ReportWire

Tag: Texas

  • The Latino voter shift comes into focus in South Texas | CNN Politics

    The Latino voter shift comes into focus in South Texas | CNN Politics

    [ad_1]



    CNN
     — 

    What first appeared as statistical noise is now becoming clearer: Historically left-leaning Latino voters are shifting toward the GOP, with the potential to swing major races come November’s midterm elections.

    And with razor-thin margins determining control of Congress, Hispanic communities where Donald Trump unexpectedly made gains in 2020 are coming into sharp focus, especially the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas.

    Here, the battle for Texas’s 15th Congressional District between Republican Monica De La Cruz and Democrat Michelle Vallejo is arguably the state’s most competitive House race and may be a test for Republicans’ appeal among Hispanic Americans.

    Hispanic Americans make up a fifth of registered voters in more than a dozen hotly contested House and Senate races in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Nevada and Texas. While Democrats are still expected to win a majority of Latino voters, their margins appear to be shrinking – dramatically, in some cases.

    “What we’re seeing now is that the GOP has stepped in and helped us get our messaging out to show Latinos their values of faith, family and freedom really align with the Republican Party,” De La Cruz said

    Vallejo argues that the shift is tied to an increase in outside spending by the GOP: “I think the resources and money they’re getting from the outside really does add fuel to their fire. … It’s not deeply connected with the desire from the community to drive up and bring solutions that are specifically from South Texas.”

    For De La Cruz, attending her first Trump rally inspired her to start a career in politics.

    “I was busy raising a family, raising my business,” De La Cruz said. “(Trump) caught my attention to look at national politics and what was happening in DC and say, ‘Those policies don’t reflect me or my values.’”

    The entrepreneur insurance agent and mother of two says she’s a former Democrat whose family voted against Republicans for generations, including her “abuelita.”

    “This area had been under Democrat rule for over 100 years and what we’re seeing here is that Democrats haven’t done anything for us. … (They) just abandoned Latinos and Latinos are seeing that their values of faith, family and freedom just align better with the Republican Party.”

    Part of a trio of Latina Republican congressional nominees on the ballot in South Texas, De La Cruz is attempting to redefine the region’s political tradition alongside Cassy Garcia, a former Ted Cruz aide who is running in the 28th District, and US Rep. Mayra Flores in Texas’ 34th who became the party’s first representative from the Rio Grande Valley in more than a century after winning a special election earlier this year.

    The “triple threat,” as some Republicans call them, are part of a record number of Republican Latino nominees this fall, with many taking a page from Trump’s pro-border wall playbook.

    Asked whether she ever felt insulted by Trump’s rhetoric toward Latino immigrants (“They are bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists,” the then-candidate said when announcing his first presidential run in 2016), De La Cruz, the granddaughter of Mexican immigrants, said his words didn’t turn her away.

    “Honestly, I probably wouldn’t have said things the way he said them, but I think people were able to look past those things because they knew he’s not a politician. He didn’t have a political background. He was a businessman,” said De La Cruz. “He stood up against the establishment and put forth policies that worked for American families.”

    Like her GOP opponent, Vallejo, the Democrat running in Texas’ 15th, is a relatively new to politics and an entrepreneur. She operates the Pulga Los Portales flea market in Alton, which her parents founded some 25 years ago.

    “Our community deserves more attention and more respect,” Vallejo said of the newly drawn district, which would have voted for Trump by nearly 3 percentage points in 2020. “I think that both national parties were leaving us out.”

    Vallejo said Republicans have “demonized” Latino immigrants to score political points.

    “We have pride and dignity and we will not stand for anyone making fun of us, making fun of our community and our culture. We’re deserving and we give a lot back to this country,” she said.

    Running as a progressive in an area that more often elects moderate Democrats, Vallejo defeated her primary opponent by only 35 votes and is campaigning on guaranteed abortion rights, expanding Medicaid and Medicare, and raising the minimum wage to $15.

    “There are a lot of issues being ignored,” Vallejo said. “It’s time we see a change for South Texas, and we need progressive, bold policies … so that we finally get a voice at the table.”

    Vallejo points to outside influence and spending to account for the GOP’s gains in the area, saying, “Outside interests did see an opportunity to swoop in, pouring millions and millions of dollars to pretty much buy up our seat.”

