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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Thursday that he is putting a pause on lifting pandemic-related lockdowns as cases of COVID-19 reach near-record levels in the state.According to a press release, businesses that have already re-opened under previous mandates can continue to operate "under the minimum standard health protocols provided by the Texas Department of State Health Services." However, the state will not proceed with further reopenings for the time being.¡°The last thing we want to do as a state is go backwards and close down businesses," Abbott said. "This temporary pause will help our state corral the spread until we can safely enter the next phase of opening our state for business."Abbott also encouraged Texans to wear a mask and practice proper social distancing in his statement. 809

The banana phone is back.A startup that licenses the Nokia phone brand has unveiled a new version of the 8110, a curved mobile phone that was first released in 1996 and featured in "The Matrix."The phone, which is offered in banana yellow and black, will sell for €79 (). It comes loaded with a new version of the game Snake, Finnish startup HMD said in a statement."This is a return to the glory years of Nokia," said Ian Fogg, senior analyst at IHS Markit. "But it also includes all the new technology."The 8110 comes with 4G, and a handful of apps including Google Maps, Facebook and Twitter. But it doesn't have a flashy operating system and users won't be able to download other popular apps.Fogg said that basic -- or "feature" -- phones are appealing because they are reliable, and can run for a long time on a single charge. The 8110 goes 25 days in standby mode, for example.Nokia used to be the world's largest maker of mobile phones, but it struggled to adapt to the era of smartphones and compete with the likes of Apple and Samsung.Microsoft purchased the company's handset business in 2013, but later unwound the deal. Nokia now focuses on making technology for telecommunications networks.HMD, which has licensed the Nokia brand since 2016, sold over 70 million handsets in 2017, according to IHS. That puts its sales, on an annualized basis, in the same league as Sony and Lenovo."HMD's strategy clearly aims to return Nokia to be a mobile market leader, even if it's too early for HMD to realistically target displacing Samsung or Apple," Fogg said.Nokia marketed the original 8110 as "the first of its kind in terms of its ergonomics." Its battery lasted up to six days, and it was able to store 16 ring tones and up to 324 names and numbers."It feels good in the hand and fits into any pocket. The revolutionary curved design fits the natural shape of your face," the company said in a press release at the time.  1948

Student loan and eviction protections, as well as unemployment benefits, are among the host of pandemic related government programs set to end by the end of the year unless Congress acts. The issue is that members of Congress are not scheduled to be in Washington for several weeks between now and the end of the year. Breaks are scheduled over the Thanksgiving holiday as well as over Christmas and New Year's. The leaves just 15 business days to accomplish anything, otherwise these bills will likely go up come January WHAT'S EXPIRING Since March, 40 million Americans have enjoyed suspended student loan payments. That is scheduled to end come January 1st. While President-elect Joe Biden is considering an executive order to continue the program, he doesn't take office until January 20 and bills could be due before then. Additionally, unemployment benefits for independent contractors and the self-employeed, like Uber drivers or gig workers, are set to expire as well. Congress for months has also allowed those recently laid off to enjoy 13 bonus weeks of unemployment, but that program expires December 31 as well. Many states have eviction moratoriums but the CDC order banning evictions ends December 31st. Congress could pass legislation to extend it. Tens of millions could face evictions because of rent issues. WHERE THINGS STANDDemocrats and Republicans remain far apart on passing any legislation between now and January 1. COVID related legislation isn't the only concern either. Funding for the government runs out on December 11 and a bill must be passed to keep the government open before then. One major wildcard is President Donald Trump and what he may demand following his election loss. 1724

