BG Reads | News You Need to Know (February 5, 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 (1,757)
[AUSTIN METRO]
Austinites will vote on homeless camping ban in May (Community Impact)
Nearly two years after City Council first made the controversial decision to effectively decriminalize homelessness by lifting some bans on public camping, sitting and lying down, and solicitation, Austinites will decide the fate of the laws.
City Clerk Jannette Goodall announced Feb. 4 that the petition submitted by the group Save Austin Now on Jan. 19, which aims at overturning City Council’s 2019 decision, had more than the necessary 20,000 valid signatures to reach the May 1 ballot. City Council has to officially submit the ballot language for the May 1 election by Feb. 12. City Council is eyeing a Feb. 9 special-called meeting for the procedure.
The successful effort by Save Austin Now follows its failed attempt to put the question on the November 2020 ballot. The group submitted a petition then, but the clerk determined it did not have more than 20,000 valid signatures as required by city law. Matt Mackowiak, co-founder of Save Austin Now and chair of the Travis County GOP, has challenged the clerk’s claim in a still-pending lawsuit.
“Today’s news is a welcome development for Austinites who only want to live in a safe and clean city,” Mackowiak said in a press release. “The Mayor and the City Council will never fix it. In fact, they are unconscionably making it worse. We must save our city on May 1st.”
A city spokesperson confirmed the question has to go on the May 1 ballot since it is a citizen-initiated ordinance change, which, by state law, must be voted on the soonest regular election date… (LINK TO STORY)
Council passes HEAL resolution to connect homeless to housing, address camping (Austin Monitor)
Those experiencing homelessness and camping in four areas around Austin may soon find permanent homes.
By passing the Housing-Focused Homeless Encampment Assistance Link resolution (HEAL) on Thursday, City Council set in motion a plan to move people from places that pose risks to their well-being and into housing.
“This is immediate action for our unhoused neighbors who are facing risk to their health and safety every day,” said Council Member Ann Kitchen, who sponsored the resolution.
Kitchen cautioned that HEAL “is not a comprehensive strategy for dealing with homelessness,” but “a key strategy as one piece of a puzzle.”
Though the city may ban camping in these places after each resident finds a home, it has pledged not to issue citations or involve police.
“This is not about sweeps,” Kitchen said. “This is about connecting (homeless people) to housing.”
The resolution comes amidst calls for a full-on camping ban in the city. Save Austin Now’s camping ban petition was certified on Thursday, all but ensuring a May ballot measure. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has also threatened to ban camping statewide.
Several dozen community members spoke Thursday to criticize the resolution. Few were assuaged by Kitchen’s assurances that the initiative would not use citations or sweeps to move people. One called the plan “half-baked.” Another called it “deplorable.” “It’s a Trojan horse camping ban,” one said. “It’s racist,” said another. Only one person spoke in favor.
“We saw from our earlier testimony,” Kitchen said, “that there were some misunderstandings and some statements that were not accurate about what is in this resolution.”
Some speakers said the city had not asked those experiencing homelessness what is best for them. Kitchen said this will happen during the plan’s implementation. Everyone living in the designated areas will be offered help “based on their expressed needs,” she said, with the goal of finding each of them rapid rehousing, permanent supportive housing, or housing-focused shelters.
City Manager Spencer Cronk and Homeless Strategy Officer Dianna Grey must develop the plan in conjunction with city departments and community organizations before March 4, when Council will have a chance to comment and make suggestions… (LINK TO STORY)
NASA picks Cedar Park company for moon delivery contract (Community Impact)
For part of investigations that "will help prepare for human missions to the lunar surface," NASA has awarded a $93.3 million contract to Cedar Park-based Firefly Aerospace. The company will deliver 10 science investigations and technology demonstrations to the moon in 2023, according to a Feb. 4 NASA release.
