Mask-Mandate Foe Abbott Has COVID-19

on July 8, 2016 in Dallas, Texas.
DALLAS, TX - JULY 08: Texas Governor Greg Abbott speaks at Dallas's City Hall near the area that is still an active crime scene in downtown Dallas following the deaths of five police officers last night on July 8, 20... DALLAS, TX - JULY 08: Texas Governor Greg Abbott speaks at Dallas's City Hall near the area that is still an active crime scene in downtown Dallas following the deaths of five police officers last night on July 8, 2016 in Dallas, Texas. Five police officers were killed and seven others were injured in the evening ambush during a march against recent police involved shootings. Investigators are saying the suspect is 25-year-old Micah Xavier Johnson of Mesquite, Texas. This is the deadliest incident for U.S. law enforcement since September 11. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things.

Rolling In The Deep Irony

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has tested positive for COVID-19, per a video announcement he posted yesterday.

  • Abbott is vaccinated and isn’t experiencing any symptoms.
  • The governor, a paraplegic, received a third booster shot, according to NBC News. The Federal Drug and Food Administration has authorized booster shots for immunocompromised people.
  • Abbott seemed to encourage Texans to get the vaccine by noting that he wasn’t experiencing any symptoms.
  • Abbott has been a fierce opponent of vaccine and mask mandates while hospitals in his state are getting slammed with COVID-19 cases.
  • It’s not clear when the GOP governor became infected, but he has attended numerous public and private events in recent days where, photos show, masking was virtually nonexistent:

That fundraiser at the Republican Club at Heritage Ranch sure looks busy. What else has been on his agenda lately?

Weird, none of the hoards of infected migrants that Abbott accuses of exposing “our communities” to COVID-19 are in any of these pictures!

Arizona Governor Is Trying To Bribe Schools Into Letting Kids Get Exposed To COVID-19

Arizona district and charter schools that are “following all state laws” will receive extra funding from money allocated to the state through Congress’ last COVID-19 relief package, Gov. Doug Ducey (R) announced yesterday as several local officials defy his mask mandate ban.

  • The governor made it explicitly clear that this is about rewarding local governments that don’t require masks at schools, claiming in his announcement that mandates “place more stress” on families (presumably ones that aren’t stressed about their child getting sick).
  • Ducey’s announcement comes as the Florida Board of Education voted to potentially withhold funds from school districts that have refused to comply with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R) mask mandate ban.
  • Florida’s announcement hasn’t deterred the Alachua County School Board from upholding its mask mandate, however:

Key Analysis

“‘Breaking point’: Why the red state/blue city conflict is peaking over masks” – CNN

FBI Investigates Election Data Leak To QAnon Circles

The FBI in Denver is joining the investigation into a leak of Mesa County’s election data to an infamous QAnoner that was allegedly assisted by county clerk Tina Peters.

  • The feds are working with the Mesa ​County district attorney “on the forensic review and analysis of county voting systems to determine if there was a potential federal criminal violation,” a FBI spokesperson told CNN.
  • Peters went to MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell’s “Cyber Symposium” circus last week and accused the Colorado secretary of state of victimizing her “because I am a Republican, I’m a conservative and she’s not.”

Let The Georgia GOP’s Election Hijacking Begin

The Georgia State Board of Elections will appoint a panel to review Fulton County’s elections process at Republicans’ request today.

  • It’s the next step in Georgia Republicans’ efforts to take control of the county’s elections process after its heavily blue majority helped flip the state to Biden.

Earthquake Devastation In Haiti

The death toll of Haiti’s enormous earthquake this weekend is at nearly 2,000, and more than 9,000 people have been injured.

Thoughts And Prayers

New York Attorney General Letitia James is moving forward with her bid to dissolve the National Rifle Association (NRA).

  • The corruption running rampant within the organization has “continued unabated,” James wrote in a new court filing this week.

Saluting The Taliban To Own The Libs

Conservatives have offered weird takes on Taliban ideology over the last couple of days:

Do you like Morning Memo? Let us know!

Latest Morning Memo
Comments
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: