Gregory Wayne Abbott (born November 13, 1957) is an American attorney who has served as the 48th governor of Texas since January 20, 2015. A member of the Republican Party, Abbott previously served as the 50th attorney general of Texas from 2002 to 2015. He is the third governor of any U.S. state to permanently use a wheelchair. He is also the first disabled governor in Texas history.
As coronavirus cases in Texas have reached all-time highs of over 5,500 new cases a day, Vice President Mike Pence is encouraging over 3,000 churchgoers to cram into the sanctuary of the First Baptist Dallas megachurch this coming Sunday to hear him speak at a “Celebrate Freedom Sunday” event.
The event won’t make facemasks or social distancing mandatory. On Friday, Pence’s own Coronavirus Task Force listed Texas as one of several “hot spots” that he’ll tour to better understand the ongoing epidemic.
The state currently has the fifth-highest number of coronavirus cases among U.S. states, and Dallas County has the second-highest number of overall cases in the state.