Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Tennessee emerged on Wednesday as an epicenter of the latest COVID-19 surge as U.S. political leaders sought to guard against a highly contagious variant sweeping across Britain. The southern state averaged nearly 128 new infections per 100,000 people over the last seven days, the highest state rate in the country, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. It was followed by California at 111 new cases per 100,000 residents.