Beginning on June 2nd, Thinkwing Radio with Mike Honig (@ThinkwingRadio) moved to Wednesdays at 11AM on KPFT HD2, Houston’s Community Station. You can also hear the show:
- Live online at KPFT.org
- Podcast on your phone’s Podcast App
- Visiting Archive.KPFT.ORG
Welcome to Thinkwing Radio with Mike Honig on 90.1 KPFT- HD2, Where we discuss local, state, national, and international stories.
My co-host and show editor is Andrew Ferguson.
Listen live on the radio, or on the internet from anywhere in the world! Please take a moment to visit Pledge.KPFT.org and choose THINKWING RADIO from the drop-down list when you donate.
For the purposes of this show, I operate on two mottoes:
- An educated electorate is a prerequisite for a democracy.
- You’re entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts.
“There’s a reason why you separate military and police. One fights the enemy of the State. The other serves and protects the People. When the military becomes both, then the enemies of the State tend t become the People.” ~ Commander Adama, “Battlestar Galactica” (“WATER”, Season 1 episode 2, at the 28 minute mark.)
POSSIBLE TOPICS: VOTETEXAS.GOV—Voter Information; Unincorporated areas may be eligible for federal funding for water infrastructure under INVEST in America Act; Friendswood to replace every water meter in the city; TxDOT, Pearland in conversation about Hwy 35 improvements; BARC closes public services until July 12 due to upper respiratory issues with animals; Officials seek new funding sources as Lower Westheimer is left off Houston’s Capital Improvement Plan; ERCOT unveils 60-point reliability plan & PUC to work toward ‘full overhaul’ of market; Texas House Republicans vote to track down absent Democrats and arrest them if necessary; Ex-Tennessee vaccine leader: Firing put politics over health; DeSantis sells ‘Don’t Fauci My Florida’ merch as new coronavirus cases near highest in nation; Mayorkas to Cubans, Haitians: Do not come to the U.S.; Biden walks a tightrope on Cuba; New photos from the Mars helicopter Ingenuity’s 9th flight help refine Perseverance rover science goals; More.
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- Make sure you are registered to vote! VoteTexas.GOV – Texas Voter InformationTEXAS SoS VOTE-BY-MAIL BALLOT APPLICATION (ALL TEXAS COUNTIES) HarrisVotes.com – Countywide Voting Centers, (Election Information Line (713) 755-6965), Harris County Clerk
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- Harris County “Vote-By-Mail’ Application for 2021
- Fort bend County Elections/Voter Registration Machine takes you to the proper link
- GalvestonVotes.org (Galveston County, TX)
- Liberty County Elections (Liberty County, TX) <– UPDATED LINK
- Montgomery County (TX) Elections
- Brazoria County (TX) Clerk Election Information
- Waller County (TX) Elections
- Chambers County (TX) Elections
- For personalized, nonpartisan voter guides and information, Consider visiting Vote.ORG. Ballotpedia.com and Texas League of Women Voters are also good places to get election info.
- If you are denied your right to vote any place at any time at any polling place for any reason, ask for (or demand) a provisional ballot rather than lose your vote.
- HarrisVotes.com – Countywide Voting CentersHARRIS COUNTY – IDENTIFICATION REQUIRED FOR VOTING: Do not possess and cannot reasonably obtain one of these IDs?
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- Fill out a declaration at the polls describing a reasonable impediment to obtaining it, and show a copy or original of one of the following supporting forms of ID:
- A government document that shows your name and an address, including your voter registration certificate
- Current utility bill
- Bank statement
- Government check
- Paycheck
- A certified domestic (from a U.S. state or territory) birth certificate or (b) a document confirming birth admissible in a court of law which establishes your identity (which may include a foreign birth document)
- You may vote early by-mail if:You are registered to vote and meet one of the following criteria:
- Away from the county of residence on Election Day and during the early voting period;
- Sick or disabled;
- 65 years of age or older on Election Day; or
- Confined in jail, but eligible to vote.
- Make sure you are registered:
- Ann Harris Bennett, Tax Assessor-Collector & Voter Registrar
- CHECK REGISTRATION STATUS HERE
- CLICK How to register to vote in Texas
- Outside Texas, try Vote.org.
