Mask up, folks

The U.S. has hit a six-month high for new cases of COVID-19, logging more than 100,000 infections yesterday—mainly (about 93%) of the Delta variant, and mainly (but not exclusively) in areas with lower rates of vaccination. And that's not the worst of it. If more Americans don't get vaccinated, there is "ample chance" of a more aggressive, pervasive variant emerging, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert. "If another one comes along that has an equally high capability of transmitting but also is much more severe, then we really could be in trouble," he warned yesterday. Sigh. —ABC News

• — Florida. Several school districts in Florida are pushing back against Gov. Ron DeSantis' executive order prohibiting schools from imposing mask requirements for students. The districts say they're merely responding to the current situation in the state, where Covid-related hospitalizations are up 13% from its previous peak in July 2020, and 60% of the state's hospitals face a "critical staffing shortage" in the next seven days. Still, DeSantis is resisting mask mandates, and schools that keep them in place risk losing state funding. —Yahoo! News
•  
• — Texas. While speaking in Dallas yesterday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said, "Lockdowns are wrong during the course of a pandemic," and, "There will not be any government-imposed shutdowns or mask mandates" in his state. Abbott has been under fire from President Biden over his executive order banning jurisdictions from imposing mask mandates. Biden told both Abbott and DeSantis this week to either help stop the spread of COVID-19 or "get out of the way." —NBC News
•  
• — Arkansas. DeSantis and Abbott would do well to listen to fellow Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson. As Arkansas struggles with its own Delta caseload, Hutchinson now says he regrets approving a statewide ban on mask mandates earlier this year and has called the State Legislature into a special session in an effort to amend the law. "In hindsight, I wish that had not become law," Hutchinson said. "But it is the law, and the only chance we have is either to amend it or for the courts to say that it has an unconstitutional foundation." —CNN

Defusing Covid disinfo

Last year, as disinformation about the 2020 presidential election spread on social media—with help from those at the highest levels of national office—several state election officials created websites to debunk lies about the voting process and correct falsehoods about the election. Now, as the Delta variant complicates the COVID-19 pandemic, a memo published this week by the National Governors Association encourages state governments to fight the spread of coronavirus disinfo the same way. Specifically, the memo suggests increasing awareness of the ongoing danger of the virus and the efficacy and availability of vaccines through the elevation of "trusted voices" —including local officials, medical professionals, and religious leaders—robust public education and media campaigns, and greater authentication of information sources, such as by placing them on the .gov domain. —StateScoop

MORE: Twitter works with news sites to tackle disinformation —BBC News

French: The shocking decline of Hong Kong

"The political culture of the city has been transformed with breathtaking speed in the past year, as the local government, under orders from Beijing, has cracked down on dissent to a degree that was once almost unimaginable. ... Hong Kong's new national security law, meanwhile, weakens due process protections; dramatically broadens police powers of search, seizure, and freezing of assets; and permits the indictment of suspects for anti-state activities, including speech, even when conducted far away from China." —Howard French in World Politics Review

Howard French is a foreign correspondent and global affairs writer and the author of "Everything Under the Heavens: How the Past Helps Shape China's Push for Global Power."

MORE: Hong Kong pop singer, activist arrested on corruption charge —ABC News

'The most complex, pernicious, aggressive, and strategic threat our nation has ever faced'

Strong words yesterday from William Evanina, the former director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center. Evanina appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee at a rare public hearing that stressed the growing threats posed by China to U.S. national security. The threats include cyberattacks against U.S. companies and critical organizations, malign influence activities, and the theft of billions of dollars in U.S. intellectual property. Evanina testified that the Chinese Communist Party stole between $300 billion and $600 billion in U.S. intellectual property and trade secrets in 2020 alone. "Today, China is already carrying out the biggest illegal wealth transfer from one nation to another in the history of mankind," said the panel's ranking member, Sen. Marco Rubio. "The long arm of China is not some futuristic threat; it's already here." —The Hill

