A prominent Texas newspaper’s editorial board published a scathing article on Friday slamming the southwestern state’s Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, after he urged followers of My Pillow founder Mike Lindell to “harass” judges that had ruled against him.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals—the top court for criminal cases in the state—issued an 8 to 1 opinion on December 15, finding that Paxton could not unilaterally prosecute election cases. Paxton, a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump, has been a key promoter of baseless claims that the 2020 election was rife with widespread voter fraud.

In response to the GOP-dominated court’s ruling, Paxton appeared on Lindell TV and right-wing strategist Steve Bannon‘s War Room podcast earlier this month and urged viewers and listeners to pressure the court’s conservative justices. “Call them out by name,” Paxton told Lindell TV on January 17. “I mean, you can look them up. There’s eight of them that voted the wrong way. Call them, send mail, send email…”

Source: Texas Newspaper Slams GOP AG Paxton After He Urges Mike Lindell Followers to ‘Harass’ Judges

…Kenneth Thompson, who served in the US army in Europe, told Click2Houston, a Harris county news outlet, he had voted in every election since he was 21 and even remembered paying a 50-cent poll tax in the 1950s.

“I’ve been voting many, many years and I’ve never missed a vote,” he said, adding that he considers voting a duty.

But under a voting restriction bill known as SB1 and passed last August, Thompson could be unable to meet the state’s 31 January voter registration deadline for an absentee ballot.

According to the new law, Thompson is required to submit a social security or driver’s license number that matches state or county records. When Thompson registered to vote decades ago, however, such requirements were not in place.

“He registered to vote in the 1940s and they didn’t require that,” said Delinda Holland, Thompson’s daughter…

Source: Second world war veteran twice denied absentee ballot under Texas voting law | Texas | The Guardian

…”Well, certainly the difference between 2019 and 2021 is the differences in administrations,” Montana Farmers Union President Walter Schweitzer said in an interview. “In 2019, our administration was at war with all of our customers.” Under Biden, he said, the nation is “rebuilding our relationships with our customers.”…

Source: Farmers flourish under Biden, see recovery from Trump-era trade wars

…The investigation, led by civil servant Sue Gray, has now concluded according to Political Editor Robert Peston, and it is likely to be published on Wednesday or Thursday.

The Metropolitan Police launched its own investigation on Tuesday morning after ITV News revealed a birthday party for the PM was held in June 2020, while the country was under Covid-19 lockdown rules.

“It will, I am told, be a report that will make for very uncomfortable reading for the PM and Tory MPs,” Peston said.

He later added that he expects the document to be published in full “with no cuts, no censorship, no redactions” and it will be made public just “hours” after the PM receives it…

Source: Peston: Sue Gray report complete and will be ‘very uncomfortable reading’ for Boris Johnson | ITV News

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Around 500,000 young children will be offered the lower doses to protect them and vulnerable adults.

Source: Covid vaccines offered to vulnerable five-to-11-year-olds in England – BBC News