Three things for October 13
1. Texas governor bans COVID-19 vaccine mandates
On Monday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order concerning COVID-19 vaccine mandates. The order banned requiring vaccinations anywhere in Texas — including private businesses.
“The latest move appears to be at least partly motivated by President Joe Biden's actions in September that require all employers with more than 100 workers to mandate vaccines for workers or test weekly for the virus,” reports the Texas Tribune. “Biden also required all federal government workers and contractors to get vaccinated, leading nearly all the major airlines — including American Airlines and Southwest Airlines headquartered in Texas — to announce they’d abide by the mandate.”
A previous executive order banned COVID-19 vaccine requirements for government agencies, cities and counties in Texas. The legislature already passed into law a ban on so-called vaccine passports, which would allow businesses to require proof of vaccination from customers
“In yet another instance of federal government overreach, the Biden Administration is now bullying many private entities into imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates, causing workforce disruptions that threaten Texas’s continued recovery from the COVID-19 disaster,” Abbott said in the executive order.
White House officials said the Biden administration will push through the opposition and put the private workplace mandate into effect, according to AP News.
2. Two-headed baby turtle thrives at Massachusetts animal refuge
After hatching two weeks ago, a rare two-headed diamondback terrapin turtle is alive at Birdsey Cape Wildlife Center.
“A threatened species in the state, this turtle is feeding well on blood worms and food pellets, staff at the center said. The two heads operate independently, coming up for air at different times, and inside its shell are two gastrointestinal systems to feed both sides of its body,” reports AP News.
Center veterinarian Pria Patel and other staff will continue to monitor the turtle in the coming weeks. They’re hoping to perform a CT scan to learn more about its circulatory system.
3. U.S. drone strike kills 10, family still awaiting compensation
Zemari Ahmadi, along with nine other family members, was killed in a U.S. drone strike in August.
“Emal Ahmadi, brother of Zemari, said he has yet to be contacted by the U.S. government to apologize or to offer help. A jobless father in a battered land — his 3-year-old daughter Malika was killed in the blast — Emal is struggling to provide for an extended family of 15,” reports the L.A. Times.
On Sept. 17, Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., head of U.S. Central Command which oversees the Afghanistan operation, offered sincere condolences to Ahmadi’s family. He said the U.S. was exploring the possibility of an ex gratia payment but suggested it was difficult to reach people in Afghanistan now that American troops had left.
Zemari, who worked for the Pasadena-based nonprofit Nutrition & Education International for 16 years, was killed when a drone fired a missile at his white Toyota Corolla. Seven children were among the victims.
“I have no doubt more people will die the way my family members died,” Emal said. “If we are to avoid what my family has gone through, we need a working government. There should be a rule of law and accountability. If this continues, more families will suffer.”
