'Neanderthal thinking'President Joe Biden sharply criticized states such as Texas and Mississippi for lifting Covid-19 restrictions against pleas from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other top public health officials, accusing those in power of "Neanderthal thinking.""I think it's a big mistake. Look, I hope everybody's realized by now, these masks make a difference.

We are on the cusp of being able to fundamentally change the nature of this disease because of the way in which we're able to get vaccines in people's arms," Biden said when asked about the decisions by GOP Govs. Greg Abbott of Texas and Tate Reeves of Mississippi to relax restrictions.

"It's critical -- critical, critical, critical -- that they follow the science: Wash your hands, hot water, do it frequently. Wear a mask and stay socially distanced. And I know you all know that. I wish the heck some of our elected officials knew it," he told reporters.

Abbott and Reeves both announced this week that they were lifting mask mandates in Texas and Mississippi and will allow business to operate at full capacity.

The decisions come as health experts caution that relaxing restrictions now could lead to another surge in coronavirus cases, especially as variants continue to spread.