Cases of the virus in Florida have been surging, and more than 109,000 infections have been reported in the state since March 1. According to the Florida Department of Health, the new daily total broke the previous record high of 4,049 new cases, set just four days ago. (Weixel, 6/24)

ABC News: Idaho Governor Assures COVID-19 Testing, Tracing And Hospital Space As Cases Increase 
Idaho's governor joined ABC News' "What You Need to Know" to discuss his state's recent uptick in COVID-19 cases. The state reported 148 new cases on Tuesday, bringing the total number of probably and confirmed cases to 4,402. "We're trying to stay ahead of this and, as it is with most of the states, it's among our young population," Little explained. "We've got 100% of all businesses open and we're just seeing a lot of spread as a result of the bars being open to be real blunt about it." (McCarthy, 6/24)

The Hill: Virginia Becomes First State To Enact Workplace Coronavirus Safety Rules 
Virginia’s health and safety board voted Wednesday to create workplace coronavirus safety rules, becoming the first state in the country to take steps toward creating such rules amid the pandemic that has infected more than 2 million people in the U.S. The state’s 14-member board voted 9-3 to create the safety rules that the board will continue to work on and finalize in coming days, The Washington Post reported. Two members of the board reportedly abstained. (Klar, 6/24)

The Washington Post: After Sharp Declines, Virus Numbers May Be Starting To Plateau In The Region 
The District, Maryland and Virginia reported 36 new covid-related deaths on Wednesday, along with 884 new infections. The seven-day averages for both figures have been declining since early June but started to plateau this past week. The District added four deaths and 34 new cases. Maryland added 16 deaths — including six in Baltimore City — and 330 new infections, nearly half of which were in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties. (Tan, 6/24)

Bangor Daily News: Maine’s Coronavirus Cases Are Trending Younger
Younger Mainers are accounting for a larger slice of the state’s confirmed coronavirus infections, but state officials say that the change has not been nearly as dramatic as in some other states, where the virus appears to be flaring up partly as a result of teenagers and younger adults venturing back out into public. (Eichacker, 6/24)

The Hill: West Virginia's Top Health Official Ousted 
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) on Wednesday ousted Cathy Slemp, the commissioner of the state public health bureau, shortly after suggesting the state’s active virus numbers were overstated... Justice’s office said Bill Crouch, secretary of the state's health department, had asked for and received Slemp’s resignation after Justice expressed his “lack of confidence” in her. A spokeswoman for the state health department expanded on Justice’s criticisms, saying there were discrepancies in virus caseload data at Randolph County’s Huttonsville Correctional Center. (Budryk, 6/24)

ProPublica: The Governor Urged Businesses To Reopen Safely, But A Restaurant At His Luxury Resort Didn’t, Complaints Say
When West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice allowed restaurants and bars across the state to reopen in late May, he urged them to follow his administration’s guidance for avoiding the spread of the coronavirus. “I caution you again over and over and over to be careful in what you do and be cautious,” the governor, a Republican, said at that day’s media briefing.One of the businesses that has been the subject of repeated complaints for not reopening safely: an upscale steakhouse at The Greenbrier, the luxury resort owned by the governor. (Ward, 6/24)

Politico: New York City Reports No Protest-Related Upticks In Covid-19
New York City has not reported an uptick in Covid-19 cases many feared would come from weeks of mass protests against police brutality. The city’s daily Covid-19 indicators — cases, hospitalizations and deaths — in June have steadily declined to levels last seen in early March, when the city had not yet shut down in anticipation of the first wave that killed more than 22,000 people. (Eisenberg, 6/24)

The New York Times: ‘The City Fumbled It’: How 4 Families Took On The Virus
The Bronx has the highest rates of coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the city, and public housing residents have been frustrated with the conflicting messages from housing officials and the city about social distancing; delays in testing; and lack of cleaning and personal protective gear. Residents said local testing did not begin until mid-May, after thousands had already been infected. (Gonzalez, 6/24)

NPR: Denver's Sweeps Of Homeless Camps Run Counter To COVID-19 Guidance
Melody Lewis lives like a nomad in the heart of downtown Denver.Poking her head out of her green tent on a recent June day, the 57-year-old points to the place a few blocks away where city crews picked up her tent from a sidewalk median earlier this spring and replaced it with landscaping rocks, fencing and signs warning trespassers to keep out. (Rodgers, 6/25)

WBUR: Despite Strong Criticism Of Police Spending, Boston City Council Passes Budget
Mayor Marty Walsh's proposed budget survived a challenge from several Boston city councilors demanding more accountability from the city's police department. The council on Wednesday voted 8-5 to approve the $3.65 billion spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year. (Walters, 6/24)

Boston Globe: ‘No One Has Navigated Something Like This Before' 
We all were entering a weird time. The entrepreneurs in the room were part of the Entrepreneurship for All program (known as EforAll), run by a nonprofit that offers training in communities such as Roxbury, Holyoke, Lawrence, and Fall River. They were largely running nontech businesses: making hot sauce and raw honey, designing blazers for women, operating mobile billboards. And they were about to get some firsthand experience in trying to keep businesses alive amidst a pandemic and the closing of nonessential businesses — not to mention large-scale protests against police brutality and a national conversation about racism. (Kirsner, 6/24)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Legislature Passes Maternal Mortality Plan
Members of the Georgia House voted unanimously on Wednesday to send maternal mortality legislation to Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk. Legislators voted 114 to 0 to pass House Bill 1114, which would eventually extend Medicaid for low-income mothers from two to six months postpartum. (Hallerman, 6/24)

Dallas Morning News: More Rent, Mortgage Relief Coming To Help Those Affected By COVID-19; Council Approves New Housing Program
As many as 2,000 Dallas residents could soon get help paying their rent or mortgages. The City Council on Wednesday approved an additional $10 million from the federal government to expand its rental and mortgage assistance program that was launched in May. (Manuel, 6/24)

Burlington Free Press: Reopening VT Schools When Many Kids May Not Show COVID-19 Symptoms
A temperature check at drop off won't be enough to identify students who may be infected with COVID-19. As schools reopen, a strategy for stopping the virus at the front door is not feasible given that many infected children are unlikely to show symptoms but could still spread the disease. (Barton, 6/25)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Nevada Tribal Nations Lacked Coronavirus Tests, Support 
Nevada’s 27 tribal nations say they were left behind for two crucial months as the coronavirus crept into every corner of the state. (Crosby. 6/24)

Detroit Free Press: Transgender Youth May Be Barred From Indiana Catholic Schools
Transgender students may be barred from attending Catholic schools in central and southern Indiana, according to a new policy from the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. Earlier this month, Archbishop Charles C. Thompson signed the “Policy and Norms on Sexual Identity in School Ministry,” which gives the 67 schools governed by the archdiocese guidance on how to address students that don’t conform to  binary gender norms. (Herron, 6/25)

