Toplines from the first Biden White House COVID Response Team briefing: CDC Dir. Walensky says the UK variant has been detected in 26 states so far but the South African one has not been identified here yet. Dr. Fauci explained that's why scientists are working on booster shots now for the current vaccine in order to deal with these variants. Still, what exists now is "well within the cushion of protection," he added.

Here's a look at the Charlotte ballroom where the #GOPConvention will soon gavel in. The RNC told its delegates to expect to wear a mask in the convention center. The city of Charlotte requires face coverings in all buildings & facilities owned by the city. Per poolers in the room, not everyone is wearing masks. Each attendee was told to acquire a negative COVID test before coming to Charlotte & each received a test from community health partners upon arrival in Charlotte. There are about 336 delegates gathered + 60 RNC staffers.

In the continuing trend of holding task force briefings away from the White House: VP Pence leads one now from the Dept. of Education. Members of the group have taken questions on coronavirus from reporters six times in the last two weeks. President Trump has not participated. Attending today's briefing: Dr. Birx, Sec. DeVos, Sec. Azar, Sec. Scalia, CDC Dir. Redfield, Adm. Giroir. Dr. Fauci is not present.

The White House is set to host its largest event since the start of the pandemic tonight for the 4th. There are chairs/tables set up for hundreds on the South Lawn. Social distancing "will be observed," per a spokesman, & facial coverings will be offered, though not required. Few masks spotted so far as hundreds arrive for the “Salute to America” event at the White House.

VP Pence, Adm. Giroir, Sec. Azar, Surgeon General Adams & Commissioner Hahn sharing the latest on coronavirus at the US Public Health Service Commissionned Corps HQ in Rockville, Maryland. Dr. Birx is traveling in Arizona & Dr. Fauci is not here for this task force briefing. VP Pence: "The American people deserve to know that we're in a much better place today" due to testing/supplies

Dr. Fauci earlier: "We are now having 40K+ new cases a day. I would not be surprised if we go up to 100K a day if this does not turn around & so I am very concerned"

Dr. Fauci to Ryan Zimmerman (!) of the world champion @Nationals: "We're not ready to just jump back into normality by any means" Dr. Fauci: "Next fall, next winter, it's not gonna be a miracle where all of a sudden we wake up and it's gone... We will see this again and again until we really stick the nail in the coffin of this outbreak by a vaccine"

The Trump campaign is starting its first virtual panel in the age of coronavirus tonight with Lara Trump, Kayleigh McEnany and Chris Carr. The broadcast opened with a video montage of lawmakers and leaders praising the president's pandemic response, set to music. About 8K people are tuned in on Facebook & it's streaming on other platforms as well. Campaign officials shared their own experiences working from home one moment & slammed Dems the next. "Nancy Pelosi is shamelessly using this moment," Chris Carr said.

Pres. Trump invoked the Defense Production Act a week ago but there has been consistent confusion & mixed messaging on whether it is being utilized to produce medical equipment needed for the coronavirus pandemic. Private companies are doing so on their own, per the White House. Trump tweet on March 18: "I only signed the Defense Production Act to combat the Chinese Virus should we need to invoke it in a worst case scenario in the future. Hopefully there will be no need, but we are all in this TOGETHER!"

For the first time in 2020, the Trump campaign has not announced any upcoming rallies for the weeks ahead but it maintains it is "proceeding normally" amid coronavirus fears. When asked at the CDC whether he'd considered not having rallies, the president said: "No, I haven't." Democratic candidates Biden and Sanders have continued to hold large events in recent days. The Biden campaign tonight said it "will continue to closely follow guidance offered by federal and local public health officials on the types of events we hold and how we execute them."

During off-camera White House briefing, FDA Commissioner Hahn acknowledges “confusion” in coronavirus testing, says situation is evolving “hour by hour.”

Latest: 72 state & local public health labs in 48 states have successfully verified & are using COVID-19 diagnostic tests As of last night, 1.1 million tests have been sent to non-public health labs, per Dr. Hahn, who adds another million expected to be sent by Monday. There’s a particular focus on highest-risk areas like Washington state and California.

Greetings from the Sessions primary watch party in Mobile, AL. Results trickling in slowly & the former senator/AG is expected to speak in the next hour. If no candidate gets over 50%, race heads to a 3/31 runoff. Former Auburn Coach Tuberville in other top spot right now #ALSen Sessions speaking now: "I have some terrible news for Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden and Chuck Schumer: Doug Jones' brief visit in the United States Senate is just about over."

