BG Reads | News You Need to Know (July 22, 2021)
[AUSTIN METRO NEWS]
Austin is set to revert to Stage 4 COVID guidelines. Here's what that means if you're vaccinated. (Austin American-Statesman)
Hospitalizations and cases of the coronavirus are continuing to rise in Austin and across the country. Austin-Travis County is currently in Stage 3 of Austin Public Health's risk-based guidelines, but on Monday night, the region reached levels that are likely to send it back into the stricter Stage 4 of Austin Public Health's risk-based guidelines, according to Austin Public Health officials. But what does moving from Stage 3 to Stage 4 actually do? Here's a recap of the city's risk-based guidelines, and what they mean for Austinites… (LINK TO STORY)
Council members seek better system to help troubled officers (Austin Monitor)
In response to an audit that found Austin Police Department is using an outdated system to identify police officers in need of help, interim Police Chief Joseph Chacon told the City Council Audit & Finance Committee Wednesday that while his department is aware of the problems with its Guidance Advisory Program, or GAP, that does not mean it can immediately move to fix those problems.
The audit, conducted by the Office of the City Auditor, looked at APD’s early intervention system, finding that the system is failing both the officers who might need wellness services or other assistance and the department overall.
Although other police departments track more indicators that might show an officer in trouble, APD’s system, instituted in 2006, only “activates” when there appear to be problems with use of force, Internal Affairs investigations or overuse of sick leave. The program was not set up to track individual problems except on a quarterly basis, and auditors found mistakes in analyses that were supposed to identify officers in need of assistance.
Chacon told the committee that his department reviews every use-of-force complaint it receives. Recently, the department decided that all of those complaints should be reviewed by the same unit within APD, he said, to make sure there is consistency in the reviews.
APD has a Wellness Division, established about four years ago, which offers various services to assist officers. Participation is voluntary and confidential, which the audit noted is consistent with what peer cities do. “However, without tracking access to and use of these services in relation to the GAP, APD has no way to determine if these interventions are working,” the audit said.
Auditors cited a Department of Justice report about how early intervention programs can be used to “detect emerging patterns or trends in an agency which might call for policy revisions, training, change to existing practices, or investigations into other factors not tracked by the system.” However, APD personnel told auditors that “there are no performance metrics reported in relation to the GAP and they have no way to measure the program’s success. In addition, the department is not analyzing results to identify trends or determine if certain officers, assignments or supervisors need additional support services.”
In response to questions from Council Member Kathie Tovo, Chacon said the auditor’s office found mistakes in GAP reporting, such as failing to note problematic use of force in some instances, by manually going through the records of each officer. He explained that the department simply can’t do that and needs a new computer program for that task… (LINK TO STORY)
Lyft, Argo AI to put self-driving robotaxis in Austin in 2022 (Austin Business Journal)
Autonomous vehicle company Argo AI LLC, based in Pittsburgh, is partnering with San Francisco-based Lyft Inc. to offer robotaxi rides in Miami this year and Austin next year.
The autonomous vehicles are being created through the company’s partnership with Ford Motor Co. Argo said that it expects to have up to 1,000 self-driving cars across multiple markets over the next five years.
“This collaboration marks the first time all the pieces of the autonomous vehicle puzzle have come together this way,” Logan Green, co-founder and CEO of Lyft, said in the July 21 announcement. “Each company brings the scale, knowledge and capability in their area of expertise that is necessary to make autonomous ride-hailing a business reality.”
Ford and Argo AI announced plans to roll into Austin back in 2019, including with a command center near the airport. At the time, the companies already had human drivers on the streets in to produce detailed 3D mapping in East Austin and downtown. Testing of the self-driving cars was delayed by the pandemic.
The Argo AI website currently lists nine job openings in Austin, including for senior software engineers and a technical director of cybersecurity.
When the Lyft partnership starts, the self-driving cars will operate with safety drivers. Lyft users can use the app to select a self-driving vehicle as one of their options.
“This collaboration is special because we’re executing on a shared vision for improving the safety, access to and affordability of transportation in our cities,” Bryan Salesky, founder and CEO of Argo AI, said in the announcement. “Beyond the link that Lyft provides to the customer, we’ll be able to work together to define where an autonomous service will benefit communities the most and ensure we’re deploying the technology safely.”
Argo AI reported that it will use anonymized service and fleet data from Lyft to determine where the company can best grow sustainable business and validate deployment, according to the announcement.
