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.
Section1 are body
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.
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.
The Food and Drug Administration granted emergency authorization Tuesday to Ellume's over-the-counter antigen COVID-19 test for fully at-home use.
Why it matters: Once available, a person in theory would be able to buy the test in a drug store, swab their nose, and run the test for results in about 20 minutes.
Facebook on Wednesday filed a petition for Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan to recuse herself from any decision-making about whether and how to continue the agency's antitrust case against the social media giant.
Why it matters: Khan, a vocal critic of Big Tech's power, took over leadership of the agency as it weighs whether to refile its complaint against the company after a judge dismissed it last month.