Firefly Aerospace is a Cedar Park company that develops launch vehicles and in-space services, according to its website. NASA said the company "will provide the lunar delivery service using its Blue Ghost lander, which the company designed and developed at its Cedar Park facility." Delivery services include payload integration, launching from Earth, landing on the moon and mission operations at the Cedar Park facility, according to NASA… (LINK TO STORY)
Austin's Bumble expects to raise $1 billion with stock offering (Austin American-Statesman)
Austin-based dating app Bumble, which filed paperwork to go public last month, says it now expects to raise more than $1 billion with its initial public offering of stock, according to an updated securities filing.
The company first filed a registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in January. The original filing estimated that the IPO could raise $100 million. The company plans to list on the Nasdaq exchange using the symbol "BMBL."
The updated filing also gives the first glimpse into the price range and valuation. The filing said the company expects to sell about 34.5 million shares for $28 to $30 each,. Factoring in the value of existing shareholders, the company's estimated valuation would be between $5 billion to $6 billion.
By comparison, competitor Match Group, which is the parent company of a number of dating platforms including Match.com, Tinder, Plenty of Fish, Hinge and OkCupid, was valued at about $2.9 billion when it pursued its IPO in 2015.
Citing sources with knowledge of the matter, Bloomberg reported this week that Bumble is planning to begin trading on Feb 11, the Thursday before Valentine's day. The company did not respond to a request for confirmation on the timing.
In September, media reports surfaced that Bumble could be preparing for an IPO this year. The reports suggested the company could seek a valuation between $6 billion and $8 billion. In 2018, CEO and founder Whitney Wolfe Herd also told CNBC that the company was outpacing growth expectations and “actively pursuing” an initial public offering of stock… (LINK TO STORY)
Samsung wants $1 billion tax incentive for new Austin plant that would create 1,800 jobs (Austin American-Statesman)
Samsung is seeking a taxpayer-subsidized incentives package worth more than $1 billion to choose Austin for its next big facility – a 7-million-square-foot next-generation chip fabrication plant that would be valued at more than $17 billion and create 1,800 jobs, according to documents filed with the state.
The documents made public by the Texas comptroller's office Thursday show that Samsung is seeking tax abatements from Travis County, the city of Austin and the Manor school district. Samsung is also seeking an incentive deal from the state's Texas Enterprise Fund, according to the documents.
The company wants a 100% tax abatement over 20 years from Travis County, which would be worth $718.3 million. Travis County spokesman Hector Nieto said the county has not received a formal application from Samsung. He declined to comment further.
The tech giant also is seeking 50% tax abatements from the city of Austin that would be worth $87.2 million over five years, according to the documents.
The company said in a statement that Austin is one of a number of locations under consideration and no decision has been made.
"Based on various factors, we are reviewing the possibility of expanding our semiconductor manufacturing facilities. A number of global locations, including multiple candidates within the U.S., are under consideration. However, no decision has been made at this time," the company said… (LINK TO STORY)
'Hamilton,' 'Lion King' and more Broadway shows schedule Austin performances (Austin American-Statesman)
Broadway in Austin and Texas Performing Arts announced Thursday that touring shows will return Dec. 7 — that's this year — with two surprise mega-hits, "Hamilton" and "The Lion King" in the new mix.
"Hamilton" took Austin by storm in 2019, just as it had in New York and the rest of the country. The hip-hop take on the story of the nation's founders became the hottest ticket in town and wasn't expected back in Austin for another run this soon.
"The Lion King," Disney's second big foray into the live Broadway realm after "Beauty and the Beast," roared into Austin in 2007, nine years after it opened on the Great White Way. (That's how long it took mega-hits to reach the Austin market back then.) It returned in 2013, but hasn't been back since.
Both shows will stick around for multi-week runs… (LINK TO STORY)
[TEXAS]
Speaker Dade Phelan shakes up Texas House leadership with new chairs on key committees (Texas Tribune)
Republican Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan shook up the chamber’s committee leadership Thursday, signaling who his top lieutenants will be during his first session overseeing the lower chamber.
State Rep. Greg Bonnen, a Friendswood Republican, will now oversee the budget-planning House Appropriations Committee, replacing state Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake. Bonnen is brother to former House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, who retired after one term at the post following a scandal over secretly recorded comments he made about other House members.
