Maybe Texas Shouldn't Have Elected Cartman as Governor

Shortly before 2 p.m. a flash flood warning was issued for Austin and Travis County and heavy rain pummeled the area. According to the National Weather Service, Austin received between 2 and 5 inches of rain, with the highest amounts reported over downtown. The downpour led to flooding in the underground extension of the Capitol and other areas. "A storm drain became clogged and backed up water into one of the skylight drain troughs, and water came into the building," Chris Currens, a spokesman for the State Preservation Board, the government entity that maintains the building, said Sunday.

There were also social media reports of flooding at Gregory Gym on the University Texas campus and at Shoal Creek on Sunday. Video shared by UT students on Twitter showed a spout of water coming up from the floor of Gregory Gym. Eliska S. Padilla, a spokesperson for the university, said the "volume of rain in a very short period" caused the flooding which "showed itself as a geyser" in the gym's main hallway. The Gregory Gymnasium & Aquatic Complex was closed at 2 p.m. on Sunday and will remained closed through Monday and possibly longer."We have damage in the building, including (Gregory Gymnasium) basement," she said, adding that at least one racquetball court will need to be replaced. The university's facility team was on site assessing damage Sunday evening.

"In Dallas, we have zero ICU beds left for children," Jenkins said Friday at a virtual news conference. "That means if your child's in a car wreck, if your child has a congenital heart defect or something and needs an ICU bed, or more likely if they have COVID and need an ICU bed, we don't have one. Your child will wait for another child to die." He said the same is true for pediatric ICU beds in the 19 surrounding counties as well, mentioning that young patients may have to be transported farther away for care.

"Your child will just not get on the ventilator," he said. "Your child will be CareFlighted to Temple or Oklahoma City or wherever we can find them a bed, but they won't be getting one here unless one clears and that's been true for 24 hours."

However, a growing number of local jurisdictions — including Austin, Travis County and numerous area school districts — have implemented mask mandates despite Abbott's order as the highly contagious delta variant has produced a sharp rise in COVID-19 infections, overrunning intensive care units in adult and children's hospitals across Texas. Many local mask requirements focused on schools because children under 12 lack access to the COVID-19 vaccine, and officials outside of Dallas and San Antonio said Sunday that they intended to continue enforcing mandatory masks.

“Under Executive Order GA-38, no governmental entity can require or mandate the wearing of masks,” said Governor Abbott. “The path forward relies on personal responsibility—not government mandates. The State of Texas will continue to vigorously fight the temporary restraining order to protect the rights and freedoms of all Texans.”

“This isn’t the first time we have dealt with activist characters. It’s deja vu all over again,” Attorney General Paxton said. “Attention-grabbing judges and mayors have defied executive orders before, when the pandemic first started, and the courts ruled on our side – the law. I’m confident the outcomes to any suits will side with liberty and individual choice, not mandates and government overreach.”