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Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis greets Vice President Mike Pence upon his arrival at Tampa International Airport on Thursday, July 2, 2020, in Tampa. The Vice President met with Governor DeSantis regarding the efforts the state is making to combat COVID-19. (Ivy Ceballo/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ plea for July 4: No crowds, no tight spaces

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday pleaded with Floridians to avoid enclosed spaces and crowds over the Independence Day weekend, as the state posted over 10,000 cases of the coronavirus -- a single-day high -- ahead of a visit from Vice President Mike Pence.

July 2, 2020
Vice President Mike Pence, right, walks with Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, left, as the two head to a meeting to discuss the surge in coronavirus cases Wednesday, July 1, 2020, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Mike Pence pledges aid amid Arizona coronavirus crisis

Vice President Mike Pence said Wednesday the federal government will swiftly dispatch doctors and nurses to Arizona after Gov. Doug Ducey pleaded for 500 additional personnel to tame an explosion of COVID-19 cases and a rise in deaths.

July 1, 2020
President Donald Trump arrives on stage to speak at a campaign rally at the BOK Center, Saturday, June 20, 2020, in Tulsa, Okla.  Trump is asking Americans to let him keep his job. His critics are asking how much of that job he’s actually doing. Those questions have gotten louder in recent days following revelations that Trump didn’t read at least two written intelligence briefings detailing concerns that Russia was paying bounties to the Taliban for the deaths of Americans in Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Trump: I think masks are good

President Trump said Wednesday he doesn't have a problem with masks and he would wear one if he found himself in a crowd without enough distance to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

July 1, 2020
In this June 22, 2020, file photo, a couple walks past a sign asking people not to visit Miami Beach, Florida's famed South Beach, if they have a cough or fever. An Associated Press analysis of coronavirus case data shows the virus has moved, and is spreading quickly, into Republican areas, a new path with broad potential political ramifications. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)

Swing-state voters give Donald Trump poor marks for COVID-19 response: Poll

Voters in six states critical to President Trump's electoral fortunes give him poor marks over his handling of the coronavirus, with more than half saying he pushed states to reopen their economies too quickly to improve his reelection chances, according to a CNBC/Change Research poll.

July 1, 2020
Vice President Mike Pence speaks at the Southern Baptist megachurch First Baptist Dallas during a Celebrate Freedom Rally in Dallas, Sunday, June 28, 2020. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Mike Pence backs Greg Abbott as coronavirus slams Texas

Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday told Texas it will get whatever it needs to expand testing and combat a coronavirus surge that's forced Gov. Greg Abbott to close bars and scramble for hospital beds after a nation-leading push to lift lockdown rules.

June 28, 2020
Vice President Mike Pence speaks during a news conference with the Coronavirus task force at the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, Friday, June 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Mike Pence urges young Americans to stamp out Sun Belt surge

Vice President Mike Pence said Friday he will visit Arizona, Florida and Texas in the coming days for a ground report on the coronavirus, acknowledging a stunning surge in cases across the South while defending the Trump campaign's decision to resume rallies that do not observe social distancing.

June 26, 2020
In this May 24, 2020, file photo, a San Francisco Police cadet hands out face masks to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, at Dolores Park in San Francisco. Health officials in Santa Clara County, California, one of the most aggressive in the nation in shutting down because of the coronavirus are warning of "worrisome" growing infections tied in the San Francisco Bay Area as California reports its highest one-day total infections amid a rise in hospitalizations from the virus. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

CDC: Fewer people dying in COVID-19 surge than March, April

The coronavirus surge across the South and West is concentrated in younger adults, meaning fewer people are dying compared to March and April, though people with underlying conditions must be cautious and the long-term effects of any infection aren't fully known, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.

June 25, 2020
Southwest Airlines employee La Toya Malone Key wipes down a kiosk after it was used by a passenger to secure their boarding pass at Love Field in Dallas, Wednesday, June 24, 2020. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Texas hits pause on reopening amid coronavirus surge

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott paused his state's reopening Thursday and signed an executive order prohibiting elective surgeries in four major counties as he scrambles to contain a coronavirus surge and preserve hospital space.

June 25, 2020