The Washington Post: How Did Face Masks Divide America? 
By any measure, the United States has some of the top public health experts in the world. Yet as the novel coronavirus began to spread early this year, these U.S. experts repeatedly recommended against a simple tactic to prevent spreading the infection: face masks. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in January that it did not recommend the use of masks for “people who are well.” On Feb. 29, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams went further, tweeting a warning: “STOP BUYING MASKS.” (Taylor, 6/25)

CIDRAP: Controversy On COVID-19 Mask Study Spotlights Messiness Of Science During A Pandemic
Late last week, a group of researchers posted a letter that they had sent to the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) requesting the retraction of a study published the week before that purportedly showed mask use was the most effective intervention in slowing the spread of COVID-19 in New York City. Though PNAS editors have yet to respond to the request, scientists have roundly criticized the study's methodology, and the entire kerfuffle has highlighted the difficulty of "doing science" amid a full-blown pandemic. (Soucheray, 6/24)

The Hill: North Carolina Governor Issues Order For Residents To Wear Masks 
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) said Wednesday he is issuing an order requiring residents to wear masks when in public and keeping current statewide coronavirus restrictions in place for at least another three weeks amid a spike in COVID-19 cases. “Overwhelming evidence that is growing by the week shows that wearing a face covering can greatly reduce the spread of COVID-19, especially from people who have it and don’t know it yet it,” Cooper said during a press conference. “Face coverings are a simple way to control this virus.” (Klar, 6/24)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Mixed Reviews For New Mask Mandate For Visitors To Las Vegas Casinos 
Casinos will find out Friday if the state’s new mask mandate is a deal-breaker for some gamblers. (Schulz. 6/24)

CNN: People Of Color Won't Be Required To Wear Masks In An Oregon County
People of color are exempt from an Oregon county's mask mandate over concerns about racial profiling. Lincoln County, Oregon, requires most residents to wear face coverings in public settings, indoors or outdoors. The overwhelmingly White county will not require non-White residents to wear them if they fear harassment, the county said this month. It's one of the first counties in the US to exempt people of color from wearing masks to prevent racial profiling. (Andrew, 6/24)

ProPublica: He Removed Labels That Said “Medical Use Prohibited,” Then Tried To Sell Thousands Of Masks To Officials Who Distribute To Hospitals 
Lucas Rensko was making money through a popular handyman-for-hire app called TaskRabbit, doing odd jobs and delivering groceries, when he picked up a task that led him to a leaky-roofed warehouse on a tattered road in northwest San Antonio. Inside, a man named Jaime Rivera had set up long tables where five or six other “Taskers” earning about $20 an hour were ripping Chinese masks out of plastic bags and stuffing them into new ones that were identical but for one potentially deadly difference. The old packages were labeled in all caps “MEDICAL USE PROHIBITED,” meaning not to be used by doctors and nurses who need the strongest protection from tiny particles carrying the novel coronavirus. The new bags, intended to make their way to Texas hospitals, simply omitted that warning. (McSwane, 6/25)

Kaiser Health News: Airlines Want Flyers To Feel Safe, But Grab Bag Of COVID Policies Adds Turbulence
Tony Scott boarded an American Airlines flight May 25 from Los Angeles to Dallas. It was a trip he felt he had to take despite concerns about the coronavirus. His son, who lives in Texas, was having health problems. The teen seated next to Scott in business class wasn’t wearing a mask. Scott was surprised because before the flight he received an email from American reminding him masks were required. He flagged down a flight attendant, who gently reminded the teen of the face-covering rule. She still declined to wear the mask, and the flight attendant told Scott that because she was a minor, the teen was exempt from the requirement. (Knight, 6/25)

The Hill: Starbucks Employee Receives More Than $16K In Tips After Refusing To Serve A Customer Who Wasn't Wearing A Mask
More than $16,000 has been raised for a Starbucks employee after a customer posted on Facebook that the barista refused to serve her at a San Diego location because she wasn’t wearing a mask. A GoFundMe set up for the barista, identified as Lenin Gutierrez, raised nearly $17,000 as of Wednesday — just days after it was posted online. “Raising money for Lenin for his honorable effort standing his ground when faced with a Karen in the wild,” the creator of the fundraiser, Matt Cowan, wrote in the description of the page. (Klar, 6/24)

CNN: 'Maskne': Why You're Face Is Breaking Out Under Your Mask And How To Stop It 
If you're serious about protecting yourself — and others — from the very real dangers of Covid-19, you're wearing a mask when you go out around others. For many people that is leading to an embarrassing and unpleasant side effect: blemishes, pimples, zits — or what dermatologists call acne. (LaMotte, 6/25)

In related news —

Boston Globe: Boston City Council Unanimously Votes To Ban Use Of Face Surveillance Technology By City Government 
The Boston City Council on Wednesday unanimously moved to ban city government use of face surveillance technology, which attempts to identify people by scanning their faces. The measure makes it illegal for local authorities to obtain or use a face surveillance system, to use information derived from such a system, or to enter into a third-party agreement for surveilling faces. The matter will now be sent to Mayor Martin J. Walsh’s desk. (McDonald, 6/24)

Boston Globe: Independent Report Slams Handling Of Coronavirus Outbreak At Holyoke Soldiers’ Home; Witness Describes Walking The Veterans ‘To Their Death’ 
The residents of the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home stormed Normandy, stood guard at the Nuremberg trials at the end of World War II, and fought through the jungles of Vietnam. But in late March, many of these veterans again faced conditions that investigators likened to a “war zone,” this time inside the state-run long-term care facility where they had sought dignity and care in their final years. (Krueger and Stout, 6/24)

WBUR: Baker Reacts To 'Gut-Wrenching' Holyoke Soldiers' Home Report 
A visibly perturbed Gov. Charlie Baker announced the findings of a nearly three-month-long investigation into major failings at the Holyoke Soldier's Home, findings he called "nothing short of gut-wrenching." (Brown, 6/24)

In other news —

WBUR: 3 Children's Home Staffers Charged In Death Of 16-Year-Old
Three former staff members of a Michigan youth home have been charged in the death of a 16-year-old Black boy who died last month after employees sat on his chest, abdomen and legs in an effort to restrain him. An autopsy report released Wednesday by the Kalamazoo medical examiner's office ruled the suffocation death of Cornelius Fredericks a homicide. The examination revealed it was the result of "restraint asphyxia," caused by multiple people using their weight to pin the boy down. (Romo, 6/25)

The New York Times: Virus Cases Are Soaring In Texas. But Closing Down Again Is A ‘Last Option.’ 
The coronavirus has been testing America’s governors. Few are being squeezed harder than Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas. Mr. Abbott, the governor of the country’s largest Republican-controlled state, reopened Texas in May, eager to be part of President Trump’s push to restart the economy sooner rather than later. But the reopening has backfired, creating the makings of a political and public health disaster that is putting the lives of Texans at risk, adding ammunition to Mr. Abbott’s long-running war with the Democrats who run the state’s biggest cities and drawing unusually sharp criticism from fellow Republicans. (Fernandez, MacFarquhar and Mervosh, 6/24)

