BG Reads | News You Need to Know (February 4, 2021)
[BINGHAM GROUP]
NEW // BG Podcast Ep. 127: The Anatomy of a Digital Disinformation Campaign
On today’s episode we speak with Robert Matney, Managing Director of Government Affairs at Austin-based Yonder A.I. The firm’s software discovers the hidden groups who control and amplify online narratives, so companies can navigate an unpredictable, ever-evolving internet with confidence.
CITY OF AUSTIN
THE 87TH TEXAS LEGISLATURE
LINK TO FILED HOUSE BILLS (1,714)
[AUSTIN METRO]
U.K. COVID-19 variant detected in Austin-Travis County (KUT)
The U.K. variant of COVID-19 has been detected in Austin-Travis County, officials announced Wednesday evening. Scientists don’t believe the variant is deadlier, but it is more contagious.
Though it hadn’t been confirmed until now, Austin Public Health officials have been saying for weeks that a variant was likely present in the area.
“While it is concerning that there is a confirmed COVID-19 variant in Austin-Travis County, it does not come as a surprise,” APH Director Stephanie Hayden-Howard said in a press release.
Though the new variant is more transmissible, it spreads the same way as the original virus. Hayden-Howard said people need to continue the same prevention measures APH has been pushing over the last year: wear a mask in public, social distance, avoid gatherings and wash hands frequently.
Vaccines available right now are thought to be effective against variants, according to Dr. Mark Escott, interim health authority for Austin-Travis County.
“It is common for viruses to mutate, especially when the original virus is in the community longer,” he said in a press release. “From our understanding, currently approved vaccines are effective against the variants, and while this may be a reason to reemphasize the importance of prevention measures, it is not cause for alarm.”… (LINK TO STORY)
Gov. Greg Abbott pushes ahead on partial police takeover of Austin, addressing homelessness (Austin American-Statesman)
Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday that he will “absolutely” push forward on a proposal in which policing parts of Austin would be handled by state patrols but appeared to back away from a measure calling for a full citywide takeover by the state.
In what have been among his most extensive public comments about the proposal, Abbott focused on creating what he has called a “safe zone” in which the state would infuse patrols as far north as 32nd Street and as far south as Lady Bird Lake, stretching from Interstate 35 to the east and Lamar Boulevard or Mopac (Loop 1) to the west.
“These are areas where visitors come in, and they must be kept safe,” Abbott said in an interview with the American-Statesman and KVUE-TV. “Because we have seen a reticence by the Austin City Council and the city of Austin to step up and protect this region, the state feels a need to step forward and get that job done.” … (LINK TO STORY)
Former Commissioner Ron Davis dies at 75 (Austin Monitor)
Former Travis County Commissioner Ron Davis, who is remembered for his staunch advocacy on environmental issues, died Tuesday at age 75. Davis served on the Commissioners Court from to 1998 to 2016 representing Precinct 1 in eastern Travis County. His son, Ron Davis Jr., confirmed that his father died of a heart attack.
Nelson Linder, president of the NAACP, recalled, “I met Ron Davis when he was working on the East Austin (tank) farms when we had the chemicals and pollution” that poisoned the land and the water from the 1960s to the mid-1990s. “I can tell you he was a very rare person because he was a community person for a long time. He paid his dues, took care of his people and then was elected to office. He earned everything he got …. His life is a perfect example of civic engagement, community support and ultimately political empowerment.”
Mayor Pro Tem Natasha Harper-Madison wrote in a Facebook post, “This is heartbreaking news. Commissioner Ron Davis was a force of nature when it came to advocating for communities in the Eastern Crescent. He forged a career as one of the early champions for environmental justice, and I will always look to his example as the gold standard for tireless service. This year’s celebration of Black History Month would be incomplete without a celebration of this man’s life and his many achievements.”… (LINK TO STORY)
Williamson County asks Austin to delay purchase of hotel for homeless housing (Community Impact)
Williamson County Commissioners want Austin City Council to delay its plan to buy and convert the Candlewood Suites hotel in Northwest Austin into a permanent housing facility for people experiencing homelessness. The commissioners voted Feb. 2 to request Austin's governing body wait at least 180 days before making the purchase. Austin City Council is scheduled to vote on the project Feb. 4.
Austin is eyeing the 83-room hotel, which sits at 10811 Pecan Pecan Park Blvd., near FM 620, for roughly $9.5 million as part of its strategy to convert hotels and motels into transitional and permanent housing for people experiencing homelessness. A majority of Austin City Council members have already expressed support for the purchase ahead of the Feb. 4 vote.
The hotel is located in the Williamson County portion of Austin. County officials said they were never notified about the project and raised concerns over its potential impact on resources and services. Williamson County commissioners officially asked the city to postpone the purchase to allow for stakeholder input and the completion of an impact study.