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- Unincorporated areas may be eligible for federal funding for water infrastructure under INVEST in America Act; By Ally Bolender | COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM | 2:09 PM Jul 7, 2021 CDT | Updated 2:09 PM Jul 7, 2021 CDT
- The S. House of Representatives unanimously approved an amendment July 1 to include unincorporated communities as an eligible entity for federal drinking water and wastewater assistance under the INVEST in America Act, according to a news release from U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Houston.
- Crenshaw said in the news release the amendment was intended to help improve water infrastructure for unincorporated communities such as Tamina, an unincorporated area in South Montgomery County.
- Crenshaw said in a news release: “Tamina is a historically Black community, founded in 1871 and located right outside my district, which has lacked access to water for decades,” “We are talking access in the most basic of terms: access to wastewater treatment; drinking water; and reliable, consistent infrastructure that allows them to access clean water for things we all take for granted.”
- Crenshaw represents Texas’ 2nd Congressional District, which is entirely in Harris County, encompassing parts of northern and western Houston.
- MIKE: It’s nice that Crenshaw actually voted for an infrastructure bill that he’s taking credit for. This doesn’t always happen with Republicans. It’s sad that it took federal money to accomplish this; why has it been such a low local priority? The question now is whether it will pass in the McConnell-blocked US Senate. It’s also worth noting that Crenshaw’s district is a heavily gerrymandered one that sweeps across north Harris County, concentrating Democrats into fewer districts.
- TAGS: Tamina Dan Crenshaw Houston Metro Houston Metro Government INVEST In America Act
- Friendswood to replace every water meter in the city; By Andy Yanez | COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM | 9:37 PM Jul 12, 2021 CDT | Updated 11:31 AM Jul 13, 2021 CDT
- … The automated meters will also allow people to track their water usage through an online portal that could alert residents to pipe leaks or bursts in real-time … and they can even set up alerts for when the usage reaches certain thresholds.
- The city believes this project will answer two concerns—reduce the need and cost of securing a contract for meter read services and also capture loss revenue from the current outdated mechanical metering system. …
- The replacement of the meters is not expected to begin until September at the earliest, Kabiri told Community Impact Newspaper.
- TALKING POINTS: FYI, know what your water district is doing
- TAGS: Friendswood
- TxDOT, Pearland in conversation about Hwy 35 improvements; By Haley Morrison | COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM | 10:39 AM Jul 12, 2021 CDT | Updated 10:39 AM Jul 12, 2021 CDT
- The Texas Department of Transportation is evaluating how to improve mobility on Hwy. 35.
- Roughly 40 years ago, TxDOT considered raising Hwy. 35 and making it a toll road. The elevated road would have run from Loop 610 to Hwy. 6 in Alvin, giving Alvin residents a direct route into downtown. As new toll road projects are on pause, TxDOT is considering options to improve the road’s connectivity with the cities of Houston, Alvin and Pearland.
- “We don’t know if it’s elevated, on the ground, et cetera. That’s the old study. We are starting with a clean slate,” said James Koch, director of transportation planning and development for TxDOT. …
- Pearland officials said they hope TxDOT works on other priorities for the road, including widening it from Broadway Street in Pearland to Alvin and adding medians. This would address safety concerns and congestion identified in the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s Northern Brazoria County/Pearland Subregional Planning Initiative, Epperson said.
- TALKING POINTS: Hwy 35 is a major road for commuting into Houston, so it’s good that they’re finally talking again about an upgrade, but it will be years from whenever they start.