Houston Chronicle: Abbott Orders New COVID-19 Rules For Texas Child Care Centers After Prior Restrictions Dropped 
As cases of the novel coronavirus continued to be confirmed in Texas’ licensed child care centers, Gov. Greg Abbott ordered new rules Tuesday — less than two weeks after the state dropped earlier emergency restrictions for providers. Child care centers, such as day care, before- and after-school programs and registered homes, had not been required to enforce measures such as screening for illness since June 12, when providers were notified by email that the emergency rules were no longer in effect, a decision made by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. (Dellinger, 6/24)

Dallas Morning News: Dallas County Reports Jump In Coronavirus Hospitalizations, 391 New Cases
Coronavirus hospitalizations in Dallas County are continuing to rise, officials said Wednesday as they reported 391 new cases of infection with the virus. Four more county residents have died from COVID-19: a Cedar Hill man in his 80s, a Dallas woman in her 80s who lived at a long-term care facility, a Grand Prairie man in his 60s and a Grand Prairie woman in her 80s. All four had underlying high-risk health conditions. (Jones, 6/24)

Houston Chronicle: Houston ICU Capacity Could Soon Be Exceeded As COVID-19 Hospitalizations Worsen, TMC Projects
The Texas Medical Center’s intensive care capacity could be exceeded as soon as Thursday because of the surge in COVID-19 patients, the hospital system projects. A TMC model also predicts ICU surge capacity — extra, temporary beds and equipment used in emergencies — could be exceeded as soon as July 6 if the steep rate of new COVID hospitalizations continues, the most aggressive modeling to date. (Despart, 6/24)

Houston Chronicle: With COVID-19 Cases Surging In Houston, A Reminder To Stay Cautious. Here’s How. 
A few weekends ago, my significant other and I ventured to Lucille’s in the Museum District for brunch, hopeful that we could dine on their outdoor patio. I paid for parking, strapped on a surgical mask and set out, determined to enjoy a plate of chili biscuits and chicken & waffles. When we arrived at noon, the crowds out front looked like something from the Before Times, clustered in groups with no masks and no care for social distancing. An overwhelmed hostess told us it’d be an hour and 40 minutes. (Wu, 6/24)

The Hill: Houston On Verge Of Crisis Amid Surging COVID-19 Cases 
Doctors are monitoring more than 15,400 active cases in the Houston area. Hospitalizations have tripled in the weeks since Memorial Day, worrying some health experts who fear repeating scenes from Italy, where at the height of the coronavirus's worst days in April doctors had to make heart-wrenching decisions about who would get care and who would not. “The health professionals are nervous, but they are also up for it,” said Kelli Drenner, a public health expert at the University of Houston. “People are concerned that this is a big deal and that the public isn't taking it seriously. And that undermines all our efforts.” (Wilson, 6/24)

ABC News: Hospital Chief Talks Texas's Rising Coronavirus Cases: 'People Have Completely Let Their Guard Down' 
The head of one of Houston's largest hospitals told "Good Morning America" that the rise of coronavirus cases in the city and state is due to people taking the outbreak lightly and urged people to take precautions. Dr. Marc Boom, the CEO of Houston Methodist, which has over 3,000 beds across eight medical centers including 907 beds at its flagship hospital, said his facilities are not at the tipping point but all hospitals in the city have seen cases triple over the last few weeks. Harris County, Texas, which includes Houston, has seen 10,360 new COVID-19 cases since the beginning of June, averaging about 431 new cases a day, according to data from the county health department. (Pereira, 6/24)

Dallas Morning News: Dallas City, County Leaders To Discuss Opening Hospital At Convention Center As COVID-19 Cases Stir Capacity Concerns
City and county leaders will meet Thursday with the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council to discuss opening a pop-up medical facility at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center as coronavirus cases and hospitalizations continue to rise. After Gov. Greg Abbott announced the convention center in late March as the site of Texas’ first pop-up hospital for coronavirus patients, officials said it would be opened as a “last resort” if hospitals became overwhelmed. (Branham and Morris, 6/24)

Houston Chronicle: Harris Health Gets $50 Million In Federal COVID-19 Relief 
Harris Health System received $50 million in federal relief funds for safety net hospitals suffering from decreased revenues due to COVID-19, said Dr. Esmaeil Porsa, the system’s president. Federal officials said in early June they would dole out $10 billion in funding to medical systems that serve high volumes of uninsured and Medicaid patients. The disbursements were based on the number of Medicaid patients seen, the cost of uncompensated care per bed and how profitable it was. Each qualifying hospital received a minimum of $5 million. (Wu, 6/24)

Stat: Federal Prosecutors Allege Regeneron Used A Charity To Pay Kickbacks To Medicare Patients
Federal officials on Wednesday alleged that Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) donated tens of millions of dollars to a foundation, but the payments were actually kickbacks to Medicare patients and designed to cover their out-of-pocket costs for a pricey eye medication. In a lawsuit filed in federal court in Boston, the federal government accused Regeneron of using the Chronic Disease Fund to ensure that, in 2013 and 2014, Medicare patients did not have to make a co-payment or deductible for Eylea macular degeneration drug. (Silverman, 6/24)

The New York Times: Regeneron Funneled Kickbacks Through A Patient Charity, Federal Lawsuit Claims 
The drugmaker Regeneron funneled tens of millions of dollars to a charity that paid the out-of-pocket costs for patients who took the company’s expensive eye drug, then lied to internal auditors about it, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday by federal prosecutors in Massachusetts. The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts in Boston, claims that Regeneron violated federal anti-kickback laws by using the patient-assistance fund to encourage doctors to prescribe their drug, Eylea, over a less-expensive competitor. (Thomas, 6/24)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Augusta University Medical To Refund $2.6M In False Medical Bills
Augusta University Medical Center has agreed to a $2.625 million settlement with federal investigators after the center submitted false Medicare and Medicaid billing statements in Georgia and South Carolina, U.S. Justice Department officials announced Wednesday. The center billed the programs for a procedure it classified as a “Belsey Collis.” U.S. Justice Department officials began an investigation in late 2018 because there is no such procedure. (Stirgus, 6/25)

In more news related to the pharmaceutical industry —

Stat: Yumanity, Merck Strike Deal On Medicines For Neurodegenerative Disease
Yumanity Therapeutics, a small neuroscience-focused startup co-founded by longtime biotech executive Tony Coles, is pairing up with pharma giant Merck to develop new treatments for two neuro-degenerative diseases, the companies announced Wednesday. Under the agreement, Merck is licensing two Yumanity research programs with the goal of identifying novel treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, and frontotemporal lobar dementia, a group of related conditions resulting from the degeneration of brain cells. (Feuerstein, 6/24)

The Washington Post: Roundup Maker Will Pay $10 Million To Settle Cancer Claims 
The world’s largest seed and agrochemical maker announced the settlement in a news release on Wednesday, saying it will allocate as much as $9.6 billion to resolve current Roundup litigation. The company said the pool will cover roughly 125,000 claims that allege the product leads to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The company said 75 percent of those cases were resolved as part of Wednesday’s agreement. (Denham, 6/24)

