MRT: TX has 2,000 Virus Patients in Hospitals; COVID-19 Testing Stymied by Delays, Waning Demand; Houston Boosts Police Budget by $20M; Trump in Dallas
Here's what you need to know in Texas today.
MustReadTexas.com – @MustReadTexas
BY: @MattMackowiak
THURSDAY – 06/11/20
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TOP NEWS
"Texas has 2,000 virus patients in hospitals for first time," via AP-- "Texas surpassed 2,000 hospitalized coronavirus patients for the first time Tuesday, but Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said “everything remains largely contained” as the state prepares to lift more restrictions this week.
It marked the second consecutive day of Texas reporting a new high in hospitalizations, which Abbott has described throughout the pandemic as one of the most important metrics he follows. Seventeen new deaths and 1,600 new cases were also reported, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Abbott said the state is still trying to determine why the numbers are rising, mentioning the Memorial Day weekend as one potential culprit. Since the May holiday, hospitalizations in Texas have jumped 36%.
“I’m concerned, but not yet alarmed,” Abbott told Dallas television station KTVT on Tuesday, saying thousands of hospital beds remain available.
Texas began reopening faster than much of the country and is continue another phase of rebooting Friday by allowing restaurants to resume service at near capacity. Abbott gave no indication of reversing course and said it remains to be seen what impact mass protests around Texas over the death of George Floyd, who was buried Tuesday in Houston, will have on the state’s caseload.
“Everything remains largely contained. We do want to avoid any meaningful spike in the aftermath of these protests,” he said.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death." AP
"COVID-19 testing in Texas stymied by delayed results, waning demand," The Houston Chronicle's Jeremy Blackman -- "Richard Roberts began to worry when his favorite turkey salad no longer tasted like much of anything at all. Gardening had also become unusually exhausting.
So on May 12, the 77-year-old drove to the Paws and Taws Convention Center in Fulton, a beach town near Corpus Christi, to get tested for COVID-19 at a temporary clinic set up by the Texas National Guard.
Nearly a month later, he was still awaiting the results.
At this point, Roberts figured earlier this week, “I would either be dead or OK.”
Such delays have become common in a state still struggling to increase testing amid the pandemic. While access is expanding across much of Texas, testing itself has remained flat for weeks, stuck below the goal of 30,000 daily tests set by Gov. Greg Abbott in late April.
It has plateaued even as the governor, a Republican, ordered widespread testing in hot spots such as nursing homes, meatpacking plants, jails, prisons and minority communities. Some of those tested have reported getting results back after the 14-day incubation period for the virus.
“We are hearing around two-weeks delay for getting results,” said Rebecca Fischer, an epidemiologist and infectious disease expert at Texas A&M. “Which of course is disastrous. Why have you been tested at all if it just goes into a number? That’s not the goal of this.”
She added, “We’re nowhere near testing enough.”
The flattening is especially concerning because COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are surging since Memorial Day and amid Abbott’s orders reopening businesses across the state. Protests over police violence that drew crowds of tens of thousands have added to the risk that the virus will spread.
“I think the upward trends are real and re-enforced by the rise in hospitalizations,” said Dr. Mark McClellan, one of Abbott’s chief advisers in the reopening. “It’s in a slow burn phase, but it is a real concern. If these trends continue, we could get to a point where hospitals are overrun.”
Without comprehensive data, it’s hard to know what’s driving the testing trend. Experts believe demand is a big issue, with fewer people seeking out tests or realizing that they no longer need to show symptoms to be eligible.
Labs that process the tests have also struggled to keep pace with the volume of samples collected and don’t always report data consistently. Separately, doctors in private clinics may not be administering the test as often as they can." Houston Chronicle
"Texas Southern offers full scholarship to George Floyd's daughter," The Houston Chronicle's Brittany Britto -- "Texas Southern University will honor the memory of George Floyd by offering his 6-year-old daughter Gianna a full scholarship to the university, according to a release.
The announcement came Tuesday — the day Floyd’s funeral was held at the Fountain of Praise Church in Southwest Houston — from the board of regents and the TSU Foundation, an independent nonprofit that supports fundraising and development efforts.
Floyd, who grew up in Third Ward and graduated from Jack Yates High School, died while in Minneapolis police custody May 25.
The historically black college’s academic and executive staff will ensure a spot for Gianna should she wish to attend TSU." Houston Chronicle
STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
"Houston OKs $5.1B budget that increases police spending despite calls to ‘defund’ HPD,"The Houston Chronicle's Dylan McGuinness and Jasper Scherer -- "City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved Mayor Sylvester Turner’s $5.1 billion budget for the next fiscal year, slightly increasing funds for the Houston Police Department even as some cities are under pressure to cut law enforcement spending amid nationwide protest over police violence and the death of George Floyd.
