MRT: TX Hits Record of 10,000 Daily Coronavirus Cases; State Fair Canceled; TEA: Public Schools Will Reopen; Executions Resume; RPT Convention is On
Here's What You Need to Know in Texas Today.
MustReadTexas.com – @MustReadTexas
BY: @MattMackowiak
WEDNESDAY – 07/08/20
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TOP NEWS
"Texas sets grim records with 10,000 new coronavirus cases, 75 deaths,"The Houston Chronicle's Jeremy Wallace -- "Texas reported its deadliest day from the coronavirus on Tuesday, with 75 deaths and a record-shattering 10,400 new infections statewide, according to a data analysis and reporting by Hearst Newspapers.
Also, Texas set a new record for hospitalized COVID-19 patients, with 9,286. The state now has more than twice as many people hospitalized for the virus as two weeks ago. Some hospitals are quickly running out of space for new patients.
“This should be an alarm bell for everybody watching this show right now who has been a disbeliever about whether or not COVID-19 is really a threat,” Gov. Greg Abbott said on Tuesday during an interview on KENS in San Antonio about the increasing numbers.
Later in an interview on Houston’s KPRC2, Abbott warned that “COVID-19 is spreading more dangerously and more rapidly across the state of Texas than it ever has.”" Houston Chronicle
"More than $54 million in PPP loans went to small private Texas colleges and universities,"The Texas Tribune's Meena Venkataramanan -- "More than 40 small private and for-profit Texas colleges and universities received a combined tens of millions of dollars in Paycheck Protection Program loans this spring, helping them stay afloat and meet payroll during the coronavirus pandemic.
The program was established by the federal CARES Act to assist small businesses in keeping their employees on the payroll as businesses and schools shut down across the country. The recipients ranged from relatively well-known schools — Austin College, Huston-Tillotson University and the University of Dallas — to for-profit institutes and vocational schools like American College of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine Inc. and Peloton College. None of the state's public schools or largest private schools were eligible for the loans, though they have received other forms of federal aid.
The loans were disclosed Monday by the Small Business Administration, which did not provide precise amounts of money each university or college received. Instead, the agency disclosed ranges of loan amounts that were given to each eligible business. Those ranges indicate that the Texas schools received at least $54 million combined.
Most of the Texas colleges and universities that received PPP loans did not immediately respond to The Texas Tribune’s request for comment. But those that did said they used the money to meet payroll and avoid layoffs." Texas Tribune
"Texas State Fair Canceled Due to Coronavirus Concerns," The Texan's Brad Johnson -- "The 2020 State Fair of Texas has been canceled after a vote by its board of directors.
Over 2.5 million fairgoers attend the event every year and its 2016 total economic impact eclipsed $300 million for the region and state.
Citing complications with COVID-19, Chair Gina Norris stated, “This was an extremely tough decision. The health and safety of all involved has remained our top priority throughout the decision-making process.”
Norris continued, “One of the greatest aspects of the Fair is welcoming each and every person who passes through our gates with smiles and open arms. In the current climate of COVID-19, there is no feasible way for the Fair to put proper precautions in place while maintaining the Fair environment you know and love.”" The Texan
STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
"TEA: Public schools must reopen campuses in August with few exceptions,"The Houston Chronicle'sJacob Carpenter and Shelby Webb -- "Texas public school districts must reopen campuses for in-person instruction in August to continue receiving state funding, unless the governor issues a school closure order or a confirmed case of COVID-19 on an individual campus forces a brief shutdown of the building, Education Commissioner Mike Morath announced Tuesday.
The mandate ensures that families wanting in-person classes will have the option for children to return to campuses during the novel coronavirus pandemic, though students may continue learning from home if they choose. Districts can restrict the number of students who receive on-campus instruction for the first three weeks of their school year, a period designed to “facilitate an effective back-to-school transition process,” TEA officials said.
“On-campus instruction in Texas public schools is where it’s at,” Morath said during a conference call with superintendents. “We know that a lot of families are going to be nervous, and if they are nervous, we’re going to support them 100 percent.”