The New York Times: Roundup Maker To Pay $10 Billion To Settle Cancer Suits 
When Bayer, the giant German chemical and pharmaceutical maker, acquired Monsanto two years ago, the company knew it was also buying the world’s best-known weedkiller. What it didn’t anticipate was a legal firestorm over claims that the herbicide, Roundup, caused cancer. Now Bayer is moving to put those troubles behind it, agreeing to pay more than $10 billion to settle tens of thousands of claims while continuing to sell the product without adding warning labels about its safety. (Cohen, 6/24)

The Wall Street Journal: Bayer To Pay Up To $10.9 Billion To Settle Lawsuits Over Roundup Weedkiller 
Investors have long been waiting for a settlement to bring clarity over how much the litigation will cost Bayer, following its 2018 purchase of U.S. agricultural giant Monsanto Co. The deal brought the company thousands of Roundup-related lawsuits. Three jury-trial losses tanked shares and sparked a revolt among shareholders angry at Bayer’s management for plunging the company into one of the worst crises in its history with the $63 billion Monsanto acquisition. (Bender, Kusisto and Randazzo, 6/24)

AP: Bayer Paying Up To $10.9B To Settle Monsanto Weedkiller Case
Bayer said Wednesday that it will pay up to $10.9 billion to settle litigation over the weedkiller Roundup, which has faced thousands of lawsuits over claims it causes cancer. Bayer said it was also paying up $1.22 billion to settle two additional areas of intense litigation, one involving toxic chemical PCB in water, and one involving dicamba, another weedkiller. (6/24)

Reuters: Bayer Bets On Science In Bid To Prevent Future Roundup Lawsuits: Legal Experts 
The company on Wednesday agreed to pay as much as $10.9 billion to settle about 75% of the 125,000 filed and unfiled claims by Roundup users who say the herbicide caused them to develop a form of blood cancer. But Bayer had to find a separate solution to mitigate the risk of future claims without pulling the product off the shelves. The company decided to make a calculated gamble on the scientific evidence which so far has overwhelmingly supported its claim that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, is safe for agricultural use. (Bellon, 6/25)

WBUR: Fear Of COVID-19 Kept Heart Attack Patients From Seeking Help. Doctors Fear It Cost Lives
Heart attacks and other medical emergencies had not mysteriously disappeared, however. Doctors in Massachusetts and around the world believe that many patients were fearful they would contract the coronavirus at a doctor’s office or hospital, so they waited to seek care. For some patients with cardiac disease, that led to more severe complications — and in some cases, doctors fear, even death. (Chen, 6/24)

Kaiser Health News: Fearing The Deadly Combo Of COVID-19 And Cancer
Three Tuesdays each month, Katherine O’Brien straps on her face mask and journeys about half an hour by Metra rail to Northwestern University’s Lurie Cancer Center. What were once packed train cars rolling into Chicago are now eerily empty, as those usually commuting to towering skyscrapers weather the pandemic from home. But for O’Brien, the excursion is mandatory. She’s one of millions of Americans battling cancer and depends on chemotherapy to treat the breast cancer that has spread to her bones and liver. (Norman, 6/25)

Stat: Engineering An Immunotherapy To Outwit Cancer — And Launch A Biotech
Tweaking an immune protein called interleukin-18 can overcome tumors that lure it into binding with a decoy receptor protein and render it harmless to cancer cells, new research in mice shows. In conjunction with the paper, published Wednesday in Nature, a company founded by senior author Aaron Ring announced $25 million in initial financing to create and commercialize a drug based on the discovery. (Cooney, 6/24)

Stat: A Pill To Fight Alcoholism Causes An Uproar In France
Two years ago, French regulators made a surprising decision, overruling one of their own expert committees to approve a controversial drug for combating alcoholism. But the move has triggered an increasingly heated debate over a key clinical trial, which critics argue raises troubling questions about transparency, as well as the extent to which patient groups may have influenced the regulator. (Silverman, 6/25)

Stat: A Preliminary Method Could Restore The Brain Cells Parkinson's Patients Lost
Researchers developed a new method for transforming brain cells that can completely eliminate Parkinson’s disease in mice, though experts caution the potential treatment is still a long way from the clinic. The new method, which was detailed Wednesday in Nature, helps replace some of the brain cells that have disappeared in people with Parkinson’s disease. It is the loss of those brain cells — specifically, dopamine neurons — that causes the severe motor symptoms associated with the condition, like tremors, speech changes, and slow movement. (Ortolano, 6/24)

NPR: Survey: Women Are Rethinking Having Kids As They Face Pandemic Challenges 
Whether it's online-only consultations, closed pharmacies or having to wonder whether going into an office is safe, the coronavirus has upended access to health care. And it has presented particular challenges for women and reproductive health. A new survey released Wednesday by the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that advocates for reproductive rights, finds 34% of women said the pandemic was causing them to delay getting pregnant, or to have fewer children. (McCammon and Pao, 6/24)

The New York Times: Study Raises Concerns For Pregnant Women With The Coronavirus 
Pregnant women infected with the coronavirus are more likely to be hospitalized, admitted to an intensive care unit and put on a ventilator than are infected women who are not pregnant, according to a new government analysis. Pregnant women are known to be particularly susceptible to other respiratory infections, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has maintained from the start of the pandemic that the virus does not seem to “affect pregnant people differently than others.” (Mandavilli, 6/24)

Detroit Free Press: Appeals Court Says Michigan Gyms Must Stay Closed For Now
A federal appeals court Wednesday night agreed to delay implementation of a judge's order that would have allowed indoor gyms to reopen in Michigan beginning at 12:01 a.m. Thursday. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals issued the ruling shortly before 9 p.m., saying Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's order keeping indoor fitness facilities closed during the coronavirus pandemic needed to remain in place while an appeal of U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney's decision of last week to reopen them was heard. (Spangler, 6/24)

Detroit Free Press: U-M: We Don't Owe Students Refund For Switching To Online Instruction
The University of Michigan doesn't owe students any refunds for switching to online instruction in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, largely because it has the authority to decide any instruction method it wants to use, according to a court filing. In the filing earlier this month, university lawyers argued a lawsuit filed by  students seeking money for being forced to take classes online needed to be thrown out by the state's Court of Claims. (Jesse, 6/24)

ABC News: At Least 25 State Fairs, Drivers Of Local Economies, Have Been Canceled Or Postponed Due To COVID-19 - ABC News
Normally this time of year, Stacey Pittroff-Barona would be in the middle of fair season. Her dad would be back from Australia, having run their carnival ride, the Giant Slide, and food stand, Cheese on a Stick and Fresh Lemonade, at the Sydney Royal Easter Show. August would see 11 days of the Wisconsin State Fair followed by another 12 at the fair in her home state of Minnesota... This year, all three fairs were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Deliso, 6/25)

