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Tag: Texas

  • Live updates: Tornado rips through Perryton, Texas

    Live updates: Tornado rips through Perryton, Texas

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    The whole northeast side of Perryton is devastated after the tornado, Cole Underwood, Perryton High School’s athletic director and football coach, told CNN’s Alisyn Camerota. 

    The school is serving as a shelter for those impacted by the storm, he said. “Upwards of 250 to 300” people were there, including “volunteers and people coming in and eating and just getting water and cleaning up,” he said.

    “We have the gym space, and we have the capabilities to help the people that have lost everything and we’re more than willing to do that,” he said.

    When asked what supplies are needed most, Underwood said: “Really anything you can think of: blankets, flashlights, candles. We would take anything and be grateful for anything that’s donated.”

    “Sadly, there’s just not a list of things … you think about that you need on hand, but people lost everything today,” he told CNN.

    The coach said he has “just been so amazed at the level of camaraderie and love that this town has for each other, and there’s no doubt in my mind that it will continue. … We will persevere through this thing.”

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  • Texas Gov. Abbott signs bill banning transgender athletes from participating on college sports teams aligned with their gender identities

    Texas Gov. Abbott signs bill banning transgender athletes from participating on college sports teams aligned with their gender identities

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    Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law legislation that bans trans athletes from participating on collegiate sports teams that match their gender identities on Thursday. The new law will take effect in September.

    S.B. 15 — also called the “Save Women’s Sports Act” by its supporters — builds on legislation passed in the state in 2021 that banned trans women and girls in K-12 schools from participating on sports teams aligned with their gender identities. It forces athletes to compete on teams on the basis of their “biological sex,” or the sex that was “correctly stated” on their birth certificate, according to the text of the legislation.

    The bill includes provisions that prevent trans athletes who have had their sex changed on their birth certificates from participating on sports teams aligned with their gender identities by defining sex as what was “entered on or near the time of the student’s birth,” and only recognizes changes made to birth certificates that were done to correct a clerical error.

    “Today is an important day for female athletes across the state of Texas, including little girls who aspire to one day compete in college sports,” said Abbott in a press release. “The Save Women’s Sports Act protects young women at Texas colleges and universities by prohibiting men from competing on a team or as an individual against them in college sports.”

    Abbott has consistently called trans women and girls “men” and “biological boys” in his messaging around the bill — the latter of which LGBTQ+ media advocacy organization GLAAD calls “a term to avoid.”

    “‘Biological boy’ is a term anti-trans activists often use to disregard and discredit transgender girls and deny them access to society as their authentic gender identity,” writes GLAAD.

    Advocacy organizations were quick to condemn the new law, with the ACLU of Texas tweeting that the law is “unfair, unconstitutional, and just plain cruel.”

    “Trans students deserve to participate in the sports they love,” the ACLU of Texas added.

    “Even as elected officials ignore their duty to serve Texans and instead target a vulnerable minority, create problems that do not exist, and use our taxpayer dollars to do so — transgender lives can never be erased,” said Marti Bier, vice president of programs at the Texas Freedom Network. “No matter what laws are passed by the extremists currently in power, our communities will find love and support within each other.”

    Earlier this month, Abbott signed a law banning gender-affirming care for trans youth in Texas. That law also will go into effect on September 1.

    According to Best Colleges, at least 16 other states have similar restrictions on trans athletes participating in collegiate sports, and at least 22 states have bans on K-12 trans athletes from participating on sports teams consistent with their gender identity, according to the Movement Advancement Project, which tracks legislation impacting the LGBTQ+ community.

    C Mandler


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    C Mandler is a social media producer and trending topics writer for CBS News, focusing on American politics and LGBTQ+ issues.

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  • Help rushes in to Perryton, Texas, after tornado rips through community | CNN

    Help rushes in to Perryton, Texas, after tornado rips through community | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    The state of Texas as well as cities and counties surrounding the Panhandle town of Perryton are sending aid after a tornado ripped through the area Thursday afternoon.

    The National Weather Service in Amarillo confirmed that a tornado struck the town. Images of extensive damage have been circulating on social media.

    Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s office and the state’s Division of Emergency Management are mobilizing resources, State Rep. Four Price of District 87 said in a Facebook post.

    “TDEM is moving everything that way. Search and Rescue, medical, etc.,” Price said. Multiple structures are damaged and “the state is engaging additional medical help to triage,” according to Price.

    “This is a serious situation. Again, please lift that community up in prayer,” he added.

    Beaver County, Oklahoma, Emergency Manager Keith Shadden told CNN the county has sent fire, law enforcement and EMS units across the state border to help. He said that they intend to send a second wave to assist but are waiting for the weather to clear in the county.

    The city of Stinnett, Texas, about 56 miles from Perryton, is sending officers and EMS crews, and the Hutchinson County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook that they are also assisting with rescue and emergency operations following the “devastating tornado.”

    The Borger Police Department, Booker Fire Department and officials with the City of Fritch are all responding to Perryton to assist with tornado damage.

    CNN has reached out to local officials for more information.

    Meteorologists had warned that severe weather capable of producing wind gusts up to 90 mph, hail up to 5 inches in diameter and tornadoes was expected Thursday – the sixth day in a row for portions of the South and Plains.

    The tornado hit Perryton Thursday afternoon.

    The latest round of storms comes on the heels of more than 300 storm reports Wednesday, continuing a long streak of active weather.

    The area under threat Thursday covers a large swath from Colorado to South Carolina, with the greatest potential across portions of Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas.

    The Storm Prediction Center has placed a Level 4 of 5 moderate risk of severe weather for the area, which includes Oklahoma City and Norman, Oklahoma.

    Two tornado watches have been issued by the Storm Prediction Center for western and central Oklahoma and portions of northwestern, northern and central Texas. The watches include the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and Oklahoma City and both are in effect until 10 p.m. CT.

    “Intense supercell development is expected this afternoon from the eastern Texas Panhandle into western Oklahoma and northwest Texas, and storms will spread eastward through late evening,” the SPC said. “The initial, more discrete supercells will be capable of producing giant hail (4-5 inches in diameter) and a few tornadoes. Upscale growth into a cluster or two is possible this evening, with an increasing threat for intense outflow winds of 80-90 mph.”

    Extremely large hail is another threat.

    “Be prepared for hail up to the size of baseballs and winds up to 80 mph with the stronger storms, as well as a medium risk for tornadoes,” warned the National Weather Service office in Norman. “The severe window will start in western Oklahoma between 3pm and 5pm and continue until storms exit the southeastern parts of the forecast area by 3am.”

    Know the difference between a tornado watch vs tornado warning

    Areas around the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex are under a Level 3 of 5 enhanced risk of severe weather.

    “The areas most susceptible to another round of large hail and possibly some damaging winds will be eastern North TX down into far eastern Central TX east of I-45 could get into the mix as well,” the weather service office in Dallas said.

    A much broader area of severe weather extends from western Kansas, south to central Texas and east to the Florida Panhandle. The Level 2 of 5 slight risk of severe weather covers more than 10 million people and includes places like Tulsa, Oklahoma; Shreveport, Louisiana; and Tallahassee, Florida.

    Lastly, a widespread area of a Level 1 of 5 marginal risk of severe weather covers from eastern Colorado to South Carolina.

    While it is not in the main threat area, people should not let their guard down because of the potential for damaging winds and very large hail. An isolated tornado could spin up as well.

    A tornado is seen on the ground June 14, 2023, in Blakely, Georgia.

    In addition to the severe weather threat, the same areas should also monitor the potential for flooding. With days of rain over the same areas, the ground is becoming quite saturated.

    “A continued threat of heavy rain through the day with potential for several inches to fall within bands of training convection,” is being warned by the weather service office in Mobile, Alabama.

    The multiday severe threat will continue Friday and through the weekend, as storms continue to develop each day along a stalled frontal boundary draped across the South.

    Wind and storm damage in Cass County, Texas.

