Week In The News: COVID-19 Surge, House Police Reform Bill, DOJ Hearing

It’s the week in review. Justice Department officials testify in Congress, the House passes a police reform bill and COVID-19 cases spike in the United States.

Darlene Superville, White House reporter for the Associated Press. (@dsupervilleap)

Rick Berke, co-founder and executive editor of STAT, a media company focused on health, medicine and science. (@rickberke)

Nancy Cordes, chief congressional correspondent for CBS News. (@nancycordes)

New York Times: "House Passes Sweeping Policing Bill Targeting Racial Bias and Use of Force" — "The House on Thursday passed an expansive policing overhaul bill aimed at combating racial discrimination and excessive use of force in law enforcement, as Democrats sought to respond to a nationwide outcry for racial justice and pushed through legislation that is doomed in the Republican-controlled Senate."

Reuters: "House passes Democratic police reform bill as impasse deepens" — "The U.S. House of Representatives approved a sweeping Democratic police reform bill on Thursday, sending the measure to the Senate despite opposition from President Donald Trump and his Republican allies in Congress."

The Guardian: "Trump plan to cut federal support for Covid-19 testing sites sparks alarm" — "Officials in states across the US have reacted with alarm to the Trump administration’s plan to end federal support for some Covid-19 testing sites, warning it could cause further spread of a disease that is already surging back and calling the move 'irresponsible.'"

Associated Press: "Trump says ‘learn from history’ instead of removing statues" — "As America grapples with racism in its past, President Donald Trump lined up squarely Tuesday with those who argue that the pendulum has swung too far in favor of removing statues and other symbols of that flawed history, saying mistakes will be repeated if not learned from and understood."

Associated Press: "2nd presidential debate moves from Michigan to Florida" — "The nonpartisan commission that sponsors the formal election year presidential debates announced Tuesday that an October debate that had been set for Michigan will now take place in Florida."

New York Times: "Justice Dept. Officials Outline Claims of Politicization Under Barr" — "Two Justice Department officials recounted to Congress in stinging detail on Wednesday how political appointees had intervened in criminal and antitrust cases to advance the personal interests of President Trump and Attorney General William P. Barr."

Washington Post: "Opinion: The most tragic story in John Bolton’s book" — "There are many disturbing stories of foreign policy malpractice in John Bolton’s tell-all book, 'The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir,' but it’s clear that what the former national security adviser reveals about the Trump administration’s actions regarding Syria stand out as the most grossly negligent, horribly dysfunctional and morally bankrupt."

New York Times: "A Winner on Election Day in November? Don’t Count on It" — "The cliffhanger elections on Tuesday night in Kentucky and New York didn’t just leave the candidates and voters in a state of suspended animation wondering who had won."

Bloomberg: "Trump Ignores Virus Spike as U.S. Cases Surge to Record Level" — "President Donald Trump has paid little heed to a resurgence in U.S. coronavirus cases — which on Thursday hit a record level — announcing no new steps to curb the outbreak and continuing with a normal schedule of meetings and travel as hospitals fill with sick patients."

Washington Post: "The Flynn decision is anything but ‘regular order’" — "The case against former national security adviser Michael Flynn has been full of bizarre twists and turns."

New York Times: "Fauci, Citing ‘Disturbing Surge,’ Tells Congress the Virus Is Not Under Control" — "Dr. Anthony S. Fauci told Congress on Tuesday that he was seeing a 'disturbing surge' of infections in some parts of the country, as Americans ignore social distancing guidelines and states reopen without adequate plans for testing and tracing the contacts of those who get sick."