Category Archives: National news

Oklahoma preps to ban abortion

Posted on March 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This was just a matter of time. Oklahoma’s state House on Tuesday voted 78-19 to pass a near complete ban on abortions, legislation that far surpasses Texas’ six-week ban. The bill is now headed to the Senate and, if passed, … Continue reading →

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We may get year-round Daylight Saving Time

Posted on March 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Apparently, there’s at least one issue that can unite the Senate. The Senate unanimously approved a measure Tuesday that would make daylight saving time permanent across the United States next year. The bipartisan bill, named the Sunshine Protection Act, would … Continue reading →

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How the 2030 Census could be different

Posted on March 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A very early preview of some possibilities, which may or may not come to fruition. Beyond the reports of undercounts and overcounts in population totals, there is another takeaway from the post-mortem of 2020 census data issued on Thursday: This … Continue reading →

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Of course the Census undercounted people of color

Posted on March 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This was the Trump administration’s goal from the beginning. The 2020 census continued a longstanding trend of undercounting Black people, Latinos and Native Americans, while overcounting people who identified as white and not Latino, according to estimates from a report the U.S. … Continue reading →

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Oklahoma’s experience with medical marijuana

Posted on March 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A good read. Inside an old metal building off a quiet stretch of U.S. 77, Josh Blevins walked among rows of fragrant marijuana plants basking below carefully calibrated light. Blevins, a former construction engineer from Texas, bought this former scrap … Continue reading →

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Using the Texas model to protect voting rights

Posted on February 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Some blue state needs to do this. In the midst of the ongoing debate over Republicans’ siege on voting rights in states they control, here’s an unconventional suggestion: Democratic state legislators should take a page from the Republican playbook and … Continue reading →

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Speaking of cryptocurrency and electricity usage…

Posted on February 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Congress has a few questions. From wind farms in West Texas to an old aluminum refining operation outside Austin, crypto miners are flooding into Texas take advantage of some of the cheapest power in the country and positioning the state … Continue reading →

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Ambassador Patman

Posted on February 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This was a pleasant surprise. President Joe Biden on Friday nominated Houston lawyer and Metro chairwoman Carrin Patman as the nation’s next ambassador to Iceland, according to a White House statement. “I am presuming nothing. It is up to the … Continue reading →

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The CDC gets in on the “track COVID in the wastewater” project

Posted on February 10, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good to see. U.S. public health officials are expanding their monitoring of Covid-19 in sewage, which has become a crucial early warning for surges of new cases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week began sharing virus wastewater … Continue reading →

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“Unprecedented” meddling in the Census

Posted on January 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

They weren’t subtle about it. A newly disclosed memorandum citing “unprecedented” meddling by the Trump administration in the 2020 census and circulated among top Census Bureau officials indicates how strongly they sought to resist efforts by the administration to manipulate … Continue reading →

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Sheriff Gonzalez re-nominated for ICE

Posted on January 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Take two. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez is still President Joe Biden’s pick to lead U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, even after the Senate failed to confirm him last year. Biden renominated Gonzalez for the ICE director on Tuesday. His … Continue reading →

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What does “race blind” redistricting even mean?

Posted on January 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good question. In states like Texas and North Carolina, Republican lawmakers in charge of redrawing the political maps for the next decade say that the new plans are “race blind.” Their opponents in court say that the claim is implausible and one … Continue reading →

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Sheriff Gonzalez’s status

Posted on January 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Two words: In limbo. The Senate has yet to confirm Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez as director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, meaning he will likely need to be nominated again and will face an uphill battle to be … Continue reading →

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Congressional committee has some questions for Live Nation

Posted on December 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. A congressional committee is investigating the promoter of the Astroworld music festival, where 10 people were killed in a crowd surge as rapper Travis Scott performed last month. The House Oversight and Reform Committee sent a letter Wednesday to … Continue reading →

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FDA lifts restrictions on medical abortion

Posted on December 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Long overdue The Biden administration on Thursday ended a long-standing restriction on a medication used to terminate early stage pregnancies, even as politicians across the United States intensified efforts that represent the most serious challenge to abortion rights in decades. … Continue reading →

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It’s not looking good for Roe v Wade

Posted on December 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Yesterday, it seemed like there was the possibility of a chance that SCOTUS could so something other than eviscerate abortion rights nationally. Today, not so much. I don’t have the energy to write a real post about it, so I’m … Continue reading →

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Vaccine mandate for health care workers blocked

Posted on December 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’d say this is getting ridiculous, but we’re well past that point. A federal judge on Monday blocked President Joe Biden’s administration from enforcing a coronavirus vaccine mandate on thousands of health care workers in 10 states that had brought … Continue reading →