As the council took up budget, chants of “Black lives matter” and “No justice, no peace” could be heard from protesters outside City Hall. Dozens of police reform advocates had asked city council the day before to divert funding from HPD’s massive budget to other services, such as health care and affordable housing.
Instead, the $965 million approved for HPD represents a 2 percent, or $19 million, increase over the current year. The overall city budget is up 1 percent.
The police department takes up more than a third of the tax- and fee-supported general fund, which pays for most of the city’s day-to-day operations. Much of the HPD increase is due to a 3 percent raise for officers under a 2018 labor contract that expires in December." Houston Chronicle
"Houston rejects effort to reallocate $12M in police funding," AP'sJuan A. Lozano -- "Houston City Council on Wednesday denied an effort to reallocate nearly $12 million from the Houston Police Department’s upcoming budget to fund sweeping police reform and other measures.
Houston Councilwoman Letitia Plummer proposed redirecting the money to fund several measures, including strengthening a police oversight board by giving it investigative powers, enhancing police de-escalation training and creating a program that would provide no-interest loans to minority-owned businesses.
But City Council voted against Plummer’s proposal to include the measures in Houston’s fiscal year 2021 budget, which begins on July 1.
Also Wednesday, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg has dropped prosecutions of 786 criminal cases against Black Lives Matter demonstrators arrested for nonviolent misdemeanors, such as obstructing a highway and trespassing.
Another of Plummer’s proposals — to use funding from one police cadet class to pay for the creation of a mental health mobile response unit to help police with non-threatening lower priority calls — was referred to a council committee for further study.
The debate over police funding in Houston mirrors similar ones that have taken place across the country following the killing of George Floyd. The black man died last month after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee to Floyd’s neck, pinning him to the ground. Floyd, who grew up in Houston, was laid to rest in suburban Houston on Tuesday.
Protesters have been pushing to “defund the police.” Supporters say their proposals are not about eliminating police departments or eliminating all police funding but about spending more on what communities need, such as housing and education.
As council members met on Wednesday, dozens of protesters rallied outside city hall asking for cuts in the police department’s budget.
Community activists have also called for more transparency from the Houston police department following six deadly police shootings since April 21.
The council on Wednesday approved a new city budget that increased the nearly $1 billion police budget by about $20 million, despite financial challenges due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Plummer said her proposals were not about eliminating the police but about making officers’ jobs easier and having conversations about transparency. She said it was also about dealing with the root of the problem that has led to the death of Floyd and other black men." AP
"Authorities probe radio, website disruptions during protests," AP's Acacia Coronado and Kathleen Foody -- "Authorities are investigating interference with police radio communications, websites and networks used by law enforcement and other officials during recent U.S. protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Although the efforts to disrupt police radios and take down websites in Minnesota, Illinois and Texas aren’t considered technically difficult hacks, federal intelligence officials warned that law enforcement should be ready for such tactics as protests continue.
Authorities have not yet identified anyone responsible or provided details about how the disruptions were carried out. But officials were particularly concerned by interruptions to police radio frequencies during the last weekend of May as dispatchers tried to direct responses to large protests and unrest that overshadowed peaceful demonstrations.
During protests in Dallas on May 31, someone gained access to the police department’s unencrypted radio frequency and disrupted officers’ communications by playing music over their radios, according to a June 1 intelligence assessment from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Dallas police did not respond to questions about the incident.
The assessment, which was obtained by The Associated Press, attributes the Dallas disruption to “unknown actors” and does not say how they accessed the radio frequency. It warned that attacks of various types would likely persist.
“Short-term disruptive cyber activities related to protests probably will continue — various actors could be carrying out these operations — with the potential to use more impactful capabilities, like ransomware, or target higher profile networks,” the assessment warns.
The assessment noted similar problems with Chicago police’s unencrypted radio frequencies during large downtown protests on May 30 followed by reports of arson, theft and vandalism. Chicago police also have not said how the radio frequencies were accessed, but an official with the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications told The Chicago Sun-Times that the tactic was “very dangerous.”
Police around the country have encrypted their radio communications, often arguing that it’s a way to protect officers and block criminals from listening in on widely available phone apps that broadcast police radio channels. But media outlets and local hobbyists have been frustrated by the changes, which also prevent them from reporting on issues pertaining to public safety.
The Department of Homeland Security issued a separate warning this week reporting that personal information of police officers nationwide is being leaked online, a practice known as “doxxing.” According to the report obtained by the AP, information shared on social media included home addresses, email addresses and phone numbers.