- TAGS: 35 Pearland transportation
- BARC closes public services until July 12 due to upper respiratory issues with animals; By Andy Yanez | COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM | 3:28 PM Jul 6, 2021 CDT | Updated 8:04 PM Jul 6, 2021 CDT
- BARC, Houston’s animal shelter, will have its public services closed until July 12 due to an “unusually high” presence of upper respiratory illness and two confirmed positive cases of distemper. …
- “BARC is taking immediate, preemptive measures to isolate the issue,” BARC Shelter Director Greg Damianoff said in the original news release. “This will allow BARC to focus our resources on treating sick animals and prevent further spread within the shelter population.” …
- Distemper symptoms could include thick nasal discharge; coughing; sneezing; and, in severe cases, may affect the neurological system, resulting in seizures, tremors and death, according to the release. Distemper does not affect humans or cats. …
- According to the release, BARC will continue to identify, isolate and treat infected animals … and ensure no animals are placed into the community until they are without symptoms or past the incubation period
- During the closure of BARC’s public services, it will also conduct a deep cleaning of the shelter to reduce further contamination, according to the release.
- … BARC animal control and bite case investigations will continue to operate, according to the release. BARC will also still take in sick, injured or fading animals.
- Those who have adopted a dog from the shelter that is showing potential symptoms of distemper are encouraged to contact BARC for free medical treatment. BARC will also refund adoption fees and accept returned animals from those who are unable or unwilling to care for potentially sick animals, according to the release.
- TALKING POINTS: Good that they’re thoughtful about animal health. Be great if we could be as diligent about human health.
- TAGS: BARC Animal Shelter and Adoptions Houston Metro
- BARC closes public services until July 12 due to upper respiratory issues with animals; By Andy Yanez | COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM | 3:28 PM Jul 6, 2021 CDT | Updated 8:04 PM Jul 6, 2021 CDT
- BARC, Houston’s animal shelter, will have its public services closed until July 12 due to an “unusually high” presence of upper respiratory illness and two confirmed positive cases of distemper. …
- “BARC is taking immediate, preemptive measures to isolate the issue,” BARC Shelter Director Greg Damianoff said in the original news release. “This will allow BARC to focus our resources on treating sick animals and prevent further spread within the shelter population.” …
- Distemper symptoms could include thick nasal discharge; coughing; sneezing; and, in severe cases, may affect the neurological system, resulting in seizures, tremors and death, according to the release. Distemper does not affect humans or cats. …
- According to the release, BARC will continue to identify, isolate and treat infected animals … and ensure no animals are placed into the community until they are without symptoms or past the incubation period
- During the closure of BARC’s public services, it will also conduct a deep cleaning of the shelter to reduce further contamination, according to the release.
- … BARC animal control and bite case investigations will continue to operate, according to the release. BARC will also still take in sick, injured or fading animals.
- Those who have adopted a dog from the shelter that is showing potential symptoms of distemper are encouraged to contact BARC for free medical treatment. BARC will also refund adoption fees and accept returned animals from those who are unable or unwilling to care for potentially sick animals, according to the release.
- TALKING POINTS: Good that they’re thoughtful about animal health. Be great if we could be as diligent about human health.
- TAGS: BARC Animal Shelter and Adoptions Houston Metro
- Texas electric grid: ERCOT unveils 60-point reliability plan; PUC to work toward ‘full overhaul’ of market; By Ben Thompson | COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM | 1:29 PM Jul 13, 2021 CDT | Updated 1:29 PM Jul 13, 2021 CDT
- The Electric Reliability [MIKE: HA!] Council of Texas released a 60-point plan it said will lead to improved reliability across the state’s electric grid as Texas lawmakers and regulators continue their dive into a range of grid reforms.
- The July 13 release of ERCOT’s road map came one week after Gov. Greg Abbott directed … the Public Utility Commission of Texas, to pursue several operational changes he said would “ensure that all Texans have access to reliable, safe, and affordable power.” …
- ERCOT said its overall plan points to the organization’s “more aggressive” grid management this year. Among the road map’s dozens of goals are the implementation of new laws related to grid management and the further analysis of generation failures during February’s winter storm, both of which remain in progress.
- Executives of companies generating power on the Texas grid would also be required twice annually to sign off on statements attesting their facilities were fully weatherized for the seasonal extremes of summer and winter. Generators will be required to release more frequent updates on their operations as well, including details on forced outages.
- Communications, market incentives, grid testing, cybersecurity and forecasting are among the other topics covered in ERCOT’s wide-ranging road map, which may be viewed here. …
- During [a July 13 Texas Senate Committee hearing], PUC commissioners said their approach to implementing a “market redesign” for reliability, including updates for generator activity and related incentives, is continuing and will be finalized over the months ahead.
