Texas has surpassed 1 million confirmed COVID-19 cases, Johns Hopkins University data shows.
Why it matters: Texas is the first U.S. state to pass the milestone. It has the 10th most cases in the world, reporting 1,010,364 infections by early Wednesday — more than Italy, which has confirmed 995,463 cases, per JHU.
Editor's note: This is a developing news story. Please check back for updates.
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The Pentagon effectively banned the display of the Confederate flag on military installations, per a memo signed Thursday by Defense Secretary Mark Esper and obtained by the AP.
Why it matters: The move was done in a way meant to largely avoid President Trump's ire by not explicitly banning it. The memo instead listed flags that are allowed to be displayed on military property, leaving out the Confederate flag.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday that she believes it's "extremely important" that Joe Biden offer Sen. Bernie Sanders and other progressive leaders Cabinet positions if he's elected president.
The big picture: Ocasio-Cortez was pressed repeatedly on policy differences between her and the more moderate Biden, including her opposition to fracking and support for Medicare for All. She responded that it would be a "privilege" and a "luxury" to be able to lobby a Biden administration on progressive issues, insisting that the focus right now should be on winning the White House.
President Trump said Friday that “time will tell” who won the 2020 election, declining to concede the race in his first public remarks since it became clear he’d lost the election to Joe Biden.
What he's saying: "This administration will not be going into a lockdown," Trump said, insisting that so long as he is president there will not be a nationwide coronavirus lockdown. "Hopefully, whatever happens in the future — who knows which administration it will be. I guess time will tell," he added.
NIAID Director Anthony Fauci said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday that President Trump's refusal to cooperate with President-elect Biden's transition team hurts public health as coronavirus cases surge across the country.
The state of play: As President Trump refuses to concede the election to President-elect Joe Biden, General Services Administration Administrator Emily Murphy has not signed documents declaring Biden the apparent winner, preventing the president-elect's agency review teams from having access to the information they need in order to get to work.