    Wednesday’s severe threat brought more than 300 storm reports across the South and Plains.

    There were at least 100 hail reports and more than 200 wind reports, which knocked out power to more than 100,000 homes.

    Baseball to tennis ball-sized hail was reported in Alabama and hail greater than 5 inches was reported in Mississippi.

    Of the 10 tornado reports, five were reported in Georgia, two in Texas and three in Alabama.

    weather extreme heat

    Not only will millions face severe weather, but more than 30 million people are also under heat alerts, including large portions of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Florida.

    Most will see temperatures running at least 10-15 degrees above normal, with the potential for nearly 100 high temperature records to break during the next week.

    Texas is expected to get hit exceptionally hard, with heat indices reaching as high as 120 degrees.

    Heat indices are the “feels like” temperature, when you factor in the humidity.

    The Texas power grid could reach a record high for usage next week, as temperatures stay in the triple digits for at least the next week.

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  • Gov. Greg Abbott’s First Group Of Texas Migrants Arrives in Los Angeles

    Gov. Greg Abbott’s First Group Of Texas Migrants Arrives in Los Angeles

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    Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) announced on Wednesday that a busload of migrants from the state has arrived for the first time in Los Angeles, adding to the growing list of cities that have taken in migrants at Abbott’s order.

    “Los Angeles is a major city that migrants seek to go to, particularly now that its city leaders approved its self-declared sanctuary city status,” Abbott said in a statement released Wednesday evening. “Our border communities are on the frontlines of President Biden’s border crisis, and Texas will continue providing this much-needed relief until he steps up to do his job and secure the border.”

    According to the statement, the migrants were dropped off at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday evening. The arrival follows more than a year after Abbott directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) to charter buses of migrants released from federal custody from Texas to Washington, D.C., as a means of addressing decisions made by President Joe Biden.

    Last year, Biden announced he would end Title 42, a pandemic-era policy put in place during the Donald Trump administration that sent asylum-seekers back across the border to Mexico.

    In his letter to the TDEM in April 2022, Abbott said that Biden’s move would result in an influx of thousands of migrants in Texas, which the U.S. Department of Homeland Security “has no real plan for.” He added that Texas’ resources are “already overwhelmed” and the state would not be able to handle groups of migrants in Texas communities.

    After more than 40 migrants arrived in Los Angeles on Wednesday evening, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Brass released a statement saying that the city has executed an emergency management plan developed in advance by local, state and federal departments along with nonprofit organizations.

    “It is abhorrent that an American elected official is using human beings as pawns in his cheap political games,” Bass said in the statement. “Shortly after I took office, I directed City Departments to begin planning in the event Los Angeles was on the receiving end of a despicable stunt that Republican Governors have grown so fond of.”

    Despite disapproval of Abbott’s plan, Brass emphasized that Los Angeles “seeks to treat all people with dignity and compassion” and “will not be swayed or moved by petty politicians playing with human lives.”

    “For everything that we do, we will continue to lock arms and we will continue to lead. And we will always put people’s health and well being over politics,” she said.

    Migrants who were sent on a bus from Texas line a sidewalk near the U.S. Capitol on Aug. 11, 2022.

    Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

    Abbott has been busing migrants over the past year to other cities, including New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia and, most recently, Denver. According to the Texas Tribune, the state has sent more than 19,000 migrants to these cities, prompting city officials to speak out.

    Last month, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot wrote a letter to Abbott urging him to stop sending migrants to the city, which she described as a “dangerous and inhumane action.” Chicago has received more than 8,000 men, women and children from Texas since August and was facing a lack of shelter and resources.

    “None of these urgent needs were addressed in Texas,” Lightfoot said, referencing how nearly all of the migrants were in dire need of food, water, clothing and medical care. “Instead, these individuals and families were packed onto buses and shipped across the country like freight without regard to their personal circumstances.”

    Several groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, as well as politicians have spoken out against Abbott’s migrant busing program. In April, the Texas Democratic Party said that Abbott is trying to “demonize immigrants.”

    “For years, Texas Republicans have looked to the Southern Border as a wedge issue, creating a narrative that stirs up emotions but neglects the truth,” the Texas Democratic Party said in a statement.

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  • Houston Police K-9 dies from heat exhaustion after being left in a patrol car when the engine unexpectedly shut off, officials say | CNN

    Houston Police K-9 dies from heat exhaustion after being left in a patrol car when the engine unexpectedly shut off, officials say | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Houston police are investigating the death of a 4-year-old K-9 who suffered heat exhaustion Monday after being left in an air-conditioned patrol car when the engine unexpectedly shut off, police said.

    Houston Police Department K-9 vehicles are equipped with a system that notifies the handler, activates cooling fans and rolls down the windows should a vehicle shut down, police said. However, “this did not happen in this instance,” the Houston Police Department said in a news release.

    When the handler returned to the vehicle, he found the dog in distress. The K-9 was taken to a clinic but ultimately died from the heat, the release stated.

    “Please keep Aron’s handler and the entire K-9 team in your prayers as they mourn the loss of Aron,” police said, adding that Aron had served with the department for about a year and a half.

    “The handler left Aron in a running, air-conditioned patrol vehicle, which is a necessary and common practice when the K-9 partner is not actively engaged in police work,” the statement said. “All HPD vehicles that transport K-9s will immediately be inspected by the vendor to ensure the systems are working properly.”

    The National Weather Service in Houston has been warning residents of heat index values this week that can reach as high as 108 degrees Fahrenheit. On Monday, the city experienced a high temperature of 95 degrees Fahrenheit, according to CNN Weather.

    When temperatures are 90 degrees, the interior of a car can soar as high as 109 degrees in just 10 minutes, some experts say. Dogs don’t sweat and must cool off primarily through panting, according to animal rights advocacy group PETA, and can die from a heatstroke quickly even if the car is parked in shade with slightly open windows.

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  • Transgender and nonbinary people are often sidelined at Pride. This year is different

    Transgender and nonbinary people are often sidelined at Pride. This year is different

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    HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Kara Murphy, a transgender woman helping to organize the Union County Pride in a suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina, is heartened to see Pride celebrations across the country, big and small, shining a spotlight on transgender rights this year.

    “When we look and see who’s standing up for us, it kind of signals the strength of the movement,” she said.

    Whether it’s transgender grand marshals at the massive New York City Pride parade or a photo display of transgender victims of violence at the much smaller festival in Hastings, Nebraska, many celebrations this June are taking a public stand against state legislation targeting transgender people.

    Some Prides are putting transgender people front and center at events where they’ve often been sidelined because of a historical emphasis on gay and lesbian rights, along with the same sorts of prejudice and misinformation held by many straight, cisgender people about trans lives.

    The growing number of new laws and policies, including restrictions on gender-affirming care, public bathroom use and participation in sports, has prompted Pride organizers to more fully embrace a segment of the LGBTQ+ populace that hasn’t always felt included.

    While trans activists have always been integral to steps toward greater LGBTQ+ rights, “too often, the larger LGBTQ movement ignored or even actively erased the voices of trans and nonbinary folks,” Kierra Johnson, executive director of the National LGBTQ Task Force, said in an email.

    “Uplifting trans voices and fighting for trans liberation must be at the forefront of our movement” when the rights of transgender and nonbinary people are “under a coordinated attack,” Johnson said.

    “We are specifically standing by and being supportive of those who are transgender, because we understand that they’re under assault, that their rights are under assault,” said Jonathan Swindle, organizer of Pride in Corpus Christi, Texas. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott recently signed legislation that would make Texas the most populous state to ban gender-affirming treatments for minors. At least 20 others have similar bans.

    This year, Swindle said, steps to show solidarity include displaying the blue, pink and white transgender flag, offering Pride T-shirts in just pink and blue, involving trans advocacy groups at events, and offering resources for trans people, including legal help with changing gender designations.