The mandate came as Morath released public safety guidance for the 2020-21 school year, requiring staff and students older than 10 to wear face coverings in compliance with Gov. Greg Abbott’s mandatory mask order, and encouraging the use of social distancing in buildings, among numerous other protocols.
TEA leaders are leaving many health and hygiene decisions to superintendents, a long-expected decision given the varying spread of the novel coronavirus in different corners of the state.
However, state officials issued some mandates Tuesday, including a requirement that teachers and staff self-screen for COVID-19 symptoms before entering a campus.
“It's important we do this in ways where we can mitigate risk so everyone can remain safe, and this is what this guidance is meant to do,” Morath said.
The guidance arrived amid a spike in Texas’ number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, which prompted Abbott to issue a mandate last week that all people older than 9 years old wear masks in public buildings or outside spaces when social distancing is not possible, with a few exceptions." Houston Chronicle
"Texas set to resume expectations after delay during pandemic,"AP's Juan A. Lozano -- "A Texas death row inmate condemned for fatally shooting an 82-year-old man nearly three decades ago was scheduled to die by lethal injection Wednesday, as the nation’s busiest death penalty state prepared to resume executions following a five-month delay during the coronavirus pandemic.
Prosecutors say Billy Joe Wardlow killed Carl Cole during a June 1993 robbery at his home in Cason, about 130 miles east of Dallas in the East Texas piney woods, near the Louisiana and Arkansas borders.
Wardlow was 18 at the time of the slaying, and his attorneys have argued that one of the issues Texas jurors have to determine before imposing a death sentence — whether a defendant will be a future danger — can’t be reliably made for people younger than 21 because scientific research has shown their brains are still developing. Wardlow’s attorneys have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stop his execution, saying he committed a “poorly-thought-out and naively-motivated robbery” to steal a truck so he could run away with his girlfriend." AP
"Judge in AG Paxton's criminal case recuses himself, two weeks after key ruling,"The Houston Chronicle'sTaylor Goldenstein -- "The Harris County state district judge who handed Attorney General Ken Paxton a big win by moving his criminal case back to Collin County two weeks ago is now recusing himself because Paxton’s office is representing him in a separate suit.
Now Judge Robert Johnson’s quick exit is leading the attorneys prosecuting Paxton to question the decision to move the case back to Paxton’s home county.
Johnson, who did not respond to requests for comment, made the venue change decision on June 25. A day later, he and all 22 other Harris County felony judges were added as defendants in a lawsuit alleging that the region’s bail practices discriminate against poor defendants.
The Attorney General’s Office represents state agencies and individual employees of the state and officially became counsel to Johnson and 19 other judges on July 1.
Paxton, a former Texas state lawmaker who was indicted on felony securities fraud charges five years ago, has influential friends and allies in Collin County, including District Attorney Greg Willis and members of the commissioners court — part of a network of associations that prompted a different judge to move the trial to Houston in the first place. Paxton has maintained his innocence.
Prosecutors in the case have appealed the move to Collin County, and the First Court of Appeals on Tuesday granted a motion for a stay of the proceedings during the appeal.
One of the prosecutors, Kent Schaffer, says the recusal raises questions about when Johnson knew he had a potential conflict of interest. He said he plans to look into the issue and will continue to push for the venue change to be voided.
“If we can show that he was already in conversations with the AG about representation, he should have recused himself at that point,” Schaffer said. “If he had a conflict, he shouldn’t have ruled on it to begin with.”
Johnson said in court documents on Monday that he was recusing himself out of a concern that his “impartiality might reasonably be questioned,” citing from the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure.
Philip Hilder, an attorney for Paxton, said Tuesday that he has no doubt that Johnson’s decision to move the case should stand.
“The judge’s ruling was completely based in following the law and facts and (he) made the right decision by sending the case back to Collin County,” Hilder said. “He did not need to recuse himself on the matter since it had been ordered back to Collin County and the allegations against Mr. Paxton do not involve his official capacity but rather his individual capacity that predates his election to that office.”
