Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Busted After Falling For Totally Bogus Garth Brooks Story
By: Ed Mazza (NewsBreak)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
By Ed Mazza,
1 day ago
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott took his Twitter feed to some low places over the weekend when he was duped by a satire website into sharing literal fake news about country music icon Garth Brooks .
Abbott linked to a story about Brooks from a satire website called The Dunning-Kruger Times. If the name alone isn't enough of a giveaway, the site states outright that it's part of "a network of parody, satire, and tomfoolery," and adds: "If you believe that it is real, you should have your head examined."
The story Abbott shared says Brooks was booed off the stage at the 123rd Annual Texas Country Jamboree in Hambriston, Texas.
But the jamboree isn't a real event, and Hambriston isn't a real place ― details that apparently raised no red flags with the governor as he tweeted the story.
"Go woke. Go broke," Abbott tweeted. "Good job, Texas."
Texas, for the record, loves Brooks as much as anywhere. He sold out the 72,000-seat NRG Stadium in Houston and the 80,000-seat AT&T Stadium in Arlington when his tour visited the Lone Star State last year.
Abbott deleted his tweet, but offered no apology to his constituents or Brooks for sharing the fake report. And while the tweet itself is gone, it was preserved online by a number of people, including Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas):
Journalist Christopher Hooks also shared a screenshot of the tweet, and followed up with an excerpt from the story the governor fell for:
The Twitter account for the story's "author," Flagg Eagleton, is having some fun at Abbott's expense, noting that he's the highest-level official to fall for one of his stories so far and calling it some of his " finest work ."
He also tweeted in response to a Daily Beast report :
Brooks has not been overtly political in his music career, but did offer some words of wisdom in a 2020 interview with the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
"My message forever is tolerance," he told the newspaper . "And don't vote party, vote person."
He was a little more explicit earlier this month when discussing his new bar in Nashville. While conservatives are boycotting Bud Light for its partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney , Brooks said he would serve " every brand " of beer.
"I want it to be a place you feel safe in, I want it to be a place where you feel like there are manners and people like one another," Brooks told Billboard . "Our thing is this: If you [are let] into this house, love one another. If you're an a―hole, there are plenty of other places on lower Broadway."
In a livestream on his Facebook page, he added that he embraced diversity and inclusiveness.
"That's me," he said . "That's always been me."
Twitter users tore into Abbott for sharing the false report about Brooks:
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Good man
I wonder where the tallest 45 degree ramp that feeds onto a highway is in texas.
Somewhere in the Hill Country, I bet
A lot of air under Abbotts 10 gallon hat.
... and .001psi between his ears.
Abbott is one of the worst governors in the country.
The more successful a state, the worse progressives think it’s doing.
These are people who think governors who default on 18 billon dollar loans from the federal government or lead states with the worst credit rating in the Country are doing a good job.
The sad part is that he probably isn’t the slightest bit embarrassed over such an abysmal failure. Shamelessness is a prerequisite for today’s Republican Party.
Oh, I think he's embarrassed. Once he found he got duped he deleted his Twitter comment
www.theguardian.com /us-news/2023/jun/23/greg-abbott-texas-governor-bill-water-breaks-heatwave
Texas governor signs bill rescinding water breaks as deadly heat grips state
Maanvi Singh 5-6 minutes 6/23/2023
Amid a dangerous heatwave that has brought blistering temperatures across Texas , the state’s governor signed a law this week eliminating local rules requiring water breaks for workers.
The measure, which will take effect later this year, will nullify ordinances enacted by Austin and Dallas that mandate 10-minute breaks for construction workers every four hours. It also prevents any other local governments from passing similar worker protections.
Just days after Greg Abbott , the governor, ratified the law, officials said a 35-year-old utility lineman working to restore power in Marshall, Texas, died after experiencing symptoms of heat illness. The heat index – which takes into account both the temperature and humidity – was 100F (37C) while he was working.
It was an omen of what could come after HB 2127 takes effect in September, wrote the Texas branch of the AFL-CIO union, referring to the far-reaching law that not only curbs cities’ right to enact worker protections, but a number of labor, agriculture, natural resources and finance measures. “Banning required rest breaks for construction workers in the Texas heat is deadly.”
The law’s passage has enraged workers’ advocates, who warn that it will result in even more heat-related deaths and illnesses in a state that already tallies the highest number of worker deaths due to high temperatures.
“In the midst of a record-setting heatwave, I could not think of a worse time for this governor or any elected official who has any, any kind of compassion, to do this,” said David Cruz, the communications director for League of United Latin American Citizens National (Lulac), a Latino civil rights group. “This administration is incrementally trying to move us backwards into a dark time in this nation. When plantation owners and agrarian mentalities prevailed.”
Six out of every 10 construction workers in Texas are Latino, and labor advocates say that the law will hurt Latino and Black communities that are already disproportionately affected by extreme heat. Hispanic workers made up a third of all worker heat deaths since 2010, according to an NPR/Columbia study.