    Smaller events are also planned that bring people together, but Swindle said those won’t be widely advertised because of security concerns and potential threats. This year, he said, “the static in the air and the temperament is so much different” from 2022, when Pride seemed more celebratory.

    One transgender board member, he noted, abruptly resigned last month and deactivated their social media accounts because they didn’t want to be in the public eye.

    “This year, it’s like no, we have to fight through our messaging, as well as reach the young generation to help them understand that it’s going to be OK,” Swindle said. “Yes, they’re doing this, but we will be there. There are resources for you.”

    Prides across the U.S. are using the annual event, often held in June to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall rebellion in New York City — an uprising partly led by trans women of color — to highlight their support for transgender people.

    Many are also supporting the drag community, which has also been the target of protests and legislation.

    In Reading, Pennsylvania, Pride organizer Enrique Castro Jr. said that instead of a parade, a march dedicated to both the trans and drag-performer communities is planned. In addition to displays of flags honoring those communities, there will be a rally afterward at which Dr. Ashley Grant, a specialist in gender-affirming care, will speak and march with the group to her clinic.

    The recent Pride in Hastings, a central Nebraska city of 25,000, was “edgier” than past years, acknowledged organizer Randal Kottwitz. With the theme “Rise Up” and dedicated to victims of trans violence, it included a speech by state Sen. Michela Cavanaugh, who told the crowd, “You are loved and you matter.” She led the unsuccessful fight against legislation signed into law by Republican Gov. Jim Pillen that bans abortion at 12 weeks of pregnancy and restricts gender-affirming medical care for people younger than 19.

    In New York City, where this year’s Pride theme is “Strength in Solidarity,” organizers selected representatives of the trans community to be among the grand marshals of the June 25 parade. There are also plans to have a float carrying transgender people of color.

    AC Dumlao, chief of staff for Athlete Ally, a group that advocates on behalf of LGBTQ and intersex athletes, and a transgender, nonbinary Filipino American, is one of the grand marshals. They welcome the attention at Pride this year.

    “It’s really important for me to take this opportunity and attention to spotlight kind of what is happening across the country,” said Dumlao, noting how nearly half of U.S. states have banned trans athletes from playing in school sports. With a draw of about 2 million spectators on hand, they said the often-televised parade is a great opportunity to spread the message that trans athletes have “always been here.”

    Murphy said the number of expected spectators at her Pride in North Carolina, planned for September, will be tiny in comparison with New York and won’t include a parade — but that the message will be no less meaningful.

    “You can do so much just person to person, just walking around, meeting people at Pride,” she said, noting how the festival becomes an opportunity for people to tap into an informal network of people who might know a therapist or doctor or have a trans child who is trying to make friends.

    “At this kind of a rural area, you don’t get the big demonstrations. You get the little assistance, person to person to person to person, that kind of starts to add up,” she said. “And yeah, if I could, we would have just a trans pride parade on Main Street if I could, but I can’t do that.”

    In Connecticut, where restrictions on transgender people are not being proposed, organizers of the Middletown Pride still placed a major focus on trans rights in this year’s events, which Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont attended.

    “Just seeing everything that’s happening in the legislation (elsewhere), we definitely wanted to make it a priority,” said Haley Stafford, event coordinator for the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce which helps to organize Middletown Pride. “Just because it’s not happening to us right now doesn’t mean that it can’t end up happening further down the line.”

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  • Austin Pets Alive! | Heat Safety Tips for Pets

    Austin Pets Alive! | Heat Safety Tips for Pets

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    Jun 12, 2023

    The summer heat has arrived. Let’s make sure we keep our pets safe!

    With most summer days reaching at least 90 degrees in Austin, Texas, Austin Pets Alive! is alerting pet owners to exercise caution on these hot days. Temperatures like these can be very dangerous for pets, especially dogs, leading to dehydration and in some cases, death.

    As we moved into these summer months, be sure to follow these helpful pointers:

    • Check the pavement before going on a walk. Place your hand on it for 10 full seconds. If it’s too hot for you, it’s too hot for them. Know the signs – lagging is the number one sign that your dog is too hot.
    • Water, water, water! Make sure your pet has access to plenty of fresh water to drink. And if your pet likes to swim, offering a safe swimming option is an excellent way to keep cool
    • Keep an eye on your pet’s tongue and eyes. Red eyes and a tongue hanging very far out of a dog’s mouth is an indication that they are overheating.
    • Limit afternoon outdoor activity.Take short walks in shaded area or consider early morning or evening strolls.
    • NEVER leave your pet in the car unattended, not een for a short period of time. Did you know that on a 95-degree day, your car’s interior can reach 100+ degrees within 10 minutes?

    There are other summer heat tips that are less commonly heard about but are just as important such as supervising your pet in the pool. To avoid a dangerous situation, consider fencing off or covering your pool for when you aren’t home. Another tip to keep in mind is that when grooming your pet, avoid cutting their hair too short. Their fur helps combat sunburns and regulate body temperature. For these upcoming summer months, pet sunscreen is a great investment – we bet you didn’t know it was a thing!

    Don’t have a pool for your water-loving dog? While Austin has plenty of bodies of water to explore, some may not be appropriate for your dog due to the toxic blue-green algae that has cropped up over the last few years. Make sure to familiarize yourself with the latest information here!

    Dogs most susceptible to heatstroke are overweight dogs, dogs with long fur, short nose dogs, senior dogs, and those who have lung or breathing issues. It’s important to remember that dogs only sweat through their mouth, feet, and ears, which is why they suffer from heat exhaustion faster than humans.  So, even though you may be tolerating the heat, your dog may be suffering.

    To help keep pet safety top of mind at a popular Austin-outdoor fave location, we’ve posted signage around the trail looping Lady Bird Lake.  Be on the lookout for those tips and warnings!

    Austin Pets Alive! wants to keep all pet lovers informed and our furry friends safe from the Texas summer heat! Follow our friendly tips and refer back when needed for a fun, safe summer!

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  • FBI arrests Nate Paul, businessman linked to impeachment of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton

    FBI arrests Nate Paul, businessman linked to impeachment of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton

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    The FBI on Thursday arrested a businessman at the center of the scandal that led to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s historic impeachment, a move that came amid new questions about the men’s dealings raised by financial records the Republican’s lawyers made public to try to clear him of bribery allegations.

    Nate Paul, 36, was taken into custody by federal agents and booked into an Austin jail in the afternoon, according to Travis County Sheriff’s Office records. It was not immediately clear what charges led to his arrest, but the records showed he was being held on a federal detainer for a felony.

    Paul’s arrest followed a yearslong federal investigation into the Austin real estate developer — a probe that Paxton involved his office in, setting off a chain of events that ultimately led to his impeachment last month.

    Lawyers for Paul did not immediately respond to requests for comment. One of Paxton’s defense attorneys, Dan Cogdell, said he had no additional information on the arrest. The FBI declined to comment, and a spokesman for federal prosecutors in West Texas did not respond to inquiries.

    FBI agents examining Paul’s troubled real estate empire searched his Austin offices and palatial home in 2019. The next year, eight of Paxton ‘s top deputies reported the attorney general to the FBI on allegations of bribery and abusing his office to help Paul, including by hiring an outside lawyer to examine the developer’s claims of wrongdoing by federal agents.

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton
    July 29th, 2015 Austin, Texas USA: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton testifies in front of the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services, just a few days before a grand jury indicts him on three felonies.Two charges of first-degree securities fraud and one count of third-degree failure to register. Paxton is expected to surrender on August 3rd, 2015

    Robert Daemmrich Photography Inc/Corbis via Getty Images


    The allegations by Paxton’s staff prompted an FBI investigation, which remains ongoing, and are central to articles of impeachment overwhelmingly approved by the GOP-led state House of Representatives.

    On Wednesday, Paxton’s defense team showed a packed room of journalists a bank statement that included a 2020 wire transfer purportedly showing him, and not a donor, paying more than $120,000 for a home renovation.

