John, 

The good news is Texas isn’t leading the nation in unemployment claims. The bad news is those claims in Texas rose more than 800 percent in a single week. We have a lot of people hurting close to home who need our prayers and practical assistance.

Here is today's Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Modify your email preferences.

• A federal judge based in Austin yesterday gave abortion clinics the go-ahead to operate despite a state ban on all nonessential medical procedures. Imposed by Gov. Greg Abbott a week ago, the order was designed to free hospital beds and emergency resources for those fighting the Chinese coronavirus. Like all medical procedures, abortions carry risks of complications that require hospitalization. 
       
• Brandon Waltens reports U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel issued a temporary restraining order allowing abortion mills to reopen and continue operating until at least April 13.
       
• “Medical professionals are in dire need of supplies, and abortion providers who refuse to follow state law are demonstrating a clear disregard for Texans suffering from this medical crisis.” – Attorney General Ken Paxton
      
• So killing a baby is fine right now, but not corrective eye surgery or the like. Got it, Judge Yeakel. Nothing is more important than killing those babies.
      
• In an insightful new commentary, Rachel Bovard explores the “good, bad, and ugly” of the hurriedly passed coronavirus stimulus bill.
       
• “What initially began as a bill designed to help the workers and families hurt by job loss or disruption caused by government measures to fight coronavirus morphed into an 880-page behemoth.” – Rachel Bovard
     
• Hours after being challenged with legal action, the City of McKinney has scaled back overreaching restrictions on religious liberty imposed in response to the coronavirus. Erin Anderson reports the Collin County city took corrective action after First Liberty Institute warned the restrictions went “well beyond the CDC guidelines, and violate federal and state law.”
       
• McKinney’s order specifically targeted religious services, which First Liberty noted violates both the U.S. Constitution and the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
      
• Alissa Oritz, also known by many as “Nikki,” is a stay-at-home mom in the south Texas town of San Diego who has always enjoyed being involved in her community. David Vasquez tells how Ortiz was distressed by social media being “overflooded with negative posts and sadness” over the coronavirus. Her response? To create “Vaquero Community Support,” where the community can communicate with each other about food and supplies.
        
• “I’ve accepted I have no control over what’s going on in the world, but we have nothing to worry about when we have God and a group of great people beside us.” – Alissa “Nikki” Ortiz
     
• With the Lone Star State facing a major budget shortfall, our team has begun looking for cost-saving cuts legislators could make. Robert Montoya looks at the Moving Image Industry Incentive Program, which forces taxpayers to finance films and video games.
      
• Matt Stringer reports officials in Ector County’s COVID-19 Emergency Management Operations Group may have been exposed by one of the task force members, and will no longer meet in person at Odessa’s new emergency operations center. 
       
• A biomedical engineering professor at Texas A&M has created a 27-minute video giving step-by-step instructions for constructing protective masks. Yeah, yeah... bring on the wise cracks about “Aggie engineering.”

• Join me and Jim Graham of Texas Right to Life on Facebook Live at 3pm today for the Jim & Michael Show.  You can catch the video stream on the Empower Texans Facebook page.
   
• Think of it as gaining an appreciation for not being stuck with us 24 hours a day.