The licensing and data access agreements will provide Lyft (Nasdaq: LYFT) with 2.5% of the common equity of Argo AI… (LINK TO STORY)
Tech firm Disco becomes latest Austin company to go public, makes Wall Street debut (Austin American-Statesman)
Austin-based legal technology company Disco on Wednesday became the latest Austin company to go public, and saw its shares surge on its first day on Wall Street.
Disco's stock debuted at $32 per share on the New York Stock Exchange, trading under the ticker "LAW". The share price rose quickly, and finished its first day of trading up $9.67, or 30.2%, closing at $41.67.
The legal tech firm's initial public offering called for selling 7 million shares at $32, with the offering's underwriters given an option to purchase an additional 500,000 shares. If all options are exercises, the IPO could be worth more than $240 million.
Disco makes an artificial intelligence-powered platform to assist law firms and companies' legal teams. CEO Kiwi Camara founded Disco in Houston in 2013 and moved its headquarters to Austin in 2018.
Camara said Disco is working to position itself as the technology company general counsels turn to when they nees technology to impact and streamline their work.
“This is an eight-year journey and where we are today is really a testament to the amazing work of the team,” Camara said… (LINK TO STORY)
[TEXAS NEWS]
Gov. Greg Abbott says he won’t impose new mask mandate despite increasing COVID-19 cases (Texas Tribune)
Gov. Greg Abbott says he will not impose another statewide mask mandate, despite COVID-19 cases being on the rise again.
“There will be no mask mandate imposed, and the reasons for that are very clear,” Abbott told KPRC-TV in Houston on Tuesday. “There are so many people who have immunities to COVID, whether it be through the vaccination, whether it be through their own exposure and their recovery from it, which would be acquired immunity.”
It would be “inappropriate to require people who already have immunity to wear a mask,” Abbott said.
During a news conference Wednesday in Houston, Abbott went further and expressed blanket resistance to any new restrictions to fight the virus. He said Texas is “past the time of government mandates” and “into the time for personal responsibility.”
While the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks indoors in most settings, the World Health Organization is still encouraging everyone to wear masks while inside.
As the delta variant has spread, some key pandemic indicators have increased in Texas. Late last week, the state’s positivity rate — the ratio of cases to tests — went above 10% for the first time since February, a threshold that Abbott has previously identified as dangerous… (LINK TO STORY)
Texas Democrats pledge not to return from D.C. until August (Houston Chronicle)
Texas House Democrats will not return to the state until after the special session of the Legislature is over, one of the leaders of their walkout confirmed Tuesday. State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, said they expect to return to Texas on Aug. 7 — when the 30-day special session aimed at passing new voting restrictions is required to end. “It will be our plan on that day — on or about — to return back to Texas,” Martinez Fischer told advocates of a group Center for American Progress Action Fund, that is led by former White House Chief of Staff John Podesta, a Democrat. “Then we will evaluate our next option.” More than 50 Texas Democrats left the state on July 12 to make sure there were not enough members in the Texas House to vote on legislation that would place new restrictions on voting. Democrats are hoping to spur their colleagues in Congress to pass voting laws at the federal level to supersede the measures that Republicans are trying to enact in Austin.
Texas House and Senate Republicans are pushing a new voting restrictions bill that, among other things, bans drive-thru voting and stops late-night voting, prevents elections officials from sending out absentee ballot applications unsolicited, and eliminates absentee ballot dropoff boxes as an option for voters to submit completed ballots. Republicans have blasted the fleeing Democrats, accusing them of failing to do their jobs even as they collect a $221 per diem from the state for serving during the special session. Gov. Greg Abbott has threatened to have them arrested as soon as they return to Texas. Martinez Fischer said the walkout was an appropriate response because Republicans were not interested in addressing their concerns about the legislation. “The Republican majority hasn’t really worked with us in good faith,” he said from the Zoom call which he did from his hotel room in D.C. where he is quarantining after testing positive for COVID-19… (LINK TO STORY)
Texas, Oklahoma talk to SEC about joining league (Associated Press)
The last time Texas got a wandering eye for another conference it fueled a series of realignments in college sports that nearly killed the Big 12.
Texas is once again exploring free agency, stealing the headlines at the Southeastern Conference media days and cranking up speculation about another round of conference shuffling. And the Longhorns aren’t alone in looking around.
