(CNN) White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx privately told a group of state and local health officials Wednesday about a concerning rise in coronavirus cases in 12 cities as President Donald Trump continues to tout progress amid the coronavirus pandemic at scripted, on-message briefings this week. The White House pushed back, providing a short list of local officials who had been invited to participate that included officials from those two cities. Sources inside both the mayor's office in Baltimore and New Orleans also said the White House reached out to local administration officials in each city to flag the invitations Thursday. A New Orleans administration official apologized for giving incorrect information, and noted that they were still not on the call. The Baltimore City Health Department had not seen or heard about any report or list categorizing Baltimore as one of these cities of concern until media reached out following the call, one source said.

Source: CNN July 23, 2020 14:45 UTC