California sees record jump in COVID-19 cases
California and Texas marked record jumps in COVID-19 cases on Monday (June 29).
It's part of a nationwide surge in new infections that have hamstrung states' efforts to reopen.
California's spike comes just a day after Governor Gavin Newsom ordered bars in Los Angeles and six other counties to close.
Newsom defended the decision to close up again on Monday.
"Many people were not necessarily being as responsible as they otherwise, well, as we would like them to be as, it relates to practicing physical distancing, social distancing. People weren't wearing their facemasks."
Los Angeles itself has become a new epicenter in the pandemic.
The city alone reached a grim milestone Monday when it hit over 100,000 cases.
Meanwhile Arizona is clamping down.
Governor Doug Ducey ordered bars, gyms, cinemas and more to close for at least 30 days.
Arizona's grappling with a wave of new cases, as well as Texas and Florida, both of which ordered their reopened bars to shut again on Friday.
Beaches in several of Florida's counties will not open for the Fourth of July weekend.
All in all, over 20 U.S. states have reported record increases in new cases this month, including New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon and Utah.
Meanwhile some leading Republican lawmakers have begun advocating for face masks, including Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy.
It's a rare split from President Donald Trump, who has mostly resisted wearing a mask.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany reiterated Monday that the president sees masks as a personal choice.
"He - it's his choice to wear a mask. It's the personal choice of any individual as to whether to wear a mask or not. He encourages people to make whatever decision is best for their safety. But he did say to me he has no problem with masks and to do whatever your local jurisdiction request of you."
Face mask orders have become a largely political issue in the U.S. -- with many of Trump's most stringent supporters calling them unconstitutional.
