Announcement Ending COVID-19 Restrictions "Pretty Soon" Says Gov. Abbott

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Gov. Greg Abbott says that Texas is looking at when it will be able to lift all statewide orders related to the coronavirus pandemic and that an announcement is forthcoming, reports ABC13 TV (Houston)

Some sources told us that an announcement could come as early as today.

Abbott made the comments at a Corpus Christi news conference where he was asked when the statewide mask mandate would end as Texans continue to get vaccinated. That requirement has been in effect since July.

"We're working right now on evaluating when we're gonna be able to remove all statewide orders, and we will be making announcements about that pretty soon," Abbott said, without giving a specific time frame.

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Trump Aide Katrina Pierson Planning Congressional Run

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As this blog reported Saturday, The Washington Times and other media are now confirming that former Trump Communications Director Katrina Pierson will seek the open congressional seat held by the late Rep. Ron Wright.

The Hill reported the news Sunday night, citing “five sources with knowledge of her planning,” that Pierson will file paperwork in the coming days. Wednesday is the final day of filing for the May 1 special election.

Pierson, a former Tea Party activist, has had “advanced conversations with a top Republican consulting firm” and expects to receive the backing of Trump himself, something insiers have confirmed to this blog as well.

In a text message to The Hill Sunday night, Pierson declined to directly say that she would run, but didn’t deny it, either.

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Federal Judge Blocks Biden Deportation Ban Indefinitely

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A federal judge has indefinitely banned the Biden administration from enforcing a 100-day moratorium on most deportations. U.S. District Judge Drew Tipton issued a preliminary injunction sought by Texas, which argued the moratorium violated federal law and risked imposing additional costs on the state, CBS reports.

Biden proposed the 100-day pause on deportations during his campaign as part of a larger review of immigration enforcement and an attempt to reverse the priorities of former Pres. Donald Trump.

Biden made good on the campaign pledge in the first days of his administration, when the Department of Homeland Security issued an order implementing the 100-day pause in deportations, ostensibly to review immigration policy. 

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton took Administration to court and won a delay in implementing the pause late last month. 

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Nine Launch Campaigns To Fill Vacant US House Seat

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The field is growing to fill Congressman Ron Wright’s seat in the special election for Texas’s 6th Congressional District schedule for May 1.

Susan Wright, the widow of the late Congressman Wright, launched her campaign for Congress in Texas’s 6th District on Wednesday.

Wright has lived in the 6th District for over 30 years, serving as District Director for both Rep. Bill Zedler (TX-HD-96) and his successor Rep. David Cook (TX-HD-96).

Former 2020 Democrat state representative candidate Lydia Bean hasalso announced her candidacy in the May 1 special election.

Bean, the daughter of a Baptist pastor and a public school teacher, holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from Harvard University and taught at Baylor University. 

Tammy Allison Holloway and Matt Hinterlong are also Democratic candidates.

Also listed on the FEC website as filed candidates are Republican State Rep. John "Jake" Ellzey, Mike Egan, former US Health and Human Services Dept. Chief of Staff Brian Harrison, Asa Palagi, and Montgomery Markland. 

Katrina Pierson, former Trump campaign communications director, is also rumored to be considering a run for the seat.

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Lt. Gov. Patrick Says Energy Reform Is His Responsibility

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On a visit to Midland on Monday, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick laid out several of his priorities for the State legislative session. Topping the list was reform of the states power grid in light of the power outages estate experience during the recent ice storm and frigid temperatures.

"Look, we all have to be honest, this was the most severe storm in the history of the state,” Patrick said. “No one predicted 10 inches of snow in Del Rio or two snowfalls in San Antonio or 20 degree below with the windchill factor in parts of Texas, but we should have been in a situation no worse than rolling brownouts….I’m taking the responsibility of this fix on my shoulders.”

A complete ERCOT reform, more winterization, new pricing schedules in times of emergency or extreme weather were all on the table, according to Patrick.

The Texas Senate and the House have planned hearings on what went wrong last week and why. Gov. Abbott says it should be a legislative priority.

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Spiller Wins Special Election In West #Texas State House Distirict.

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Republican David Spiller has won the special election runoff to represent a swath of West Texas and the Panhandle in the Texas House. He will replace Drew Springer, R- Muenster, who was elected to the state Senate in December, reported the Texas Tribune.

With all precincts reporting Tuesday night, Spiller led fellow GOP competitor Craig Carter by 26 percentage points, 63% to 37%, according to unofficial results.

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Sen. Cruz Says Wife Heidi "Pretty Pissed" Texts With Neighbors Made Public

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Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R) on Tuesday said that his wife, Heidi Cruz, was "pretty pissed," over group text messages leaked to The New York Times last week that showed she invited friends and neighbors to join their trip to Mexico as their home state was battered by an extreme winter storm., reported the Hill.

In an interview on Josh Holmes's conservative "Ruthless" podcast, the GOP senator said that his wife was recently at a neighbor's house "walking through the messages." 

The Texas senator said there were "folks on our street who put up Beto signs, which I thought was a little rude," after his return home, referring to his 2018 Senate race against former Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D).

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Breaking: ERCOT Board Resigns

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Four board members of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the entity that manages and operates the electricity grid that covers much of Texas, will resign on Wednesday, according to a notice to the Public Utility Commission.

All four of the members who are resigning live out of state.

Sally Talberg, board chair; Peter Cramton, vice chair; Terry Bulger, finance and audit chair; and Raymond Hepper, human resources and governance committee chair, will resign at the end of the ERCOT board meeting Wednesday morning, according to the notice.

The board members had been under intense criticism this past week for their handling of the massive power outages that resulted from the ice storm and extremely cold weather Texas experienced.

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CNN Calls Out AG Paxton For Utah Trip

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, left Texas and traveled to Utah last week while the state was being rocked by severe winter storms, reports CNN Politics.

Paxton's campaign spokesperson, Ian Prior, would not tell CNN when the couple had departed or returned but said the attorney general "did not leave Texas until after power had returned to most of the state, including his own home."

"Attorney General Paxton attended a previously planned meeting with the attorney general of Utah to discuss several matters," Prior said, listing a law enforcement scenario simulator demonstration and "strategizing" on a Google lawsuit as some of the reasons for the travel.

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Abbott, Legislators Meet Over Energy Bill Price Spike

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Gov. Greg Abbott today convened a meeting with Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, Speaker Dade Phelan, and members of the Legislature to discuss the spike in energy bills affecting many Texans following the recent power outages throughout the state.

“We have a responsibility to protect Texans from spikes in their energy bills that are a result of the severe winter weather and power outages,” said Governor Abbott.

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Bills Would Target Transsexual Healthcare

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The Texas Legislature is considering two bills related to transgender medical and healthcare that propose potential bans.

House Bill 1399 discourages doctors by prohibiting professional liability insurance from covering transition related care. While House Bill 68 proposes that any medical or mental health professional that performs transition related health care on children would be considered to be performing child abuse.

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