1/ This is the story of how local Texas politicians helped a serial entrepreneur use COVID-19 to boost his business by attempting to sell telehealth and COVID-19 services across Texas.
2/ During the early days of the pandemic, it wasn’t uncommon for companies to pitch their services to government officials.
What is far more unusual was for public officials to become part of the marketing effort. bit.ly/2RVnyYe
3/ Before COVID-19, Kyle Hayungs pitched his telemedicine services to public officials in Hays County.
Some commissioners and county employees were confused about what exactly Hayungs wanted to sell them.
But that wasn’t the end of Hayungs’ involvement in Hays County.
4/ Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra and his chief of staff, Alex Villalobos, helped Kyle Hayungs with official proposals — before and after the pandemic. bit.ly/2RVnyYe
5/ During the pandemic, the two helped edit and provide marketing materials, and the judge tried to convince local mayors to buy test kits from a company Kyle Hayungs was hoping to partner with. bit.ly/2RVnyYe
6/ The two continued to work with Hayungs even after his company falsely claimed to be the "FEMA designated COVID-19 response team for Hays County." bit.ly/2RVnyYe
7/ Meanwhile, Tommy Calvert, a Bexar County commissioner who urged his peers to purchase thousands of the same antibody tests, did not disclose that he once held an unpaid position on the advisory board of Kyle Hayungs’ company. bit.ly/2RVnyYe
8/ The Hays County judge would push other officials to purchase the antibody tests, even though EMS directors in the county declared them unnecessary.
Oxford University scientists would declare the antibody tests unreliable. bit.ly/2RVnyYe
9/ All the while, Kyle Hayungs left a trail of misleading or false claims.
His marketing efforts included a document apparently produced by the Hays County judge that claimed to give an emergency use authorization to use coronavirus tests.
That’s something only the FDA can do.
10/ Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra has not responded to multiple requests for an interview.
In a statement sent through a spokesman, Becerra said Hayungs "has turned out to be a serial exaggerator and self promoter." bit.ly/2RVnyYe
11/ Tommy Calvert, the Bexar County commissioner, said through an attorney that there was no conflict of interest and that he was not required by law to disclose his previous unpaid position.
He hasn’t fulfilled open records requests from us for any communication with Hayungs.
12/ Alex Villalobos, the Hays County chief of staff, alleged in a statement that Republicans were blocking access to COVID-19 tests. bit.ly/2RVnyYe
13/ In an interview, Kyle Hayungs said he has no personal relationship with the judge or the commissioner.
“We’re doing nothing but good. I’m open to showing my financial records and everything.”
He later declined to share his financial records. bit.ly/2RVnyYe
1/ Overnight, House managers published nearly 4,000 pages of evidence ahead of next month’s impeachment trial of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton.
2/ Included in the 3,760 pages are 150 exhibits. These documents give granular details of how Paxton allegedly abused his office to help Austin real estate developer Nate Paul.
3/ 📃In an interview, Paxton’s former personal aid said he ferried documents to Paul on Paxton’s behalf and witnessed conversations about the renovations to Paxton’s home that suggested Paul had paid for it.
1/ Over the past quarter century, a war machine was constructed inside the Texas Office of Attorney General, designed to push conservative legal doctrine through the courts.
Here’s how Texas got here — and what it means for the country's future. bit.ly/3KjCMC1
2/ Under three attorneys general, John Cornyn, Greg Abbott, and Ken Paxton, the office began assembling an all-star team to barrage the federal courts with state-funded lawsuits born of increasingly overt right-wing activism. bit.ly/3KjCMC1
3/ In 1998, John Cornyn became the first Republican attorney general in Texas since Reconstruction.
One of his first acts was creating the Office of the Solicitor General to handle state and federal appeals, all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court. bit.ly/3KjCMC1
1/On May 24, 2022, 19 children and two teachers were killed in the Robb Elementary shooting.
The shooting also caused emotional and psychological damage to a generation of children in Uvalde. The Treviños are one of many families adapting to a new reality.texastribune.org/2023/05/22/tex…
2/ Three of the Treviños’ kids — Austin, Illiaña and David James — have been diagnosed with PTSD.
The kids attended Robb Elementary and were on campus on May 24 for an awards ceremony. Their mom, Jessica, picked them up from school shortly before the shooting began.
3/ Illiaña’s best friend was killed during the shooting. While visiting her friend’s memorial, Illiaña suffered cardiac arrest from acute stress.
“Nana was born with a heart of gold. So when it breaks, that’s how she reacts,” her mom Jessica says.
1/ Officers responding to the Uvalde shooting said they were afraid to immediately engage the gunman because he was using an AR-15, a Texas Tribune investigation has revealed.
This drove their decision to wait over an hour for a Border Patrol SWAT team. bit.ly/40lOYHX
2/ In never before released body camera footage and post-action interviews, officers described realizing the gunman had an AR-15 style rifle and concluding that confronting him would be too dangerous because of its firepower. bit.ly/40lOYHX
3/ Even though some officers were armed with the same rifle, they waited for a Border Patrol SWAT team that had more protective armor, stronger shields and more tactical training.
Bullets from AR-15s can penetrate standard body armor worn by police. bit.ly/40lOYHX
Many of the beloved trees across Texas’ Hill Country snapped under the weight of heavy ice that accumulated during multiple days of freezing rain this week.
They frequently damaged power lines, homes, and property on their way down.
While the historic drought last summer may have caused trees to have more dead limbs than usual, experts say it probably had less of an impact than the sheer amount of ice.
1/ Freezing temperatures and ice are expected in much of Texas through at least Thursday.
Here’s a running list of Texas warming centers, mutual aid and safety tips. If you know of any other resources in your community, please reply to this thread to share them with others.