Texas governor limiting press coverage of COVID-19 briefings, shuts out Houston, San Antonio papers

[highplainsdem]

Twitter thread from a political reporter who works for both papers. Thread starts here, full text below:

Link to tweet

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announces he’ll hold briefing about COVID-19 with limit press coverage on Monday at 2 pm. The Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News once again not allowed to be there to ask questions despite both cities seeing huge spike in ICUs.


Abbott's office has been holding these briefings in small rooms of late, which prevents all reporters from attending. It has been weeks since we've been able to ask questions. Early on he held these in bigger rooms, but I can't remember last time we've been allowed in.


And do we have questions. As @byjayroot @jblackmanChron pointed out there is this $295 million contract for contract tracing to a firm that's getting a lot of questions from Rs and Ds


But beyond that contract, we have questions about the climbing number of patients in ICU beds in San Antonio. UT Health San Antonio says new models suggest in the region “the number of hospitalized patients could nearly double in a week or two and multiply tenfold by August.”

Found this thread thanks to a tweet from a Julian Castro advisor:

Link to tweet

[enough]

1. Trickledown authoritarianism. NT

[blitzen]

12. Yep, normalization of fascism. n/t

[ProudMNDemocrat]

2. Abbott just gave Texas to Biden.....

Because Democrats will use this against Abbott, Trump, Cornyn, and other Republicans running for office.

That is Freedom of the Press suppression. Unconstitutional to say the least.

[LeftInTX]

19. No..Those two cities are Democratic and will vote for Biden anyway.

And Republicans in those cities don't "trust those newspapers"

Rural Texas will applaud Abbott for kicking out the "liberal big city press".

[dalton99a]

3. For months this POS governor actively PREVENTED cities and counties from enforcing their mask orders

[LiberalArkie]

4. What peoples would not wearing a mask hurt the most?

What would be the outcome if Texas banned masks "for security reasons"?

[Ferrets are Cool]

5. ...

[beachbumbob]

6. We know we have a problem when "public officials" limit access and data release

so we KNOW texas has a Texas size problem occurring now

[Eyeball_Kid]

7. So the smaller town newspapers need to do some journalism

and ask Abbott why he's suppressing the press. And they must be more critical of Abbott now, because one way or another, they'll be next.

[LeftInTX]

20. The small towns are Republican, they don't like the Express News or Houston Chronicle

[Yeehah]

8. The republican strategy is to let people die

and pretend the virus went away.

I hope thinking people remember this.

[ananda]

9. Is this even legal?

Can they sue based on freedom of the press
rights or something?

[Mersky]

10. Ugh. There he is - the governor of some Texans

Screwing over the majority of Texans. Pinheaded jerk can’t help himself - must exclude vast swaths of his state’s populace from his consideration, because he only cares about the faux news zombie set.

3rd largest paper in the nation and 4th biggest in the state aren’t allowed to cover his whitewash of the coronavirus today, because gerrymandered, rigged, and stolen elections have consequences. Rotten, corrupt S.O.B is gonna be up there doing his best to con the electorate, just like don-don, but with his signature, “I’m a miserable cuss who enjoys punching puppies” dopey grin.

Eta: GOTV - the republicons have misread Texas for years. Their lying and cheating days are numbered. So, vote!

[hamsterjill]

11. San Antonio resident here.

Abbott hates me and people like me. He and Dan Patrick want us to die quietly. Can you imagine what it feels like KNOWING that?

Abbott has done nothing to slow the spread and has, in fact, taken steps to increase the spread. Our hospital capacity is quickly being used up. Any science of any kind thrown out the window.

Abbott is taking orders from Trump and following them explicitly. He has stymied any efforts by local officials to take prudent steps and only when seven mayors stood together to go against Abbott’s orders, did he even back down at all - making sure to place any and all blame on the local leadership. Yet he still has his supporters because “we gotta get back to work”.

We live in a society where some people have no feeling at all towards another human being. Frightening!

We have to survive until November and we HAVE to get relief.

[Mersky]

13. I've said the sentiment in your first paragraph more than once

And yup, he’s fine with letting the virus burn through the state. His twisted faith in Jesus hating politically liberal-minded people as much as he does is about to be tested. Fiercely.

Things will only get worse due to abbott going along with tRump. Hiding the real numbers will only kill more people than would have died under rational, evidence-based leadership.

We can/will/must survive his malevolence.

[marlakay]

14. My daughter lives in San Antonio so I am concerned

But happy she has taken covid very seriously, she buys all her food curbside. They just bought another bike so both parents and both kids have them. They found out they had to make reservations to go on hiking trails which is great idea and I was surprised Texas doing this and wondering who is policing it?

[hamsterjill]

16. I'm being very careful, too.

I only go out as necessary and I’m very vigilant. Anything I can get curbside, I get curbside. Sanitize as much as I can.

With more people infected, the risk of coming in contact with an infected person increases tremendously. I hope your daughter’s family continues to stay safe and healthy.

[marlakay]

17. Thank you she is in very safe area

Alamo Heights they bought a old fixer upper across the street from a mansion and fixed up.

She wanted good school for kids but now says parents very snobby.

[hamsterjill]

18. Very familiar with that area.

They had the highest number of cases at one point most likely because it’s mostly uber wealthy people living there that had traveled. I used to work for a snooty realtor down there.

The house will be a good investment but if you’re not “old money” in that zip code, you’ll never be allowed into the club so to speak.

[marlakay]

22. She has a few friends that live in apts nearby

But none of the rich. They are military husband lt colonel in AF he retires in a year will have his 20 in so finally not moving.

They like Texas and plan to stay, she just got job for good accounting firm there. Luckily they are letting her train and work online for awhile.

Too hot for me I am in mountains in Oregon 😁

[rownesheck]

15. Abbott hates us

more than he hates trees.

Sorry, not sorry. Evil people deserve evil shit said about them.

[MagickMuffin]

21. Those newspapers need this as a huge headline

The Texas Governor Abbott Is Denying Us Access To His Covid 19 Briefings! as large a font you can print.

And ALL caps!