Around the nation, medical officials are beginning to express concerns about the proliferation of the “delta” variant of the coronavirus, and just what it could mean for the unvaccinated among us. These worries may fall on deaf ears, however, as the current state of vaccine reluctancy seems to suggest that those who remain unvaccinated today are almost exclusively doing so by choice. And so, given the highly contagious nature of the “delta” variant, combined with the fact that we’ve vaccinated just about everyone who wants to be, the CDC is suggesting that even those of us who’ve been inoculated should return to wearing masks in certain situations. Texas Governor Greg Abbott is not having it, however, and he’s not going to let any of Texas’ other politicians refute him, either. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, on Thursday signed an executive order prohibiting cities and other government entities in the state from enacting vaccine requirements or mask mandates to protect against the coronavirus, even as the virus’s more contagious delta variant drives another surge in covid-19 cases in Texas. Abbott’s order applies to any government entities receiving state funds, including counties, cities, school districts, public health authorities and government officials. He also declared that there be “no covid-19-related operating limits for any business or other establishment” in the state in order to “ensure the ability of Texans to preserve livelihoods while protecting lives.” The move comes as fellow Republican Governor Ron DeSantis announced that he would allow parents to make decisions regarding whether or not their children would need to wear masks in school, similarly stripping that power from local bureaucrats.

For an elite law enforcement unit such as the Secret Service, there has to come a point in which you wonder what it is that you’re even doing sometimes. These are the folks who would take a bullet, very literally, for our executive branch, yet some within the first family seem to think that they’re also to be used as errand boys. Hunter Biden’s wife was spotted being escorted by Secret Service agents on a Malibu, California coffee run Tuesday. Melissa Cohen, mother of Hunter’s 1-year-old son Beau, was spotted grabbing an iced coffee at a Starbucks near the couple’s California home accompanied by Secret Service agents. One agent stayed in the car behind the wheel while another agent opened the door for Cohen as she returned to the car holding the iced coffee. And just wait until you see what this coffee run cost the taxpayers… The Daily Mail calculated that since top agents earn $148,437 per year, which translates to an hourly rate of $71.36, the two-hour coffee excursion had a taxpayer-funded price tag of up to $285.44. The couple has been given 24-hour Secret Service protection at their $20,000 a month Malibu home. Hunter Biden has long stood accused of benefiting unduly from his father’s political clout, and it appears that perhaps this sort of sentiment is now spreading throughout the family.