How Gov. Abbott's State of State illustrates his plans to rally against 2022 challengers, latest in coronavirus cases: Your Monday morning roundup

Plus: 5 things the Cowboys must do to become 2021 Super Bowl contenders  [Morning roundup]( 02/08/2021 By Mallorie Sullivan Good morning! Here is a look at the top headlines as we start the day. ☁️ Weather: Morning clouds, then partly cloudy, breezy and warmer. High of 66. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [her]( ADVERTISEMENT [Dallas County reports 1,019 new coronavirus cases, 11 deaths; Tarrant adds 31 fatalities, 991 cases]( [There’s a new podcast out about Selena. Here’s why you should listen]( [How Austin billionaire Robert Smith avoided indictment for evading $43 million in federal taxes]( [3 found dead after SWAT standoff at far northeast Dallas apartment complex, police say]( [Afiah Bey, beloved Dallas griot who dedicated herself to preserving stories of African culture, dies at 63]( [Man, woman arrested in Dallas after Denton County slaying, police say]( [Dallas begins relocation efforts for homeless residents of Camp Rhonda]( [Dallas-Fort Worth expected to approach 70s then plunge to ‘the coldest air of the season’]( [Joey Gallo thinks Drew Robinson’s suicide survival story can help those struggling with mental health (and baseball)]( [5 things the Cowboys must do to be 2021 Super Bowl contenders: Improving defense, O-Line health among top priorities]( Texas Gov. Greg Abbott prepares to deliver his State of the State speech at Visionary Fiber Technologies, for the first time outside the Capitol on Monday, Feb. 1, in Lockhart. (Bob Daemmrich/AP) POLITICS [Texas Gov. Greg Abbott protects his right flank as Democrats look for 2022 challenger]( Gromer Jeffers Jr. writes: Greg Abbott’s State of the State message — and the reaction to it — illustrates how the governor plans to rally his political base against the Democrats who are struggling to unseat him. Abbott has the money and resources to fend off challengers within the GOP, and his popularity makes him formidable against any Democrat in the general election, even as he continues to make appeals to his party’s hard right flank. The governor's political dominance[is not good news for Democrats looking to upend him in 2022](. More problematic is that Democrats may have to hustle to round out a statewide ticket against the governor and other Republicans. TEXT THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS Want to continue the conversation? Text us and get headlines like this sent directly to your phone. 📱 Get connected. [Sign up here.]( ❓ Got questions? [We've got answers.]( *The Roundup is free to receive. Standard text messaging and data rates may apply. ADVERTISEMENT  👋 That's all for this morning! For up-to-the-minute news and analysis, check out [DallasNews.com](. Share the love! If you like this newsletter, please forward this email to a friend and [check out our other newsletters here](. Do you have feedback? Send your thoughts, questions, praise and corrections to [the newsroom.](  STAY CONNECTED WITH US [Unsubscribe]( | [Free newsletters]( | [Dallasnews.com]( | [Subscriber login]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Contact us]( Copyright 2020 - [The Dallas Morning News, 1954 Commerce Street, Dallas, TX 75201, United States](