Express Briefing

Today the House will deliver articles of impeachment to the Senate, which has already agreed to delay the trial of President Donald Trump for two weeks. Texas Holocaust Remembrance Week begins today and runs through Friday. One of the reasons state education officials decided not to cancel the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, in the spring is to gauge the dimensions of the learning loss, though its value there will be limited because it won’t be mandatory. Listen to today's Express Briefing for a full roundup of San Antonio's top headlines. Subscribe to the San Antonio Express-News to support quality local journalism.

Texas researchers found that men are more likely to contract and die from COVID-19. Check our Taste team's page for a review of a food truck with a famous namesake. In our latest investigation, Brian Chasnoff explores why the rules are in place and how local politics can come into play when exceptions get approved. Read the full story here.   Listen to today's Express Briefing for a full roundup of San Antonio's top headlines. Subscribe to the San Antonio Express-News to support quality local journalism.

A new era in American politics officially began Wednesday. Vice President Kamala Harris broke the barrier that has kept men at the top ranks of American power for more than two centuries when she took the oath to hold the nation's second-highest office. Vaccines are considered the best weapon against a disease that has now killed more than 400,000 Americans. But a little more than a month into the distribution of shots, demand for vaccines has far outstripped the existing supply.   Listen to today's Express Briefing for a full roundup of San Antonio's top headlines. Subscribe to the San Antonio Express-News to support quality local journalism.  

Today, Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States. Watch the inauguration live at ExpressNews.com. Matthew Carl Mazzocco appeared for the first time in federal court yesterday to hear charges against him in connection with the deadly U.S. Capitol riot that occurred on Jan. 6. Listen to today's Express Briefing for a full roundup of San Antonio's top headlines. Subscribe to the San Antonio Express-News to support quality local journalism.

A $250,000 pilot program will explore ways to best rehabilitate and maintain hundreds of shotgun houses as part of a solution to the 21st century, pandemic-era economic recovery. This year, citing safety concerns because of the coronavirus pandemic, the city’s MLK Commission asked residents to stay away this year from the traditional route and instead celebrate it through a virtual event. Listen to today's Express Briefing for a full roundup of San Antonio's top headlines. Subscribe to the San Antonio Express-News to support quality local journalism.

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Schools, post offices, financial institutions and city offices are closed. But don't think of today as a day off, the Express-News Editorial Board writes. Read their latest, "Editorial: Today is about completing King’s work." With President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration happening this week, some downtown businesses are concerned about the potential for protests     Listen to today's Express Briefing for a full roundup of San Antonio's top headlines. Subscribe to the San Antonio Express-News to support quality local journalism.

President-elect Joe Biden unveiled a $1.9 trillion coronavirus plan last night to end “a crisis of deep human suffering” by speeding up vaccines and pumping out financial help to those struggling with the pandemic’s prolonged economic fallout. One place vaccine rollout has been relatively speedy? Texas. The state is the first to administer more than 1 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine, Listen to today's Express Briefing for a full roundup of San Antonio's top headlines. Subscribe to the San Antonio Express-News to support quality local journalism.

On Wednesday, Democrats declared President Donald Trump an “insurrectionist” and “aspiring tyrant” as the U.S. House of Representatives made him the first president to be impeached twice. Every Texas Democrat supported impeachment as expected. Even a few Texas Republicans said Trump’s conduct may well be impeachable, though they didn’t support the effort.   Listen to today's Express Briefing for a full roundup of San Antonio's top headlines. Subscribe to the San Antonio Express-News to support quality local journalism.

The U.S. House convened Tuesday night to vote on urging Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove President Donald Trump with a Cabinet vote. The Texas legislative session began Tuesday with the election of a new House speaker and a display of unity. A stalled proposal for a program aimed at helping local bars and restaurants keep their lights on and pay their employees amid the coronavirus pandemic may be gaining steam. Listen to today's Express Briefing for a full roundup of San Antonio's top headlines. Subscribe to the San Antonio Express-News to support quality local journalism.

President Donald Trump plans to visit Alamo, Texas today. The trip to the Rio Grande Valley, intended to highlight his administration's work on the border wall. Bexar County Commissioners Court will hold its first meeting of 2021 today with two newly elected county commissioners in attendance. Anosmia, or loss of smell may seem like one of the mildest symptoms of a disease that can wreak havoc on the human body, causing respiratory failure and damage to multiple organ systems. Listen to today's Express Briefing for a full roundup of San Antonio's top headlines. Subscribe to the San Antonio Express-News to support quality local journalism.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Sunday the House will proceed with legislation to impeach President Donald Trump unless the vice president and Cabinet force him out. Here are six key issues before the Texas Legislature, and their prospects in a session that will be dominated by financial concerns. The explosive growth of cryptocurrency ATMs in San Antonio, and around the world, is an indicator of the popularity of the highly volatile digital currency, which hit its all-time high value of $41,962 for one bitcoin on Friday Listen to today's Express Briefing for a full roundup of San Antonio's top headlines. Subscribe to the San Antonio Express-News to support quality local journalism.