Los Angeles Times: Disneyland Reopening Is Delayed Beyond July 17 
Disneyland’s reopening will be delayed beyond July 17, Walt Disney Co. announced Wednesday, saying it will wait for state guidelines before specifying a new target date. The Anaheim destination, along with sister park Disney California Adventure, has been closed since mid-March amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the newly announced delay, it was slated to reopen in time for its 65th anniversary. (Martens, 6/24)

NPR: What Contact Tracing Tells Us About Cluster Spread Of The Coronavirus And Protests 
As the U.S. begins to open back up, coronavirus clusters — where multiple people contract COVID-19 at the same event or location — are popping up all over the country. And despite drawing massive crowds, anti-police protests in Washington state weren't among those clusters. (Silva, 6/24)

WBUR: Pandemic Could Mean Fiscal Peril For Many State Colleges And Universities 
Colleges and universities across the country will suffer financially as a result of the coronavirus pandemic — public institutions included. The question is how hard they’ll be hit. An independent review published Tuesday found that eight of Massachusetts’ 24 state universities and community colleges would have trouble covering their own costs in the next year if enrollment numbers were to tumble by 15% and appropriations from the state were to shrink by a comparable amount. (Larkin, 6/24)

NPR: What Parents Can Learn From Child Care Centers That Stayed Open During Lockdowns 
Throughout the pandemic, many child care centers have stayed open for the children of front-line workers — everyone from doctors to grocery store clerks. YMCA of the USA and New York City's Department of Education have been caring for, collectively, tens of thousands of children since March, and both tell NPR they have no reports of coronavirus clusters or outbreaks. As school districts sweat over reopening plans, and with just over half of parents telling pollsters they're comfortable with in-person school this fall, public health and policy experts say education leaders should be discussing and drawing on these real-world child care experiences. (Kamenetz, 6/24)

Kaiser Health News: Cities Brace For ‘Collision Course’ Of Heat Waves And COVID-19
Aaron McCullough brought his 3-year-old daughter, Ariana, to a playground in a leafy neighborhood of Rochester, New York, on a day in mid-June when the temperature topped out at 94 degrees. The playground is one of seven spray parks in the city that offer cooling water whenever temperatures exceed 85 degrees. (Dahlberg, 6/25)

ABC News: Social Distancing Isn't A Nuisance – It's A Privilege 
While many Americans during the coronavirus pandemic have reported feeling fatigued and frustrated over extended periods stuck at home, a new study shines light on how social distancing is a privilege afforded to too few. Researchers at Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health have uncovered a worrying trend: Across New York City, as many workplaces transitioned to working remotely to minimize exposure to the coronavirus, there have been substantial signs of inequality when it comes to social distancing. This comes in addition to the reports of worrisome COVID-19 health disparities in communities with higher percentages of minorities, many of whom tend to have lower incomes. (David, 6/25)

KQED: As Coronavirus Cases Surge At San Quentin, Lawmakers Demand An Explanation 
The confirmed cases of COVID-19 in San Quentin State Prison have been increasing at a dizzying rate. Over the course of one week, 46 confirmed cases among inmates ballooned to more than 400 in the state’s oldest prison, which houses almost 4,000 people. So far, at least two inmates have been transported to Marin hospitals for treatment. (Wolffe, 6/24)

San Francisco Chronicle: UC Health Experts: San Quentin Coronavirus Outbreak Could Pose Threat To Entire Bay Area 
A team of UC Berkeley and UCSF health experts warned prison medical officials nearly two weeks ago that they’d need to cut the population of San Quentin State Prison in half to avoid a potentially “catastrophic” outbreak there. But prison officials didn’t heed the warning and, since then, confirmed coronavirus infections among prisoners have rocketed from 48 to 456, far outpacing any other facility in the state and overwhelming a system that waited too long to react. (Fagone and Cassidy, 6/24)

San Jose Mercury News: Alameda County Grand Jury: Jail Projects Mismanaged
The mismanagement of improvements and upgrades to Alameda County facilities, including the jail, delayed projects that have cost the county millions, according to a grand jury report. Delays got so bad at one point that the frustrated sheriff’s office went to Costco to purchase their own video security system, and installed it themselves in the jail. (Ruggiero, 6/24)

In other public health news —

CNN: Salmonella Outbreak: One Person Has Died And 465 People Have Gotten Sick After Interacting With Pet Poultry
One person has died and 86 have been put into the hospital in the latest outbreak of salmonella connected to pet poultry, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday. The CDC says 368 people have reported getting sick since May 20, bringing this year's total to 465 poultry-related salmonella cases reported in 42 states. That's about twice as many as were reported at the same time last year, the CDC said. (Christensen, 6/24)

CNN: Whole Foods' Bottled Water Has Harmful Levels Of Arsenic - Consumer Reports 
Consumer Reports warned that bottled water made by Whole Foods contains "potentially harmful levels of arsenic," amounting to three times the level of the chemical compared to other brands. The consumer watchdog group said Wednesday that Starkey Spring Water had "concerning levels of arsenic," ranging from 9.49 to 9.56 parts per billion. Federal regulations limits the amount of arsenic to 10 parts per billion, although Consumer Reports has been pushing it to be lowered to 3 parts per billion for safety and health reasons. (Valinsky, 6/24)

Stat: Researchers Studying Food Insecurity See A New Concern: Eating Disorders
When Carolyn Black Becker, a psychologist who studies eating disorders, used to explain her research to colleagues, she would get blank stares. The field, after all, was disproportionately focused on young girls and women who were underweight, white, and from middle-class families. Becker herself had spent most of her career focused on the prevention of eating disorders among sorority members. In that light, her decision to study eating disorders in people who were facing food insecurity — that is, people without reliable access to sufficient food — seemed unusual, even bizarre to some. (Arnold, 6/25)

The Washington Post: How A Spring Break Trip To Mexico Triggered A Coronavirus Outbreak Among 60 Texas College Students
On March 19, the day the Trump administration urged Americans to stop traveling internationally, a group of students from the University of Texas at Austin returned from a spring break trip to a Mexican beach resort. Within two weeks, 60 of the 183 travelers to Cabo San Lucas, along with four contacts, tested positive for the novel coronavirus, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Weiner, 6/24)

CNN: Spring Break Trip To A Mexican Beach Resort Led To 64 Coronavirus Cases In Texas 
No one got seriously ill and no one died, but the incident illustrates how young people -- especially college students -- can quickly spread the virus among themselves and carry it into the community, a team at The University of Texas at Austin reported Wednesday. The students had traveled to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, from March 14-19. A week later, back in Austin, three showed up at the University of Texas Health Austin (UTHA) health center with coronavirus symptoms and tested positive. (Fox, 6/24)

ABC News: Spring Breakers May Have Brought COVID-19 Back To Their Communities, Study Says 
The new study out of Ball State and Vanderbilt used GPS smartphone data to track the movement of more than 7 million U.S. college students to investigate the impact of spring break travel on the spread of COVID-19. Researchers emphasized that they used de-identified smartphone data, meaning they don't know the names or any identifying information of anyone included in their study. (Johnson, 6/25)

