Government

The National Review reports: Senator Ben Sasse (R., Neb.) called to repeal the 17th Amendment on Tuesday, which would eliminate the requirement that U.S. senators be elected by popular votes. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed titled “Make the Senate Great Again,” Sasse called for an end to the amendment, among other changes to the Senate “aimed at promoting debate, …

ABC New York reports: Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Sunday that the state’s COVID-19 infection rate has been less than 1% for 30 days — or an entire month. The governor said that 0.85% of Saturday’s tests were positive. Cuomo also announced that the state’s COVID-19 hospitalizations have dropped to 410, which is a new low since March 16. There were …

USA Today reports: Breaking ranks with President Donald Trump, Gov. Ron DeSantis warned that a vaccine might not bring an end to the coronavirus pandemic. “People should have tempered expectations on that,” he said at a press conference in Daytona Beach when asked about the hoped-for vaccine. “I don’t want people to think that in 2½ months it will be …

ABC News reports: A key forecasting model often cited by experts and used by the White House has revised its prediction of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S., now estimating a peak of 410,451 by January 1. The model created by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington posted an update Friday predicting an additional …

The Washington Post reports: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is cutting ties with the coronavirus testing lab responsible for reporting covid-19 test data to the state’s public database after the lab reported a backlog of nearly 75,000 test results dating back to April. The state Department of Health and the Division of Emergency Management severed its ties to Quest Diagnostics, …

Bloomberg reports: Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has tested positive for the coronavirus and is continuing to work in isolation at his home near Milan, his spokeswoman said. The leader of the Forza Italia party will continue to support candidates of his group and of the center-right bloc with daily media interviews, the spokeswoman said. At 83, Berlusconi falls …

Portland’s CBS News affiliate reports: The Head of the Maine CDC, Dr. Nirav, Shah, says 134 cases of COVID-19 are linked to a Millinocket area wedding and reception in early August. On Tuesday’s CDC briefing, director Dr. Nirav Shah broke down the numbers. He said 123 cases are confirmed, 11 are probable. He also reported 56 people are wedding guests …

Reuters reports: U.S. cases of the novel coronavirus surpassed six million on Sunday as many states in the Midwest reported increasing infections, according to a Reuters tally. Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota have recently reported record one-day increases in new cases while Montana and Idaho are seeing record numbers of currently hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Nationally, metrics on new …

The New York Times reports: In France, President Emmanuel Macron warned on Friday that the authorities were doing “everything to avoid a new lockdown.” A day later, the country reported over 7,300 new virus cases, its highest daily tally since March 31 and a number that sent its seven-day average to a new record of 4,668. As Germany faces its …

The New York Daily News reports: New York reported a record low coronavirus infection rate Friday, capping three weeks in which the important indicator remained below 1%. Of the 97,826 test results received by the state a day earlier, only 636 were positive for a 0.65% infection rate, Gov. Cuomo announced. Hospitalizations fell by 12 to 478 with the number …

The South Florida SunSentinel reports: More than 10,000 people have now died from COVID-19 in Florida, according to the latest state pandemic data released Wednesday. The updated death toll comes after the state Department of Health reported 174 more resident deaths that happened in recent weeks but were just confirmed, following a surge of coronavirus cases this summer. Florida, which …

Gothamist reports: Governor Andrew Cuomo announced new rules for gyms to be able to reopen around New York State this morning, saying they would be allowed to open at one third capacity as early as next Monday. According to the new guidelines, gyms can reopen at 33% capacity as long as HVAC changes are made. Masks must be worn inside …

The Miami Herald reports: Florida’s Department of Health on Wednesday confirmed 8,109 additional cases of COVID-19, pushing the state’s known total to 550,901. An additional 212 Florida resident deaths brings the statewide resident death toll to 8,765. Miami-Dade County reported 4,141 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19, and 30 new deaths, according to Florida’s Department of Health. The county now has …

The Tampa Bay Times reports: Florida logged a new record for the most coronavirus deaths announced in a day with 277 on Tuesday. Tuesday’s record brought the statewide death toll to 8,685 people, according to the Florida Department of Health. The weekly death average increased to 166 people dead per day. The previous high was 257 deaths on July 31, …

The New York Post reports: A pair of pro-cop groups are suing Mayor Bill de Blasio after being denied a Blue Lives Matter mural akin to the one Black Lives Matter had splashed across Fifth Avenue, The Post has learned. The lawsuit, filed late Monday by Blue Lives Matter NYC and Standing up for NYC in the Southern District of …

The Washington Post reports: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Tuesday the country had confirmed four new novel coronavirus cases, ending a more than 100-day streak without recording any community transmission. Auckland will move to impose new restrictions Wednesday afternoon though midnight Friday as officials assess the threat, Ardern said, and asked residents to stay home and take precautions. …

The Texas Tribune reports: The number of Texans being tested for the coronavirus has fallen sharply in recent weeks, a trend that has worried public health experts as officials consider sending children back to school while thousands more Texans are infected each day. In the week ending Aug. 8, an average 36,255 coronavirus tests were administered in Texas each day …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: Florida closed out the week with a record for weekly reported hospitalizations due to COVID-19, as the state’s case total and death toll continued to grow. From Sunday to Sunday, the state saw 3,355 hospitalizations, a new record for COVID-19 admissions in one week. In the span of five days alone — Tuesday to Saturday — …

Business Insider reports: New Zealand has made it 100 days without a single new local case of COVID-19, the country’s Ministry of Health announced Sunday. The public health milestone comes as coronavirus cases are spiking in other countries, including nearby Australia. The total number of cases in the US surpassed 5 million Sunday — by contrast, New Zealand has only …

Boston’s ABC News affiliate reports: Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker on Friday announced decisions made in response to a recent uptick in COVID-19 cases and the average positive test rate. After listing a number of recent high-profile gatherings, some of which have led to clusters of coronavirus cases, Baker announced that the maximum number of attendees for outdoor gatherings would be …