This is Brian Laird's Daily Politics Podcast from WNYC Studios.

It's Friday, June 12th.

I'm Kai Wright, host of the WNYC podcast, The United States of Anxiety.

I'm filling in for Brian today who had to take the day off for dental work, but he will be back on Monday.

We're going to check in on the process of reopening amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Many states across the country have lifted certain lockdown restrictions with those restrictions lifted.

An unwelcome surge of coronavirus cases

have appeared in more than a dozen states. But governors of those states remain adamant about

continuing with the reopening process. In Texas, where cases have increased by 33% in the past two

weeks, Republican Governor Greg Abbott has given the green light for businesses to continue

reopening nonetheless.

And in Arizona, cases have doubled within the past two weeks.

And they are nonetheless pushing ahead with hospitals at near full capacity.

So the federal government seems to agree with them.

Yesterday, Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin had this to

say about reopening the economy amiss and increase in cases of coronavirus. Let's take a listen to that.

We can't shut down the economy again. I think we've learned that if you shut down the economy,

you're going to create more damage and not just economic damage, but there are other areas.

And we've talked about this of medical problems and everything else that get put on hold.

Joining me now to discuss where the spikes in COVID cases are happening and what the government can do about it is Alice Miranda Olstein, who is

health care reporter for Politico. Welcome to WNYC, Alice. Thank you so much. Alice, the majority

of states that are continuing to reopen despite this spike in numbers have Republican governors

...