The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a challenge to President Donald Trump’s authority to exclude undocumented immigrants when deciding the size of each state’s congressional delegation, saying it was premature to decide the question at this point. bit.ly/37vxOPy
The court’s unsigned opinion said the constitutional and legal questions surrounding such action should wait until it is clear whether Trump would be able to make good on his plan.
It is unclear whether the Census Bureau can come up with the population figures Trump seeks before he leaves office.
A Pew Research Center study this summer found that if the country’s undocumented immigrants were excluded from apportionment, Texas would end up with one less U.S. House seat than otherwise expected. bit.ly/37vxOPy
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1/ Runoff elections for local Texas races are underway this month.
These runoffs are for races in which none of the candidates received 50% of the vote during the Nov. 3 general election.
2/ Runoffs across Texas today include races for Austin City Council Districts 6 and 10 and two Austin ISD Board of Trustee positions. More than 41,000 people voted early in the runoff election. bit.ly/3oZ4sPz
3/ Some runoff elections are already over. In Houston, Tarsha Jackson won the race for City Council District B against Cynthia Bailey — more than a year after the original election. New mayors were also elected in Missouri City and Stafford. abc13.co/3r2bNiX
New: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing four battleground states — Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — whose election results handed the White House to president-elect Joe Biden. bit.ly/3lW6VIs
In the suit, he claims that pandemic-era changes to election procedures in those states violated federal law, and asks the U.S. Supreme Court to block the states from voting in the Electoral College.
The last-minute bid, which legal experts have already characterized as a longshot, comes alongside dozens of similar attempts by President Donald Trump and his political allies.
The majority of those lawsuits have already failed.
1/ Two main unemployment assistance programs authorized by the federal CARES Act in March are set to expire at the end of December.
If Congress doesn’t enact a new relief bill soon, many Texans will lose at least some of their benefits. bit.ly/2JSyllq
2/ Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) is one of the programs expiring Dec. 26.
PUA provides up to 39 weeks of assistance for those who did not qualify for regular benefits, but have lost income for a variety of reasons related to the pandemic. bit.ly/2JSyllq
3/ Through the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) Texas currently provides up to 13 additional weeks of benefits to people who have exhausted their regular unemployment.
"We are in a very dangerous place": A White House COVID-19 task force report acknowledged that state and local policies in Texas and around the country could be underplaying the severity of the virus. bit.ly/33IEsQ5
2/ “If state and local policies do not reflect the seriousness of the current situation, all public health officials must alert the state population directly,” said the Nov. 29 task force report, which was sent to all states.
3/ The report recommended that people over age 65 or those who are at an increased risk of contracting the virus should have groceries and other necessities delivered and avoid any indoor public spaces where people are unmasked.
1/ Because of the holiday weekend, you will likely notice two weird changes in reported COVID-19 data over the next week.
@COVID19Tracking explains why both expected changes don’t necessarily mean anything about the state of the pandemic itself. bit.ly/3q3YwGn
2/ First, testing, cases and death numbers will likely flatten out or drop through the holiday weekend, as more doctor’s offices and testing centers are closed and fewer health department staff are at their desks.
3/ The Texas Department of State Health Services says they are planning to update numbers each day, but some local health departments won’t be, which means daily case numbers may appear lower than they are over the holiday.
Texas GOP Chairman Allen West stopped short of saying Ken Paxton should resign as he faces criminal accusations.
But West added: "It would be really good to have an Attorney General’s office that is not concerned about their own personal legal matters." wfaa.com/article/news/p…
According to the @AP, the FBI is reportedly investigating Ken Paxton over allegations made by eight of Paxton’s former top aides that he illegally used the power of his office to benefit a political donor. bit.ly/392G8Y6
Allen West has been stirring intraparty tensions in his first few months as the Texas GOP chairman.
Critics say he is misusing the job to make a name for himself.
West says he is giving a voice to Republicans — and helping more get elected. bit.ly/3lUE4F9