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Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said it was time to fully reopen Texas amid the coronavirus pandemic during a press conference Tuesday in Lubbock. “Too many Texans have been sidelined from employment opportunities,” Abbott said during the press conference, as noted by The Dallas Morning News . “Too many small business owners have struggled to pay their bills. This must end. It is now time to open Texas 100%.” (RELATED: ‘That’s Not Enough’: Texas Bar Owners Protest Gov. Greg Abbott’s Coronavirus Lockdown Order) BREAKING: Texas is lifting its mask mandate, making it the largest state to end an order intended to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Gov. Greg Abbott has faced sharp criticism from his party over the mandate, imposed eight months ago. https://t.co/WHPLWzf9jF — The Associated Press (@AP) March 2, 2021 Abbott also told reporters he was ending the statewide mask mandate. “I am ending the statewide mask mandate,” Abbott said. “Texans have mastered … [Read more...] about Gov. Greg Abbott Says It’s Time To Open Texas 100% Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

BuzzFeed is being widely criticized by reporters for its decision on Tuesday to publish an unsubstantiated 35-page dossier alleging that the Russian government is blackmailing Donald Trump with dirt on illicit sexual and financial activities. BuzzFeed published the document just after CNN broke a story that Trump and President Obama were briefed by U.S. intelligence officials last week that Russian operatives claim to have damaging personal and financial information about the president-elect. [dcquiz] BuzzFeed’s document is a 35-page report compiled by a former British spy who was hired by Trump’s political opponents during the presidential campaign. The document, which has floated around Beltway reporter circles for months, states, among other things, that Trump engaged in kinky sex acts with Russian prostitutes while visiting Moscow. Other outlets who have seen the document chose not to publish it, largely because the claims laid out in it could not be independently … [Read more...] about Journos BLAST BuzzFeed For Publishing Unsubstantiated Trump Dossier

One of the websites The Washington Post labeled “fake news” in a November story demanded a retraction and threatened the paper with a defamation lawsuit in a demand letter Sunday. A lawyer for Naked Capitalism accuses WaPo of running a debunked list of “fake news” sites in the “sensational” story compiled by a dubious team of researchers, without substantiating their claims or giving Naked Capitalism a chance to respond to the allegation. The Washington Post’s actions constitute defamation, the lawyer writes in the letter published Monday . “You did not provide even a single example of ‘fake news’ allegedly distributed or promoted by Naked Capitalism or indeed any of the 200 sites on the PropOrNot blacklist,” James A. Moody writes. “You provided no discussion or assessment of the credentials or backgrounds of these so-called ‘researchers’ (Clint Watts, Andrew Weisburd, and J.M. Berger and the ‘team’ at PropOrNot), and no discussion or analysis of the methodology, protocol or … [Read more...] about Website Labeled ‘Fake News’ Threatens To Sue WaPo For Defamation

Liberal Democrats are growing more and more worried that the Senate will serve as a legislative graveyard for President Biden Joe Biden The West needs a more collaborative approach to Taiwan Abbott's medical advisers were not all consulted before he lifted Texas mask mandate House approves George Floyd Justice in Policing Act MORE ’s agenda unless he and other centrists rally behind doing away with the filibuster. The tensions for now are mostly under the surface as the party approaches an initial victory under Biden: passage into law of a giant $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill. The Senate is expected to pass it this week, and when it becomes law it will serve as an unmistakable victory in Biden’s first 100 days. ADVERTISEMENT Yet this initial victory will cover up for fears among Democrats that big-ticket items passed in the House will die in the Senate unless the party greases the gears for change by ending the filibuster. Senate Majority … [Read more...] about Democrats worry Senate will be graveyard for Biden agenda

WASHINGTON - The Biden administration has declined to comment on whether Temporary Protected Status (TPS) will be extended for Haitians. “By law, TPS designations are made by the Department of Homeland Security after consultation with the appropriate agencies,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price told VOA. “So, we wouldn’t want to comment on any sort of internal deliberations when it comes to TPS.” TPS is a designation made by the secretary of homeland security to individuals from countries severely impacted by natural disasters or armed conflicts. It allows beneficiaries to live and work in the United States for a period of time. The TPS status Haitians currently hold was enacted by the Obama administration on January 21, 2010, nine days after a massive 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit the island nation, killing at least 250,000 people and displacing 5 million others. In October 2020, then-candidate Joe Biden made a campaign stop in the Little Haiti neighborhood of Miami, … [Read more...] about Homeland Security Will Decide Whether to Extend TPS for Haitians, Biden Administration Says