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- Texas hospitalizations: I skipped it yesterday, but it keeps getting uglier. I never thought it would get this high.
- We've got an incredibly interesting situation developing in the Wise County politics. Stay with me here.
- Judge Melton Cude died November 29, 2020 creating an unfortunate opening for Wise County Court at Law #1. I say unfortunate, because we all loved Judge Cude.
- That position remains unfilled, and our current District Attorney, Greg Lowery, is the only applicant for the vacancy.
- The Commissioner's Court, which is responsible for filling Judge Cude's vacancy because it is a county position, meets on Monday to presumably appoint Lowery.
- Here's where it gets wild. The moment that Lowery takes the oath of office as Judge Cude's replacement, Gov. Abbott has the power to appoint Lowery's successor as District Attorney. When the legislature is not in session, that appointment become effective immediately.
- Here's the kicker: The legislature goes into session at the strike of noon on Tuesday. Why is that important?: A governor's appointment for district attorney which occurs during a session does not become effective immediately but instead requires a 2/3 consent of the Senate. Because of this headache and because 2/3 isn't a slam dunk for anyone, it is my understanding that the governor normally doesn't make an appointment during a session and will wait until it over. The 2021 legislative session ends May 31, 2021.
- So here's what we've got: If Lowery is appointed and if he takes the oath of office on Monday after the commissioner's meeting, there will be a window of 24 hours for Gov. Abbott to appoint his replacement before the legislative session begins. If Lowery is appointed and takes the oath after noon on Tuesday (and after the legislative session begins), it's almost a certainty we won't have a D.A. successor appointed until after May 31, 2021.
- Let me say this gingerly: I'm told that everyone involved from all sides in this process is keenly aware of how the 24 hour window would be created.
- Depending on what's been going on behind the scenes, we could have a new D.A. on Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning. But that also requires Lowery to take the oath on Monday and not Tuesday in order to create the window. See all the moving parts here?
- I'm just watching all of this from the cheap seats.
- A Capitol police officer has died from Wednesday's storming of the Capitol building.
- Here.
- Ashli Babbitt was a veteran and deep into QAnon. The Washington Post had an article one year ago which began: "The Trump administration has for nearly two years ignored mounting evidence that Russian operatives and other foreign actors were deliberately targeting U.S. troops and veterans with online disinformation amplified on a massive scale, a leading veterans group said." Here's a tweet by Babbitt:
"The Storm" is QAnon's name for the ultimate violent purge
of the government. - Goosehead Insurance is based in Westlake. They fired Paul Davis yesterday. Don't be Paul. (University of Texas Law School, 2011.)
- A Frisco real estate broker is getting some attention in the New York Post.
- Speaking of purge, there was quite the one yesterday: House Sergeant at Arms, Senate Sergeant at Arms and Chief of US Capitol Police all resigned. Side note: I had completely forgot about this wild story from a few years ago.
- There's a video go around showing Trump Jr., his girlfriend, Trump himself, and others in a gleeful mood in a tent "as they watched" the rioting. This is false and not true. That video was taken before Trump spoke to soon-to-be-mob earlier that morning behind the White House. It's just an example of misinformation that everyone accepts as true.
- Will we have snow on Sunday? Personally, I feel really good about it, but I can't make an official prediction because, during an angry rage last weekend, I fired every meteorologist on my staff.
- Time which has passed since the Wise County Sheriff's Office has failed to solve the murder of Lauren Whitener in her home at Lake Bridgeport: 553 days
- Messenger: Above the Fold