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What the BIF means for Texas

Posted on November 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

That’s the bipartisan infrastructure bill that was passed last week. The White House estimates that Texas will receive about $35.44 billion over five years for roads, bridges, pipes, ports, broadband access and other projects after federal lawmakers passed a long-anticipated … Continue reading →

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The employer vaccine mandate is here (and on hold)

Posted on November 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Here are the details. Deadline is Jan. 4: The first rule, issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, covers companies with 100 or more employees, applying to an estimated 84 million workers. Companies must ensure that their workers are … Continue reading →

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Get your kids ready for their COVID shots

Posted on November 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

At long last. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday authorized the emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on children ages 5-11, marking a long-awaited milestone in the nearly two-year fight against the deadly virus that experts say … Continue reading →

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Caught between a mandate and a madman

Posted on October 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I have sympathy for the schools. Many Texas universities — which collectively hold billions of dollars in federal contracts — are wrestling with how to navigate the Biden administration’s mandate that all federal contractors be vaccinated by Dec. 8 in … Continue reading →

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For now, some Texas women can travel to other states for abortions

Posted on October 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

For now. The new Texas abortion ban has spurred a flood of women traveling sometimes hundreds of miles to access the procedure in neighboring states. The law, which prohibits abortion after six weeks of pregnancy and calls for lets private citizens … Continue reading →

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The Women’s March, the next generation

Posted on October 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I look forward to a day when these aren’t necessary, but in the meantime I am grateful to all who cared enough to participate or were there in spirit. A crowd of more than 10,000 turned out Saturday in downtown … Continue reading →

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Yes, mask mandates work

Posted on October 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not a surprise, but data is always nice. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new studies Friday that show enforcing masks in schools helps reduce the spread of COVID-19. One study looked at data from schools in Arizona’s … Continue reading →

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From the “ounce of prevention” department

Posted on September 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

What is that worth, again? It’s right on the tip of my tongue. Accessing a critical COVID-19 therapy could soon be tougher in Texas as the federal government moves to ration the treatment amid the spread of new variants. The … Continue reading →

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More federal support for emergency contraception

Posted on September 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The federal government announced Friday it is providing additional funding to Austin nonprofit Every Body Texas to address a potential increase in clients’ need for emergency contraception and family planning services now that Texas prohibits abortions as early as … Continue reading →

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The COVID shot for kids is coming

Posted on September 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not a moment too soon. On Monday, Pfizer released the initial trial results, showing that its vaccine is safe and effective for the 5-11 age group. The findings are a key step toward inoculating a younger population that so far … Continue reading →

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Feds officially investigating Texas mask mandate ban

Posted on September 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The U.S. Department of Education on Tuesday launched a civil rights investigation into Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates in schools, making Texas the sixth state to face a federal inquiry over mask rules. The investigation will focus … Continue reading →

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It’s not too late to pass a voting rights bill

Posted on September 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Look, we have one queued up. Senate Democrats are close to an agreement on updated voting rights legislation that can get the support of all 50 Democratic-voting senators, three Democratic aides familiar with negotiations said. The For the People Act … Continue reading →

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Hospital systems have no excuse for not mandating COVID vaccines now

Posted on September 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

So get on with it already. Local hospitals reacted Friday to President Joseph Biden’s sweeping vaccine mandates directed at the health care workers, who make up much of the Houston workforce. In a move that overrides Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive … Continue reading →

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Now that’s a vaccine mandate

Posted on September 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good. President Joe Biden on Thursday imposed stringent new vaccine rules on federal workers, large employers and health care staff in a sweeping attempt to contain the latest surge of Covid-19. The new requirements could apply to as many as … Continue reading →

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More on the AG response to the “heartbeat” bill

Posted on September 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Yes, like this. Democrats on the U.S. House Judiciary Committee are calling on U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and the Department of Justice to prosecute people who are now empowered to file lawsuits against abortion seekers under Texas’ new abortion … Continue reading →

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The federal response to the “heartbeat” bill

Posted on September 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I hope it amounts to something, and I hope they’re quick about it. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said Monday the Department of Justice is “urgently” exploring ways to challenge Texas’ strict new abortion law, but did not specify what … Continue reading →

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Feds take first steps in the mask mandate fight

Posted on September 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Coming attractions. The U.S. Department of Education is opening civil rights investigations to determine whether five states that have banned schools from requiring masks are discriminating against students with disabilities, the agency said on Monday. The department is targeting Iowa, … Continue reading →

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