Law enforcement agencies have been targeted by online pranksters or hackers in recent years, including by some who claimed to be motivated by on-the-ground protests against police tactics. For example, the hacking collective Anonymous claimed responsibility for the defacement of local police departments’ websites in 2012 as protesters clashed with officers during the Occupy Wall Street movement." AP
"Lax social distancing, mask habits tied to coronavirus surge, Austin officials say,"The Austin American-Statesman's Ryan Autullo and Heather Osbourne -- "Austin health officials are attributing a record-breaking week of local coronavirus infections to partly reckless behavior by people who are venturing out more without taking necessary precautions.
Preaching the need for continued vigilance, Dr. Mark Escott, the Austin-Travis County health authority, urged the public Wednesday to return to such good habits as washing their hands, wearing masks and maintaining 6 feet of distance from others.
“This disease has not gone away, despite what folks are seeing on social media and hearing on television,” Escott warned.
Mayor Steve Adler said he plans to address on Thursday the increase in coronavirus cases in Austin. He said he does not have any plans to announce changes to the city’s social distancing protocols, but will discuss the surge in cases and encourage residents to help stop the spread of the virus.
“We are beginning to see very concerning numbers, and I really want people to wear masks and maintain social distancing,” Adler said. “It’s concerning because we are seeing less and less of that.”" Austin American-Statesman
"Grappling with budget shortfalls, Texas cities prepare for hard choices," The Texas Tribune's Juan Pablo Granham -- "The economic impact from the coronavirus pandemic has left some of Texas’ biggest cities facing a difficult choice: cutting services like libraries, pools and parks, or raising taxes on their residents in the middle of the worst economy in a generation.
“For example, this summer you’ll see swimming pools not opening. I think you'll see branch libraries not opening,” said Bennett Sandlin, executive director of the Texas Municipal League, which represents city governments around the state. “I can't speak for any particular city, but I think it’s going to be a deeper, far deeper recession than what we saw 12 years ago.”
The temporary closure of businesses and high levels of unemployment due to the pandemic have caused sales tax revenue — which make up a significant portion of cities’ budgets — to plummet. On Wednesday, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced that local sales tax allocations for cities in June dropped by 11.1% in comparison with the same month last year.
And although the federal government has pledged assistance to cities through the CARES Act, experts say it won’t be enough to fill a void they expect to last for years." Texas Tribune
#TXLEGE
"Texas Legislative Black Caucus asks Gov. Abbott to name policing reforms a top priority next session,"The Dallas Morning News' Dave Boucher and Allie Morris -- "In the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of police, Gov. Greg Abbott pledged to prevent Texas law enforcement from killing anyone in a similar fashion.
But during a virtual meeting Wednesday with the Texas Legislative Black Caucus, Abbott declined to promise he would make police reform an emergency priority during the 2021 session, said lawmakers who participated in the discussion.
Still, state Rep. Garnet Coleman is confident change is coming.
“We’ll ban chokeholds. That’s going to happen. That’s the low-hanging fruit. But you know, we have a whole session to get through. We need to be deliberate and comprehensive,” said Coleman, D-Houston.
The governor previously suggested in media interviews his support for banning police from using certain neck restraints. His office did not answer questions sent Tuesday by The Dallas Morning News regarding his stance on other possible police reforms, including requiring officers to say something before using deadly force or to intervene when another officer engages in misconduct." Dallas Morning News
2020
"Democrats' blue-Texas fever dream may finally become a reality,"Vanity Fair's Mark McKinnon -- "Political pigs are flying. The latest polling suggests the race for the presidency in the state of Texas is a dead heat between President Donald Trump and Vice President Joe Biden.
I spent decades practicing politics in Texas, so when these kind of Lone Star aberrations hit the headlines, I often get asked about them. “Is Texas,” they ask, “really in play for the Democrats?” And I usually respond that it’s just a cyclical fever dream for Democrats, finishing the conversation with a polite, “Call me back in 10 years.”
Texas is a very conservative state. The last time its voters chose the Democratic candidate for president was 44 years ago—for Jimmy Carter, a peanut farmer from Georgia. To put things in perspective, the Democratic party, for much of the 20th century, held sway across much of the South. And in Texas, there really was no Republican Party to speak of. Sure, it was a two-party state. But you were either a liberal Democrat or, more likely, a conservative Democrat. That said, I can guarantee you that if Texan Lloyd Bentsen, the four-term Democratic senator, were around today, he’d be a Republican.
