Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• Breaking Wise County coronavirus news. (And I'm serious.) 
• We've got a full blown mini-coronavirus outbreak in Decatur. 
• Over the last three days, there have been four new confirmed cases all in close proximity to the courthouse. These cases have yet to show up in the "official numbers" but they are real. (I'm not writing this otherwise.)
• Three of the individuals worked together and at least one of the three would have crossed paths with the fourth. This thing moved quickly and easily among them.
• My hard-hitting investigation revealed this:  Those who contracted the virus were asymptomatic for about seven days, and they had absolutely no idea that anything was wrong. Then it hit them -- and they knew it. One went from "feeling kinda funny" in the morning to "I've got to get home" by noon.  
• That period of being asymptomatic led to this: At the minimum, the Wise County Courthouse was exposed. 
• In highly technical medical terms, those in proximity to all of this and who may have been also been exposed are "freaking out." 
• Wise County official stats are showing 9 active cases this morning. That's one less than yesterday. Like I said, you can definitely add four to that. And we are waiting to see where it went from those four. 
• There's another aspect to this story which, if true, is shocking, But I can't confirm it. 
• Texas: We set a new record in hospitalizations yesterday. And it was the third highest day ever in new confirmed cases. Think about this: The four people in Decatur I wrote about in the first bullet point are not in the hospital. You only do that if you're having trouble staying alive. Otherwise, you just ride it out. And how many people without insurance never go to a doctor, never get tested, and are just try to handle it on their own?
  
  
  
  
• Also notable Wise County news: We had an attempted suicide by hanging in the jail. 
• Someone asked me if the courthouse was shut down because of the coronavirus exposure. I don't think it is. Then that person reminded me it was shut down for cleaning in 2007 when the The Great Wise County Courthouse STD Crab Scare occurred. 
  
• "That's a bold statement." Story.
  
• Thirteen UT football players have the 'Rona. 
• A couple of people asked me to explain to the Supreme Court's DACA decision yesterday. I don't think I'm smart enough. The best I can tell is that the Court said Trump had the authority to shut down DACA but he had to do it through the Department of Homeland Security which originated the program. He did. But since DHS must do it, they must follow the Administrative Procedures Act which requires an agency to at least make a minimal effort to explain why it is doing what it is doing. Those reasons don't have to be much. Just say something that makes the decision anything other than "arbitrary and capricious" (that's easy to do), then the decision will stand. Trump's DHS failed to do so here. So basically, DHS was so bad at its job and made so little effort in trying to boot 700,000 innocent people out of the country, that this effort was declared invalid. Can they try again? Sure. Will they? I bet they don't with an election of the horizon. Killing a program which is popular with most Americans probably wasn't that good of an idea to start with.
• It ain't always about you, hoss.
  
• But since you are curious about how many people like you, we have a new Fox News poll.
  
• I'm no "data integrity" expert, but these multiple ways to enter the same charge in the Wise County court database doesn't seem to be it if consistency is a desired goal. All were filed yesterday.
  
• There was a weird and funny moment in the White House yesterday when a reporter was able to hold up John Bolton's book and ask Trump about why he was trying to block its publication. You see, if she's holding up the book then that means . . . . (Unrelated: Trump would later be caught playing with his phone while guests were speaking. Video.)
  
• This was so weird yesterday that I almost think it is some kind of trap Gaetz is setting. He isn't married. His "son" is 19.
  
  
  
  
• With all the Confederate statues going down, I was reminded that I wrote this five years ago.
  
• I'm still working my way through Watchmen on HBO, and I can't look away. It won't be every one's cup of tea, but there's something about it which I just love. All episodes are being aired for free this weekend by HBO. The Tulsa Massacre inspired series will be shown as Trump is speaking in Tulsa. 
  
• Sports: Alabama added a future home-and-home against Ohio State yesterday. Say what you want about Alabama, their voluntary upcoming non-conference schedules are crazy impressive.
  
• Messenger: Above the Fold