- One point raised by PUC Chair Peter Lake was the market’s need to push for resiliency and away from a “crisis-based” model that incentivizes generation while on the brink of emergency. …
- [State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham said,] “It is misaligned market incentives. … The closer you get to the edge, the more that we keep it at that almost crisis point, the more money we make, right?”
- In response, Lake said the PUC’s plan is expected to result in participants paying more for stability.
- MIKE: IMHO, this story amounts to a lot of PR baloney on the part of state actors. I.e., there is no mention in this story of joining the North American Grid; probably the single most important thing Texas could do to dramatically improve energy resilience in the state. But TEXAS INDEPENDENCE!
- TAGS: Texas Texas Legislature Electric Reliability Council of Texas Public Utility Commission of Texas ERCOT PUC Greg Abbott Brad Jones Peter Lake Charles Schwertner Lois Kolkhorst Donna Campbell Texas Senate DFW Metro Houston Metro Austin Metro Austin Metro Government Houston Metro Government DFW Metro Government
- Texas House Republicans vote to track down absent Democrats and arrest them if necessary; The procedural move carries little apparent weight since the Democrats who fled the state to break quorum are beyond the jurisdiction of Texas law enforcement. by Patrick Svitek and Cassandra Pollock | TEXASTRIBUNE.ORG | July 13, 20214 hours ago
- [Nonetheless,] A showdown in the Texas House was locked into place Tuesday after the chamber voted overwhelmingly to send law enforcement after Democrats who left the state a day earlier in protest of a GOP priority elections legislation.
- More than 50 House Democrats left Monday for Washington, D.C., to deny the chamber a quorum — the minimum number of lawmakers needed to conduct business — as it takes up voting restrictions and other Republican priorities in a special session. …
- The impact of the House move is unclear since Texas law enforcement lacks jurisdiction in the nation’s capital. At a news conference Tuesday afternoon though, Rep. Jim Murphy, a Houston Republican who chairs the House GOP Caucus, acknowledged that state authorities can’t force Democrats to return.
- Then Rep. Will Metcalf, R-Conroe, chair of the House Administration Committee, moved to issue what is known as a “call of the House” to try to regain quorum. That motion passed 76-4. Metcalf offered another motion, asking that “the sergeant at arms, or officers appointed by him, send for all absentees … under warrant of arrest if necessary,” effectively making the missing Democrats legislative fugitives. That motion also passed 76-4.
- Metcalf’s motions were opposed by four Democrats who were present on the House floor Tuesday morning: Reps. Ryan Guillen of Rio Grande City, Tracy King of Batesville, Eddie Morales Jr. of Eagle Pass and John Turner of Dallas.
- Morales told the Tribune later Tuesday that he stayed in Austin because he thinks his “constituency expects me to stay behind.”
- “I believe that my efforts would be best if I stuck around here and fought the fight here,” he said, adding that he supported his Democratic colleagues who had left the state. …
- … Rep. Tony Tinderholt, R-Arlington, sought to move to strip absent Democrats of their committee leadership posts if they do not return by noon Wednesday. The motion did not immediately get a vote …
- Earlier Tuesday, [Gov. Greg] Abbott said in a radio interview that any Democrats who fled the state should lose their committee leadership posts.
- MIKE: This is what a “tyranny of the majority” looks like, and Republicans have been doing this whenever possible from the federal level all the way down to the city and county level. Yes, majority rules, but a healthy democracy doesn’t ignore legitimate “asks” and “demands” from the minority. Compromise is part of governance. Just not over this past generation when Republicans govern. Sadly, when Democrats come to power, they will remember this period and return the favor, if for no other reason to ‘catch up’ on the policy “asks” that Republicans have crushed and ignored.
- “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.”[7][8] ~ John F. Kennedy
- Ex-Tennessee vaccine leader: Firing put politics over health; By Jonathan Mattise | AP/ WASHINGTONPOST.COM | July 13, 2021, Updated today at 8:21 p.m. EDT
- Tennessee’s former top vaccinations official said Tuesday that she couldn’t stay silent after she was fired this week amid scrutiny from Republican state lawmakers over her department’s outreach efforts to vaccinate teenagers against COVID-19.