    The wire transfer was dated Oct. 1, 2020 — the same day Paxton’s deputies signed a letter informing the head of human resources at the Texas attorney general’s office that they had reported Paxton to the FBI.

    The $121,000 payment was to Cupertino Builders, whose manager was an associate of Paul, state corporation and court records show.

    The company did not incorporate as a business in Texas until more than three weeks after the transaction took place. A company of the same name was formed in Delaware in April of that year, although public filings there do not make clear who is behind it.

    Last year a court-appointed overseer for some of Paul’s companies wrote in a report that Cupertino Builders was used for “fraudulent transfers” from his business to Narsimha Raju Sagiraju, who was convicted of fraud in California in 2016. The report described Sagiraju as Paul’s “friend.”

    Paul, who also employed a woman with whom Paxton acknowledged having an extramarital affair, has denied bribing Paxton. In a deposition, Paul described Sagiraju as an “independent contractor” and said he didn’t remember how they first met.

    The timing of the payment — and the identity of who was paid for renovations at Paxton’s home in Austin — was not publicly known before his new legal team held a news conference Wednesday in which they put financial documents on a projector screen while criticizing the impeachment. They were first reported by The Wall Street Journal.


    Ken Paxton headed to Senate trial after impeachment

    01:41

    Tony Buzbee, a prominent Houston attorney who was hired by Paxton over the weekend and led the news conference, said by email Thursday that receipts “clearly demonstrate” Paxton paid for the repairs. He did not address questions about the timing of the payments or Cupertino Builders.

    “Without any evidence the politicians leading this sham impeachment falsely accused General Paxton of not paying for the repairs to his home. That is a lie,” Buzbee said.

    Since becoming just the third sitting official in Texas history to be impeached, Paxton has attacked the proceedings as politically motivated and rushed, saying he was never given the chance to rebut the accusations in the state House.

    “We have the receipts,” Buzbee told reporters Wednesday as the documents flashed onscreen. “This is the type of evidence we tried to offer them once we found out this foolishness was going on.”

    Paxton is temporarily suspended from office pending the outcome of a trial in the Texas Senate that is set to begin no later than Aug. 28. The jury will be the members of the 31-seat Senate; one of them, Paxton’s wife, Sen. Angela Paxton, has not said whether she will recuse herself.

    The Paxtons purchased the Austin house in 2018. When it was remodeled two years later, Paxton’s former staff alleged in court documents, Paul “was involved in” the work.

    Among the 20 articles of impeachment are accusations that Paxton used the power of his office to help Paul over unproven claims of an elaborate conspiracy to steal $200 million of the developer’s properties. The FBI searched Paul’s home in 2019, but he has not been charged and his attorneys have denied wrongdoing.

    The city has no record of building permits from the time of the renovations. A different Austin contractor — not Cupertino Builders — received a federal grand jury subpoena in 2021 for records related to work on Paxton’s home that started in January 2020.

    Cupertino Builders was formed in October 2020 and dissolved less than two years later, according to Texas corporation records. Its manager was Sagiraju, who said in a deposition for an unrelated case that he did “consulting” work for Paul’s business and had an email address with Paul’s company.

    Sagiraju acknowledged that he served prison time for securities fraud and grand theft in California before moving to Austin, according to a transcript of the deposition. He said he was first introduced to Paul by a mutual friend before his prison term and they later did “a few projects” together.

    A lawyer for Sagiraju did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

    Paxton was separately indicted on securities fraud charges in 2015, though he has yet to stand trial.

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  • FBI Arrests Texas Businessman Linked To Impeachment Of AG Ken Paxton

    FBI Arrests Texas Businessman Linked To Impeachment Of AG Ken Paxton

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    AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The FBI on Thursday arrested a businessman at the center of the scandal that led to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s historic impeachment, a move that came amid new questions about the men’s dealings raised by financial records the Republican’s lawyers made public to try to clear him of bribery allegations.

    Nate Paul, 36, was taken into custody by federal agents and booked into an Austin jail in the afternoon, according Travis County Sheriff’s Office records. It was not immediately clear what charges led to his arrest, but the records showed he was being held on a federal detainer for a felony.

    Paul’s arrest followed a yearslong federal investigation into the Austin real estate developer — a probe that Paxton involved his office in, setting off a chain of events that ultimately led to his impeachment last month.

    Lawyers for Paul did not immediately respond to requests for comment.One of Paxton’s defense attorneys, Dan Cogdell, said he had no additional information on the arrest. The FBI declined to comment, and a spokesman for federal prosecutors in West Texas did not respond to inquires.

    FBI agents examining Paul’s troubled real estate empire searched his Austin offices and palatial home in 2019. The next year, seven of Paxton ’s top deputies reported the attorney general to the FBI on allegations of bribery and abusing his office to help Paul, including by hiiring an outside lawyer to examine the developer’s claims of wrongdoing by federal agents.

    The allegations by Paxton’s staff prompted separate FBI investigation of the attorney general, which remains ongoing, and are central to articles of impeachment overwhelmingly approved by the GOP-led state House of Representatives.

    On Wednesday, Paxton’s defense team showed a packed room of journalists a bank statement that included a 2020 wire transfer purportedly showing him, and not a donor, paying more than $120,000 for a home renovation.

    The wire transfer was dated Oct. 1, 2020 — the same day Paxton’s deputies signed a letter informing the head of human resources at the Texas attorney general’s office that they had reported Paxton to the FBI.

    The $121,000 payment was to Cupertino Builders, whose manager was an associate of Paul, state corporation and court records show.

    The company did not incorporate as a business in Texas until more than three weeks after the transaction took place. A company of the same name was formed in Delaware in April of that year, although public filings there do not make clear who is behind it.

    Last year a court-appointed overseer for some of Paul’s companies wrote in a report that Cupertino Builders was used for “fraudulent transfers” from his business to Narsimha Raju Sagiraju, who was convicted of fraud in California in 2016. The report described Sagiraju as Paul’s “friend.”

    Paul, who also employed a woman with whom Paxton acknowledged having an extramarital affair, has denied bribing Paxton. In a deposition, Paul described Sagiraju as an “independent contractor” and said he didn’t remember how they first met.

    The timing of the payment — and the identity of who was paid for renovations at Paxton’s home in Austin — was not publicly known before his new legal team held a news conference Wednesday in which they put financial documents on a projector screen while criticizing the impeachment. They were first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

    Tony Buzbee, a prominent Houston attorney who was hired by Paxton over the weekend and led the news conference, said by email Thursday that receipts “clearly demonstrate” Paxton paid for the repairs. He did not address questions about the timing of the payments or Cupertino Builders.

    “Without any evidence the politicians leading this sham impeachment falsely accused General Paxton of not paying for the repairs to his home. That is a lie,” Buzbee said.

    Since becoming just the third sitting official in Texas history to be impeached, Paxton has attacked the proceedings as politically motivated and rushed, saying he was never given the chance to rebut the accusations in the state House.

    “We have the receipts,” Buzbee told reporters Wednesday as the documents flashed onscreen. “This is the type of evidence we tried to offer them once we found out this foolishness was going on.”

    Paxton is temporarily suspended from office pending the outcome of a trial in the Texas Senate that is set to begin no later than Aug. 28. The “jury” will be the members of the 31-seat Senate; one of them, Paxton’s wife, Sen. Angela Paxton, has not said whether she will recuse herself.

    The Paxtons purchased the Austin house in 2018. When it was remodeled two years later, Paxton’s former staff alleged in court documents, Paul “was involved in” the work.

    Among the 20 articles of impeachment are accusations that Paxton used the power of his office to help Paul over unproven claims of an elaborate conspiracy to steal $200 million of the developer’s properties. The FBI searched Paul’s home in 2019, but he has not been charged and his attorneys have denied wrongdoing.

    The city has no record of building permits from the time of the renovations. A different Austin contractor — not Cupertino Builders — received a federal grand jury subpoena in 2021 for records related to work on Paxton’s home that started in January 2020.