The Hill: March Spring Break Trip Led To 64 Coronavirus Cases 
A group of college students from the University of Texas-Austin traveled to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico earlier this year for a spring break trip that led to 64 cases of COVID-19, researchers confirmed Wednesday. A group of students traveled to the Mexican city from March 14 to 19, CNN reported. Sixty of the cases were among “183 vacation travelers, one among 13 household contacts and three among 35 community contacts,” according to the findings released Wednesday from researchers at the University of Austin and Austin Public Health. (Pitofsky, 6/24)

The Wall Street Journal: Coronavirus Concerns Cancel New York City Marathon 
The cancellation, though expected, erases a favorite event for the many athletes around the world who run it and the more than one million people who line the five-borough course to cheer on competitors. It’s the second time in nine years that the New York City Marathon won’t be held. The 2012 NYC Marathon was canceled in the wake of superstorm Sandy. (Bachman, 6/24)

The New York Times: NYC Marathon Canceled Because Of Coronavirus Pandemic 
A public health crisis that has proved to be treacherous for large events claimed two more of the world’s biggest marathons on Wednesday, with organizers in New York and Berlin canceling their races this year because of the spread of the coronavirus. The cancellations left the sport without three of its six most important races in 2020 — the Boston Marathon was called off in May — and increased concerns that interruptions to the endurance sports world would continue until there was a medical solution to the crisis. (Futterman, 6/24)

AP: New York City Marathon Canceled Because Of Coronavirus
The New York City Marathon was canceled Wednesday because of the coronavirus pandemic, with organizers and city officials deciding that holding the race on Nov. 1 would be too risky. Organizers announced the cancellation of the 50th anniversary edition of the world’s largest marathon after coordinating with the mayor’s office and deciding the race posed too many health and safety concerns for runners, volunteers, spectators and others. (6/24)

The New York Times: Baseball’s New Rules: No Spitting, No Arguing, And Lots Of Testing 
Coronavirus testing every other day for players and coaches. Wet rags for pitchers’ pockets to prevent them from licking their fingers. Masks in the dugout and bullpen for any non-players. And no public transportation to the stadium, communal food spreads, saunas, fighting, spitting, smokeless tobacco or sunflower seeds. Got all that? (Wagner, 6/24)

AP: Phillie Phanatic, Mr Met, MLB Mascots Now Permitted In Parks
Phillie Phanatic, phenomenal. Mr. Met and Mariner Moose, marvelous. Wally the Green Monster, welcome back. Mascots are getting a reprieve from Major League Baseball. A month after being tossed out of stadiums because of health concerns over the coronavirus outbreak, the fuzzy and funny creatures will return as inside-the-parkers. (Walker, 6/25)

Boston Globe: Recent Coronavirus Outbreaks Complicate An Already Difficult Return To Sports 
Baseball finally stopped bickering long enough to reach an agreement on how and when to start the season, resolving disputes over prorated salaries and truncated schedules in time to set a late July opener. Now all they have to do is figure out how to do it amid a pandemic. And as the rest of the sports world has been showing us with increasing regularity, that’s not so easy to do, not as the COVID-19 virus remains impossible to contain. (Sullivan, 6/24)

The Wall Street Journal: What Biking In New York City Reveals About Our Strange Times 
The first time I fell in love with cycling in New York, it offered me an escape. I was in the concluding weeks of a relationship, one made all the more claustrophobic by the fact that we both worked from home. Our shared apartment was nightmarish; its location—just off the bike path on Columbus Avenue in the Upper West Side—was not. (Burton, 6/24)

The New York Times: Decades-Old Soviet Studies Hint At Coronavirus Strategy 
To the boys, it was just a sugary treat. To their parents, prominent medical researchers, what happened in their Moscow apartment that day in 1959 was a vital experiment with countless lives at stake — and their own children as guinea pigs. “We formed a kind of line,” Dr. Peter Chumakov, who was 7 at the time, recalled in an interview. Into each waiting mouth, a parent popped a sugar cube laced with weakened poliovirus — an early vaccine against a dreaded disease. Today, that same vaccine is gaining renewed attention from researchers as a possible weapon against the new coronavirus. (Kramer, 6/24)

AP: Who Would Be The First To Get A COVID-19 Vaccine?
Who would be the first to get a COVID-19 vaccine? Probably people in the country where the first effective vaccine is developed. About a dozen different vaccines are in various stages of testing worldwide, including in Britain, China and the U.S. (6/25)

The New York Times: From China To Germany, The World Learns To Live With The Coronavirus 
China is testing restaurant workers and delivery drivers block by block. South Korea tells people to carry two types of masks for differing risky social situations. Germany requires communities to crack down when the number of infections hits certain thresholds. Britain will target local outbreaks in a strategy that Prime Minister Boris Johnson calls “Whac-A-Mole.” Around the world, governments that had appeared to tame the coronavirus are adjusting to the reality that the disease is here to stay. But in a shift away from damaging nationwide lockdowns, they are looking for targeted ways to find and stop outbreaks before they become third or fourth waves. (Wee, Mueller and Bubola, 6/24)

AP: Masks, Travel Restrictions, Testing As Virus Cases Surge
Governments and businesses are ramping up precautions as coronavirus case numbers rise to dire new levels in parts of the U.S. and around the world, potentially wiping out two months of progress. Indonesia was expected to pass the 50,000 mark for confirmed infections on Thursday. In Melbourne, health workers planned to go door-to-door to test more than 100,000 residents in a coronavirus hot spot that threatens to undo the nation’s success in battling the virus. (Kurtenbach, 6/25)

Reuters: Eiffel Tower Reopens After A Three-Month Coronavirus Break
The Eiffel Tower on Thursday welcomed back visitors after the coronavirus outbreak forced the Paris landmark into its longest period out of action since World War Two. Visitors can access the 324 meters high (1,062 feet) tower only via staircases until early July, with elevators off-limits for the time being because of safety considerations. (6/25)

CNN: Mexican Triplets With Coronavirus Are In Stable Condition, Says Health Ministry 
A set of premature triplets born in Mexico are "stable" and "evolving favorably" after testing positive for Covid-19, according to local health officials. The triplets were born in the central Mexican state of San Luis Potosí and tested for coronavirus on June 17 in compliance with the state's health protocols on premature births, according to the state's Health Secretary Monica Rangel. The test results came back positive three days later, heath authorities said. (Arias, Charner and Thornton, 6/24)

AP: Peru Giving Up On Virus Measures In Face Of Sinking Economy
On the same day that the Peruvian government announced another grim increase in the number of coronavirus infections, thousands of people packed together in hourslong lines outside shopping malls for a chance to buy a new sweater, sneakers or computer. Peru — which has reported the world’s sixth-highest number of cases in a population of just 32 million — has decided to ignore scientific warnings and opened many of the country’s largest shopping malls this week. The government had been following international advice on fighting COVID-19 — enforcing a strict stay-at-home order for three months — but the measures failed to prevent one of the world’s worst outbreaks, and the country now faces one of the region’s deepest recessions on top of rising death rates. (Briceno, 6/24)

