White House butts heads with anti-mask governors | First Thing

The White House defended Joe Biden's criticism of Republican governors for lifting state mask restriction, after the governor of Texas hit back. Plus, migrants in border camps finally cross to US

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The White House has defended Joe Biden's searing criticism of Republican governors who ended mask-wearing mandates, after the president described it as Neanderthal thinking". The comments were aimed at the Mississippi governor, Tate Reeves, and Texas governor, Greg Abbott, the latter of whom hit back, telling CNBC the comment was not the type of word a president should be using" - before in turn describing Biden's handling of the pandemic as a Neanderthal-type approach".