Ann Richards, a Democrat, won the Texas governorship in 1990 because she was tough as nails and as charismatic as a movie star. But she ran for office when the hinge of party politics was beginning to swing Republican, and if it were not for an inept campaign by her opponent, Clayton Williams, she might not have prevailed. As it was, however, she only delayed the inevitable. Because when George W. Bush came to town four years later and tipped his hat to Richards, his message was essentially: “I respect Ann Richards, I’m just offering a conservative alternative.” And that was all it took.
The Republican tsunami in the Lone Star State was swift and total. After Richards was elected in 1990, the overwhelming majority of statewide constitutional officeholders were Democrats. Eight years later? All statewide seats were held by Republicans. Conservative Democrats, it turned out, finally did have an alternative. And when Bush blew the bugle of compassionate conservatism, former conservative Democrats lined up and said, “Yeah, that’s what I am. Count me in.” I know. I was one of them. For years I helped run a public affairs consulting firm—with Richards as one of my partners, no less—and worked with politicians on both sides of the aisle. But just as Bill Clinton had spoken to blue and red-state voters as a fellow good old boy, W. spoke to me, loud and clear.
The fact that the polling is even close in Texas should be a four-alarm fire for Team Trump. The electoral map makes it plain as day: If they’ve got even a hint of trouble in Texas, then they’ve got way bigger problems in a lot of other states that are even more telling as presidential bellwethers. If Trump loses Texas and its seismic 38 electoral votes—a state he won by a hefty nine points in 2016—then it’s all over, Baby Blue.
Biden spoke to the Texas Democratic Convention this weekend and declared, “We have a real chance to turn the state blue.” But here’s the key for Team Biden. Don’t get distracted by the big, shiny object of Texas. Don’t waste valuable time and resources there. It’s big. It’s expensive. It’s a place where Democrats’ dreams have been dashed for decades. (A young couple named Bill and Hillary Clinton helped run the Texas operation for George McGovern, with Bill’s Oxford roomie Strobe Talbott, and came up with bupkes.) Democrats in 2020 instead need to keep the focus on Arizona, North Carolina, Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Ohio, Iowa, and Maine wouldn’t hurt either. And let’s not forget Minnesota and, yes, even Georgia.
I covered the 2016 race for the documentary TV series The Circus on Showtime—now in our fifth season and returning shortly for the conventions. And I was with Clinton when she traveled to Arizona the last week of the race. It was clear that members of the Clinton campaign thought they had the election in the bag and that it made sense to go to Arizona and run up the score. Meanwhile, they left their flank unprotected in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania—and maybe Moscow too. The key, this time around, is to learn from the lesson of 2016; Democrats need to keep their eyes on the prize of 270 electoral votes.
The bottom line is that if Texas were to truly be in play in November—a very big if—then Biden wouldn’t even need Texas because he’d be winning by, oh, 400-plus electoral votes. In other words: by a landslide. So for goodness’ sake, don’t mess with Texas." Vanity Fair
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
"Trump to unveil plan for ‘holistic revitalization and recovery’ during trip to Dallas,"The Houston Chronicle's Benjamin Wermund -- "President Donald Trump is scheduled to travel to Dallas on Thursday to meet with police, faith leaders and small business owners ahead of a political fundraiser.
The White House said on Wednesday that the president plans to discuss “solutions to historic economic, health, and justice disparities in American communities.” The president plans to announce his administration’s plan for “holistic revitalization and recovery” and take part in a roundtable discussion at a Dallas church, which the White House has not yet identified.
The president’s visit, first reported by The Dallas Morning News, is ahead of Trump’s first in-person campaign event since the beginning of the corornavirus outbreak. The Morning News reported the fundraising dinner is expected to bring in $10 million.
The trip comes as more than a week of sustained protests across the country have pressured lawmakers in Washington to consider police reform legislation. George Floyd's brother Philonise Floyd on Wednesday told a congressional panel considering sweeping police reform legislation that "it is on you to make sure his death is not in vain."" Houston Chronicle
REMAINDERS
PGA: "Fort Worth set to host first PGA event since pandemic began"KXAS
'MACK ON POLITICS' PODCAST
LATEST "MACK ON POLITICS" PODCAST: The George Floyd killing and resulting protests are the subject of the 191st episode.
Our guest is social commentator and activist Toure, who hosts two podcasts, “The Toure Show” and “Democracyish”.
In this conversation we take stock of this national moment, examine real solutions to police brutality, consider whether police union contracts are part of the problem, and probe the concepts of systemic racism and white privilege. Finally, we discuss how the protests will end.
Available on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher and on the web at http://www.MackOnPoliticsPodcast.com.
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