Dan Patrick Chips In to Destabilize Trust in American Democracy. As my colleague Jim Schutze astutely pointed out on Facebook a few days ago, this whole hunt for voter fraud thing that is being driven by the White House isn’t about overturning the results of the election. Does voter fraud happen in the U.S.? Sure, sometimes. Are mistakes made? Of course. Was there fraud during last week’s vote on the scale that could impact the recent presidential election? Overwhelmingly the evidence says no. So why is Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick offering a $1 million bounty to reward people who dig up instances of alleged voter fraud? Because it is an investment in deepening distrust in the American political process and delegitimizing the most sacred right we have as Americans, the right to vote. Regardless of your political beliefs, this should both enrage and disgust you.
Dallas and Texas Set New COVID Records. Both the county and the state have set new records for single-day new COVID-19 cases, and Texas has become the first state to surpass 1 million cases. Here’s the real worrying thing: although there were only two new deaths, the county is rapidly running out of ICU beds. There are currently only 52 beds available, the lowest since July. A Tarrant County judge blames youth sports for contributing to the recent spike. Mask up, stay safe.
Dallas Rapper Lil Loaded Faces Murder Charge. Dashawn Maurice Robertson, aka Lil Loaded, turned himself in to police and is being charged with the shooting death of 18-year-old Khalil Walker last month in a neighborhood near Cedar Creek Preserve. It sounds like an odd case. Walker’s sister has video of the shooting on her phone, and after Walker was shot, Robertson and a friend drove him to a local hospital. Robertson, who had a viral hit in the summer of 2019, also mourned Walker on social media.
