GOP governors in spiking states strain for silver linings

Hospitalizations from the coronavirus have hit their highest points recently throughout the Midwest. But that's not the message coming from a number of Republican governors in the region. Despite growth in new cases being the worst in the nation, governors in Oklahoma, South Dakota and other states are working to find silver linings in ominous health data. The rhetoric is mirroring President Donald Trump's downplaying of the virus and it worries public health officials who say the flu season could exacerbate the pandemic's effects. Most Midwest Republican governors where the virus is worsening have either refused to enact statewide mask restrictions or have been rolling back restrictions.