“The frustration you hear today is that it has been done in a complete vacuum,” said Commissioner Cynthia Long, who oversees the precinct in which the hotel would be located. “My request to the city of Austin today is simple. Talk to your neighbors and residents.”… (LINK TO STORY)
UT Austin's anticipated new Moody Center locks in superstar act for grand opening (CultureMap Austin)
There's another reason to get excited for the completion of the Moody Center in 2022: The Weeknd has just announced he's bringing his After Hours tour to Austin as part of the grand opening festivities.
Tickets will go on sale Monday, February 8, via Ticketmaster for the concert, which is scheduled for April 18, 2022.
The upcoming Super Bowl halftime show star will be part of a concert series celebrating the new sports and events area at The University of Texas at Austin.
With its ability to seat 15,000-plus people, the Moody Center is expected to be one of the finest arenas in the country. And it'd better be, since it was funded by one of the largest private gifts ever made to a college for a new area, to the tune of $130 million from the Moody Foundation.
First announced in 2019, the Moody Center will replace the Erwin Center and host UT men's and women's basketball games in addition to concerts, graduations, and other university, high school, and community events.
The Moody name isn't exactly new to the UT campus, or Austin for that matter. In 2013, the foundation donated $50 million to support the Moody College of Communication… (LINK TO STORY)
[TEXAS]
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg launches campaign for third term (San Antonio Express-News)
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg officially launched his bid for re-election Wednesday — touting strides over the last two years toward combating the city’s pervasive poverty as well as climate change against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a virtual event livestreamed on Facebook on Wednesday morning, Nirenberg acknowledged the pandemic “has been a challenging time for all of us” but implored voters to share his optimism about the city’s future and to let him continue the work of his past two terms.
“I know we’re going to get San Antonio back on its feet, and it’s going to take all of us to do that,” Nirenberg said while speaking in front of campaign signs at his headquarters. Nirenberg seeks a third term amid the health and economic woes wreaked by the coronavirus pandemic and a reckoning on the role of police after a summer of protests over racism and police brutality. So far, seven other candidates have formally thrown their hat into the ring to challenge the mayor. But ultimately, the race is expected to be a rematch between Nirenberg and former City Councilman Greg Brockhouse, who forced the mayor to a runoff in 2019 and nearly ousted him. Brockhouse hasn’t filed for the seat but plans to hold his own virtual campaign launch on Saturday, per his Facebook page.
On Wednesday, Nirenberg called on Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff as well an array of leaders in business, labor and faith to help him make the case for a third term. In a notable move, Wolff for the first time threw his weight behind Nirenberg with an endorsement. Wolff backed then-Mayor Ivy Taylor when Nirenberg challenged her in 2017 and stayed out of the 2019 matchup between Nirenberg and Brockhouse. The county judge took issue with key decisions in Nirenberg’s first term, including the city’s decision not to bid on the 2020 Republican National Convention… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Office glut comes to Texas with oil bust leaving towers empty (Bloomberg)
For all the talk of workers fleeing pricey coastal cities such as New York and San Francisco, one of the most troubled spots in the U.S. commercial real estate market is deep in the heart of Texas.
Houston ended last year with a 24% office-vacancy rate, the highest of any major U.S. city, according to Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. After years of construction to accommodate an oil boom that’s now gone bust, buildings are sitting empty, values are plunging and mortgage defaults are piling up.
The Covid-19 pandemic is only accelerating the real estate distress in America’s energy capital. Office tenants vacated a net 3.2 million square feet (300,000 square meters) last year, and there’s 3.1 million square feet of new top-tier space set to be completed over the next 18 months. That means it will take more than a vaccine to fill properties.
“Houston unfortunately has been hit by a double Black Swan event,” said Russell Ingrum, senior partner of the Texas capital markets group at CBRE Group Inc. It’s “not only Covid, but what happened with the price of oil.”
The fourth-largest U.S. city is in the midst of a yearslong shift after back-to-back oil busts wiped out tens of thousands of jobs and pushed scores of companies into bankruptcy. On Tuesday, giant Exxon Mobil Corp. -- which houses the core of its North American workforce in the Houston suburb of Spring -- reported its first annual loss in at least 40 years. President Joe Biden is pushing policies to combat climate change that may further dim the outlook for oil, while Wall Street investing titans such as BlackRock Inc.’s Larry Fink are demanding companies cut carbon emissions or face exclusion from some fund portfolios… (LINK TO STORY)
Dallas city leaders hope to crack down on panhandling problem (FOX KDFW)
Dallas City Council members want the city to crack down on the panhandling problem that they say is a public safety issue.
The Dallas Police Department's new chief answered questions about the issue on his first day on the job.
City staff presented some ideas that ranged from offering the homeless jobs like painting city murals to banning all forms of solicitation or giving. Many council members thought the solutions did not quite hit the mark.
When it comes to aggressive panhandling, Dallas City Council members had story after story.
Council members said panhandlers who are often not truly homeless are a public safety and public health issue.
"I’m tired of getting photos of public urination and defecation in a median," said Councilmember Lee Kleinman. "Our city management is just letting it happen."