In another move, Houston Democrat Harold Dutton will now chair the Public Education Committee. Dutton replaces state Rep. Dan Huberty, R-Houston, the longtime chair who in 2019 helped pass massive reforms to the state’s school finance system… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
See also: Full list of House Committee Assignments for the 87th Texas Legislature
COVID-19 testing has become a 'cash cow' for freestanding ERs in Texas, experts say. And it's getting out of control (KUT)
Edgar Barguiarena and his fiancé, Marissa Javaid, wanted to see family in Houston over the holidays, so they decided to get COVID-19 tests before their trip. Javaid noticed a drive-thru testing site at Austin Emergency Center on South Lamar. It was advertising results within 48 hours, which they thought was perfect. “They had maybe a banner that said ‘PCR testing with a quick turnaround,'" Barguiarena said, "and we were looking for that." Austin Emergency Center runs four freestanding ERs in Austin. These are emergency rooms not attached to a hospital. Barguiarena and Javaid drove out to the ER on a Monday morning right before it opened. They waited an hour and a half to get tested, then the process took another 30 minutes. “The test itself went fairly smoothly,” he said. “We spoke to a nurse that had asked some very basic questions beforehand and then we had a doctor come through a few minutes after that to do the actual test itself.”
Barguiarena said they gave staff their health insurance cards and were told they probably wouldn’t have to pay anything out of pocket; their insurance would take care of it. All they had to do at this point was drive away and wait for results. About two days later, they learned they were in the clear: Both tested negative for COVID. Weeks after that, Barguiarena was looking at his insurer's website. He was curious about the cost of the test and expecting it to be about $200 or $300.
“The reality was quite stark,” he said. “It ended up being closer to almost $2,000 that was ultimately charged." In a statement, an Austin Emergency Center spokesperson said it doesn't directly charge insured patients for COVID tests. “Importantly for the patient, most major insurance companies will fully cover emergency room visits for COVID-19 related issues,” the spokesperson said. “Moreover, if an insurance company were to bill a patient for an out of network visit to our emergency room (i.e., if the bill were to go to patient responsibility), our billing company will go to bat for the patient and will appeal on their behalf.” Even though he's not responsible for the bill, Barguiarena said $2,000 for one test seems high for a test that’s $167 on average. “That was surprising, honestly,” he said. “It just seemed like an exaggerated cost… (LINK TO STORY)
Nearly a year into the pandemic, grocery workers in Texas are more fatigued than ever as they await vaccine access (Texas Tribune)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices urged states to include front-line essential workers in Phase 1B of vaccine allocation. But Texas decided not to include any essential employees like grocery store workers in the state’s current vaccine priority groups. Without any guarantee of vaccine prioritization, grocery workers now find themselves overwhelmed and continually exposed to the virus with no end in sight… (LINK TO STORY)
Not child’s play: Chucky doll featured in errant Amber Alert (Associated Press)
Rest assured, “Chucky” is not on the loose.
The Texas Department of Public Safety has apologized after mistakenly issuing an Amber Alert that said the killer doll featured in the 1988 horror film “Child’s Play” was a suspect in the kidnapping of his 5-year-old son, Glen Ray, who was featured in “Seed of Chucky.”
The emergency alert described Chucky as a 3-foot, 1-inch-tall (0.9-meter-tall) doll wearing “blue denim overalls with multi-colored striped long sleeve shirt wielding a huge kitchen knife.”
The alert was mistakenly sent out three times last week to Amber Alert subscribers. The agency said it was a test malfunction… (LINK TO STORY)
[NATION]
Election tech company sues Fox News, Giuliani and others for $2.7 Billion (NPR)
Election technology company Smartmatic filed a massive lawsuit Thursday against Fox News, saying the network and some of its biggest on-air personalities made it into a villain and perpetuated false claims about the recent election.
The suit names Fox stars Lou Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro, as well as Trump allies Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell.
The defamation and disparagement lawsuit seeks more than $2.7 billion, citing damage from what Smartmatic calls a "disinformation campaign" that was waged by people who were unhappy with President Biden's victory – but who also hoped to profit from former President Donald Trump's persistent and erroneous claims that the election was fraudulent.
