Good morning, 

Here is today's Texas Minute.

– Brandon Waltens 

Wednesday, July 1, 2020
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• As Republicans convene at their convention this July (either in person or virtually—which seems increasingly likely), delegates will choose between two individuals to lead the party into the 2020 election and beyond: James Dickey and Allen West.
   

• Incumbent James Dickey is the former chairman of the Travis County GOP. He was elected to helm the party by the SREC in 2017 and was re-elected at the 2018 convention. He continues to reside in Austin, Texas.
   

• Allen West is a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and served a term in Congress, representing South Florida before moving to North Texas in 2014.
   

• Texas Scorecard reached out to both candidates and provided them with a questionnaire that included items we believe are important for Texas Republicans. Each of them responded, and we published their unedited remarks for the public.

• An adjunct professor at the University of Texas at Austin whose salary is funded by taxpayer dollars launched a tirade on Twitter this weekend, in which he articulated a desire for Israel to be destroyed and for Catholicism to “die.”
   
• Spencer Wells, the professor, was challenged by another user on his support for Iran bombing Israel and then launched into the hateful attack. Wells also tweeted “F*** the Catholic Church” and an article detailing “10 Secrets the Catholic Church Hopes You’ve Forgotten,” with the hashtag #CatholicismMustDie.
   
• Texas Scorecard reached out to University of Texas Interim President Jay Hartzell for comment, but none was provided.

• Jacob Asmussen writes that in an emergency meeting Monday, the Round Rock City Council unanimously voted to mandate masks in public, forcing every citizen over the age of 10 to wear a face covering “in public places when adequate social distancing is not possible” or face a $1,000 fine.
   
• Gov. Greg Abbott had previously issued an executive order prohibiting local governments from fining individuals for noncompliance. However, a couple of weeks ago, Abbott said he would allow local governments to require businesses to require masks, or else face steep fines.
   
• In an interview on Monday evening, Abbott said even though he had not yet read Round Rock’s order, he “applauded” them for “stepping up and being one of the many communities across the state of Texas that has now imposed a mask requirement.”

• Meanwhile, Robert Montoya reports that in Tarrant County, coronavirus deaths are trending down, even as the number of cases rises.
   

• Despite these encouraging numbers, County Judge Glen Whitley issued an order last week imposing a $1,000 fine on businesses that do not require customers and employees to wear masks in their establishment. 
   

• The City of Colleyville, however, announced they will not be enforcing the order.

•  “The government can’t protect us; we must protect ourselves by following the safety guidelines that have been recommended.” –Colleyville Mayor Richard Newton

Some keen eyes noticed a typo in yesterday's "Today in History." Congress approved Alaska's admission as the 49th state on June 30, 1958, not 1950! 

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