There have been discussions between Texas and Oklahoma and SEC officials about switching conferences, but no formal invitations have been extended, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Wednesday night… (LINK TO STORY)
[NATIONAL NEWS]
States announce $26 billion settlement to resolve Opioid lawsuits (Wall Street Journal)
States unveiled a historic $26 billion settlement with drug companies to resolve thousands of opioid-crisis lawsuits, paving the way for communities across the country to secure a jolt of funding to address an epidemic in painkiller addiction that hasn’t abated.
The nation’s three largest drug distributors— McKesson Corp. , AmerisourceBergen Corp. , and Cardinal Health Inc. —and drugmaker Johnson & Johnson have been negotiating the deal for more than two years, but Wednesday’s announcement signifies an important milestone that could clear the way for money to be received by states as soon as early next year.
States can’t use the money to fill general budget holes, as they did after a $206 billion deal with tobacco companies in the 1990s. Instead, the majority must be spent on social services to address the harms of opioid addiction, like treatment programs, education on how to dispose of pills and needles, and bolstered funds for first responders. One community may use it to help a large problem of addiction in the homeless population, while another may be more focused on opioid-addicted babies.
“It won’t be used to fill potholes, or build libraries, or balance budgets,” said Paul Geller, a plaintiffs’ lawyer representing several cities and counties involved in the deal.
Individuals and families who have been affected by opioid abuse won’t receive any money directly.
An opioid crisis that has claimed half a million lives in the U.S. has triggered more than 3,000 lawsuits filed by states, local governments, Native American tribes, hospital groups and others against players in the pharmaceutical industry. The lawsuits allege drugmakers pushed their painkillers for uses far beyond what was medically necessary and that distributors and pharmacies didn’t do enough to halt masses of pills from flowing into communities… (LINK TO STORY)
Pressure mounts for DeSantis in Florida (The Hill)
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is facing mounting pressure on the homefront as he looks to cement his superstar status among Republicans nationally.
Over the past week, COVID-19 infections have surged in Florida to the point that the state now accounts for about one in five new cases. The vaccination rate, meanwhile, has begun to level off. At the same time, Florida’s Gulf Coast is suffering from a particularly harsh bout of red tide, prompting local officials to call on the governor to declare a state of emergency.
The troubles in Florida are putting pressure on DeSantis as he seeks to carve out a more robust national profile for himself in anticipation of what his supporters and critics alike see as a potential 2024 presidential run.He took a fundraising trip to California last month as he builds up his campaign war chest ahead of his 2022 reelection bid. Over the weekend, he traveled to Texas to visit the U.S. southern border, where Florida law enforcement is deployed. And he was in Aspen, Colo., earlier this week for a meeting of the Republican Governors Association.
“He’s running for president, not for governor. He’s much more interested in fundraising and shallow and destructive appeals to the MAGA base,” Thomas Kennedy, a Democratic National Committee member from Florida, said, using the acronym for “make America great again,” former President Donald Trump’s campaign slogan.
“The guy has a big responsibility, and he’s abdicating it because of his own political aspirations,” Kennedy added… (LINK TO STORY)
Infrastructure vote fails as senators try to salvage bipartisan deal (Politico)
Senate Republicans blocked moving forward on a bipartisan infrastructure bill that’s still being negotiated on Wednesday. Surprisingly, members of the group insist they're unbothered.
The vote amounted to a setback to a key priority of President Joe Biden, although members of both parties expect at least one more try in the coming days. GOP centrists say they may be willing to provide the votes as early as Monday, when they think discussions will conclude over a bill expected to provide nearly $600 billion.
“We’re a no today because we’re not ready,” said Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), the lead Republican negotiator. “We’re saying we do want to take up this bill as soon as we are, and we think that’ll be Monday.”
Portman organized a letter of 11 Republican senators to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer indicating Republicans will put up the votes to beat a filibuster next week. He and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), the lead negotiator, also released a sunny statement in the aftermath of the failed vote pledging that a group of 12 Democrats and 10 Republicans are “optimistic that we will finalize, and be prepared to advance, this historic bipartisan proposal.”
Schumer voted against advancing the proposal, allowing him to bring it up quickly whenever the group clinches a deal. Schumer is carefully trying to give the group a chance to finally clinch its legislation, ensuring he doesn’t alienate moderate Democrats he needs to advance the rest of Biden’s priorities… (LINK TO STORY)