#Eliza Relman: Biden condemns Texas and Mississippi for ending mask mandates, calling it a big mistake and Neanderthal thinking

President Biden said Texas and Mississippi removing their masked mandates was a "big mistake" and the result of "Neanderthal thinking."

Federal health officials are urging Americans to continue to wear masks in public, get away socially, and wash their hands.

The Republican governors of Iowa, Montana and North Dakota ended their state mask terms earlier this year.

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On Wednesday, President Joe Biden called recent decisions in Texas and Mississippi to challenge federal public health guidelines and remove his face mask mandates as a "big mistake" and the result of "thinking of a Neanderthal."

On Tuesday, Texas became the largest state to end its mask mandate in the entire state, and Mississippi lifted its county-specific mask mandates after ending its state order in September.

"I hope everyone has noticed that these masks make a difference," Biden told reporters in the Oval Office. "The last thing we need is for the Neanderthal to think that in the meantime everything is fine, take off the mask, forget it. It is still important."

He added that he is "critical, critical, critical of following science: wash your hands, hot water, do it often, wear a mask and stay socially away. I know everyone knows, I want to read some of our elected officials knew it ".

Several states have abandoned their COVID-19 mitigation policies in recent weeks and months. The Republican governors of Iowa, Montana and North Dakota ended their state mask terms earlier this year. As North Carolina, Michigan, Louisiana, Arkansas, Massachusetts, Chicago and San Francisco began easing restrictions on indoor dining and other activities, they kept their orders for masks statewide.

Federal health officials are urging Americans to continue to wear masks in public, get away socially, and wash their hands. "At this level of cases, with variants spreading, we can completely lose our hard-earned ground," Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said this week. "Now is not the time to relax the critical safeguards that we know can stop the spread of COVID-19 in our communities." 

NEW YORK (AP) - The Inspector General of the Department of Defense released a scathing report Wednesday on the behavior of Ronny Jackson, now a congressman from Texas, when he was working as a top doctor at the White House.

The internal investigation concluded that Jackson made "sexual and derogatory" comments about a female subordinate, violated the policy on drinking alcohol on a presidential trip and took medication for healthy sleep with the prescription that caused trouble from colleagues on its ability to provide appropriate medical care.

The years-long investigation into Jackson, who was elected to the House in November, examined allegations of his behavior during the time he served the administrations of both President Barack Obama and Donald Trump.

Jackson, who gained notoriety for his over-the-top statements about Trump's health, denied the allegations, claiming he was the victim of a "successful political job" because of the close ties with the former Republican president.

After interviewing 78 witnesses and reviewing a number of White House documents, investigators concluded that Jackson, who had earned the rank of Rear Admiral, failed to treat his subordinates with dignity and respect. They also highlighted incidents of misconduct on at least two international presidential trips.

The report also said the Jackson investigation "was limited in scope and unproductive" as Trump's White House attorney insisted he be present at all interviews, which had a "potential cooling effect." on the probe.

The Pentagon report, in part, focused on Obama’s 2014 trip to the Philippines. Prior to the trip, witnesses said, Jackson told a male colleague that he thought a female medical professional they were working with was attractive and, using colorful language, indicated that he "would like to see more of her tattoos."

While in Manila, witnesses said Jackson "visibly intoxicated" returned to the hotel where the medical team was staying and started shouting and knocking on the door of the subordinate's hotel room. females between 1 and 2 am