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Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Friday signed a hate crimes bill into law. The killing of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man shot dead while jogging in February, drew nationwide attention and energized efforts to pass this law. Ahead of the signing on Friday, Kemp called House Bill 426 a "silver lining" amid difficult and stormy times. (Slotkin, 6/26)

The end of the legislative session triggers a new phase of the election season, as lawmakers are now free from restrictions on campaign fundraising and can focus on their re-election bids. But some optimistic lawmakers saw the hate-crimes measure, which imposes additional criminal penalties on crimes motivated by bias, as a template for more cooperation in the months ahead. (Bluestein, 6/28)

Weeks after most US states began lifting their lockdowns, parts of the country are clamping down on renewed restrictions hoping to slow staggering surges in new case numbers. With July 4 approaching, officials are trying not to repeat scenes of Memorial Day, when thousands across the country flocked to beaches, bars and parties while experts cautioned the crowds could lead to spikes in cases down the road. At least 12 states have hit a pause on their reopening plans hoping to contain the spread. (Maxouris, 6/29)

The recent jump in coronavirus cases in locations such as Texas and Florida has pitted state and local leaders against each other over safety measures. Despite surging daily numbers of cases in those states, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, both Republicans, have long refused to mandate proven health actions such as face coverings and reduction of crowds. Their actions have prompted city leaders, such as the Democratic mayors of Austin and Tampa, Florida, to take matters into their own hands. (Pereira, 6/28)

With nearly 900 new positive COVID-19 cases, Ohio has marked one of its biggest 24-hour spikes since mid-April, when the outbreak in the state was at its peak, Gov. Mike DeWine reported at his Thursday, June 25, press conference. The rise in cases comes as more than 17,000 Ohioans were tested in one day earlier in the week, but DeWine warned that the two were not necessarily correlated. (Palmer, 6/26)

Since early March, metro area nonprofits have navigated uncharted territory as the pandemic fueled increased demand for certain social services. Guidelines for social distancing made it difficult to use on-site volunteers, and the fundraisers that generate revenue for operating expenses had to be canceled or turned into virtual events. A survey conducted by the Georgia Center for Nonprofits found that 90% of Georgia nonprofits said their revenues have been negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. (Rhone, 6/27)

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) said Sunday that states “can’t be putting restrictions on each other” after New York, New Jersey and Connecticut announced a 14-day quarantine for travelers from states hit hard by coronavirus. The Arkansas governor, whose residents would have to comply with the quarantine, said on ABC News’ “This Week” that it is “understandable” that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) instituted this policy, along with the two other states. 

Severe shortages of public health workers to track disease spread helped fuel coronavirus spikes in states like Florida, Texas and Arizona and could make it harder to stamp out new hot spots. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has about 10 percent of the 15,000 workers needed to contain the outbreak in his state, according to one widely cited simulator and plans to hire just 600 more. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has 3,000 of the 4,000 tracers he said he wanted to hire in late April. And Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey called up 300 National Guard members to fill the surveillance gap, more than a month after he lifted his stay-at-home order. (Goldberg and Miranda Ollstein, 6/28)

The epicenter of the coronavirus in the U.S. appears to be shifting south and west, with some states that were among the first to reopen, like Arizona, experiencing a surge of cases. As officials renew efforts to slow the virus’ spread, however, they are encountering some resistance. (Sy, Jackson and Kuhn, 6/26)

Kaiser Health News and Politifact HealthCheck: In Arizona Race, McSally Makes Health Care Pledge At Odds With Track Record

Trailing Democratic challenger Mark Kelly in one of the country’s most hotly contested Senate races, Arizona Sen. Martha McSally is seeking to tie herself to an issue with across-the-aisle appeal: insurance protections for people with preexisting health conditions. “Of course I will always protect those with preexisting conditions. Always,” the Republican said in a TV ad released June 22. (Luthra, 6/29)

North Carolina Lt. Gov. Dan Forest is already challenging Roy Cooper in this fall’s gubernatorial election. Now he’s preparing to challenge Cooper in court over the governor’s executive orders responding to COVID-19. Forest scheduled a Monday news conference to discuss a lawsuit he told Cooper last week he wanted to file. The Republican says Cooper is failing to follow state law by issuing orders closing businesses and limiting movement without receiving formal support from members of the Council of State. Cooper’s most recent order included a statewide face-mask mandate. (6/29)

