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President Joe Biden called out Republican governors in Texas and Mississippi for what he called "Neanderthal thinking" in deciding to relax their mask mandates and other COVID-19 restrictions.

The governors of both states announced Tuesday they would lift their states' mask mandates and other restrictions on businesses and gatherings aimed at stopping the spread of the virus.

MORE: <a href="https://longisland.news12.com/texas-becomes-biggest-us-state-to-lift-covid-19-mask-mandate">Texas becomes biggest US state to lift COVID-19 mask mandate</a> MORE:&nbsp;<a href="https://longisland.news12.com/medical-experts-worry-that-relaxing-covid-19-restrictions-could-cause-case-surge">Medical experts worry that relaxing COVID-19 restrictions could cause case surge</a>

Biden called it a "big mistake" while speaking in the Oval Office on Wednesday during a meeting with lawmakers, who each wore a mask. He said, "I hope everyone has realized by now, these masks make a difference."

Biden added: "We are on the cusp of being able to fundamentally change the nature of this disease" and said "the last thing we need is Neanderthal thinking that in the meantime, everything's fine, take off your mask, forget it."

Bronx

BX | Weather

BXFORECAST

Welcome back. We're checking back in with storm watch team, meteorologist, Alex Calamia, Alex. You were actually saying today is going to be a little warmer than the last few days. Yeah, it is 56. We love to see that and we've got the sunshine too at least, are we this morning? But the clouds will thicken a bit. So let's talk about that. Um We definitely are expecting fifties, which is beautiful all afternoon. But then we've got to talk about the elephant in the room which is Sunday in the morning. This time tomorrow we have drizzle, very light winds. Not a big problem. As far as that goes early in the morning, steady rain though develops throughout the later half of the afternoon. Dinner time could be a wash and the evening will also come with really gusty wind that could reach 40 MPH. So, so let's just take a screenshot of this. Just enjoy your Saturday. Enjoy even Sunday morning. We don't have any huge problems. Highs should reach Loga mid F because of that south breeze. Places like Marine Park, Coney Island rockaways. You're all looking a little bit cooler than just a little inland Bushwick in the mid fifties tonight for a little bit of fog. It looks good though. We're dry for dinner time and we're dry even very early Sunday morning. But around this time tomorrow, we will see a few quick little spritzes and that will continue until lunch. So the first half of Sunday is not a total washout, but you should have the umbrella all day. Sunday. The wind is going to pick up and temperatures actually continue to climb after the sun sets. We probably don't hit 60 until 67 o'clock at night, which is just ridiculous. And obviously that does come with some problems because all of that air is literally fueling these storms. Now, we're not necessarily listening to thunder with this, but it will be lots of heavy rain, gusty wind through, I would say about dinner all the way to bedtime and even after midnight, look at some of this wind gust at midnight, we're near 30 to 40 mile per hour. Gusts right along the Atlantic communities there. So she bay could see 40 mile per hour gusts JFK. If you know anybody coming in from a flight that's going to be a problem Sunday evening, Monday morning commute. It is breezy but it is dry so no problems for a Monday morning commute. Latest model guidance showing possibly 2 to 3 inches of rain. I do think some of that's a little over exaggerated. Another model showing still two inches of rain. So definitely rain is the name of the game. We're going to have plenty of it and unfortunately that could cause some localized flooding. It is dry though for the whole work week. Alright.

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Weather

Brooklyn

BK | Weather

Connecticut

CT | Weather

CTFORECAST

Heavy rains moving on into Western Connecticut tomorrow afternoon and evening through the overnight, what are we looking at? 2 to 3 inches of rain could cause some street flooding, especially north and west of the Merritt Parkway, windy conditions. Look at that gusts up to 40 to 50 MPH. So secure those Santa Claus Inflatables, make sure to have anything that's loose outside, secure it maybe put it in the garage or the shiz or shed as well because this is going to be with us from Sunday afternoon through early Monday morning. Just lots of rain on the way. But today, the complete opposite forties and fifties, partly sunny skies this afternoon, light wind out of the south and east, mild as well, especially along the sound if you have to do anything outside, do it today because it is going to be beautiful because tomorrow going to start to see those showers pushing towards the afternoon and evening, heavier after sunset, especially overnight. That's where we're going to see the strong wind gusts, even some thunder and lightning along with heavy rain and then things are going to get drier into the late morning. But still real breeze as well. So we're keeping our eye on things as they develop. We'll have it all weekend long because all this rain is pushing on in the moisture coming up from Appalachia that's moving on in towards us here in Western Connecticut for the day. Tomorrow. 1 to 3 inches of rain, especially down towards Orange, Bridgeport up the 91 corridor as well. Could see plenty of the wet stuff with gusty winds 20 to 40 plus MPH, Sunday evening. And then yes, some more heavy rain starting into the early to mid afternoon. That'll be persistent from dinner time into the overnight. Definitely just take it slow, take it easy if you have to do any traveling tomorrow morning should be the latest you should go because of all this heavy rain coming across the region. And then we are going to be seeing this linger into early Monday much drier though Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday as temperatures will be dropping from the fifties and sixties today and tomorrow forties, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. That is a look at your hyper local forecast.

