  Sunday 08.08.21
Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend!
by Paul LeBlanc and Zachary B. Wolf : The Delta Divide It's still getting worse.
The Delta coronavirus variant continues to prove its threat as it washes through the unvaccinated population at a disturbing clip. The variant has wreaked havoc on hospitals, infected children at a concerning rate, and triggered another wave of mask mandates nationwide.
It's also brought something rare to the GOP's Covid-19 playbook: meaningful division.
Listen to what Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy told CNN's Dana Bash on Sunday when asked about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' ban on local school officials imposing mask mandates.
"The local official should have control here. I don't want top down from Washington, DC. I don't want top down from a governor's office," Cassidy, who is also a physician, said on "State of the Union."
He continued:
His comments reflect not only the hard-learned lessons about ignoring public health guidance during a pandemic, but also a recognition that the Delta variant represents a different, more formidable challenge. A look at where we are:
Average cases have increased nine-fold since early July. As of Friday, America's seven-day average of daily Covid-19 cases was more than 107,100 -- the highest average in nearly six months, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
Hospitalizations are highest since February. More than 66,000 Americans were hospitalized with Covid-19 across the country as of late Saturday, according to data from the US Department of Health and Human Services.
Child and teen Covid-19 cases jumped 84% in a week. Nearly 72,000 new child and teen Covid-19 cases were reported in the week between July 22 and July 29, the American Academy of Pediatrics reported last week -- a substantial increase from the previous week, when about 39,000 cases were reported.
Delta variant accounts for 93% of US Covid-19 cases. This includes several sub-lineages of Delta, all of which are classified as variants of concern. The number is even higher in parts of the country including Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska, where Delta accounts for more than 98% of circulating virus.
Most Americans live in substantial or high Covid-19 spread areas. Nearly 90% of Americans live in areas with "substantial" or "high" Covid-19 transmission, according to CDC data.
The categories below, issued by the CDC, are based on county-level data on the number of new cases per 100,000 people and the test positivity rate during the past seven days:  But. There is *some* good news.
Covid-19 vaccinations are picking up pace, with an average of more than 464,700 people initiating their vaccinations every day as of Thursday, CDC data shows.
"The ultimate answer" to turning around this surge is vaccination, emergency medicine physician and CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Thursday.
"We know that what will stop the virus in its tracks and really is our only and best way out of the pandemic is to increase our vaccination rates." : Infrastructure speed read The Senate reconvened Sunday afternoon to resume consideration of the massive $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package.
Stop-and-go deliberations. The chamber voted to break a filibuster and advance the bill Saturday after months of furious negotiations, but Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Sunday that Republicans and Democrats still had not reached a deal on additional amendment votes.
Optimism persists in the Senate. Lawmakers are confident the bill will pass, but it's now just a matter of how long that takes with the exact timing of a final vote still unclear.
Big money is on the line. The massive bipartisan infrastructure package features $550 billion in new federal spending over five years. The measure invests $110 billion in funding toward roads, bridges and major projects, $66 billion in passenger and freight rail, $65 billion to rebuild the electric grid, $65 billion to expand broadband Internet access, and $39 billion to modernize and expand transit systems.
: Andrew Cuomo is short on time Days after state Attorney General Letitia James released a detailed report that found Andrew Cuomo had sexually harassed 11 women, violating state and federal law, the three-term governor -- one of the most powerful figures the state has seen in a generation -- is bleeding support at home and among the Democratic Party's national heavyweights.
The state legislature is poised to move ahead with impeachment proceedings and those seeking to remove him from office appear to have the votes to do it.
More on Cuomo's grim political reality from CNN's Greg Krieg.
: 📺🔌: 'Being AOC'  New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez does not know what her political future holds -- and that includes whether she might challenge Schumer in a 2022 primary.
Asked by CNN's Dana Bash if she is considering a campaign against her fellow New Yorker next year, Ocasio-Cortez said she had not seriously considered it, but also stopped short of ruling out a run.
"I know it drives everybody nuts. But the way that I really feel about this, and the way that I really approach my politics and my political career is that I do not look at things and I do not set my course positionally," Ocasio-Cortez told Bash in "Being...AOC," the first episode of the new CNN series "Being..." that airs Monday night at 9 p.m. ET.
💻📱"Being…AOC" will also stream live for subscribers via CNNgo and on the CNN mobile apps for iOS and Android. The episode will be available on demand beginning August 10 via cable/satellite systems, CNNgo platforms, and CNN mobile apps. 💻📱 : What are we doing here? We're trying to connect the dots at a time of political, cultural and economic upheaval. All CNN Newsletters | Manage Profile
® © 2021 Cable News Network, Inc. A WarnerMedia Company. All Rights Reserved.
One CNN Center Atlanta, GA 30303
| |||||||||||||||||
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
Top Articles
-
Baird and NWSL general counsel Lisa Levine were ousted Friday in the wake of a rep...
-
Plus: The high costs of housing, school board politics and alien life abroad July 16, 2021 View in B...
Our Hindi Website
www.hindi.men
