Congressman has COVID-19

Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, was scheduled to travel on Air Force One with President Donald Trump to his home state on Wednesday. He canceled the trip after becoming the 10th member of Congress known to test positive for the coronavirus. In a video released on Twitter, Gohmert, 66, denied claims he avoided wearing a mask, saying he wore one more in the last couple weeks than in the previous four months. Attorney General William Barr is getting tested after Gohmert spoke at his hearing on Tuesday.

Is the coronavirus active in the nation’s capital? About 1.7 percent of the population of the District of Columbia has tested positive for COVID-19—just slightly higher than in the United States overall. Last week, the cafeteria in the New Executive Office Building across from the White House closed after an employee contracted the disease. While the White House requires stringent testing, Capitol Hill lacks mandatory tests, and lawmakers don’t have to wear masks.

Dig deeper: Read Julie Borg’s report in Beginnings about why the death rate for COVID-19 patients in intensive care units is going down.