Opening today with the latest on the pandemic.
WOW ๐: And with a test positivity rate of more than 35%, DSHS said "COVID has never spread this fast in Texas."
— WFAA (@wfaa) January 13, 2022
Read more here: https://t.co/zoYFib5GU6 pic.twitter.com/6QDnI04ojM
About half of Texans (49%) say the pandemic has caused financial hardship for them and their household, including 16% who say it has caused severe financial suffering. New statewide survey results from @Health4Texas #TXlege https://t.co/X3O8A17kau
— Stephanie Rubin (@Steph_Rubin) January 11, 2022
More than 250 medical professionals have called on Spotify to aggressively police COVID-19 misinformation on its platform, via an open letter specifically calling out the podcast of comedian and Austin resident @joerogan https://t.co/qBqZYNlSm2
— Austin Statesman (@statesman) January 12, 2022
How many coronavirus cases is Texas reporting? How many people are in the hospital with the virus? And what's the vaccination rate?
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) January 11, 2022
We track the state's data here: https://t.co/dK44RsCyQw pic.twitter.com/mOvYZ33kYD
If you want to backtrack to about a week ago ...
The number of Texans testing positive for the virus every day is already at an all-time high, reaching a seven-day average of almost 44,000 confirmed cases on Friday. https://t.co/gDxH0dmSxZ
— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) January 9, 2022
“There will come a point when schools and businesses and community centers will not be able to open their doors if we don’t do something," Austin-Travis County Health Authority Dr. Desmar Walkes said. https://t.co/nl9fVpRjhw
— KUT Austin (@KUT) January 9, 2022
Very bad and getting worse. I hope you're not one of those "putting it in Gawd's hands", but if you are, have the ambulance take you to church instead of the hospital, because there are no beds in ICUs.
Anti-vaccine activist Kelly Canon just died of covid, shortly after attending the latest ‘Reawaken America’ covid conspiracy QAnon conference. pic.twitter.com/6NqWCuDHzu
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) January 11, 2022
As the DMN's Bob Garrett noted, Canon had been instrumental in getting state Rep. Tony Tinderholt elected, and was a background player in former Cong. Joe Barton's sexting scandal.
That might be my segue to the politics news.
Abbott vs. O'Rourke: Race for Texas governor heats up in Houston as candidates trade attacks, @MarcelinoKHOU reports
— KHOU 11 News Houston (@KHOU) January 13, 2022
https://t.co/gd3qY9ZgRI @GovAbbott @BetoORourke pic.twitter.com/As8xNQx2SP
The tweet's teaser is lazy and lame, but the story is lively. Here:
"Beto O'Rourke is dangerous to the communities and to the safety of the public and the people of this state and he is not fitting to serve as governor," Abbott said.
The governor accused O'Rourke of supporting defund the police movements and attacking him for his position on bail reform.
"This is Governor Abbott lying about me," O'Rourke said. "I do not want to defund the police. I want to make sure law enforcement have the resources they need to solve and investigate violent crimes."
[...]
"As long as there's not a freeze between now until the end of March, Abbott should be in good shape," (Rice political scientist Dr. Mark) Jones said.
Dr. Jones can be really good at political analysis when he wants to be.
"When McCarty succinctly summarized the group’s stance—'we are firmly anyone but Abbott'—she was met with applause from the crowd of some six hundred right-wing grassroots activists." https://t.co/LbPfPgutMe
— Texas Monthly (@TexasMonthly) January 12, 2022
The Wise County GOP formally censured @GovAbbott in a unanimous vote, citing a list of grievances. The resolution has been sent to the @TexasGOP and aims to prohibit the party from offering “financial or other support” to the governor this year.https://t.co/0IcLRFZmWd
— The Texan (@TheTexanNews) January 12, 2022
That's a Republican news source for those of you unfamiliar, so if you click on the link for the schadenfreude, be sure and scrape the cookies off your browser immediately after.
"Don't California my Texas," is a thing @GregAbbott_TX loves to say....until he heads to Orange County for a $25K/plate fundraiser, of course. #txlege ๐๐ป♀️ pic.twitter.com/kf1qSbEXKa
— Denise Flores (@TheDeniseFlores) January 11, 2022
Drag a dollar bill past the Governor's Mansion and count on a whore in a wheelchair coming after you.