    Cupertino Builders was formed in October 2020 and dissolved less than two years later, according to Texas corporation records. Its manager was Sagiraju, who said in a deposition for an unrelated case that he did “consulting” work for Paul’s business and had an email address with Paul’s company.

    Sagiraju acknowledged that he served prison time for securities fraud and grand theft in California before moving to Austin, according to a transcript of the deposition. He said he was first introduced to Paul by a mutual friend before his prison term and they later did “a few projects” together.

    A lawyer for Sagiraju did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

    Paxton was separately indicted on securities fraud charges in 2015, though he has yet to stand trial. ___ Bleiberg reported from Dallas. Associated Press journalists Adam Kealoha Causey in Dallas and Derek Karikari in New York contributed.

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  • Gov. Greg Abbott Announces Texas Will Secure Its Border With Buoys

    Gov. Greg Abbott Announces Texas Will Secure Its Border With Buoys

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    Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Thursday that Texas will immediately begin the process of securing its border with Mexico with a “water-based barrier” of buoys in the Rio Grande.

    “We’re securing the border at the border,” the Republican governor said at a news conference Thursday. “What these buoys will allow us to do is to prevent people from even getting to the border.”

    Abbott said that the Texas Legislature appropriated $5.1 billion to secure the border and that Steve McCraw, the director of the Department of Public Safety, and Thomas Suelzer, a general in the National Guard, “came together to employ this strategy.”

    “Today, public enemy number one are the Mexican cartels,” McCraw said at the news conference. “The most powerful and ruthless and violent criminal organization in the world right now. They impact every community in Texas.”

    McCraw said the first 1,000 feet of buoys will be placed along the river by Eagle Pass, which borders Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico.

    McCraw said “nobody” should try to get into the U.S. between the ports of entrance, calling it “dangerous” and a risk to migrants’ lives.

    “We don’t want anybody to get hurt,” he said. “In fact, we want to prevent people from getting hurt, prevent people from drowning.”

    David Donatti, an attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, said in a statement to HuffPost that the buoys will not address anything real.

    “The chain of buoys along the Rio Grande is just the latest in a chain of gifts from the state to private contractors to fuel the governor’s manufactured crisis at the border,” he said. “The floating balls will not address the real and important reasons people are coming to the United States. The buoys are a blight on Texas’s moral conscience.”

    Neither Abbott nor DPS immediately responded to requests for comment.

    At the beginning of the news conference, before signing several bills about securing the border into law, Abbott said the federal government had failed to secure Texas’ border with Mexico.

    “As a result, Texas has had to take unprecedented steps in responding to the crisis caused by the Biden administration on the border. And in response, the Texas Legislature has stepped up to make sure that we will be able to more robustly respond.”

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  • ‘Home is like jail’: Afghan soldier who helped the US weathers injuries, uncertainty in asylum bid

    ‘Home is like jail’: Afghan soldier who helped the US weathers injuries, uncertainty in asylum bid

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    HOUSTON (AP) — The April visit to a Houston clinic was just one of a never-ending assembly line of medical appointments Abdul Wasi Safi has had since his January release from an immigration detention center.

    The former Afghan soldier, called Wasi by family and friends, sat in a dental chair and conversed in Pashto with his older brother Sami as Carrie Underwood’s “Cowboy Casanova” played in the background. It was a scene thousands of miles from the places he’d been the past two years.

    After the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, fear of retribution from the Taliban for sharing information with American soldiers while he was an intelligence officer drove Wasi Safi to flee to Brazil. The goal? Reaching the U.S. and applying for asylum.

    He eventually made it after crossing 10 countries, but the journey came at a high cost. A brutal beating by police officers in Panama severely damaged his teeth and jaw and left him with permanent hearing loss.

    Wasi Safi didn’t appear nervous during his visit to the San José Clinic, a facility that serves low income and uninsured individuals. But dentist Michael Wisnoski still reassured him, telling him it was going to be an “easy day.” He got two fillings but more complicated dental work loomed ahead.

    Easy days for Wasi Safi have been few. His mind races with worry about his health. There’s also the uncertainty of whether he’ll be granted asylum. And he feels powerless to help his parents and other siblings, who have been threatened back in Afghanistan.

    “I am scared for my life. I don’t know about my future. I don’t know what this government, what the United States (will) do with me,” Wasi Safi said.

    It’s fear and frustration felt by other Afghans in the U.S. as well as by immigration activists, attorneys and others, who ask that those who were evacuated from Afghanistan receive permanent legal status and those left behind be given a path to safety.

    “I do think that our government needs to take responsibility and figure out how to fix it, because these are people who helped us,” said Debbie Berman, an attorney with the Chicago-based law firm Jenner & Block that’s representing Afghans still trying to flee their country.

    More than 88,500 Afghans who worked with American soldiers as translators and in other capacities since 2001 have arrived in the U.S. on military planes since the chaotic withdrawal, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Most were admitted under a program called humanitarian parole that grants them some legal status, including the ability to work.

    However, many others were left behind and some, like Wasi Safi, made their way to the U.S. on their own — seeking the fulfillment of a promise of protection the U.S. made to its Afghan allies. It’s a promise many feel has been broken.

    Wasi Safi’s monthslong journey on foot and by boat last year took him through raging rivers and dense jungle to the U.S.-Mexico border, where he was arrested in September and sent to a Texas detention center. With the help of lawyers and lawmakers, he was freed and reunited with his brother, who was a translator for the U.S. military and has lived in Houston since 2015.

    Wasi Safi’s attorneys didn’t return calls or emails seeking comment on his asylum case.

    His arrest at the border and the expedited removal order that remains in place likely complicate his asylum case, said Alex Miller, with the American Immigration Council, an advocacy group.

    “It just is an incredible uphill battle,” said Miller.

    Wasi Safi and other Afghans seeking legal status in the U.S. are doing so within an already backlogged immigration system.

    “They’re just being added to this pile that the immigration judges are” handling, said Aleksandar Cuic, director of the Immigration Clinic at the School of Law at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

    The Afghan Adjustment Act, a proposed law to streamline their immigration process, has stalled in Congress. As of the end of April, only about 8,100 applications for asylum or special visas for Afghans employed by the U.S. government had been approved, according to Homeland Security.

    Wasi Safi was set to plead his case for asylum before an immigration judge in July. But that’s been delayed to December. The postponement was a gut punch for the Safi brothers.

    “Every time I’m having a piece of hope, they somehow take the hope away from me,” said Sami Safi, 30.

    Wasi Safi’s unresolved immigration status has meant he’s not authorized to work. It’s also left him afraid to leave his Houston home.

    “Home is like jail for me. I hope they give me my paper (legal documentation) and I start my life,” Wasi Safi said.

    If home is a cage, the Al-Noor Society of Greater Houston, a mosque in the city’s diverse Gulfton neighborhood, has provided some outside solace.

    In the midst of Ramadan on a Friday in April, the mosque’s main prayer hall was filled with about 200 men and boys, some wearing Houston Astros jerseys or carrying bags emblazoned with the Texas flag.

    “That’s why we come to mosque … asking God almighty to guide us, in the path of success, in the path of comfort,” Sami Safi said.

    Zahoor Gire, Al Noor’s executive director, said the mosque is a place not just for prayer but a resource for many of the newly arrived from Afghanistan and other countries.

    Community groups like Al Noor are the ones that help provide long-term support — including job training and activities for children — once the initial federal help ends, Gire said.

    Ericka Pertierra, a local businesswoman who’s helped several Afghan families resettle in Houston, has taken on Wasi Safi’s case. Using her fundraising skills, Pertierra gathered money for his lawyers and persuaded doctors and dentists she knows to donate their services.

    “They deserve it. They served our country,” Pertierra said of the brothers.

    She’s trying to raise more money through a GoFundMe campaign for Wasi Safi’s long-term medical needs.

    On May 23, Wasi Safi turned 27 years old. But eating birthday cake was out of the question due to pain from recent gum surgery.