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Hudson Valley

HV | Weather

HVFORECAST

The Cortland Manor Community Center. All right, when you could go outside and make any donations that you want. Let's go right to meteorologist, Alex Calamia to tell you the best times. Hey, Alex. Hey, Jen. Anytime today looks good. We're really pretty pleasant. Your highs today reach mid ff tomorrow. Upper fifties, definitely temperature is not the problem, but the rain is, we have showers in the morning, nothing huge there, but then a soaking in the afternoon. Here's the timing here. So obviously very quiet. Look at this forties, mid forties, even a few upper forties at seven o'clock. So you wear a jacket, you're good to go. You could leave the heavy jacket, you could leave the gloves at home. It's not gonna be the that kind of chill and the wind is very calm. That could actually bring some fog back into the picture overnight. But aside from that, you are problem free in the weather department for your Saturday evening, Sunday morning. Different story. It's mainly quiet early. But once we hit lunchtime, 287 southward gets in on some soaking rain and the wind isn't a problem at first. But by four o'clock keep in mind it's a sunset time. Now we're talking some really solid heavy rain. 56 o'clock, really solid heavy rain. Eight o'clock still raining. It looks like this is gonna set up over Westchester County right now. But Putnam Rockland, even Dutchess and Orange County are getting in on a pretty decent swath. Your risk is lower in Ulster County, but everybody gets in on at least some really solid heavy rain. Sunday in the evening and early overnight, there are gonna be a few snow flakes Monday morning, most of that north and west of Westchester County, but everybody will have to keep an eye out for the wind on Monday, although the rain won't be a problem. So your flash flood risk as of now for Sunday is slight. So we have a slight risk as a level two out of four risk for flooding two inches possible across a good chunk of the Hudson Valley where you're seeing the red that's locally three. So this is one model and then this next, it's called the her high resolution rapid refresh. This is a high resolution model showing you about two inches of rain for Westchester County, a lower resolution very reliable model, two inches of rain. So we're looking at lots of consistency here, but we're seeing 2 to 3 inches of rain in the lower Hudson Valley. Good news is rest of the work week, no problems.

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Long Island

LI | Weather

LIFORECAST

And the radar is all quiet behind you j but we're already starting to see the clouds roll in. Still pretty nice evening. We're expecting fifties all the way through the rest of it. And then we drop it into the forties when the sun sets pretty good deal for December. But we do have a flood watch and a high wind watch in effect across the island. Now, both of them go in effect for tomorrow. We're expecting 2 to 3 inches of rain. So that's your flood watch. It could bring flooding in the afternoon and in the overnight and gusts up to 45 you see, especially parts of eastern Nassau into Suffolk at the worst and it looks like the timing here gonna be six pm to midnight. That's what I'm looking at for the squall line to pass through and deliver some potential power outages. So let's bring you right to Sunday in the morning time. Not too bad. We have stray showers, not a bad breakfast or lunch, but then right around noonish, we're gonna start seeing some downpours and it's an on and off rain at that point. We're also looking at wind which starts to pick up to the 30 mile per hour range. Now, these are gusts and a gust is a quick little burst of wind as opposed to sustained winds, which is an average kind of wind speed. So we're seeing quick little bursts of 40 MPH that could knock a tree branch down or two around 67 o'clock, the wind is gonna be coming in with some really heavy rain around 1011 at night into midnight one o'clock or so. This latest model is actually keeping the rain around for the early Monday morning commuters and then things clear out by about 78 o'clock in the morning. So a little bit better there. So the worst of the rain gonna be with a flooding risk at 5 to 2 a.m. and then we see wind at its worst right around midnight. Things look good for the rest of the work week though. It's gonna be chilly.

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New Jersey

NJ Weather Stories

Weather stories

NJ | Weather

NJFORECAST

Pseng is making sure they have everything ready to keep customers safe and warm. This winter and holiday season, we could see some wind and wet weather Sunday as we said. So Pseng has tips to avoid potential power outages by securing your own property. We want customers to take the time now to secure any loose items they may have outside of their home. It may be lawn furniture and it may be holiday decorations, right? Tis the season to put that Santa up on your roof or the inflatable in your yard. Um But if that wind picks up, that can be really hazardous and and can actually cause power outages, Pseng says you should download the mobile app sign up for text updates and always report an outage in your area. Here's our meteorologist with the latest heavy rain wind moving on into the region Sunday afternoon and evening overnight. So what are we looking at heavy rain coming across the region, wind even some potential flooding but today is still very nice. So don't forget that fact. We are looking at beautiful weather, high temperatures in the fifties, the mix of sun and clouds, mild conditions and a light breeze. If you have to do anything outside, today is the day to do it because of these nice temperatures and fair skies. Just beautiful. Tomorrow. Going to be a completely different story. Areas of heavy rain could cause some flooding, especially those of you along and north of I 78 underpasses roads, small streams drains all could pond and overflow. So definitely if you do see any of the high water turn around, don't drown, especially into the afternoon and evening. The heaviest rain going to be overnight into the early morning. And then things are going to turn breezy and drier throughout your Monday afternoon. So what are we looking at this system off to our west pushing in? So right now, we're seeing really nice weather, but it is going to change 1 to 3 inches of rain is expected that could cause lots of flooding as well as gusts up to 20 to 40 MPH. Sunday evening, lingering into your Monday. And with that rain becoming heavy from the early afternoon to dinner time, that's where we're going to see the heaviest. And then my friends, we are looking at rain continuing into your Monday morning. Temperatures are dropping from the sixties into the forties. Monday. More sunshine though. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday across the garden state.

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President Biden: 'Big mistake' for states to drop mask rule