Lone Star Round-up catches COVID

TPA's second Wrangle this week lassos the coronavirus (news, finally).

Update: Devastating.

As the saying goes...Everything’s bigger in Texas, including Trump’s body count. 😔#TrumpKillsTexas

pic.twitter.com/wO9nhRnFFE

— Jordan Mei (@J_Mei21) July 28, 2020

But first, a digression; The free-range political implication-chickens have come home to roost for the South's "Puttin' Bidness First and Lives Second" governors, of which ours isn't even the worst.

GOP governors in Texas, Arizona, Georgia, Florida see approval sink https://t.co/PvEgJjiMd3 pic.twitter.com/3VXU62mYbo

— The Hill (@thehill) July 24, 2020

As the #COVID19 pandemic is hitting Texans harder than ever, @GovAbbott is reportedly ducking interviews with large Texas outlets, especially print media.

What have you got to hide, @GovAbbott? #AbbottIsResponsible #txlege https://t.co/x6cBIkJIwk

— Progress Texas (@ProgressTX) July 24, 2020

Abbott is managing his balancing act, even as the Allen West/Dan Patrick posse ride tall in the saddle and sight him in for '22.  His still-rich friends in the Trump Disillusionment Caucus have built him a big beautiful wall made of cold, hard cash to keep the barbarians outside the gate.

The same cannot be said for 2020 downballot Texas Republicans.

BREAKING: The @DCCC, the entity charged with helping elect Democrats to the House, is rolling out its first-ever Hindi and Chinese language video ads in Texas today.

The videos are aimed at boosting @SriPKulkarni in #TX22, a district that is 19% AAPI.https://t.co/64i2FBbnED

— The Yappie (@TheYappie) July 21, 2020

When I was a little girl, we’d go on road trips from Texas to Minnesota in my mom’s ‘78 Ford Fairmont to visit my Uncle Dale.

He had this big movie poster from the “The Rose”.

And for years I thought Bette Midler *was* Janis Joplin.

Always stuck with me. This will, too. https://t.co/myjdLeH7Zr

— Julie Oliver (@JulieOliverTX) July 24, 2020

His approval faltering, Republicans in battleground Houston districts start to distance themselves from Trump https://t.co/YtJ5T1c9QA #hounews

— Matt Schwartz (@SchwartzChron) July 24, 2020

Fun!

Not so for all of those suffering mightily from the TXGOP's fuckups.

Texas added more than 600 coronavirus deaths to the state's official tally today after state health officials changed their method of counting fatalities. New @TwitterMoments. https://t.co/bu0xmHKFv4

— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) July 27, 2020

Corpus Christi, Texas, was already wrestling with a worsening virus outbreak when Hurricane Hanna made landfall on Saturday. Here's where else the state's cases are spiking. https://t.co/FIoQ5WwLbf

— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 28, 2020

Texas stumbles on COVID-19 contact tracing https://t.co/Iy9ukec1YT #hounews

— Matt Schwartz (@SchwartzChron) July 26, 2020

I cannot stress this enough.

DSHS was counting fatalities the same way the Houston Chronicle Data Team does every night.

Looking at county/city reports.
(In fairness, we use DSHS data for all but about 18 counties. That still was more current then the state's count.) https://t.co/AmaqNKASAt

— Matt Dempsey (@mizzousundevil) July 27, 2020

At FMC Carswell federal prison in Texas, women sleep 4 to a room. As COVID-19 tore through the prison, staff shut off the air conditioning and hung plastic curtains in the doorways to stop the virus’ spread. “The heat is about to get the best of us.” https://t.co/izEyPz8eiH

— The Appeal (@theappeal) July 27, 2020

I simply cannot muster the same amount of sympathy for the state's fossil fuel industry as can Justin Miller at the Texas Observer.  YMMV.

As the coronavirus pandemic continues, the scope of the Permian bust deepens, and renewable energy becomes a stronger force in the energy markets, the risk of tethering Texas’ economy to fossil fuels will likely only heighten in the years ahead.https://t.co/mNLTJ96klL

— Texas Observer (@TexasObserver) July 27, 2020

Yeah, yeah bankruptcies houston economy blah blah state budget shortfall blah blah cuts to essential services blah blah especially for poorest Texans blah.

Almost nine billion in the Rainy Day Fund (double the estimated shortfall).  Ten billion annually for Medicaid expansion waiting to be claimed.  A Lege that won't legalize (and thus tax) weed or casino gambling, for openers.  It ain't the state's money people want to cry about; it's theirs.  At core, they simply cannot accept change.

Texas families, children, their mental health, and their right to live in their communities without being poisoned are always going to be more important to me than some roughneck or landman or corrosion engineer's livelihood.

And it seems there are many others besides me who notice and are pointing out the glaring and disparate inequalities.

"Everybody’s for equity, until they’re against it." For years, money for flood protection in the Houston area went mostly to richer and whiter neighborhoods. A new approach prioritizes disadvantaged neighborhoods, and it’s stirring up resentments.https://t.co/JwOkokQex5

— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 25, 2020

Lol and the headlines were TESLA PICKS AUSTIN, instead of "Austin pays Tesla to come here" https://t.co/h0htGNs6Z7

— Brian Gaar (@briangaar) July 24, 2020

Public Citizen won’t sit idly by while state government officials use the COVID-19 crisis to give handouts to their polluting cronies. #txenergy #txlege https://t.co/c6yLwOCMUi

— Public Citizen Texas (@PublicCitizenTX) July 25, 2020

42% of renters in Texas have little or no confidence they'll be able to pay August rent (via @uscensusbureau). That uncertainty rises to 56% among Hispanic renters. @zoyamiddleton of @TexasHousers wrote about housing precarity during the pandemic https://t.co/x4RAAD6DjR

— Kinder Institute (@RiceKinderInst) July 24, 2020

We can enact a local grace period to keep people housed (this reduces infection rates) AND prep for more federal rental assistance funds. The two aren’t incompatible, we must use our power compassionately.

Why Houston Apartment Evictions Are Mounting https://t.co/7AssnC7wrC

— already an ancestor (@zoyamiddleton) July 24, 2020

When our government spends 54 cents of every discretionary dollar on military contracts and less than 16 cents of every discretionary dollar on healthcare, education, and infrastructure, we cannot ignore that –– our values are off. https://t.co/wzOGKrtlMT

— Texas Poor People's Campaign (@texas_ppc) July 24, 2020

 

I got plenty more -- environmental updates and other election developments -- but I'll wrap today's Wrangle with the lighter side.

The San Antone Current reports on the plight of the Kerrville Folk Festival, which is soliciting donations to stay afloat after canceling its 2020 event.

JUST IN: This is the first time Wurstfest in New Braunfels has been called off in its 60-year history https://t.co/ScJpzRYT3C

— CBS Austin (@cbsaustin) July 23, 2020

Welcome to Houston, home of the drive-thru strip clubs...https://t.co/6aocbAJysU

— Unstripped Voice (@UnstrippedVoice) July 22, 2020

Celebrating the start of #baseballseason with these photos of LaGrave Field in Fort Worth! ⚾️ #BaseballisBack

[Left: Amon Carter throwing out the first pitch @ LaGrave Field, 1930, https://t.co/ztx0dWF3Ln; Right: LaGrave Field on opening day, 1928, https://t.co/CQMBTHbs5O] pic.twitter.com/pUoKLEH8xU

— UTA Archives (@spcouta) July 24, 2020