Moment of silence held at Capitol for COVID deaths

A bipartisan group of congressional leaders held a moment of silence Monday evening on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to remember and honor the estimated 600,000 American lives lost to the coronavirus pandemic.

Following the moment of silence, lawmakers joined in singing "God Bless America." The approaching 600,000 mark, as tracked by Johns Hopkins University, is greater than the population of Baltimore or Milwaukee. President Joe Biden acknowledged the approaching grim milestone Monday during his visit to Europe and he urged more Americans to get vaccinated.