Texas’s independent power grid was couched as a badge of individualism. Then a once-in-a-generation storm hit—and, sure enough, the onus fell on the individual. https://t.co/jrpgacFsi9
— The New Yorker (@NewYorker) February 18, 2021
ERCOT, the agency that manages much of the Texas power grid, defended its use of rolling blackouts during the last several days, which left millions of Texans without heat during freezing temperatures. State leaders have urged agency officials to resign. https://t.co/wPZ8vLqtlh
— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 18, 2021
This thread..
For my non-Texans, it’s hard to convey how f’d our state is. It’s barely broken freezing since Sunday. Half of Austin has been almost entirely w/out heat or power for 2.5 days. Water pressure is dropping and there’s a boil notice but half the city has no power to boil. Thread🧵⤵️
— Conor Kenny (@ConorKenny) February 18, 2021
"Now it's coming back to bite them": Democrats are seeing an opening the Republican oversight of the Texas grid.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) February 18, 2021
As the state reels from power outages, Democrats look to turn the tables on the Republicans who dominate state government. https://t.co/hOgOHabrjl
Texas’ power grid was “seconds and minutes” away from a catastrophic failure that could have left Texans in the dark for months, officials with the entity that operates the grid said Thursday. https://t.co/3Uk8YrTB89
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) February 18, 2021
Texas Was Warned a Decade Ago Its Grid Was Unready for Cold – Bloomberg https://t.co/QrNCrytGbC
— Sherrilyn Ifill (@Sifill_LDF) February 18, 2021
After Texas's grid failed during a 2011 deep-freeze, industry observers pointed out that power plants of every stripe weren’t properly winterized and would need to be to avoid future outages. Were they winterized? No. https://t.co/JT6RaHLse1
— Tim O'Brien (@TimOBrien) February 18, 2021
Green energy companies encouraged to sue Tucker Carlson over lie that Texas power grid is 'totally reliant on windmills' – https://t.co/KXLhAxbMmP https://t.co/c8HWplP4Ox
— Jennifer Cohn ✍🏻 📢 (@jennycohn1) February 18, 2021
— Jack Womack (@jwomack) February 18, 2021
“Anyone can or want to leave for the week?” Heidi Cruz texted to friends and neighbors. “We may go to Cancún.” Messages provide new details about the trip to Mexico that left Sen. Ted Cruz facing fierce blowback for fleeing Texas as a disaster hit. https://t.co/InnmXSigr8
— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 18, 2021
Texas fact@tedcruz fled to Cancun.@BetoORourke is busy providing resources for fellow desperate Texans.
— Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez (@cristinafortx) February 18, 2021
Domino's workers, who Cruz refuses to give a $15 minimum wage to, are exhausted after running out of food to give to fellow Texans. #TexasFreeze pic.twitter.com/8Qm99zjYPf
Wouldn’t it be amazing if Rush Limbaugh and Ted Cruz’s career both died in the same week? https://t.co/GPfxxexsTE
— Dli O'Doir (@dli_odoir) February 18, 2021
So Ted Cruz believes it’s ok to cross the border with your family when things back home are not ok
— Mohanad Elshieky (@MohanadElshieky) February 18, 2021
there's more necromancy in our dystopia than I anticipated, which is honestly as much about a failure to calibrate my own expectations as anything else https://t.co/mvXCNESh7D
— Kelsey D. Atherton (@AthertonKD) February 18, 2021
The original creator of the Christie-Cruz beach meetup meme is none other than one of my fave follows: @HelenKennedy https://t.co/Gga2gOfRsF https://t.co/cpWIMg1Erb
— The Hoarse Whisperer (@TheRealHoarse) February 18, 2021
Here’s what’s in Congress’ early draft of Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus plan, thanks to @EmilyStewartM. Some overlooked things: a restaurant rescue fund, help with internet access, bolstering food aid, and more: https://t.co/9hoVa5ncds
— Kay Steiger (@kaysteiger) February 18, 2021
President Biden will unveil a $2 billion US contribution to a global coronavirus vaccine initiative on a call with G7 leaders on Friday, sources say https://t.co/RoFzLQ8n1I
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) February 18, 2021
***
Covid, Brexit combo continues to challenge Johnson
The public’s view on ending lockdown is no more valid than its view on heart surgery or how to land a plane.
— Nick Pettigrew (@Nick_Pettigrew) February 18, 2021
I want people who know what they’re doing to make decisions I don’t like based on data I don’t understand. Because I’m not looking to be re-elected or sell papers. pic.twitter.com/tAt6dexNLi
2/2 1 week late. The email says “it is not a decision that we are able to influence in any way”
— Dr Julia Grace Patterson 💙 (@JujuliaGrace) February 17, 2021
We won’t name the NHS trust; all responsibility for supply problems lies with the government@MattHancock what is going on? 2nd dose delays for NHS staff are unacceptable🚨
PLS RT🌟
Another delay in second doses was inevitable. It's obvious the focus was on getting positive headlines for the first dose with no plan as to how we were going to get second doses done. No plan for supply and no plan for continuing to do first doses along side second doses.
— Ed Poole 💙 (@edwardpoole1975) February 18, 2021
If the appointment of David Frost is to be the symbol and substance of an even more assertive attitude to Europe, it carries obvious risks to trade, jobs and investment, writes Sean O’Grady https://t.co/K3PswkBIAm
— The Independent (@Independent) February 18, 2021
Sir Ivan Rogers says that while Boris Johnson wants to diverge from the EU, he doesn't appear to know exactly "where and on what"
— Adam Payne (@adampayne26) February 18, 2021
Reflecting on his encounters with him, he says: "You didn’t get much of a reply in 2016 and you don’t get much of a reply at the beginning of 2021”
Welcome to Boris Johnson’s “golden age”https://t.co/mBxbC9tnu4
— Peter Stefanovic (@PeterStefanovi2) February 18, 2021
"The DUP is hamstrung… unwilling to make the new arrangements work or to lead a full-throated charge to overturn them. Its fingerprints are on the protocol. The party backed Leave, sank Theresa May, and put its trust in Boris Johnson." ~AA https://t.co/Npd19UmWq1
— Best for Britain (@BestForBritain) February 18, 2021
Keir Starmer's Covid recovery bonds could be more than a gimmick https://t.co/zPaQtl9ru2
— The Guardian (@guardian) February 18, 2021
Starmer's speech on the economy today displayed a fundamental misunderstanding of the UK's financial problems, writes Kate Andrews https://t.co/sQgRTFNvdl
— Coffee House (@SpecCoffeeHouse) February 18, 2021
What do Covid case rates look like in school hubs? https://t.co/BozbbhEgbt
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) February 18, 2021
NASA can send a probe all the way to Mars, but I'm not allowed to beat a donkey to death with a coal scuttle 🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/zSDi81sHZy
— Russ (@RussInCheshire) February 18, 2021
Lucky those NASA engineers working on Perseverance aren't based in Houston, or they'd be heading home to boil their water tonight.
— Simon Marks (@SimonMarksFSN) February 18, 2021
Yay…
Seven-day rolling average for new daily coronavirus cases, worldwide.
— The Spectator Index (@spectatorindex) February 18, 2021
17th of January: 685,000
17th of February: 365,000
End of Neanderthals linked to flip of Earth's magnetic poles, study suggests https://t.co/1vKSsNKZjt
— The Guardian (@guardian) February 18, 2021
The Overnight Note 