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Deborah Birx, the physician overseeing the White House coronavirus response, warned Sunday that the United States had entered a “new phase” of the pandemic and urged people to take extreme health precautions as infections and deaths rise sharply throughout the country. “I want to be very clear: What we’re seeing today is different from March and April,” Birx told CNN’s “State of the Union,” noting that cases were increasing in rural and urban areas. “It is extraordinarily widespread.” (Hawkins and Iati, 8/2)

Birx stressed that Americans need to follow health recommendations, including wearing a mask and practicing social distancing. "To everybody who lives in a rural area, you are not immune or protected from this virus," Birx said. "If you're in multi-generational households, and there's an outbreak in your rural area or in your city, you need to really consider wearing a mask at home, assuming that you're positive, if you have individuals in your households with comorbidities." (Stracqualursi, 8/2)

Deborah Birx said Sunday that the COVID-19 outbreak is not under control in the U.S. because Americans "are on the move."  ... The White House coronavirus task force coordinator said she’s seen through recent travel to 14 states that Americans “are on the move.” (Coleman, 8/2)

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she doesn’t trust information from the coordinator of the White House’s coronavirus task force, the latest political skirmish over the U.S. response to the Covid-19 pandemic. President Donald Trump has been spreading disinformation about the virus and Deborah Birx “is his appointee, so I don’t have confidence there, no,” Pelosi said on ABC’s “This Week.” (Czuczka, 8/2)

At the same time, Pelosi has praised Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIH), as a "hero." Democrats have largely turned on Birx after a thinly sourced article in The New York Times criticized her for defending President Trump -- but Fauci, who has repeatedly changed his view on key aspects of the pandemic, is now seen as more willing to challenge the president. (Re, 8/2)

Dr. Deborah Birx on Sunday strongly defended her record amid criticism from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that she doesn't have confidence in the White House coronavirus task force coordinator's handling of the pandemic. On "State of the Union," Birx told CNN's Dana Bash that she has "tremendous respect" for Pelosi, but criticized a New York Times article last month that reported she had painted an optimistic view of the pandemic to the White House during a critical period in getting control of the virus. (Stracqualursi and Main, 8/2)