Rep. John Lewis’ funeral is today; former President Obama to eulogize him
Former President Barack Obama will eulogize the late Congressman John Lewis in a funeral service at Atlanta, Georgia’s storied Ebenezer Baptist Church today, wrapping up six days of memorials paying tribute to Lewis’ life and his legacy as a civil rights icon. Lewis, the son of Alabama sharecroppers, played an instrumental role in the passage of the landmark Voting Rights Act in 1965 and went on to serve more than three decades in Congress, representing the 5th Congressional District of Georgia, service that earned him the designation “the conscience of the U.S. Congress.” Sunday in Selma, 55 years after Lewis and other demonstrators were beaten during a peaceful protest on “Bloody Sunday,” Lewis crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge for a final time. Where his skull was once fractured by blows from police batons, Lewis’ remains were honored with salutes from state troopers. Former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton will also attend today’s private funeral at Ebenezer Baptist Church, which Lewis’ early mentor, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., once led. Lewis will be buried in South View Cemetery in Atlanta on Thursday afternoon. Lewis died on July 17 at age 80 after a months-long battle with pancreatic cancer. Today’s services will be livestreamed on ABC News Live.
COVID-19 numbers
Here’s the latest data on COVID-19 coronavirus infections and deaths.
Latest reported numbers globally per Johns Hopkins University
Global diagnosed cases: 17,054,819
Global deaths: 667,693. The United States has the most deaths of any single country, with 150,716.
Number of countries/regions: at least 188
Total patients recovered globally: 9,975,950
Latest reported numbers in the United States per Johns Hopkins University
There are at least 4,427,493 reported cases in 50 states + the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. This is more than in any other country.
U.S. deaths: at least 150,716. New York State has the greatest number of reported deaths in the U.S., with 32,658.
U.S. total patients recovered: 1,389,425
U.S. total people tested: 53,825,445
The greatest number of reported COVID-19 cases in the U.S. is in California, with 484,913 confirmed cases out of a total state population of 39.51 million. That is second only to Sao Paulo, Brazil, which has 514,197 cases, as the most reported cases of any single region in the world.
COVID-19 headlines
Global reported COVID-19 infections surpass 17 million
The number of reported COVID-19 cases worldwide is now more than 17 million, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, and as of Thursday morning stand at 17,054,819. The number of global reported cases reached 15 million on July 22, and topped 16 million just four days later. On Wednesday, the number of reported COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. topped 150,000, and as of Thursday morning stand at 150,716, more than any other single country. Further, the total number of reported COVID-19 cases in the U.S. is poised to soon top 4.5 million, with 4,427,493 as of Wednesday morning, only seven days after it crossed the four million mark. The actual number of U.S. and global COVID-19 infections is believed to be much higher due to testing shortages, many unreported cases and other reporting irregularities, and suspicions that some governments are hiding or downplaying the scope of their nations’ outbreaks.
FDA commissioner says there’s no evidence wearing masks leads to COVID-19 infection
A day after GOP Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas wondered aloud whether wearing a mask may have caused him to contract COVID-19, the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration said Thursday there was no evidence that the use of masks spread the virus. “We don’t have any medical evidence that that’s the case,” Stephen Hahn told NBC’s Today show. “What our data show is that people should wear masks, particularly when they can’t socially distance. And they should follow their local ordinances with respect to masks.” Texas currently has one of the highest COVID-19 infection rates of any state. Rep. Gohmert, who’s been outspoken about not wearing a mask, told his staff and the public Wednesday that he’d tested positive for COVID-19. Hs attendance at two large congressional hearings this week and his attitude toward the virus left many worried for their own health and the safety of their staffs. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced a new mask mandate on the House floor in response to the news. Gohmert is the tenth member of Congress known to have tested positive for COVID-19.