With coronavirus cases on the rise and the federal government citing bad data samples to justify new mask guidance, some states are fighting back. The Biden administration is targeting them.
Summary
After Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vowed to ban local mask mandates for local schools and withhold the salaries of administrators who defy him, DeSantis’ administration backed down.
- Similarly in Texas, Gov. Gregg Abbott lost a court battle that will allow counties to override the state’s ban on mask mandates.
- Both states are being targeted by the Biden administration, which penned an open letter offering assistance to school districts “working to safely reopen schools”.
- Protests over mask mandates spilled out onto Arizona State University’s campus as a gubernatorial candidate organized a rally urging students to ignore the school’s mandate.
- The Supreme Court’s newest justice, Trump-appointed Amy Coney Barrett, denied an Indiana University student’s petition to overturn the school’s vaccination mandate.
- Vox.com set their sights squarely on Gov. DeSantis, collating liberal outlets’ screeds against him, calling him “the nation’s word Covid governor.”
- Newsweek reported on DeSantis’ relenting on local mask orders despite the fact that the DeSantis administration is withholding funds from school districts “in the exact amount of the salaries” of school officials.
- CNN highlighted the U.S. Department of Education’s open letters on local mask mandates for schools to Florida and Texas, escalating the war of words between the White House and the governors of the two states.
- OANN reported on Arizona school districts ignoring state law banning local mask mandates and the insistence among state lawmakers the governor take action.
- Newsmax interviewed Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert who criticized Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett for denying the Indiana University students’ petition to reverse the school’s vaccine mandate.
- Fox News noted the results of left-leaning Kaiser Family Foundation’s polling showing more than 60% of parents of school-age children approve of mask mandates for unvaccinated students and staff.
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© Dallas Gerber, 2021