    “He says, ‘I’ll celebrate my birthday when I’m feeling better,’” Sami Safi said.

    ___

    Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter: twitter.com/juanlozano70

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  • California investigating migrant flights

    California investigating migrant flights

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    California investigating migrant flights – CBS News


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    California’s attorney general is investigating two flights that carried migrants from Texas to Sacramento. California is blaming Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for the flights and says they might have been illegal. Elise Preston reports.

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  • Rural Texas high school will now hold graduation after majority of senior class meets requirements | CNN

    Rural Texas high school will now hold graduation after majority of senior class meets requirements | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    A rural Texas high school that had postponed graduation after only five of 33 seniors initially met requirements says a majority of seniors are now on track to graduate on June 22.

    Marlin Independent School District Superintendent Darryl J. Henson told CNN Tuesday that 33 of 38 seniors at Marlin High School this week met all requirements for graduation.

    “The remaining five seniors are attending our extended school year program and are on-track to complete all requirements before the June 22 graduation date,” Henson said via email.

    “We knew that with extra support and accountability, all seniors would meet the requirements outlined by the Texas Education Agency,” Henson added.

    Marlin ISD serves 880 student in Marlin, about 25 miles southeast of Waco.

    The district had announced late last month the small high school had to postpone its graduation ceremony after an end-of-year review revealed only five seniors had met the requirements to graduate, according to the superintendent.

    The district rescheduled the ceremony for June, according to a letter posted on Facebook on May 24. “The decision by the high school to postpone graduation will provide more time for students to meet necessary requirements for graduation,” it said.

    Many students at the school “did not meet requirements due to attendance or grades,” the letter stated.

    The school district added in the notice that it has “affirmed its commitment to providing necessary resources and support for students.

    Henson had called a mandatory meeting for parents of seniors last month.

    “The state of Texas has guidelines for graduation,” Henson said at the meeting. “This is not a dance floor. … It’s not a homecoming pep rally. This is graduation.”

    After some students made up classroom hours and assignments last month, 17 additional students were made eligible for graduation in June, according to Henson at the time.

    The community responded with an informal graduation ceremony at a church on May 27, the day the students were originally meant to graduate, according to CNN affiliate KWTX. Some family members flew in from as far as Mexico for the canceled graduation and would be unable to make a second trip for the rescheduled ceremony in June, KWTX reported.

    According to Marlin High Schools’ Texas Schools report card, 98.7% of the school’s students come from an economically disadvantaged background. A total of 229 students were enrolled at the school in the 2021-22 school year.

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  • California probing migrant flights that arrived from Texas

    California probing migrant flights that arrived from Texas

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    California probing migrant flights that arrived from Texas – CBS News


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    Two flights carrying migrants from Texas to California are under investigation. The most recent flight touched down on Monday in Sacramento. CBS News correspondent Elise Preston reports from the Golden State capital.

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  • 16 migrants flown to California on chartered jet and left outside church:

    16 migrants flown to California on chartered jet and left outside church:

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    Sixteen Venezuelan and Colombian migrants who entered the country through Texas were flown to California by chartered plane and dropped off outside a church in Sacramento, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and migrant rights advocates said Saturday.

    The young men and women were dropped off Friday outside the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento with only a backpack’s worth of belongings each, said Eddie Carmona, campaign director at PICO California, a faith-based community organizing group that has been assisting the migrants.

    The migrants had already been processed by U.S. immigration officials and given court dates for their asylum cases when “individuals representing a private contractor” approached them outside a migrant center in El Paso, Texas, Carmona said. They offered to help the migrants get jobs and get them to their final destination, he said.

    “They were lied to and intentionally deceived,” Carmona said, adding that the migrants had no idea where they were after being dropped off in Sacramento.

    Newsom said he and state Attorney General Rob Bonta met with the group of migrants on Saturday and learned they were transported from Texas to New Mexico and then flown by private chartered jet to Sacramento.

    In a statement Saturday night, Bonta said the migrants had documents “purporting to be from the government of the state of Florida.”

    “State-sanctioned kidnapping is not a public policy choice, it is immoral and disgusting,” Bonta wrote. 

    Migrants After The Expiration Of Title 42
    A migrant from Venezuela at a bus stop in El Paso, Texas, on May 16, 2023. 

    Jordan Vonderhaar/Bloomberg via Getty Images


    Bonta said his agency was “investigating the circumstances by which these individuals were brought to California,” and was “evaluating the potential criminal or civil action against those who transported or arranged for the transport of these vulnerable immigrants.”

    Newsom said he is also working with the California Department of Justice to find out who paid for the group’s travel and “whether the individuals orchestrating this trip misled anyone with false promises or have violated any criminal laws, including kidnapping.”

    “We are working closely with the mayor’s office, along with local and nonprofit partners to ensure the people who have arrived are treated with respect and dignity, and get to their intended destination as they pursue their immigration cases,” Newsom said in a statement.

    In the last year, Republican governors in Texas and Florida have been busing and flying migrants to Democratic strongholds without advance warning as part of a campaign to focus attention on what they say are the Biden administration’s failed border policies. 

    Last month, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said his state had started busing migrants to Denver, Colorado.

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  • Texas AG Ken Paxton’s wife may vote in his impeachment trial over corruption and affair

    Texas AG Ken Paxton’s wife may vote in his impeachment trial over corruption and affair

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    After the Texas House of Representatives voted last week to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton for alleged bribery, obstruction of justice and abuse of office, the senate must now serve as jury in his impeachment trial —and among the senators who will decide the fate of the attorney general is his wife, Angela Paxton.

    Ken Paxton has been suspended after being accused, among other things, of using his position to secure a job for a woman with whom he was having an affair. The state’s Constitution says that all senators must now serve as jurors in his trial, putting Angela Paxton at the center of the state’s political storm.

    Rep. Andrew Murr, the head of the House committee that was investigating Paxton, did not answer reporters’ questions on Monday if Angela Paxton would recuse herself from the vote, which could remove the attorney general from office, and she did not return a request for comment. 

    Ken Paxton denies the allegations. Over the weekend he posted photos on social media with some of his children and grandchildren, writing “there’s nothing better than a weekend spent with loved ones.”

    Texas Attorney General Impeachment
    Texas state Sen. Angela Paxton, R-McKinney, wife of impeached state Attorney General Ken Paxton, sits in the Senate Chamber at the Texas Capitol in Austin, Texas, Monday, May 29, 2023. 

    Eric Gay / AP


    What does Ken Paxton’s alleged affair have to do with the impeachment?

    Many of the allegations against Paxton stem from his relationship with Austin real estate developer Nate Paul, a campaign donor. According to the House Investigating Committee, the attorney general misused his office to help Paul with a fraud lawsuit, against the advice of his deputy attorney general.

    In return, the articles of impeachment against Paxton allege Paul rewarded Paxton with a home remodeling and that he “benefited from Nate Paul’s employment of a woman with whom Paxton was having an extramarital affair.”

    “Paul received favorable legal assistance from, or specialized access to the office of the attorney general,” the articles of impeachment said. 

    According to Rep. Ann Johnson, a member of the House Investigating Committee, having the San Antonio woman employed in Austin made her “more convenient” to Paxton.

    Erin Epley, lead counsel for the House Investigating Committee,  said that when members of the attorney general’s staff found out about the affair, they were retaliated against. 

    “There are also people on staff who, for example, found out about the affair and confronted Attorney General Ken Paxton who ended up with a pay raise but moved out of their scope of employment with less access with less control,” Epley said. 

    Did Angela Paxton know about the alleged affair?

    Epley said Angela Paxton found out about the affair in 2019. 

    “The affair was not public,” Epley said last week. “There was a desire to keep it private, according to these interviews, and the interviews establish that now-Senator Angela Paxton learned of the affair in 2019, that the affair ended briefly, but then it resumed and was underway again by 2020.” 

    Who is Angela Paxton? 