In op-ed in @MilitaryTimes, Brownsville State Rep. @RepDominguez asks for Texas House investigation into #OperationLoneStar, information from TMD, and moratorium on further deployments until investigation is finished https://t.co/Xh6A6yPXxs
— James Barragรกn ๐ (@James_Barragan) January 12, 2022
It's not politics.
At one Texas school, LGBTQ teens call onslaught of hostile laws "matter of life and death" https://t.co/t1O90H3XcQ
— Jeffrey Levin (@jilevin) January 11, 2022
That's enough Hell on Wheels for one post.
.@JohnCornyn leads GOP pushback against Democrats' voting bills https://t.co/scKw7D2kuO via @houstonchron
— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) January 12, 2022
Senator Cornhole wants to be the next Majority Leader, if indeed Trump's play to blow out Moscow Mitch succeeds. He'll have to contend with South Dakota's John Thune for the title, who looked as if he was ready to leave the Senate for a minute there.
.@DanCrenshawTX made as much money insider-trading as @SpeakerPelosi. #HouNews #TX02 https://t.co/lybAGY0qqj
— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) January 11, 2022
I'll take that as my segue to post a few updates about Texas Democrats.
.@CollierforTexas announces three more #txlege endorsements in three-way Democratic primary for lieutenant governor:
— Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) January 12, 2022
- @DonnaHowardTX
- @GeneforTexas
- @EddieforTexas
Collier's opponents include their House colleague @BeckleyforTX.
This is both awkward and unfortunate for Beckley. Wu in particular is a committed shitlib -- he's still tweeting Hillary Clinton -- but Howard and Martinez are a letdown personally.
I'm also disillusioned by Jessica Cisneros.
It’s been a rough Monday, folks.
— Tannya Benavides for Congress TX-28 (@TannyaforTexas) January 11, 2022
As I stated, voter disenfranchisement has no place in #TX28. As a Fronteriza woman, I refuse to feed into the polarizing rhetoric. Rather, I invite both, @JCisnerosTX and @RepCuellar, to a debate and let the voters decide who they want to elect. https://t.co/XNBTBsCKRG pic.twitter.com/5qxN0CDTGP
I don't know whether Benavides is as, or less or more progressive than Cisneros. This establishment centrist tweeted a smear against Jessica for the move, so there's that.
Running for statewide office is hard. Running as a woman is harder. Running as a WOC is really hard. Running as a WOC who has to keep her job to pay bills while raising two kids under 10 is super hard.
— Jinny Suh For Texas Land Commissioner (@JinnySuhForTX) January 11, 2022
But I’m doing it for Texas because I want to make a difference.
✨ENDORSEMENT: Teachers, EMTs, electricians, film/theatre crews, plumbers, city & state, postal, iron workers, teamsters, office, hospitality, communications, laborers, and letter carriers have recommended me as THE candidate for #TX21.
— Claudia Zapata for TX-21 (@PoderConClaudia) January 10, 2022
Over 25 unions.
I am beyond humbled. pic.twitter.com/CiVVNyVwRu
I'm a veteran and small business owner -- running to represent TX-34 in Congress. We need bold leadership if we want to expand healthcare, protect workers rights, and act to save lives during the pandemic. Learn more at https://t.co/XphpS1LHLN #TX34Votes #TX34Vota pic.twitter.com/3PfDUp2yWs
— Beatriz Reynoso for Congress TX34 (@VoteBeatrizTX34) January 12, 2022
Retiring state Rep. @CeliaIsrael (D-Austin) formally announces run for Austin mayor this morning. #txlege https://t.co/Friarb4u9g
— RA News (@RANewsTX) January 11, 2022
I'm Green, but Suh, Zapata, Reynosa, and Israel are Democrats I could vote for if I lived in their jurisdictions (and if I were voting in March). I'm not so antagonistic as some #DemExiteers to those who seek to reform the Donkey Party from within. I'm over that; maybe they will get there too.
More in the next.