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1 Texas Democrats Flee State To Stop Elections Bill
Republican-backed voting bills are moving rapidly through a special session of the Texas state legislature, so the Democratic members of the state House of Representatives have left town. At least 51 Democrats left Texas yesterday afternoon in two charter jets headed to Washington, D.C., where they plan to stay until the time limit for a special session in the Texas constitution has passed, which is three weeks. Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan issued a statement yesterday afternoon that vowed to “use every available resource” to secure a quorum; with the Democratic members gone, no business can happen in the state House. The special session was called after Democrats walked out during the final minutes of the regular session, forcing the GOP to adjourn without passing a voting bill. The Texas state constitution says that absent lawmakers can be legally compelled to return to the Capitol, which means the legislators could be arrested and returned to the session.
2 President Biden Convenes Session On Gun Crime
President Joe Biden convened a session on the rise in crime rates yesterday with Attorney General Merrick Garland, law enforcement leaders, and elected officials. The President spoke on his plan, which focuses on stopping illegal gun sales, saying of his plan that “It includes cracking down on holding rogue gun dealers accountable for violating the federal law.” He also mentioned the Justice Department creating five new strike forces to crack down on illegal gun trafficking. Biden said he’ll be asking the experts he assembled what else they believe should be done to address rising crime rates, but he didn’t put any pressure on Congress to act on a national level. According to a study by the National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice, the number of homicides in America increased by 24% in the first three months of 2021 compared to the same months in 2020 and saw a 49% increase compared to the first quarter of 2019.
3 FDA Issues New Warning On Johnson & Johnson Vaccine
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned yesterday of an increased risk of Guillain-Barre disorder in those that receive the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine, with 100 preliminary cases of the syndrome reported among the 12.5 million doses that have been administered so far. Guillain-Barre is a rare disorder where a person’s immune system damages nerve cells and causes muscle weakness or paralysis. The FDA says it still recommends the vaccine, saying that “known and potential benefits clearly outweigh the known and potential risks.” According to the CDC, the cases of Guillain-Barre Syndrome have “largely been reported about two weeks after vaccination and mostly in males, many aged 50 or older. Similar issues haven’t been reported in connection to the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.