    According to her website, Angela Paxton was adopted as a child and became the first person in her family to attend college. She and Ken Paxton met as students at Baylor University and they married in 1986.

    According to the Texas Tribune, June 1 is “I love you day,” or the anniversary of the first time Ken told her he loved her. 

    Angela and Ken Paxton have four adult children and three grandchildren.

    Angela Paxton was a math teacher and school counselor before she successfully ran for her husband’s former state senate seat in 2018, representing the Dallas suburbs. The district had gone for former President Donald Trump for more than 9 points in 2016, but she won by barely 2 points in 2018, according to the Texas Tribune, although the Texas GOP lost 12 House seats in that election and lost their supermajority in the state Senate. 

    On the campaign trail, she was known for singing a song that included the lyrics: “I’m a pistol-packing mama whose husband sues Obama.” 

    According to an affidavit from 2022, Angela Paxton drove her husband out of state to avoid being issued a subpoena. 

    Angela Paxton has not recused herself in other matters regarding her husband, including voting on the budget, which sets his salary. She has also been accused of introducing legislation that would directly benefit her husband. 

    What happens now with Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial — and will Angela Paxton recuse herself? 

    Although Republicans hold a 86-64 majority in the Texas House, the chamber voted overwhelmingly to impeach Paxton, 122-23, with one Republican and one Democrat voting present. 

    Republicans hold a 19-12 majority in the state Senate, and removal from office requires two-thirds of the chamber. 

    On Monday, the Texas House appointed 12 impeachment managers, who will present the government’s case against Paxton. The Senate trial will begin no later than Aug. 28, Murr said Monday. 

    When asked by CBS News Texas’ Jack Fink if Angela Paxton will recuse herself, Murr, one of the impeachment managers, replied: “I don’t have a comment on that at this time.”

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  • Texas Lawmakers Set Timeline For Attorney General Ken Paxton’s Impeachment Trial

    Texas Lawmakers Set Timeline For Attorney General Ken Paxton’s Impeachment Trial

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    The impeachment trial of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) will begin no later than Aug. 28, lawmakers said Monday, teeing up the first such proceedings in nearly a half century.

    Texas’ Republican-led House voted to impeach Paxton on Saturday after a state ethics panel recommended he be removed from office following a long investigation into abuse of office. The move came after investigators presented a slate of alleged misdeeds, including bribery, retaliation against staffers and misuse of his position to help a political ally.

    A committee of seven state Senators will meet next month to adopt a slate of rules for the impeachment proceedings. A dozen lawmakers from the state House will make the case to their colleagues that Paxton abused his office.

    It’s unclear if Paxton’s wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton (R), will recuse herself from the proceedings.

    “We will manage this process with the weight and reverence it deserves and requires,” state Rep. Andrew Murr (R), the chairman of the House investigation, told reporters Monday. He did not comment if Paxton’s wife would participate in the trial.

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks to reporters in front of the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, on April 26, 2022.

    STEFANI REYNOLDS via Getty Images

    Paxton, a longtime ally of former President Donald Trump, has lambasted the effort as a political attack and denied any wrongdoing, vowing to vehemently defend himself during the impeachment trial. It’s unclear who will represent him.

    “The ugly spectacle in the Texas House today confirmed the outrageous impeachment plot against me was never meant to be fair or just,” he said in a statement on Saturday. “It was a politically motivated sham from the beginning.”

    Paxton has been suspended from his official duties while the trial moves forward. His top deputy, Brent Webster, is currently leading his office in the interim although Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) will be required to name a more formal temporary replacement.

    It’s a monumental episode in Texas politics and a moment of reckoning for the state’s Republican majority. Only two other officials have ever been impeached and removed from office in state history, and the latest was nearly 50 years ago, according to The Dallas Morning News.

    The investigation into Paxton’s behavior began in March after the attorney general reached a $3.3 million settlement with former staffers that sued him, saying they were fired in retaliation after accusing him of crimes. Paxton asked the Texas Legislature to fund the agreement, but lawmakers balked at the request and said there wasn’t enough explanation as to why the state should foot the bill.

    Paxton has attacked Phelan, the Republican Texas House Speaker, in recent days, accusing him of being drunk during a session last week.

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  • Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial to begin no later than August 28

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial to begin no later than August 28

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    A historic impeachment trial in Texas to determine whether Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton should be permanently removed from office will begin no later than August in the state Senate, where the jury that would determine his future could include his wife, Sen. Angela Paxton.

    Setting the date was one of the last orders of business lawmakers took Monday during a sluggish end to this year’s legislative session in Texas, where the impeachment laid bare fractures in America’s biggest red state beyond whether Republicans will oust one of the GOP’s conservative legal stars.

    It drags Republicans — who for years have pushed fast-changing Texas farther to the right — into a summer of unfinished business and soured feelings that are likely to spill into 2024’s elections.

    Republican Gov. Greg Abbott called for a special session that began at 9 p.m., central time, adding that multiple special sessions would be required.

    At the center of the conflict is Paxton, who the GOP-controlled House overwhelmingly impeached this weekend on charges that include bribery and misuse of office following nearly a decade of scandal and criminal accusations that have dogged the state’s top lawyer. He is suspended from office pending trial in the state Senate, which set a start date of no later than Aug. 28.

    Underlining how Paxton’s impeachment has upended the Texas Capitol, the session ended with a dozen House lawmakers walking across the building and delivering the articles of impeachment to the Senate, where there are 31 senators who could act as jurors.

    In a complicating twist, one of them is Paxton’s wife, Republican Sen. Angela Paxton, who has not spoken publicly since the impeachment or said whether she will recuse herself from the proceedings. She declined to comment Monday when approached by The Associated Press outside the Senate chamber.

    The chairman of the House investigation, Republican state Rep. Andrew Murr, also declined to comment on whether it would be appropriate for Sen. Paxton to participate.

    “We will manage this process with the weight and reverence it deserves and requires,” Murr said.

    The impeachment made for a dramatic finale to the 140-day legislative session in Texas, where Republicans started the year with large GOP majorities following a dominant midterm election, a historic $33 billion surplus and a governor seen as a possible 2024 presidential contender.

    But instead of a smooth victory lap this spring, Republicans spent months clashing with each other over promises to cut property taxes and provide vouchers to public school students, and in the end, delivered neither before time was up. The first special session Abbott announced on Monday would take up the property tax issue as well as border security, he said in a statement.

    Both were priorities of Abbott, who was silent as the session ended. He could also appoint an interim attorney general but has made no public comment about Paxton since impeachment proceedings began last week.

    Among those who have rushed to Paxton’s defense are activists on the GOP’s hard right and former President Donald Trump, the leading contender for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, who over the weekend posted on his social media platform that the governor was “MISSING IN ACTION!”

    In a state where Republicans have controlled every lever of power for decades — and have used that dominance to put Texas out front nationally over contentious measures to restrict abortion and immigration — the failure of several promises in the state Capitol underscored how they do not always move in lockstep.

    “There are certainly battle lines that exist within the Republican Party,” said Brandon Rottinghaus, a professor of political science at the University of Houston. “I don’t think they’re ideological. I think you could read into this that the House is tired of being pressured by far-right Republicans and this is their way of putting in some barriers.”

    The rifts are not new in Texas, and more broadly, Republicans succeed in passing a slew of measures they held up as victories for conservatives, including bans on gender-affirming care and banning offices of diversity, equity and inclusion at the state’s universities.

    They also put Harris County, the third-largest county in the nation that is controlled by Democrats, under new laws that forced them to fire their elections administrator and opens a path for state officials to take greater control over their elections.

    Paxton is only the third sitting official in Texas’ nearly 200-year history to be impeached. He called the House investigation that led up to his impeachment “corrupt” and has broadly denied wrongdoing. The raft of accusations against him include an indictment on securities fraud charges and allegations that he misused his office to try to thwart an FBI investigation into one of his donors.

