JOHN CARNEY

Ruth Ann Minner, the only woman to serve as Delaware’s governor, has died.

Australia’s most populous state is reporting the worst day of its outbreak of the coronavirus delta variant, with a record 262 new local infections and five deaths from COVID-19.

President Joe Biden is relaunching the council of governors.

President Joe Biden on Thursday will relaunch the council of governors, an advisory board of governors and a number of key Cabinet secretaries and top administration officials focused on strengthening federal and state collaboration on major national security issues. According to details shared first with The Associated Press, Biden is appointing a bipartisan group of nine governors to the council, including seven new governors, and naming two current council members, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, as co-chairs of the group. The seven new governors are Biden’s home-state governor, Delaware Gov. John Carney, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, all Democrats, as well as Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, Vermont Gov. Phil Scott and Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon, all Republicans.

A recent spike in coronavirus cases in some states has led one of the nation's top health experts to suggest that governors could “close things down” like they did during previous surges.

State health officials decline to identify which hospitals have expressed interest, but say there is need statewide. Hospitalizations have not yet reached their summer heights in Georgia, but beds are filling rapidly with COVID-19 cases. ___HARRISBURG, Pa. — States faced a deadline on Friday to place orders for the coronavirus vaccine as many reported record infections, hospitalizations and deaths. Ukraine, which is facing a rapid rise in coronavirus cases, tightened weekend restrictions last month but lifted them this week. ___ATLANTA — Vice President Mike Pence is trying to boost Americans’ confidence in the COVID-19 vaccines that are awaiting regulatory approval and distribution.

LANSING, Mich. – Twelve Democratic governors issued a joint statement on Wednesday defending American democracy, vowing that every valid ballot will be counted in the election after President Donald Trump sowed distrust during the first presidential debate. He also called on his backers to scrutinize voting procedures at the polls, which critics said could cross into voter intimidation. Without mentioning Trump by name, the governors noted his refusal last week to commit to a peaceful transition of power. “Any efforts to throw out ballots or refuse a peaceful transfer of power are nothing less than an assault on democracy,” they wrote. Republicans, she said, “are aiming for an election with results all Americans can trust.”___Follow David Eggert at https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00

(Democratic National Convention via AP)SACRAMENTO, Calif. A Montana cattle range, a California beach, a historic bridge in Alabama. These were the sometimes kitschy, sometimes poignant scenes from the first-ever virtual roll call vote at the Democratic National Convention. Fred Guttenberg spoke about Biden's compassion following the murder of his daughter at the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Each state also cast some votes for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the last Democrat in the race to challenge Biden. Following tradition, Delaware, Biden's home state, was the final state to announce its support for Biden, with Gov.

___PORTSMOUTH, Va. Protesters in Portsmouth, Virginia, covered statues at a Confederate monument in the city with sheets and bags Wednesday, several hours after the citys council members had a meeting about relocating it. A white sheet that read BLM covered the fence in front of the monument after the Portsmouth city council met Tuesday to discuss its removal, WVEC-TV reported. Mayor John Rowe proposed allocating $100,000 to remove the statue and possibly relocate it to a local cemetery. During the councils meeting Tuesday, Rowe asked the city attorney if Portsmouth has the right to move the 127-year-old memorial. Reporters have a fundamental right to cover the demonstrations were seeing in Delaware and across our country, Delaware Gov.

RICHMOND, Va. Some governors are rejecting President Donald Trump's request to send National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., for a massive militarized show of force in the nations capital after several days of unrest over the death of George Floyd. Ralph Northam rejected a personal appeal from Secretary of Defense Mark Esper on Monday to send thousands of the states National Guard members to Washington D.C., the governor's office said. John Carney's office said the state did not send troops because Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser did not request additional assistance, a reason Northam also cited. Utah is sending approximately 200 National Guard troops. When the South Carolina National Guard is activated, we are prepared to respond as long as needed, Capt.

I think its very important to do and I think, frankly, some of the governors were very lax with respect to nursing homes, Trump said. Birx acknowledged Friday that the two-week recommendation was a challenge but said it was needed because of the particular vulnerability of nursing homes. More than 36,000 residents and staff have died from outbreaks at the nations nursing homes and long-term care facilities, according to an AP tally. Even with the tests, nursing homes struggle to find people to administer them and carve out enough time to perform them. John Carney announced a plan May 5 for universal testing of all residents and staff in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, but the testing program is voluntary.

And they largely reinforce plans already in the works by governors, who have primary responsibility for public health in their states. “You’re going to call your own shots,” Trump told the governors Thursday afternoon in a conference call, according to an audio recording obtained by The Associated Press. In briefing governors on the plan, Trump said they were going to be responsible for deciding when it is safe to lift restrictions in their states. Just days before, he had drawn swift pushback for claiming he had absolute authority to determine how and when states reopen. “We have a very large number of states that want to get going and they’re in very good shape,” Trump said.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo will join with other governors in the northeastern U.S., including Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, to make an announcement about the states' response to the coronavirus outbreak. Read CNBC's live updates to see the latest news on the COVID-19 outbreak.

By Sarah MuellerDelaware could soon see its first African American justice on the state Supreme Court. John Carney nominated Associate Justice Collins Seitz to be the states next Chief Justice. Court of Chancery Vice Chancellor Tamika Montgomery-Reeves, a Black woman, would take his spot as an associate justice. Justice Seitz is one of Delawares finest legal minds, and Im pleased to send his nomination to the Delaware Senate, Carney said in a statement. Since 2015, Vice Chancellor Montgomery-Reeves has served with distinction on Delawares Court of Chancery our countrys premier venue for corporate litigation, Carney said.

(Reuters) - Chief Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court Leo Strine will retire in the next few months, Governor John Carney announced on Monday, a leadership change in the court system that decides disputes for more than two-thirds of Fortune 500 companies. The Chief Justice of Delaware's Supreme Court, Leo Strine, speaks with a reporter in his office in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S., July 2, 2019. As a result, Delawares judicial system plays a preeminent role in shaping relations between companies and their investors, and the chief justice of the state Supreme Court holds outsize influence. At the time he became chief justice in 2014, shareholder class actions were being filed against almost all merger deals. Slideshow (6 Images)The chief justice has also written decisions that curtailed a hedge fund strategy aimed at squeezing cash from merger deals through a type of litigation known as appraisal.