Johnson had agreed with Paxton that the judge who moved the case to Harris County in 2017 did so after his term had expired and the decision therefore should not stand.
The case is out of Johnson's hands for now until the appellate court rules — either upholding the move to Collin County or sending it back to his courtroom.
Schaffer said Johnson and other judges likely knew their involvement in the bail lawsuit was impending after two judges — Brian Warren and Chuck Silverman — intervened in the suit even before being named as defendants. Silverman intervened June 24, the day before Johnson made the venue change, and Warren intervened on June 26, the day after.
Neal Manne, one of the plaintiffs’ attorneys in the bail case, toldHearst Newspapers on Tuesday that he had let the judge in the case know during a weekly call that he planned to amend his complaint to add allthe felony judges. That was “a week or two” before the plantiffs moved to add the judges, Manne said.
Brian Wice, special prosecutor in Paxton’s criminal case, said Tuesday he was glad that the appellate court stayed proceedings.
“We're gratified but not surprised the Court of Appeals took the first step towards setting aside Judge Johnson's ruling,” Wice said." Houston Chronicle
2020
"John Cornyn nabs early U.S. Chamber support as GOP aims to retain Senate,"The Dallas Morning News' Todd Gillman -- "The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, aiming to avert Democratic control of the Senate, threw its support to Texas Sen. John Cornyn on Tuesday.
That’s no surprise. The three-term Republican is a reliable ally for business, with a 90% lifetime rating from the chamber.
But the early endorsement, before Democrats have even settled on a nominee, reflects the chamber’s desire to shore up Texas -- long a GOP stronghold — in an election year overshadowed by pandemic-related upheaval.
“We like his good strong pro-business conservative message. But we also know that we’re in a complex environment right now with the coronavirus and the economy,” said Scott Reed, the chamber’s chief political strategist. “The good news is the election’s not today….We need Texas in the safe category by Labor Day so we can focus on some other states.”
Republicans hold a 53-47 edge in the Senate. Democrats need to swing four seats to ensure control. President Donald Trump has struggled against former Vice President Joe Biden, and his sagging support could create headwinds for most fellow Republicans." Dallas Morning News
"Texas GOP convention will happen in person — but Republican leaders will speak via video,"The Texas Tribune's Cassandra Pollock -- "The Republican Party of Texas is moving forward with its controversial in-person convention during the coronavirus pandemic — but elected officials including Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick will be giving their scheduled speeches virtually.
“All the elected officials are switching from a live, in-person speech to videos,” Kyle Whatley, the party’s executive director, said during a town hall livestreamed Tuesday night. “They’re doing that for us in order to focus all the attention on the business of the meeting and to get everybody in and out of here as quickly and as safely as possible.”
Texas Republican officials typically headline their party’s biennial state convention, which this year is scheduled for July 16 to 18 at Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center. Roughly 6,000 people are expected to attend the event. Attendees will be required to wear masks during most of the gathering, according to party Chair James Dickey, after Abbott issued a statewide mask mandate last week.
Still, as the state has seen a surge in coronavirus cases, calls have been growing for the party to cancel its event. The State Republican Executive Committee, a 64-member body that serves as the party's governing board, met last week to consider moving the convention online, but it approved a resolution supporting an in-person gathering in a 40-20 vote.
After that vote, at least two groups — the Texas Medical Association and the Texas Craft Brewers Guild — have withdrawn as sponsors for the event. Both cited safety concerns because Houston is one of the country's hot spots for the virus." Texas Tribune
REMAINDERS
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'MACK ON POLITICS' PODCAST
LATEST "MACK ON POLITICS" PODCAST: Tim Alberta, chief political correspondent for Politico magazine, returns as our guest for the 194th episode.
In this conversation we take stock of the 2020 election, Trump’s polling disadvantage, the state of the GOP, the ‘law and order’ approach, the resignation of Black Democrats, and whether the 2020 race will likely tighten in the fall.
Available on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher and on the web at http://www.MackOnPoliticsPodcast.com.
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