Welcome to the morning brief. If this email was forwarded to you, be sure to sign up (free or paid), so you don't miss a beat.
Today's stories
WELCOME to 50% open. This afternoon, Governor Abbott will hold a press conference to announce further easing of his executive orders shuttering the state.
This phase will stink. Paradoxically, places where people clean their entire bodies with soap and hot water will remain closed at reopened gyms.
For the record, reopening by Abbott is mostly pomp, Texans were headed back to life regardless. Harris County has already fully returned to February levels of mobility according to tracking data.
One interpretation stated previously, Texans have self-governed throughout the pandemic while a freak show of greased up wannabe dictators with inferiority complexes flex in the background on tube T.V.s.
Once "open," it's unlikely Texans will be complying with any new hostage-at-home edicts.
LONGVIEW played footsie with a tax increase last week, one that would have circumvented taxpayer approval. Local governments are being encouraged by financial institutions and tax-funded lobbyists to increase taxes to backfill projected revenue drops. Keep an eye out.
SCOTX, on Friday, stayed a ruling aimed at gutting Texas election law by allowing universal balloting by mail. The decision came a day after the Democrat-controlled 14th Court of Appeals upheld a ruling to expand balloting by mail.
FRIDAY is the best day of the week. It's when all of the juicy political stuff happens as journos, elected officials, and bureaucrats slide into their whiskey induced weekend comas. In addition to the SCOTX ruling mentioned above, the Trump admin waived regulations to build a border wall.
See something else dropped on Friday? Shoot it over.
Hit the links
Texas fears losing oil-rich lands in a Chinese takeover
China threatens to sanction Texas politicians
Texas Government Agencies Hacked For 2nd Time In Week
Tesla's next factory is going to be in Austin or adjacent
Texas signs $295M deal for COVID-19 contact tracing
* $ denotes subscription needed
Tracking
Colorado weed bucks (drop in the bucket) (NEW)
South Korea not seeing increases in cases (NEW)
Coming up
5/18: Governor Abbott holds a press conference (2 p.m.)
5/18: Democrat conference call (3 p.m.)
Thanks for reading
Please feel free to contact me (reply to this email or email me at pushjunction@gmail.com) with questions, comments, suggestions, or tips.