NEW: The Trump campaign is planning to open community centers in 15 key cities, aimed at boosting African-American support. "You’re never going to get the votes you don’t ask for," Jared Kushner said, while presenting a mock-up at Virginia HQ today: nbcnews.to/32F7COB Kushner on the campaign pitching black voters in 2016 vs 2020: "Last time it was ‘what the hell do you have to lose?’ Now, we’re going to show them what they’ve gained from President Trump and what more they could gain if they get more four years."

Greetings from Oakwood Church in Ames, Iowa — an educational center that tonight doubles as a GOP caucus site for 21 precincts in Story County. The space is currently full, with a line out the door. Trump Jr. expected to speak in a bit. Environment is (mini) rally-like. One GOP caucus-goer just took in the overflowing room and said to her friends: “Who knew there were so many Republicans in Ames?!” This is a place Hillary Clinton won by about 12 points in 2016.

Greetings from Drake University, where President Trump and Vice President Pence will speak tonight. Campaign manager @parscale almost immediately references CNN Don Lemon clip and says "I am proud to be an original deplorable" This is the first of several early state counter-programming events planned and a formal kickoff to a heavy presence from the Trump campaign in Iowa on Monday for the caucuses, where they expect to have 80 (!) surrogates across the state

President Trump slammed "Crazy Bernie" Sanders and "Nervous Nancy" Pelosi as "Do-Nothing Democrats" less than five minutes into his remarks here in Wildwood, NJ tonight

A few moments later: “Which is worse, the impeachment hoax or the witch hunt from Russia?!” Trump praised Rep. Jeff Van Drew as a "courageous leader" and "brave guy" for defecting from the Democratic Party last month. He's now on stage, to enormous cheers from his district crowd.

Greetings from Doral, where the RNC is hosting its winter meeting. @GOPChairwoman says the group will have nearly 700 staff in 18 target states by February. No mention of impeachment (yet). Although other candidates were featured in a video played mid-remarks, @GOPChairwoman McDaniel singled out Sen. Sanders in her remarks: "It’s not a stretch to say that Bernie Sanders’ political ideology is more in line with Lenin and Marx than with Lincoln and Madison... (1/2)

Greetings from Milwaukee, where President Trump will hold a rally tonight right before the #DemDebate starts in Des Moines.

Fun fact: we're just down the street from where the Democratic National Convention will be held this summer at the (relatively) new @Bucks arena. @Bucks Whoa, Pence just WENT there on a matter near and dear to my lifelong Niner heart: predicted @packers would beat "Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco @49ers" in the NFC Championship. Hmmmmmm.

Greetings from Toledo where Pres Trump will hold his first official #KAG rally of 2020. A confident @parscale kicks things off by saying he'd like to "write the state off" & not spend much here

Reminder: Trump won OH by 8 pts in 16 (tho lost this county). Obama won OH in 08 & 12 VP Pence takes the stage in Toledo. Big cheers from crowd when he mentions Soleimani strike and the fact there were no American casualties from the response and "Iran appears to be standing down."

Greetings from Battle Creek, where President Trump will rally supporters in a few hours. Note the festive Christmas decorations, complete with “Keep America Great” hats as🎄🎄🎄toppers Trump 2020 campaign manager Brad @parscale doesn't waste 10 seconds before talking about the impeachment "hoax" and "scam" at the rally. Crowd loudly booooooos. The president is on his way here now.

Senior Trump campaign officials, including Jared Kushner, briefed reporters on all things 2020 this morning.

"I was not a Republican. Now I’m a Republican. I think the Republican party is growing now that people like me feel comfortable being part of it," Kushner said. Kushner's take on the current Democratic presidential field: "We don’t see anyone who can put together the Obama coalition. We’re on offense everywhere and we’re very excited about that."

President Trump is about to kickoff his "homecoming" rally in Sunrise, Florida. How important is the state to his re-election effort? The Trump 2020 team has the country broken down into nine regions for political field staff. Florida is the only state that is its *own* region. Trump on the impeachment "witch hunt" says polls are actually in his favor because "everybody" is signaling "that's really bullshit."

Crowd starts to chant: "BULLSHIT! BULLSHIT!"