MORE: U.S. struggles to unite democratic European allies against China —NBC News

Waldman: Time is running out to stop gerrymandering

"August 16 is a big day for democracy. But it might not be a good day for democracy. That's when the Census Bureau releases the data that states will use in the redistricting process. The maps they draw will be used for the next 10 years. And in many states, what that means is the gerrymandering barbecue is about to begin. The unchecked partisan and racial gerrymandering that we expect to see won't just tilt for one party—it will also serve to squelch the voices of people of color." —Michael Waldman on Brennan Center for Justice

Michael Waldman is president of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law. He is the author of "The Fight to Vote" and previously served as director of speechwriting for former President Bill Clinton.

MORE: American voters largely united against partisan gerrymandering, polling shows —The Hill

Focus on the insurrection

Leaders of the select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol are preparing to issue a flurry of subpoenas in their effort to gather evidence. The move to first subpoena—rather than request voluntary compliance—suggests the committee doesn't expect cooperation, and it puts potential witnesses on notice that any attempt to destroy evidence could result in an obstruction of justice charge. Among those who may be called to testify are House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Rep. Jim Jordan. The committee is still weighing whether to hold a public hearing during Congress' six-week summer recess. Stay tuned. —The Hill

• — "He was not a political prisoner." At a sentencing hearing for one of the insurrectionists yesterday, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson rejected claims made by some Republicans in Congress that the detained defendants are "political prisoners." Jackson said Karl Dresch, whom she sentenced to six months in prison, was held because of his actions, not his political views. "We are not here today because he supported former President Trump," she said. "He was arrested because he was an enthusiastic participant in an effort to subvert and undo the electoral process." —The Washington Post
•  
• — "The president's direct instructions to utilize the Department of Justice's law enforcement powers for improper ends." Just three days before the insurrection, Patrick Hovakimian, chief of staff to then-acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, was prepared to resign from the DOJ, anticipating that Trump would fire Rosen and replace him with a loyalist, Jeffrey Clark. An attorney in the DOJ's civil division at the time, Clark actively supported Trump's efforts to intervene in Georgia's election certification. Rosen, however, rejected Clark's machinations and survived Trump's wrath. —Insider
•  
• — "One enormous conspiracy theory." The Big Lie that started it all is going to cost a pair of pro-Trump attorneys big. Yesterday, U.S. Magistrate Judge N. Reid Neuriter sanctioned two pro-Trump attorneys, Ernest Walker and Gary Fielder, who had filed a lawsuit alleging widespread fraud in the 2020 election. In a scathing ruling, the judge called their claims "disorganized and fantastical," and ordered them to pay attorney's fees and expenses for the defendants, including leaders from Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Georgia; Facebook and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg; and voting machine company Dominion Voting Systems. —Forbes

Rosenberg: We're politicians' bosses—not their fans

"[C]heering from the stands is different from practicing citizenship. A fan's job is to admire and defend the object of his affection. A citizen's role is to judge the public servants they employ. By converting his base into fans, rather than mere voters, Trump made it difficult—if not impossible—for anyone to challenge his hold on his admirers. Across the political spectrum, it's long past time for Americans to rediscover some self-respect and to adjust the terms of our relationships with public figures." —Alyssa Rosenberg in The Washington Post

Alyssa Rosenberg is a Washington Post columnist who writes about the intersection of culture and politics.

MORE: N.Y. assembly nears completion of Cuomo impeachment probe —The Wall Street Journal

Re: Andrew Cuomo. How come Trump wasn't forced out? Plenty of women came forward against him. —Charlotte B., Illinois

The U.S. Supreme Court is letting residents in Flint, Michigan, sue over water contamination. Does this ruling apply to governors like Ron DeSantis for exposing their citizens to unnecessary COVID-19 risk? —Ken G., Colorado

The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Stand Up Republic Foundation.