The new strain of the COVID-19 virus considered more contagious has been identified in the Houston area. Nearly 100 employees at the only oil refinery inside San Antonio city limits — and at related operations in the region — may be out of work next month. Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said he reassigned the almost two-year-old probe of the shooting deaths of a mother and her two daughters to a cold case detective because his department’s original investigation was insufficient. Listen to today's Express Briefing for a full roundup of San Antonio's top headlines. Subscribe to the San Antonio Express-News to support quality local journalism.

On Tuesday, San Antonio broke records for new coronavirus cases and virus-related hospital admissions. Access to the coronavirus vaccine has been hard to come by, and we want to hear from you about it. Community Labs is expanding its coronavirus testing efforts in local schools and across Texas amid a surge in the pandemic that is threatening to overwhelm the state’s health care systems. According to Pets of the Homeless, 5 to 10 percent of Americans who are homeless have cats or dogs. The Powells estimated that 10 percent of the people living on San Antonio streets have pet dogs     Listen to today's Express Briefing for a full roundup of San Antonio's top headlines. Subscribe to the San Antonio Express-News to support quality local journalism.

Visitors and legislative staff have returned to the Texas Capitol, 10 months after the building was shuttered amid the coronavirus pandemic. This morning, you're invited to join our Editorial Board as they interview leaders from Community Labs and local school districts about what's next in the fight for widespread fast, cheap COVID-19 testing. Listen to today's Express Briefing for a full roundup of San Antonio's top headlines. Subscribe to the San Antonio Express-News to support quality local journalism.

Tuesday's Senate runoff races in Georgia may ultimately decide whether San Antonio gets more federal cash to spend on coronavirus-related expenses. Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales is one of several prosecutors in Texas who have vowed to curtail use of the death penalty. The worst is coming, experts say. In Bexar County, the number of new coronavirus patients in hospitals broke the daily record twice last week as infections continue to climb, rivaling the summer surge. The city is on pace to set a new record for infected patients this week. Listen to today's Express Briefing for a full roundup of San Antonio's top headlines. Subscribe to the San Antonio Express-News to support quality local journalism.

Eager buyers and low-interest rates are helping to fuel a rise in new home construction in the San Antonio area. Millions of Americans will receive one-time stimulus payments in the next week or so, as the U.S. government races to implement a $900 billion coronavirus aid package. The Alamodome, city officials said, has plenty of room for people to spread out without having to physically encounter one another during today’s matchup between the Texas Longhorns and Colorado Buffaloes. Listen to today's Express Briefing for a full roundup of San Antonio's top headlines. Subscribe to the San Antonio Express-News to support quality local journalism. 

A San Antonio man who owned a chain of hospice businesses bought a Porsche and Spurs season tickets with proceeds from a $150 million fraud scheme. Less than two weeks into COVID-19 vaccine distribution in Texas, some rural hospital administrators are experiencing delays and difficulties securing the shots for their staffs. Listen to today's Express Briefing for a full roundup of San Antonio's top headlines. Subscribe to the San Antonio Express-News to support quality local journalism.

Today the Spurs open the 2020-21 season hoping the return to a post-bubble routine includes a return to the playoffs. We interviewed a number of San Antonians about what it’s been like saying goodbye to their favorite restaurants, stores, gyms, dry cleaners and other businesses. Amazon is massively boosting its presence in South Texas with plans to open three new facilities in San Antonio and create over 1,500 jobs. Listen to today's Express Briefing for a full roundup of San Antonio's top headlines. Subscribe to the San Antonio Express-News to support quality local journalism.

Attorney General William Barr said he saw no reason to appoint a special counsel to look into the president’s claims about the 2020 election or to name one for the tax investigation of President-elect Joe Biden's son. Top state Republicans announced Monday that the Texas Capitol will reopen early next month, as lawmakers begin returning to Austin for the new legislative session. COVID-19 is forcing organizers of the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, scheduled Feb. 11-28, to go small   Listen to today's Express Briefing for a full roundup of San Antonio's top headlines. Subscribe to the San Antonio Express-News to support quality local journalism.

More than 620,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines are headed to Texas this week, with about 35,000 earmarked for hospitals, pharmacies and medical clinics in Bexar County. Here's what you need to know about the second week of vaccine distribution in Texas. Keep your eyes on the skies tonight. Jupiter and Saturn will put on a show humanity hasn't seen in almost 800 years. Listen to today's Express Briefing for a full roundup of San Antonio's top headlines. Subscribe to the San Antonio Express-News to support quality local journalism.