Why it matters: The U.S. faces a range of health care flashpoints — unaffordable drugs, opioids, vaping — as we debate whether to adopt universal care. For now, the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land, but Republicans want to issue it a final death blow.
California recorded 11,529 new novel coronavirus cases on Sunday, beating the record it set last week (9,480).
The big picture: At least 15 states have broken their single-day coronavirus infection records in the past week, according to state health department data reviewed by Axios.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said on Monday that she has tested positive for the coronavirus after displaying no symptoms.
Why it matters: Bottoms, one of several Black women on the shortlist to be Joe Biden's running mate, has risen to national prominence in recent months as part of mass protests over racism and police brutality — driven in part by the killing of Rayshard Brooks by Atlanta police.
Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios
Harvard University campus. Photo: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Foreign college students could be forced to leave the U.S. or transfer schools if their universities move classes entirely online this fall, according to guidance released by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Monday.
Why it matters: Several U.S. colleges and universities — most recently Harvard — have announced plans to move most or all courses online this fall due to coronavirus concerns. Many institutions rely heavily on tuition from international students.
73 countries say they are at risk of using up their stores of antiretroviral drugs due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization announced on Monday.
The big picture: A WHO and UNAIDS modeling exercise in May forecas that a six-month disruption in access to antiretroviral drugs could double AIDS-related deaths in sub-Saharan Africa this year.
Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) told reporters Monday that he will not attend the Republican National Convention in Jacksonville this August due to coronavirus concerns, the Des Moines Register reports.
Why it matters: It's the 86-year-old's first time skipping the party's convention since he was elected to the Senate in 1980, and it underscores broader concerns about holding the mass gathering in a state where coronavirus cases are surging.
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice signed an executive order on Monday making face coverings mandatory in all public and privately owned buildings, effective Tuesday.
The big picture: West Virginia is the latest out of over 20 states that have mandated facial coverings statewide in response to surging coronavirus cases across the U.S. in recent weeks.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo accused President Trump at a press briefing Monday of "enabling the virus" by refusing to admit the U.S. is experiencing a real surge of COVID-19 cases.
Why it matters: The alarming rise in coronavirus cases in the U.S. is not due to increased testing, as President Trump has claimed as recently as this past weekend.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez announced Monday that he would sign an emergency order to again close many businesses, including indoor dining at restaurants, party venues, gyms and fitness centers, effective Wednesday.
The big picture: The move comes as cases are surging in Florida, even as the state sees an increasing gap between testing and confirmed cases.
A coronavirus patient at a Houston hospital. Photo: Mark Felix/AFP via Getty Images
The main trade groups representing hospitals, nurses and doctors issued a public letter today that urges "the American public to take the simple steps we know will help stop the spread of the virus: wearing a face mask, maintaining physical distancing, and washing hands."
The bottom line: Coronavirus cases are rising almost everywhere across the country, and the medical community now is begging the public to take preventive measures to avoid overwhelmed hospitals and higher death counts.
White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told "Fox & Friends" Monday that there are facts and statistics — without citing any — to back up President Trump's claim that 99% of coronavirus cases are "totally harmless."
The big picture: Nearly 130,000 Americans have died from the virus, and FDA commissioner Stephen Hahn declined to provide evidence to support Trump's claim over the weekend.
Health care workers move a patient in the COVID-19 unit at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston. Photo: Mark Felix/AFP via Getty Images
A record 8,181 coronavirus patients were hospitalized Sunday in Texas, and officials in major cities warned that hospitals' intensive care capabilities could be overwhelmed within weeks, the Texas Tribune reports.
The big picture: New York hospitals never became so overwhelmed that patients were abandoned in hallways, but the situation became dire after lockdowns were in place, and it was mostly a matter of riding out the storm.
The United States' alarming rise in coronavirus cases isn't due to increased testing — particularly not where cases have grown fastest over the last month.
Why it matters: The U.S. doesn't yet know what it looks like when a pandemic rages on relatively unchecked after the health system has become overwhelmed. It may be about to find out.