Without consulting with his own top medical professionals, Gov. Greg Abbott this week dropped the mask mandate and said businesses can open 100 percent despite the fact the pandemic is still unfolding all around us. President Joe Biden called it "neanderthal thinking."  Meantime, Texas lawmakers are rolling up their sleeves and getting down to work on the state's policy response to the ice storm that left millions without power or water.

Connect with Scott Braddock, editor of The Quorum Report and Houston Chronicle political writer Jeremy Wallace.

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