<em>The Atlantic Daily</em>: A Catastrophic Week in the U.S. Pandemic

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The second surge is here. The U.S. logged more coronavirus cases in the past week than in any since the start of this outbreak.

This latest phase is striking states that were relatively spared earlier, such as Texas and Arizona. Residents of the Sun Belt “face a nearly unbroken chain of outbreaks stretching from South Carolina to California,” Alexis C. Madrigal and Robinson Meyer, who helped build the COVID Tracking Project, report.

“The American coronavirus pandemic is once again at risk of spinning out of control,” they warn in their latest.

Spikes in the Sun Belt could spell political disaster for the president. “Democrats were already gaining ground in the region before the pandemic hit,” our polling expert Ronald Brownstein reports. The virus now threatens to exacerbate the trend.

Three resources worth revisiting, given the spike

1. See how many cases are in your state. Remember to consider the size of your local outbreak when calculating how much risk to take on.

2. Here’s a guide to staying safe as states reopen. Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should: Legal doesn’t necessarily mean safe.