AP: New Delhi Plans Mass Screening Effort As Virus Cases Surge
Indian authorities are launching a massive coronavirus survey taking down health details from New Delhi’s entire population of 29 million, and testing everyone with symptoms by July 6. The new plan was announced Wednesday after the sprawling capital became the worst-hit city by the pandemic in India with 70,390 cases, exceeding the financial capital of Mumbai. (Ghosal, 6/25)

The Hill: Research Links Climate Change To Premature, Underweight Or Stillborn Babies 
A new study has found that pregnant women exposed to air pollution and high temperatures are more likely to give birth to preterm, stillborn or underweight children. The review, published in JAMA Network Open, examined more than 32 million births and found an association between climate change effects such as heat, ozone and fine particulate matter, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Researchers also found that minority women, particularly black mothers, were impacted the most. (Mihaly, 6/18)

The New York Times: Climate Change Tied To Pregnancy Risks, Affecting Black Mothers Most
Pregnant women exposed to high temperatures or air pollution are more likely to have children who are premature, underweight or stillborn, and African-American mothers and babies are harmed at a much higher rate than the population at large, according to sweeping new research examining more than 32 million births in the United States. The research adds to a growing body of evidence that minorities bear a disproportionate share of the danger from pollution and global warming. Not only are minority communities in the United States far more likely to be hotter than the surrounding areas, a phenomenon known as the “heat island” effect, but they are also more likely to be located near polluting industries. (Flavelle, 6/18)

CIDRAP: Azithromycin Tied To Higher Risk Of Death
A large new study has found that outpatient use of the antibiotic azithromycin is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular death compared with use of amoxicillin, US researchers reported this week in JAMA Network Open. The retrospective cohort study looked at nearly 8 million prescriptions given to nearly 3 million patients over a 16-year period and found that, compared with the use of amoxicillin, azithromycin was associated with approximately twice the risk of cardiovascular death and non-cardiovascular death within 5 days of exposure. (Dall, 6/19)

The New York Times: Living In Poverty May Increase Alzheimer’s Risk
Living in a poor neighborhood may increase the risk for the brain changes characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers report. A study in JAMA Network Open included 427 people who had donated their brains to two research center brain banks. Scientists linked their addresses to the Area Deprivation Index, a 10-point scale that ranks neighborhoods by their level of socioeconomic disadvantage. (Bakalar, 6/22)

Health Affairs: Isolation And Health
Social isolation and loneliness are increasingly recognized as important public health issues. Evidence of social isolation’s negative effect on health is robust, and there is a great need for the expansion of effective interventions and policies to reduce isolation and its health consequences. Indeed, as described in a Health Affairs blog post accompanying this brief, with the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and the associated recommendations regarding sheltering in place, self-isolation, and social distancing, these consequences may be more salient. This brief defines social isolation and loneliness, reviews their prevalence and likely causes, discusses evidence connecting them to health, and outlines potential policy interventions and challenges to be addressed. (Holt-Lunstad, 6/22)

The Commonwealth Fund: Early Look At Implications COVID-19 Pandemic For Health Coverage 
This survey, conducted in late May through early June, provides a snapshot of U.S. health insurance coverage in the midst of a severe recession. The survey findings also highlight the complexity of our health insurance system, and the ways in which families, both pre- and post-pandemic, piece together both their employment and coverage. (Collins et al, 6/23)

Los Angeles Times: Pretending Coronavirus Doesn't Exist Won't Make It Go Away 
The U.S. stumbled badly at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic when it came to testing. So few test kits were available, officials couldn’t keep up with the infections emerging across their communities. And with no way of knowing where or how much the virus was spreading in their states, governors were forced to take drastic measures, most notably ordering people to stay home lest individuals with the disease overwhelm the healthcare system and die in numbers not seen since the 1918 flu pandemic.The devastating consequences of those decisions will reverberate for years. And everyone agrees that we cannot afford to return to such a dark time. But as COVID-19 roars back in record numbers, that’s starting to seem like a very real, and terrifying, possibility.So it’s bewildering that the federal government would even consider pulling funding and support for 13 federally financed COVID-19 testing sites in five states next week. (6/25)

The New York Times: The Coronavirus Is Still Raging. Trump Remains In Denial. 
More than 100 days into the coronavirus pandemic, here’s where things stand in the United States: 2.3 million people have been infected, and some 120,000 people — more than in any other country — have died. Early epicenters like New York and New Jersey appear to have gotten their outbreaks under control, but several new hot spots have emerged, including in Florida, Texas and Arizona, where daily case counts are higher than ever. Over all, the number of new cases a day is rising, and the rest of the world is taking note: The European Union is mulling travel restrictions that would prohibit Americans from entering any nation in the bloc because the United States has failed to contain the pandemic. (6/23)

The Wall Street Journal: Coping With Covid-19 
Fears of a resurgence of the novel coronavirus are dominating the news and spooking financial markets. The flare-ups bear watching, and preparing for, but the original lockdowns were never going to eradicate the virus short of unacceptable economic pain. The unhappy but inevitable truth is that Americans will have to learn to cope with the virus, which means trial and error and more individual responsibility. There’s no denying the flare-ups, even if some in the media almost seem to enjoy the rise in cases and hospitalizations in Arizona, Florida, Texas and other hot spots in the South and West. Hospitalizations in Texas have doubled in two weeks and increased more than four-fold in San Antonio and the lower Rio Grande Valley. Cases in Harris County hospitals around Houston have doubled in a week. (6/24)

Stat: What Leaders Can Learn From Napoleon's Pandemic Politics
Some leaders use pandemics and other crises to advance themselves and their own ends. Others rise to the challenges of epidemics and act wisely in the best interests of the people they serve, or at least seek to help their people while also benefiting themselves. Take Napoleon Bonaparte as an example of a leader who trod both of these paths. (Robert Klitzman, 6/25)

The New York Times: Can We Call Trump A Killer?
The coronavirus pandemic is still raging in this country. In fact, in more than 20 states, the number of cases is rising. More than 120,000 Americans have died from the virus. This country has a quarter of all the cases in the world even though it makes up only 4 percent of the world population. Things are so bad here that the European Union, which has lowered its rates, is considering banning U.S. citizens when it reopens its borders. This situation is abysmal, and it would not have been so bad if President Trump had not intentionally neglected his duty to protect American citizens. (Charles M. Blow, 6/24)

Houston Chronicle: Greatest Generation Sacrificed Food, Fuel, Lives. We Can Wear A Damn Mask, Texas. 
In the first days after the attack on Pearl Harbor crippled the U.S. Navy and killed 2,403 men, women and children, U.S. military recruiting stations were suddenly swamped. An office in Birmingham, Ala., alone signed up more than 600 volunteers within hours of the news becoming public. Over the next four years — from December 1941 to September 1945 — 16 million Americans would go off to war, including more than 407,000 who never made it back. And it wasn’t just the soldiers who served. Those back home ate leftovers and planted victory gardens to make sure there was enough food to feed the troops. They bought more than $180 billion in war bonds and launched drives to scrounge scrap metal and rubber to build weapons and equipment. They volunteered as civil defense wardens. (6/24)