TAMPA, Fla. ¨C Two different paths led Ernest Johnson and Ronnie Reddish down the same road. Just a few weeks from Election Day, the two men met at a park in Tampa, Florida, to talk life, liberty and voting rights as a former felon.¡°How much time did you do?¡± Reddish asked Johnson.Johnson replied, ¡°I did 28 years in prison, and I ain't got no shame in that ¡®cause prison made me a man.¡±Now, it was Reddish¡¯s turn to get personal.¡°My first time, I was 24,¡± he said of his first experience behind bars.Reddish spent more than 15 years of his life in prison.¡°They were all just for thefts and drugs,¡± said Reddish. ¡°It was about making money illegally.¡±He¡¯s been paying for those mistakes every day since he came home.¡°I really, really regret a lot of things that I did,¡± said Reddish. ¡°I¡¯m remorseful. I mean, I sit back, and now 60 years old¡ªI think about it. Why? Why was I so dumb to do something like that?¡±In losing more than a decade of his freedom, Reddish lost something much more precious in the process: his right to vote.Reddish came to meet Johnson, a voting rights advocate, thinking he couldn¡¯t vote. Reddish finished paying all his court fines earlier this year after serving his time, but he was still unsure if his rights were restored.¡°The language the legislation uses is confusing sometimes,¡± said Reddish.Reddish is talking about the language of Amendment 4, a law passed in 2018 by 65% of Florida voters.The amendment gives all former felons the right to vote, except those charged with murder or sexual crimes. However, before someone can vote, all court costs, fines and fees must be paid separately to each county the felon has a case in¡ªan amount usually around ,500 to ,500 per person.Once all fees are paid, a person¡¯s voting rights are automatically restored, but for many, the old systems that were in place are still top of mind.¡°I was under the impression that you had to go to the clemency board, which could take years,¡± said Reddish of how he thought he had to get his voting rights restored.That¡¯s no longer the case, and it¡¯s a common misconception. Amendment 4 abolished the clemency board, which automatically gave voting rights back to some, but officials say having to pay all the fines before voting is disenfranchising so many more than this law could be helping.Florida State Attorneys estimate the pay-to-vote system, as it¡¯s often called, could keep more than 1 million former felons from voting in this upcoming election.¡°The constitution does not say we have to pay a tax to vote,¡± said Johnson.Even if a person has the money to pay, finding out how much one owes is no easy task, especially if someone owes fines multiple counties.¡°None of them have a uniform system to pay off fines and fees,¡± said Johnson. ¡°It¡¯s not that simple.¡±Johnson works with the nonprofit Florida Rights Restoration Coalition. The group is streamlining the process for as many former felons as they can. Every day, Johnson and many others go door to door, offering information, registration documents and helping pay off as many fines as they can.The group has paid off more than million in fines for former felons.This effort is supported by multiple Florida state attorneys who are fighting against the disenfranchisement they say is caused by Amendment 4.¡°It's creating two classes of voters: people who can afford the right to vote and people who can't,¡± said state attorney Andrew Warren, who represents one of the largest districts in Florida. ¡°That's not democratic. It's not American. And in Florida, it should not be acceptable.¡±Warren said there is no uniform implementation of Amendment 4 across the state, and that is keeping people from voting¡ªpeople like Reddish.¡°The confusion we've had is actually chilling people's willingness and ability to go in and register to vote and that's a bad thing for our democracy,¡± said Warren.To help, Warren is encouraging people to try and find out what they owe, but if they can¡¯t figure it out by Election Day, he wants people to know: his office likely won¡¯t take legal action against them for voting.¡°The standards for prosecuting someone for voter fraud is extremely high,¡± said Warren. ¡°We expect that the majority of cases here are going to be people who are simply confused, and they don't know whether they're eligible to vote or not. And, doing so is not a crime in those situations because it's not on the voter to figure out. We're supposed to be making it clear to people what the law is, and what they need to do to be eligible to vote.¡±For Reddish, he didn¡¯t get the answers he needed from the state. He got the truth from Johnson.He is eligible to vote. No clemency needed. Johnson was able to register him on the spot. A moment is giving Reddish his first chance to vote.¡°I¡¯ve never voted in my life, and one thing about it is: my voice will count,¡± said Reddish with a sigh of relief and joy. ¡°For so many years, my voice never counted. My voice will count now.¡±For so many who haven¡¯t finished paying their fines, their voices may be silenced for the 2020 election, but Warren said he will not stop fighting the state to get the fines and fees requirement removed from Amendment 4.Until that happens, it will take more afternoon meetings at the park and more door knocking to give a voice to those picking up the pieces from a broken past.¡°Just because you¡¯re a convicted felon doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re locked out of life,¡± said Reddish. ¡°We¡¯re not third or fourth-class citizens, we¡¯re American citizens.¡±Making sure every citizen has the rights they¡¯ve earned is something Johnson, and now Reddish, are ready to fight for.¡°I want to join the organization,¡± said Reddish.They¡¯re hoping they can bring light to as many as they can in a state where just a few new voters could swing the outcome of the 2020 election.¡°Voting is freedom, is democracy, is liberty,¡± said Johnson.¡°Voting gives you power,¡± said Reddish.If you¡¯d like more information on Amendment 4, click HERE. For help from the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, click HERE. 6043

Students who survived the school shooting in Florida are using their voices to try and spur change. It¡¯s young voices, that haven¡¯t heard before who are speaking up.Seven seniors from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School ¡ª Jack Haimowitz, Ronnie Froetschel, Vincent Frettoloso, Matthew Horowitz, Cole Sumner, Cain DeLima and Joey Mondelli ¡ª say they hope the tragedy spurs change.¡°The day that changed everything,¡± Mondelli said, when asked how he wants people to remember the day of the shooting.¡°I don¡¯t want them to look at it as a statistic,¡± Somner said. ¡°I want people to see this as the last one. I want people to look back at that day because that was the end,¡± Haimowitz said. These are seven faces of survival, family, and ultimately, they hope, change. ¡°If there¡¯s anyone that can change the outcome of situations, it¡¯s going to be Parkland and we will change it,¡± Frettoloso said. ¡°It¡¯s tough when you¡¯re by yourself so when you¡¯re all together, it kind of get your mind off it,¡± DeLima said. Tonight, they¡¯re freshly blonde, for their friend and victim, Joaquin Oliver. ¡°His favorite artist was Frank Ocean, when he dropped his album 'Blonde,' it was about the time Joaquin dyed his hair this color,¡± Haimowitz said. ¡°He was everyone¡¯s friend.¡±¡°That kid didn¡¯t know a single thing about lacrosse and he was out there screaming like he¡¯s been playing it for the last 18 years,¡± Haimowitz said. On Wednesday, they grew up fast. ¡°It¡¯s a race for maturity. No one really told us there was going to be a starting line or a starting gun, they just expected us to go,¡± Haimowitz said. First, they will grieve. They have 17 funerals to attend. When the time¡¯s right, perpetuate change. ¡°An assault rifle, that¡¯s a weapon made with intent to murder and harm people. So once we feel ready, we¡¯re going to make our voice heard that our platform is built upon making sure weapons like these can¡¯t get in the hands of people again,¡± Haimowitz said.  2042

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