Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton threatened to sue local officials who don't comply with Gov. Greg Abbott's latest coronavirus-related executive order, which lifted mask mandates across the state.
Paxton's ire was specifically directed at Austin Mayor Steve Adler and Travis County Judge Andy Brown, who said Tuesday that masks were still required inside businesses in the city and county and violators would remain subject to a $2,000 fine. They argued keeping the local mandate was allowable because it was developed by a public health authority, rather than the city council or Travis County Commissioners Court.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
A growing iodine deficiency could bring back America's goiterUnder the Radar Ailment is back thanks to complacency, changing diets and a lack of public-health education
-
Today's political cartoons - November 10, 2024Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - civic duty, uncertain waters, and more
-
5 ladylike cartoons about women's role in the electionCartoons Artists take on the political gender gap, Lady Liberty, and more
-
ACA opens 2025 enrollment, enters 2024 raceSpeed Read Mike Johnson promises big changes to the Affordable Care Act if Trump wins the election
-
McDonald's sued over E. coli linked to burgerSpeed Read The outbreak has sickened at least 49 people in 10 states and left one dead
-
Texas dairy worker gets bird flu from infected cowSpeed Read The virus has been spreading among cattle in Texas, Kansas, Michigan and New Mexico
-
Dengue hits the Americas hard and earlySpeed Read Puerto Rico has declared an epidemic as dengue cases surge
-
US bans final type of asbestosSpeed Read Exposure to asbestos causes about 40,000 deaths in the U.S. each year
-
Seattle Children's Hospital sues Texas over 'sham' demand for transgender medical recordsSpeed Read Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton subpoenaed records of any Texan who received gender-affirming care at the Washington hospital
-
Afghanistan has a growing female suicide problemSpeed Read The Taliban has steadily whittled away women's and girls' rights in Afghanistan over the past 2 years, prompting a surge in depression and suicide
-
US life expectancy rose in 2022 but not to pre-pandemic levelsSpeed Read Life expectancy is slowly crawling back up