- Michelle Fiscus, who was the medical director for vaccine-preventable diseases and immunization programs at the Tennessee Department of Health, said the state’s elected leaders put politics over the health of children by firing her for her efforts to get more Tennesseans vaccinated. …
- After choosing [termination over resignation], Fiscus penned a blistering 1,200-word response …
- She … revealed that the Tennessee Department of Health has halted all outreach efforts around any kind of vaccines for children, not just COVID-19 ones, which The Tennessean confirmed through department documents. All of it, she warned, comes as only 38% of Tennesseans are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, lagging behind much of the nation. …
- So far, Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s administration has been silent on the firing. His office and the Health Department declined to comment, citing personnel matters. After an event Tuesday, Lee did not answer questions from reporters. …
- MIKE: I’ve said before that the 3 most important medical developments in history so far are anesthesia, antibiotics and vaccination. (Antivirals are slowly coming, too.) Why are Republican Luddites so afraid of vaccination? Is it political? Religious? Are they afraid that it’s some devilish witchcraft?
- DeSantis sells ‘Don’t Fauci My Florida’ merch as new coronavirus cases near highest in nation; By Hannah Knowles | WASHINGTONPOST.COM | July 13, 2021, Updated today at 10:59 p.m. EDT
- Fox News host Tucker Carlson suggested that he should be criminally investigated. Republican members of Congress introduced a “Fire Fauci Act” to remove his salary.
- Now White House medical adviser Anthony S. Fauci — a polarizing figure in the U.S. response to the coronavirus — is also part of a rising GOP star’s political branding.
- “Don’t Fauci My Florida,” read drink koozies and T-shirts that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s campaign team rolled out just as his state sees some of the highest coronavirus hospitalizations, new infections and deaths per capita in the country. It’s the latest example of Republicans running on their opposition to virus-fueled shutdowns and mask mandates. A pandemic hero to some and villain to others, Fauci has become a high-profile target.
- While the merchandise is focused on Florida before the 2022 gubernatorial race there, DeSantis is seen as a potential front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024. A key part of his pitch: He resisted public health experts’ calls for stricter measures against the spread of the coronavirus, spurring criticism on the left and praise from the right for keeping his state’s schools and economy comparatively open.
- While discussing the Florida budget this summer, DeSantis said his state’s rosy financial outlook would not have been possible “if we had followed Fauci.”
- “Instead we followed freedom,” he said.
- MIKE: The Republicans should henceforth be called “The Know-Nothing Party”. Otherwise I have no words.
- Mayorkas to Cubans, Haitians: Do not come to the U.S.; There isn’t a surge in Cuban or Haitian migrants by sea so far, but the U.S. Coast Guard has deployed officials to monitor the situation given upheaval in both countries. By SABRINA RODRIGUEZ | POLITICO.COM | 07/13/2021 05:16 PM EDT
- Cuban-born Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday delivered a clear message to the Cuban and Haitian people amid upheaval in both Caribbean nations: Do not come to the United States.
- “The time is never right to attempt migration by sea,” Mayorkas said in a press conference at the U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters. “To those who risk their lives doing so, this risk is not worth taking. … If you take to the sea, you will not come to the United States.”
- Mayorkas’ message comes amid continued protests in Cuba calling for the end of the 62-year-old dictatorship and the recent assassination of the president of Haiti.
- The Biden administration has expressed solidarity with the thousands of Cubans protesting on the communist-run island, but so far has not shared any concrete plans or policy to help them. On Sunday, a delegation of U.S. officials traveled to Haiti to discuss the Haitian government’s ask for U.S. assistance following the president’s assassination. …
- So far, the U.S. has not seen a surge in Cuban or Haitian migrants by sea, Mayorkas said. But the U.S. Coast Guard has deployed officials to monitor the situation by air and sea in the Florida Straits and Caribbean Sea, he said.
- MIKE: The Haiti story is an important one, but we’re not going to discuss that in any detail because so much about is still unknown and unfolding. But there are serious potential implications and impacts on the US and its Haiti policy.