Boston Globe: Coronavirus Contact Tracing Apps Aren’t Worth The Health Risk To Black And Latinx People 
Since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, nonemergency police calls reporting social distancing violations have increased in cities like Boston, New York, and Chicago, with police calls and stops disproportionately made in Black communities. In New York City, more than 90 percent of the people arrested and 82 percent of those who received summonses for violating social distancing rules were Black or Latinx. Unfortunately, contact tracing apps stand to exacerbate this type of police enforcement of social distancing and could incentivize app users or employers to seek retribution and call the police after getting an exposure notification. (Nicole Triplett, 6/24)

The New York Times: Trump Is Feeding America’s Coronavirus Nightmare 
President Trump says the coronavirus is “fading away” and pats himself on the back for “a great job on CoronaVirus” that saved “millions of U.S. lives.”“It’s going away,” Trump said Tuesday at a packed megachurch in Phoenix where few people wore masks. That’s what delusion sounds like. We need a Churchill to lead our nation against a deadly challenge; instead, we have a president who helps an enemy virus infiltrate our churches and homes. Churchill and Roosevelt worked to deceive the enemy; Trump is trying to deceive us. (Nicholas Kristof, 6/24)

Arizona Daily Star: Trump's Lack Of Empathy Is Pathological
Picture, if you will, four Russian nesting dolls, each roosting inside another. Imagine the largest figurine is of President Donald Trump, and gestating inside are dolls representing the civil rights crisis, inside a financial disaster, inside the coronavirus pandemic. All of these calamities, in my opinion, are made worse than they should have been by Trump's ill temper, keen self-interest and inability to show empathy for others. Why? Because the president suffers from low emotional intelligence, or EQ.Yes, there is such a thing, and it's the subject of a course I teach at the University of California, Riverside Extension. The foundation for my class is the research of psychologist and science journalist Daniel Goleman. EQ, as he explains it, is a measure of a person's ability to perceive, control, evaluate, express and control their emotions. Such leaders are "resonant." (Bill Ballas, 6/25)

Boston Globe: Pioneering A Coronavirus Vaccine Through Massachusetts Innovation 
State and health care leaders have done a tremendous job confronting the coronavirus pandemic and getting the state to a point where it can safely and slowly reopen the economy. Yet the future is still uncertain. Will the data continue to improve? Will there be another surge of COVID-19 infections in the fall? There are many questions that require more near-term planning, but the state’s foresight cannot stop there. (Bob Coughlin and Steve Walsh, 6/23)

Tampa Bay Times: Hillsborough County’s Reckless Plan To Hold High School Graduations 
The Hillsborough County School District is putting the entire region at risk by proceeding with its reckless plan to hold high school graduations. With the coronavirus spreading across Tampa Bay, and cases surging in Florida, there’s no idea more irresponsible than herding thousands of people to an indoor event. It is unconscionable that district leaders and elected School Board members are even considering this endangerment to public health and the region’s health-care system. (6/24)

The Wall Street Journal: No, Police Racism Isn’t An Epidemic
So far, we haven’t seen a shred of evidence that George Floyd’s death in police custody last month was racially motivated. But for those looking to exploit the incident, that doesn’t seem to matter.T he violence in the streets, and the liberal commentary that toggles between justification and cheerleading, is fueled by assumptions that racial discrimination in policing is widespread, that low-income minority communities are overpatrolled, and that black men are targeted for their skin color rather than for their behavior. There’s no denying that there was a time—in the living memory of many Americans—when this was true. The question is how true it remains. (Jason L. Riley, 6/23)

The Washington Post: The Toxic Masculinity Behind Civil War Monuments 
With statues being reassessed across the country and around the world, it’s time for the National Park Service to address the Emancipation Memorial in the District’s Lincoln Park. Neighbors are raising money to repurpose the statue, while a petition is circulating to remove a replica from Boston’s Park Square. The statue’s racism is glaring. Less obvious to viewers is the memorial’s place in a culture of toxic masculinity. The Emancipation Memorial was raised in 1876 with funds donated by former slaves, which helps explain its longevity, but those donors weren’t consulted in the statue’s design. In it, Lincoln stands with a shirtless black man kneeling at his feet. Lincoln’s right hand rests on the Emancipation Proclamation, while his left hovers above the black supplicant’s head, as he’s freed from his shackles. In an era in which Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee was placed on ever higher pedestals, the black man’s subordination reminded all viewers that although Lincoln freed the slaves, neither he, nor the society over which he presided, supported racial equality. (Laura Brodie, 6/19)

Detroit Free Press: The Challenges Of Black Parenthood
I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually. — James Baldwin. To be Black in America is to be in proximity to the greatest opportunities: wealth, real estate, education, and employment. Unfortunately, America is also the proximate cause for the disenfranchisement of Blacks within those same institutions. To be clear, I have, at this point in my life, achieved what is considered success. I am a college graduate, homeowner and serial entrepreneur. I’m living the American Dream. But being the wife of a strong Black man and the mother of three beautiful Black boys are my greatest accomplishments. (Danielle North, 6/21)

The Hill: Help Reverse Devastating Health Disparities By Supporting The Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act 
Black women in the United States are three to four times as likely to die due to pregnancy-related causes as compared with white women. Black infants in the United States are over three times more likely to die due to complications related to low birth weight as compared to white infants. These disparities are not due to race; they are due to racism, as eloquently stated by Dr. Monica McLemore, Professor of Nursing at the University of California, San Francisco School of Nursing. (Ellen Olshansky, 6/24)

Dallas Morning News: Texas Should Make Police Bodycam Video And Citizen Complaints Public
Many Americans protesting the death of George Floyd have demanded greater official accountability in the deaths of black citizens during encounters with police. Police face enormous challenges in fulfilling their sworn duty to protect and to serve. We send them out in our name to prevent crime and keep us safe in our homes, schools and communities. To meet that responsibility, we vest police with extraordinary power, including in some cases the use of deadly force. In the vast majority of cases, officers use their special powers in an effective, reasonable and color-blind manner. (Paul C. Watler, 6/24)

Stat: In Telemedicine's Time To Shine, Why Are Doctors Abandoning It? 
Telemedicine — the delivery of care by a clinician in one location to a patient in another — is seen as a vital component of the nation’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization have urged physicians and other health care providers to use telemedicine, and both the federal government and private health plans have implemented numerous temporary regulatory and payment changes to facilitate its use. (Ateev Mehrotra, David Linetsky and Hilary Hatch, 6/25)

WBUR: On Being Gay In Medicine: After The Supreme Court Victory, Still Work To Be Done 
Although doctors enjoy a privileged position in our society, we have never been immune to anti-LGBTQ discrimination. Ten years ago, I gave a speech at Boston Children’s Hospital titled “On Being Gay in Medicine.” I talked about how, growing up, I never imagined I would say that I was gay out loud to anyone — much less in front of a large audience at the institution where I worked. (Mark Schuster, 6/24)