Florida reported about 414,000 coronavirus cases Saturday, becoming the second-highest state total in the U.S. after California.
Why it matters: Florida has become the domestic epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, and is on track to keep getting worse. California has about 435,000 cases and New York has roughly 411,000, according to their respective health departments.
Go deeper: Birx says coronavirus surge in California, Florida and Texas creates "essentially 3 New Yorks"
Seven states set new highs last week for coronavirus infections recorded in a single day, according to the COVID Tracking Project and state health departments. Wisconsin and Nebraska surpassed records set the previous week.
Why it matters: Problem spots are sticking in the Midwest, although the U.S. is moving in the right direction overall after massive infection spikes this summer.
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
HHS Secretary Alex Azar and President Donald Trump. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar wrote a memo this week giving him authority over all new rules and banning any of the health agencies, including the FDA, from signing any new rules "regarding the nation’s foods, medicines, medical devices and other products," the New York Times reports.
Why it matters: The story further underscores reporting that health and scientific agencies are undergoing a deep politicization as the Trump administration races to develop a coronavirus vaccine, as Axios' Caitlin Owens has reported. Peter Lurie, a former associate commissioner of the FDA, told the Times that the Azar memo amounted to a "power grab."
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