The COVID, COVID is everywhere edition. Covid-19 cases are soaring. On Oct. 28, 81,457 new infections were reported in the U.S. -- the highest number so far in the U.S. Today we will surpass a cumulative total of nine million cases. Rural counties and small metro areas are seeing the worst growth, but infections also are rising rapidly in and around major cities like Chicago and Milwaukee. Hospitalizations are soaring – up an estimated 46 percent over the past month. Wisconsin just opened a field hospital to handle the overflow. North Dakota is so overwhelmed that it was forced to end most contact tracing. Cases have reached record levels in more than 20 states.

Meanwhile, the Trump Administration alternates between declaring victory and throwing in the towel. President Trump says “We’re rounding the turn” in our battle against the coronavirus pandemic. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy ranked “ending the Covid-19 pandemic” as among the Administration’s top first-term accomplishments. White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows blurted “We are not going to control the pandemic,” and placed all bets on a vaccine. (It would take up too much space to refute all of the President’s recent comments regarding COVID-19; thankfully, the Washington Post has done this for us.) And while the Administration has failed miserably to contain or even address the pandemic, deadlines loom. A CDC moratorium on evictions ends in roughly nine weeks – so does the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program (jobless benefits for gig workers).

The pandemic has not ended. But the Senate has gone without joining in negotiations over a response to the need.

Finally, rumor has it that there’s an election in four days. Whatever the outcome, the lame duck Congress will return (the Senate the week of November 9, the House the week after). As families are pushed closer to the eviction/shutoff/hunger cliff, Congress and the Trump Administration, lame or not, have a moral responsibility to act. Click here and scroll down to see sample tweets that you can send to these senators.