President Joe Biden is making his second trip to California in less than three weeks in hopes of bolstering Democratic House members in unexpectedly tight races.

The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 has topped 600,000, even as the vaccination drive has slashed daily cases and deaths and allowed the country to emerge from the gloom.

The deadliest month yet of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. drew to a close with certain signs of progress: COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are plummeting, while vaccinations are picking up speed. The question is whether the nation can stay ahead of the fast-spreading mutations of the virus. Deaths are running at about 3,150 per day on average, down slightly by about 200 from their peak in mid-January. AdHowever, the CDC reported Monday that many nursing home workers are not getting their shots when doses are first offered. And a plan to reopen Chicago schools to roughly 62,000 students for the first time since March remained in doubt.