Axios

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) urged Texans to stay home to fight the "rampant" spread of the coronavirus on Tuesday, warning in interviews with local outlets KRIS-TV and KBTX-TV that the state has reported an all-time high of over 5,400 new cases over the last 24 hours.

What he's saying: “First, we want to make sure that everyone reinforces the best safe practices of wearing a mask, hand sanitization, maintaining safe distance, but importantly, because the spread is so rampant right now, there’s never a reason for you to have to leave your home. Unless you do need to go out, the safest place for you is at your home,” Abbott told KBTX-TV.

Creating a coronavirus vaccine is difficult, but distributing it could prove even more complicated.

Today's episode of Axios Re:Cap focuses on who will get it first and how government funding for pharmaceutical companies could play a central role. Our guest is public health expert and former Obama administration official Zeke Emanuel.

The summer reprieve from the coronavirus isn't coming, and the outbreak is hitting the Sun Belt the hardest.

Why it matters: Anthony Fauci warned today of a "disturbing surge" driven by community spread in metropolitan areas in Florida, Texas and Arizona.

NIAID director Anthony Fauci said during congressional testimony Tuesday that he is concerned about the "disturbing surge" of new coronavirus cases in several states across the U.S., including Texas, Florida and Arizona.

Why it matters: Fauci warned that the "next few weeks will be critical" to contain the new outbreaks and that states "must have the manpower, the system, the testing to identify, isolate and contact trace."

Anthony Fauci and three other members of the White House coronavirus task force testified to Congress Tuesday that President Trump has never told them to slow down coronavirus testing, and that the U.S. "will in fact be doing more testing" as infections continue to surge in a number of states.

Why it matters: White House officials have insisted that President Trump's claim at a rally on Saturday that he asked to slow down testing because it results in a higher confirmed case count was "tongue-in-cheek." Trump said on Tuesday, however, that the comments were not a joke, telling reporters: "I don't kid."

Pressed on whether he was joking when he said at a campaign rally this weekend that he asked officials to slow down coronavirus testing, President Trump told reporters on Tuesday: "I don't kid."

Why it matters: White House officials have insisted that the comments were "tongue-in-cheek." Anthony Fauci told the Wall Street Journal this week that while increased testing does lead to more cases reported, the higher percentages of positive tests results in many states "cannot be explained by increased testing."

Pubs, restaurants and other businesses in England can resume business on July 4 after U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that it would move to the third stage of its coronavirus reopening plan, per the BBC.

Why it matters: The U.K. government also reduced its two-meter social-distancing rule in England and will instead introduce a "one meter plus" rule as the lockdown eases.

Novak Djokovic, the world's top-ranked tennis player, announced Tuesday that he tested positive for coronavirus after facing widespread criticism for organizing an exhibition tournament that also left other players and coaches infected.

Why it matters: The fallout highlights the difficulty in returning to sports in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic — even in relatively distanced sports, like singles tennis — if safety protocols aren't strictly implemented and followed.

It sure looks like baseball will finally be played in 2020.

The state of play: MLB owners voted unanimously Monday to impose a 60-game season that will begin around July 24, assuming players sign off on health-and-safety protocols and agree to arrive in home markets by July 1 to begin "spring" training.

U.S. economic data has shown improvement in recent reports, starting with May's nonfarm payrolls report and including new home sales, various Fed manufacturing indexes and retail sales, all showing better-than-expected rebounds.

Why it matters: The momentum could reverse quickly if the coronavirus pandemic picks back up and policymakers drag their feet on renewing stimulus measures, experts say.

Black Americans enrolled in Medicare have been hospitalized with the novel coronavirus at four times the rate of their white counterparts. And Hispanics on Medicare have been hospitalized roughly twice as much as white people.

Why it matters: The federal Medicare data, published on Monday, confirms what has been indicated anecdotally and in studies: The pandemic is disproportionately affecting people of color in a major way.

Hospitals that have pocketed tens of millions of dollars in federal coronavirus bailouts are still pursuing big-ticket mergers and acquisitions.

Why it matters: The pandemic has dried up big parts of hospitals' businesses, and that's why Congress established a $175 billion bailout fund to help them. At the same time, they're spending millions on lawyers and advisers to explore deals that expand their business empires.

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, areas with largely white populations have had access to more testing sites than communities that are predominantly made up of people of color.

Why it matters: Black and Latino people are already more susceptible to infection and serious illness, and racial disparities in testing only contribute to that problem.

People in mostly red states where coronavirus cases have been rising the fastest are developing a heightened sense of risk and taking steps to dial back their exposure, according to the latest installment of the Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index.

Why it matters: A much lower-than-expected turnout last weekend for President Trump's rally in Tulsa is consistent with the broader trend we're seeing in Week 14 of our national poll.