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- Biden walks a tightrope on Cuba; By Ishaan Tharoor, Columnist | WASHINGTONPOST.COM | July 13, 2021, Updated yesterday at 8:40 a.m. EDT
- The anti-regime protests taking place throughout Cuba delivered yet another jolt to the White House. Just as the Biden administration was grappling with the near-unprecedented events in Haiti following the assassination of the country’s president, it now has to reckon with what could be a historic uprising taking place in nearby Cuba. …
- … On Monday, Biden described the scenes in Cuba as a “clarion call for freedom and relief” following “decades of repression and economic suffering to which they have been subjected by Cuba’s authoritarian regime.” He later warned Cuban authorities against “attempts to silence the voice of the people of Cuba.” …
- The demonstrations were spurred by mounting frustrations over the Cuban regime’s mismanagement amid a spiking coronavirus Recent power outages and food shortages led to outpourings of anger in various cities in the island country, which were amplified over social media. The country’s Communist rulers responded with heavy-handed crackdowns, Internet blackouts and calls for loyal “revolutionaries” to reclaim the streets from demonstrators. They cast the protests as the product of U.S. machinations. In the digital age, that’s a harder line to sell. …
- The question for the White House is what should be done next. …
- [In a Monday briefing, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said …“There’s every indication that yesterday’s protests were spontaneous expressions of people who are exhausted with the Cuban government’s economic mismanagement and repression.” Psaki added, gesturing to the Cuban narrative that the uprising was engineered by U.S. agents, “And these are protests inspired by the harsh reality of everyday life in Cuba, not people in another country.”] …
- Advocates of a change in [policy] direction argue that the United States can decry the failings and abuses of the Cuban regime even as it takes calibrated steps to open up trade and economic contacts that could benefit broader Cuban society. “Strident denunciations of the failures of communism and absolutist conditions for sanctions relief are feeble substitutes for robust diplomacy,” noted a policy memo from the Cuba Study Group published earlier this year. But for now, those “feeble substitutes” are holding sway in Washington.
- The Cubans “are disappointed, obviously,” William LeoGrande, a Cuba expert at American University, told my colleagues. “They listened to what Biden said during the campaign and expected, like a lot of people, pretty quick action on some basic things. And there’s nothing.”
- TALKING POINTS: Analogies to the 1956 Hungarian rebellion against Communist rule? Long-term impacts of original Cuban Missile Crisis resolution. Does the US embargo factor into the Cuban unrest (or to what degree?) since Cuba is free to trade with most other nations, including Mexico and Canada? What might be realistic US options vis-à-vis Cuba? What can or should the US do, if anything?
- Biden walks a tightrope on Cuba; By Ishaan Tharoor, Columnist | WASHINGTONPOST.COM | July 13, 2021, Updated yesterday at 8:40 a.m. EDT
- New photos from the Mars helicopter Ingenuity’s 9th flight help refine Perseverance rover science goals; Images taken by the Ingenuity helicopter reveal details of the surface of Mars that can’t be seen with orbiting cameras. By Tereza Pultarova – Senior Writer | SPACE.COM | 7/13/2021, about 15 hours ago
- A new batch of images taken by the Ingenuity helicopter during its recent flight over the surface of Mars is helping NASA scientists to refine science goals for the Perseverance rover and chart the best route forward as they search for signs of life on the Red Planet.
- The color images, downlinked on Thursday (July 8) following Ingenuity’s ninth flight, show the surface of Jezero Crater, the landing site of the Perseverance rover, from an altitude of merely 33 feet (10 meters). The images allow scientists to see much smaller terrain features, such as individual boulders and rocks, than are visible in the images from Mars orbiters that are usually used for planning the route of the rover. …
- Sand dunes are tricky even for the new Perseverance AutoNav feature, which uses artificial intelligence to autonomously drive the rover across great distances, [added Olivier Toupet, a Perseverance driver at JPL]. Although the feature can avoid rocks, it struggles to detect sand dunes. The new Ingenuity images will thus help the ground operators better identify the high-risk zones in and around the dune field.
Thinkwing Radio with Mike Honig 