    “What happened this week is nothing I take pride in,” Phelan told the chamber. “It is not anything I was proud of. But it was necessary. It was just.”

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  • Texas To Ban Diversity, Equity And Inclusion Efforts At Public Universities

    Texas To Ban Diversity, Equity And Inclusion Efforts At Public Universities

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    Texas lawmakers have moved to shutter all diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at publicly funded universities in the state.

    Legislators in both chambers approved the final version of Senate Bill 17 on Sunday and it is now headed to Gov. Greg Abbott (R) to be signed.

    If approved, SB 17 would require Texas’ public universities to dismantle their DEI offices, programs and training in the next six months. The bill also bans institutions from mandating any DEI training as a condition of employment or admission to the university, and orders all hiring practices be “color-blind and sex-neutral.”

    The legislation would not affect course instruction, faculty research, student organizations, guest speakers, data collection or admissions.

    DEI offices have become a fixture on college campuses in recent years. Aiming to support students from diverse backgrounds, DEI departments often aid in recruiting faculty and coordinating mentorships, tutoring and other programs for underrepresented students. Critics say the programs stoke racial division and unfairly prioritize social justice over merit and achievement.

    Legislators in both chambers approved the final version of Senate Bill 17 on Sunday.

    Tamir Kalifa via Getty Images

    Before Texas lawmakers voted on Sunday, Rep. Ron Reynolds (D-Missouri City) warned his colleagues, “Don’t be on the wrong side of history.”

    “Don’t let Texas be the next state to get a travel advisory,” he went on, referring to the NAACP’s recent warning against travel to Florida. “Don’t let the politics of extremism get in the way in the progress that we’ve made over the years.”

    Educators came out in opposition to the bill in a statement from the Texas Conference of the American Association of University Professors on Saturday.

    The organization said it was “deeply disappointed by the conference committee report,” adding “the bill sends a clear message to students, faculty, and staff that our state is not committed to welcoming students from all backgrounds and to building a public higher education system that is truly inclusive and supportive of all.”

    The educators’ group also said it is also worried the legislation could put state universities at risk of losing federal and private grants, which often require applicants to show they are making efforts toward diversity and inclusion.

    Florida was the first to ban universities from using state or federal funds on DEI in early May.

    Similar legislation has been proposed in over a dozen other states, according to an Associated Press analysis found using the bill-tracking software Plural.

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  • Why Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment fight isn’t finished yet

    Why Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment fight isn’t finished yet

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    AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas Legislature already made one historic move with its impeachment of Republican state Attorney General Ken Paxton. Another one is coming.

    The GOP-led House of Representatives on Saturday approved 20 articles of impeachment on sweeping allegations of wrongdoing that have trailed the state’s top lawyer for years, including abuse of office and bribery. The vote immediately suspended Paxton from office.

    But the intraparty brawl in the nation’s largest conservative state, one that even drew political punches Saturday from former President Donald Trump, is far from over. The Republican-controlled Senate will hold a trial of Paxton next, and he and his allies hope conservatives there will save him.

    One member of that chamber is his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, and she could cast a vote on her husband’s political future, which is now in jeopardy in part because of bribery allegations linked to his extra-marital affair.

    THE SENATE

    Impeachment in Texas is similar to the process on the federal level: After the House action, the Senate holds its trial.

    It is yet to be scheduled.

    The House needed just a simple majority of its 149 members to impeach Paxton, and the final 121-23 vote was a landslide. But the threshold for conviction in the Senate trial is higher, requiring a two-thirds majority of its 31 members.

    If that happens, Paxton would be permanently barred from holding office in Texas. Anything less means Paxton is acquitted and can resume his third term as attorney general.

    Paxton bitterly criticized the chamber’s investigation as “corrupt,” secret and conducted so quickly that he and his lawyers were not allowed to mount a defense. He also called Republican House Speaker Dade a “liberal.”

    The Senate is led by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Like Paxton, he is a Republican who has closely allied himself with Trump, and he has driven Texas’ right-wing political and policy push for the last decade. Patrick has yet to comment on the impeachment or the House’s allegations.

    The Senate will set its own trial rules, including whether to take witness testimony and what reports and documents to consider. It could also consider whether to excuse Angela Paxton from voting due to conflict of interest.

    The impeachment charges include bribery related to one of Paxton’s donors, Austin real estate developer Nate Paul, allegedly employing the woman with whom he had the affair in exchange for legal help.

    Another Republican senator with a potential conflict is Sen. Bryan Hughes. The House impeachment articles accuse Paxton of using Hughes as a “straw requestor” for a legal opinion used to protect protect Paul from foreclosure on several properties.

    State law requires all senators to be present for an impeachment trial.

    REPUBLICAN ON REPUBLICAN

    Paxton’s impeachment has been led from the start by his fellow Republicans, in contrast to America’s most prominent recent examples of impeachment.

    Trump’s impeachments in 2020 and 2021 were driven by Democrats who had majority control of the U.S. House. In both cases, the charges they approved failed in the Senate, where Republicans had enough votes to block conviction.

    In Texas, Republicans have large majorities in both chambers, and the state’s GOP leaders hold all levers of influence.

    Paxton called for Republicans to rally to his defense during Saturday’s vote in a peaceful protest at the Capitol. That echoed Trump’s call for protests of his electoral defeat on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob violently stormed the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Paxton spoke at the rally in Washington that day before the insurrection.

    Trump joined the fray in Texas on Saturday, posting on social media a warning to House members that “I will fight you” if they voted to impeach. A few hundred Paxton supporters came to watch from the gallery.

    House Republicans didn’t seem to care. Sixty of them, 71% of the chamber’s GOP caucus, voted to impeach.

    Republican Party Chairman Matt Rinaldi, a Paxton ally, said the party would have to rely on the “principled leadership of the Texas Senate to restore sanity and reason.”

    The move to the Senate could give Paxton’s grass-roots supporters and national figures like Trump time to apply more pressure.

    YEARS IN THE MAKING

    The impeachment reaches back to 2015, when Paxton was indicted on securities fraud charges for which he still has not stood trial. The lawmakers charged Paxton with making false statements to state securities regulators.

    But most of the articles of impeachment stem from his connections to Paul and a remarkable revolt by Paxton’s top deputies in 2020.

    That fall, eight senior aides reported their boss to the FBI, accusing him of bribery and abusing his office to help Paul. Four of them later brought a whistleblower lawsuit. The report prompted a federal criminal investigation that in February was taken over by the U.S. Justice Department’s Washington-based Public Integrity Section.

    The impeachment charges cover myriad accusations related to Paxton’s dealings with Paul. The allegations include attempts to interfere in foreclosure lawsuits and improperly issuing legal opinions to benefit Paul, as well as firing, harassing and interfering with staff who reported what was going on. The bribery charges stem from the affair, as well as Paul allegedly paying for expensive renovations to Paxton’s Austin home.

    The fracas took a toll on the Texas attorney general’s office, long one of the primary legal challengers to Democratic administrations in the White House.

    In the years since Paxton’s staff went to the FBI, the state attorney general’s office has become unmoored by the disarray. Seasoned lawyers have quit over practices they say aim to slant legal work, reward loyalists and drum out dissent.

    In February, Paxton agreed to settle the whistleblower lawsuit brought by the former aides. The $3.3 million payout must be approved by the Legislature, and Phelan has said he doesn’t think taxpayers should foot the bill.

    Shortly after the settlement was reached, the House investigation began.

    TEXAS HISTORY

    Paxton was already likely to be noted in history books for his unprecedented request that the U.S. Supreme Court overturn Biden’s defeat of Trump in 2020. He now is one of just three sitting officials to have been impeached in Texas.

    Gov. James “Pa” Ferguson was removed in 1917 for misapplication of public funds, embezzlement and the diversion of a special fund. State Judge O.P. Carrillo was forced from office in 1975 for personal use of public money and equipment and filing false financial statements.

    ___

    Bleiberg reported from Dallas.

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