"They knew the election was not stolen," the company says it in a court filing. "They knew the election was not rigged or fixed. They knew these truths just as they knew the Earth is round and two plus two equals four."
When reached for comment, a FOX News Media spokesperson said, "FOX News Media is committed to providing the full context of every story with in-depth reporting and clear opinion. We are proud of our 2020 election coverage and will vigorously defend this meritless lawsuit in court."… (LINK TO STORY)
States pressure drugmakers after McKinsey’s $600 Million opioid settlement (Wall Street Journal)
State attorneys general intensified pressure on drug companies to settle claims over the opioid crisis, following consulting firm McKinsey & Co.’s agreement to pay nearly $600 million over its advice to pharmaceutical companies to rev up sales.
McKinsey’s settlements, reached with every state but Nevada, are an unexpected first source of revenue to stem from yearslong investigations into drug industry players that states say helped exacerbate an opioid epidemic. It has killed at least 400,000 people in the U.S. since 1999.
“We do not want to be in litigation for years on this, spending money and resources while people are dying,” Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said Thursday. “We want to get fair settlements now. Others need to follow suit.”
States have been negotiating since 2019 with the nation’s three largest drug distributors, McKesson Corp. , AmerisourceBergen Corp. , Cardinal Health Inc., as well as drugmaker Johnson & Johnson. The companies have publicly disclosed that they have set aside a collective $26 billion for the deal, most of it to be paid over 18 years, but no final agreement has been reached.
In news conferences Thursday, attorneys general said they hoped the McKinsey deal would provide momentum for a bigger settlement, if others facing litigation follow the consulting company’s lead.
“These other companies are not acting smartly, if they don’t do the same,” said Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum.
Representatives for the distributors declined to comment. Johnson & Johnson pointed to an October statement that it had increased its settlement offer to $5 billion and that terms were still being finalized.
The swift settlement negotiations with McKinsey were spurred by information about the consulting firm’s work that became public during OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP’s chapter 11 bankruptcy, state lawyers in Vermont and North Carolina said.
McKinsey Global Managing Partner Kevin Sneader said the firm chose to resolve the matter to provide support to communities across the U.S. addressing the opioid crisis. “We deeply regret that we did not adequately acknowledge the tragic consequences of the epidemic unfolding in our communities,” Mr. Sneader said. The agreement, like most civil settlements, didn’t require McKinsey to admit to wrongdoing.
The state agreements won’t block potential legal claims that Purdue could bring against McKinsey related to the years of work it provided the company. Bankrupt companies sometimes sue former advisers over advice that caused management to breach duties owed to company stakeholders… (LINK TO STORY)
In Biden’s White House, surprise visits with staff replace late-night tweets (Politico)
Since he moved in two weeks ago, Joe Biden has taken to strolling around the White House.
He’s popped into the press offices. He’s walked to the East Wing to visit the military office, which handles everything from food service to presidential transportation. And on the day the Senate confirmed his secretary of State, he stopped by the office of Antony Blinken’s wife, White House Cabinet Secretary Evan Ryan, to congratulate their family.
Biden has long relished engaging in person — with aides, policy experts, local officials, members of Congress, everyday Americans, you name it — and being sworn in as president hasn’t changed that, according to four people familiar with how he operates. If anything, his desire to visit with staff has only increased as coronavirus precautions have curtailed White House visits and travel around the country.
“Think about how hard this year has been for someone who loves engaging with people,” said Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), a longtime Biden friend. “He loves to be able to read their expressions, their responses, their intonation.”
Biden's outgoing nature is one of the clearest ways in which his presidency seems destined to be different from the man he served: Barack Obama, who infamously didn’t care for the schmoozing elements of politics. Biden is more like his predecessor, Donald Trump, in that way. But his thirst for human interaction has not translated into the kind of haphazard exchanges that characterized Trump's four years in the White House. Biden's West Wing is already far more disciplined than Trump's ever was, especially when it comes to access to the president… (LINK TO STORY)