Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Wednesday ordered residents to cover their faces in public starting next week. "We have to use every tool in the toolbox," Hidalgo said in a press conference announcing the 30-day order. "If we get complacent, people will die. Those...
Coronavirus
back to archiveTexas is showing some promise in flattening the curve, it’s a sign the state should stay closed
Texas has not flattened the curve — far from it — but there are signs of improvement. On Tuesday, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner reported no new COVID-19 deaths in the city for the second day in a row, the first time that’s happened in Houston since the outbreak...
Right-wing protestors demand an end to Texas shutdown
On Saturday, hundreds of protestors gathered outside the Texas Capitol in Austin to demand that the state be reopened. Similar protests occurred in other states across the nation. The demonstration, dubbed the “You Can’t Close America Rally,” occurred one day...
‘There are more important things than living,’ says Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on reopening Texas
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick returned to Fox News on Monday to double down on comments he made last month on “Tucker Carlson Tonight.” Carlson reinvited Patrick to ask him if he felt “vindicated” for predicting the U.S. economy would suffer if businesses remained closed due...
Weekend wrapup: Oil prices hit 22-year low, Abbott pads task force with donors
Sunday saw oil prices plummet to a 22-year low as the pandemic-induced recession continues to take its toll. The West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark for oil prices, dropped to $11 in early Monday morning trading — its lowest point since 1998, when the Asian...
Abbott plans cautious reopening of Texas ahead of pandemic’s projected peak
Gov. Greg Abbott issued three executive orders on Friday, planning for and scheduling the phased reopening of the Lone Star State amid the COVID-19 pandemic. One order allows for nonessential surgeries to continue as long those procedures don’t deplete personal...
Tea Party Republicans urge Abbott to loosen stay-at-home order
A little more than two weeks after Gov. Greg Abbott issued a statewide stay-at-home order, Tea Party-aligned state lawmakers are ready to reopen Texas. In a letter to the governor, members of the dwindling-in-number Texas Freedom Caucus said the “risk” of maintaining...
Texas ranks 49th in the U.S. for completed COVID-19 tests
The coronavirus is testing Texas: For the past three weeks, the Lone Star State has ranked second to last in completed tests per capita in the country. According to the COVID Tracking Project, Texas has administered around 3,660 tests per 1 million residents, while...
Trump blames media as polls show Americans unhappy with his pandemic response
In an explosive White House briefing on Monday, President Donald Trump lashed out at reporters and asserted his “total” authority in overruling governors to lift social distancing orders. The press briefing made headlines after Trump decided to dim the lights and play...