Louisiana, and New Orleans in particular, have been struck hard by the virus’s first wave. Deaths have surpassed 3,000 statewide, and parts of the state are seeing a resurgence in cases as the nation muddles through the first wave of a pandemic with no end in sight. (Gallo, 6/27)

With landlords moving to kick people out of more than 230 households in New Orleans since the state lifted an eviction moratorium on June 15, advocates say they’re scrambling to help desperate tenants who lost jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic. One of them is Sada Jones. After months of non-payment, the 23-year-old renter at Cypress Park Apartments in Algiers will square off against her landlord in 2nd City Court on Tuesday. (Sledge, 6/28)

It's no time to get complacent. That's the message public health leaders want Michiganders to understand as businesses open up, restrictions are lifted and coronavirus case numbers begin to inch upward. For the fourth consecutive day Saturday, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced more than 300 newly confirmed coronavirus cases. The seven-day average of daily new cases rose to 275 after bottoming out June 15 at 152. (Shamus, 6/28)

Welcome to the new world of running a restaurant in the middle of a pandemic. It's been more than two weeks since metro Detroit restaurants were allowed to reopen their dining rooms after a three-month, state-mandated closure aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus. Although restaurants could continue to offer carryout and delivery under the governor's order, many shut down completely during those first months. Now as they slowly reopen, they're faced with the new reality of keeping their customers and employees safe, while trying to be profitable. (Selasky,, 6/26)

People who visited a bar in East Lansing, Michigan, are being asked to self-quarantine because roughly 85 people contracted Covid-19 after visiting the establishment this month, a health official says. That number is up from the 34 reported Wednesday and is expected to rise, Ingham County Health officer Linda S. Vail told CNN. (Jones, 6/27)

Women across Vermont may be disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a recent report compiled by the Vermont Commission on Women. The report, released Thursday, collects data around the demographics of frontline workers, the number of women who have tested positive for COVID-19 in Vermont, and economic and social challenges tied to the shutdown of businesses. (Bakuli, 6/26)

Vermont dentists fear the coronavirus pandemic is an existential threat, and say the state's response to help them survive has been inadequate.In a recent conference call with Rep. Peter Welch, dentists said in a state already struggling to meet the needs of a rural and impoverished population, the pandemic may push some dental practices into bankruptcy. (D'Ambrosio, 6/26)

One in eight people arrested in Boston last year was homeless, the result of laws — common in cities where the cost of living is high — that advocates say criminalize the most basic necessities of life for people without housing.In Boston, homeless people accounted for almost 13 percent of arrests last year, up from 10 percent in 2016 and mirroring law enforcement patterns across the country, according to an investigation by the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at the University of Maryland. (McCool, Arellano-Summer and Mulvihill, 6/28)

An analysis by the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center said child care providers would need $690 million to keep them afloat during the next five months. The funding would help recover tuition lost during state-mandated closures and pay for the increased cost of new health regulations once they reopen. It would also nearly double the amount of funding the state currently spends on early education and care. (McNerney, 6/26)

As coronavirus cases continue to fall and the economy brightens for the moment, some communities in Massachusetts are bracing for a new threat: a surge of evictions that could push thousands of people from their homes. A disproportionate number will be Black or Latino. Even with rampant unemployment in the state, most residents have been able to stay put, thanks to enhanced unemployment benefits and a state law banning evictions during the pandemic. But those protections are slated to end this summer — putting roughly 120,000 households at risk of being unable to make their housing payments, according to a study by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. (Greenberg and Logan, 6/28)

Amid a global health crisis and local calls for racial justice, Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell said Sunday in a televised interview that city leaders must do more to address systemic racism and invest more resources into Boston’s poorer neighborhoods. Campbell has criticized Mayor Martin J. Walsh for not doing enough to address racial issues, including his move to create an equity and inclusion Cabinet-level office. And while she supports efforts like the creation of a new city racial equity fund, officials must go further. (Hilliard, 6/28)

For 19 Black and brown business leaders in Boston, it was the question, too. They felt compelled to respond, and they’ve come up with a big idea: the creation of the New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund. If this sounds familiar, think again. Sure, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh launched the city’s version of a racial equity fund last week as his staff scrambled to find people of color to serve on the steering committee. But if members of our white power establishment were really woke, they probably would have had the sense to stand off to the side and let Black and brown leaders, you know, lead. (Leung, 6/27)