But councilmembers were less than impressed with ideas city staff presented that included offering panhandlers jobs and services.
"It doesn't answer what happens when someone rejects everything," said Councilmember Cara Mendelsohn. "They don't want help. They just want to stand in the road and trash everything. Now what?"
Mendlesohn said other cities have had success with partial bans on solicitation.
"Something working is limiting hours and locations," she said. "They do that in Plano and Richardson. They don't have this problem."
Kleinman said he supports a ban on solicitations in intersections.
"We've got to get enforcement. The compassionate side is not working," he said… (LINK TO STORY)
[NATION]
Klobuchar to Introduce Antitrust Bill Raising Bar for Technology Deals (Wall Street Journal)
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D., Minn.), the incoming head of the Senate antitrust subcommittee, will propose broad changes to U.S. antitrust laws Thursday as the newly Democratic-led Congress begins to press the issue of perceived monopoly power in technology and other industries.
The senator plans to introduce legislation that would bar companies that dominate their sectors from making acquisitions unless they can prove their deals don’t “create an appreciable risk of materially lessening competition,” according to a draft from Ms. Klobuchar’s office. Now, the burden is on the government to prove a merger substantially lessens competition.
The proposals will likely face headwinds. Republicans didn’t sign on to many of the ideas when Ms. Klobuchar floated them during the previous session of Congress, and businesses including big technology companies are expected to oppose a significant rewriting of antitrust laws.
Ms. Klobuchar is hoping that Democrats’ control of the Senate will improve odds of passage, and she will seek to build momentum through a series of legislative hearings focused on monopoly power.
“We have an increasing monopoly problem, really headlined by what is happening with tech” but also extending across the economy, Ms. Klobuchar said. “Our laws have to be as sophisticated as those that are messing around with competition,” she said.
Her effort follows years of bipartisan scrutiny of acquisitions by tech giants including Facebook Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google, which have denied anticompetitive behavior. The Biden administration is expected to continue antitrust lawsuits filed last year targeting those two companies.
Tech industry representatives have cautioned against changes to antitrust laws. The App Association, a trade group representing small and midsize software companies, told the Senate antitrust panel last year that restricting large firms could end up hurting smaller players… (LINK TO STORY)
Hawley says he’s not running for president. Hardly anyone believes him (Politico)
The face of the Biden resistance is taking shape in the Senate: Josh Hawley.
In a prelude to a widely expected 2024 presidential bid, the Missouri Republican is the only senator to oppose every one of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet nominees — a distinction sealed Tuesday when he voted against confirming new Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Hawley briefly held up the confirmation of another Cabinet official, for the Department of Homeland Security.
Even before Biden became president, Hawley initiated his bid for the Trump wing of the party by becoming the first senator to announce he would vote against the Electoral College results certifying the new president’s win, thrilling the outgoing president and his followers.
Hawley, whose Senate seat is up for election in 2024, has said repeatedly that he isn’t running for president.
“All I can say is no,” Hawley said in an interview on Wednesday, denying he has an overarching plan to oppose Biden’s nominees. “What can I say? That’s clearly not my focus.”
But aside from Hawley’s allies, no one familiar with presidential politics or the U.S. Senate is taking the 41-year-old at his word — especially after several Democratic senators used their opposition to early Trump appointees as a springboard to 2020.
“Hawley’s always been a young man in a hurry. He ran for attorney general on a plank he would serve all four years and [almost] immediately ran for U.S. Senate once he got in office,” said Scott Reed, a veteran Republican strategist who last worked for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s political arm. He noted that Hawley established himself “by taking early shots at Big Tech and he really developed a taste for the wine, meaning he really liked all the attention. And he’s built on that.”
Reed said that “Hawley is becoming an exotic for Republican primary voters” because the Yale-educated lawyer has established a niche for himself as an early critic of social media companies while trying to appeal to working-class voters… (LINK TO STORY)
Canada labels Proud Boys a terrorist group (The Hill)
Canada labeled the Proud Boys a terrorist group Wednesday, increasing international pressure on the self-proclaimed “Western chauvinist” organization.
The far-right group has gained a broader platform in recent years with its vocal backing of former President Trump, engagement in street fights and Trump telling the group to “stand back and stand by” when he was asked to condemn white supremacy, a remark the group interpreted as a sign of support.
The group's notoriety skyrocketed following the alleged involvement of some of its members in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Federal prosecutors last week announced the first conspiracy charges against members of the Proud Boys over their role in the deadly attack.
Canadian Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 attack that he was collecting evidence of groups that played a role in the insurrection. A terror designation would allocate more investigative tools to law enforcement and allow the freezing of the group’s assets or members' property. It is a crime to knowingly provide assistance to a designated group, though being a member of the organization is not in itself against the law.
“They are all hateful, intolerant and we have seen they can be dangerous,” Blair said Wednesday in announcing the designation. “We have seen the type of tragic results that this kind of extremism can bring to Canada.”… (LINK TO STORY)