    As for Latinos who drifted from Democrats to support Trump, Vallejo said she “looks forward to hopefully earning their support.”

    “I’m fighting for all our families here in South Texas, whether they’re Republican, independent or people who have never felt engaged by the political system before,” she said.

    Polling indicates that Latino voters are more likely than any other ethnic groups to cite the economy or inflation as the most important issue facing the country. But other issues, such as immigration and abortion, also loom large.

    “It’s become so difficult. … Supply chain issues are a big problem. And inflation – we used to pay $19 for a box of eggs. Now, I pay $54,” said Rodolfo Sanchez-Rendon, the owner of Teresita’s Kitchen in McAllen.

    Sanchez-Rendon also faults Democrats for undervaluing faith, family and small business.

    “Their values have changed,” he said. “Extremely liberal, where religion becomes an afterthought. … They’ve drifted from our values.”

    But the economy remains the most important issue to voters like Sanchez-Rendon, who immigrated to the United States in 1986 and said unchecked illegal immigration is out of control across the southern border.

    Contractor Edgar Gallegos said he plans to vote Republican because of the economy, despite Trump’s rhetoric about Latino immigrants.

    “I’ll take a mean tweet right about now, over what we have,” Gallegos said.

    Other voters, like Justin Stubbs, say they feel Democrats lack urgency on the issue of immigration.

    “It seems like Republicans care and talk about the border issue a lot more. … I just don’t see a lot of Democrats talking about the border crisis and honestly, there’s a lot of people down here that are affected by that,” he said.

    One voter in nearby Alton, Texas, said he and his wife will remain loyal to the Democratic Party because he believes it will do more to help the community.

    “We want candidates who will pay attention to our needs,” says Jose Raul Guerrero, who says he’s voting for Vallejo partly because he’s known her since she was a child. “She understands our needs. … and we need a lot of help right now.”

    “What people have to understand is that Hispanic Americans have hard working-class values,” said Giancarlo Sopo, a former Barack Obama campaign worker who led Trump’s hyper-local Hispanic advertising in 2020.

    “Who’s America’s blue-collar billionaire? Donald Trump,” he said.

    Sopo said part of the Trump’s campaign’s success with Latinos was tied to an ad campaign that “used words and ways of speaking” that were unique to specific nationalities and generations, tailoring ads meant to target Puerto Ricans, for example, with slang and references common to the island.

    “The reality is there are many Hispanic communities,” Sopo says. “You open the door with culture and engage Hispanics on a policy level.”

    Pointing to trends over the last decade that show Latinos experiencing gains when it comes to incomes, home purchases and starting new businesses, Sopo said many in the community view Trump aspirationally – adding that among some Latinos, especially men, the former President’s brash rhetoric may have worked to his advantage.

    “To a lot of Hispanic Americans – the same way that Bill Clinton was the first Black president before Barack Obama – Donald Trump, to them, is the first Hispanic president,” Sopo said. “He’s very charismatic, he’s not politically correct, he’s a successful entrepreneur. … These values really resonate.”

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Federal appeals court pauses Texas social media law’s enforcement amid looming Supreme Court petition | CNN Business

    Federal appeals court pauses Texas social media law’s enforcement amid looming Supreme Court petition | CNN Business

    [ad_1]


    Washington
    CNN Business
     — 

    A federal appeals court has agreed to suspend enforcement of Texas’ social media law restricting content moderation, in the face of a looming request by tech industry groups for the Supreme Court to review the case.

    In an order on Wednesday, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals granted a stay of its earlier mandate that had paved the way for the Texas law, known as HB 20, to take effect.

    HB 20 aims to expose social media platforms including Meta, YouTube and Twitter to new private lawsuits, as well as suits by the state’s attorney general, over the companies’ decisions to remove or reduce the visibility of user content they deem objectionable.

    The law is viewed as a challenge to decades of First Amendment precedent, which holds the government may not compel private entities to host speech.

    In a filing leading up to Wednesday’s order, the technology groups challenging the Texas law said they planned to ask for the Supreme Court to rule on HB 20, and that Texas did not oppose the motion for a stay.

    The Supreme Court has already indicated it is open to regulating social media platforms, agreeing this month to hear two cases that could indirectly narrow the scope of the tech industry’s all-important liability shield, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

    Some justices, including conservatives Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, have explicitly cited the role and power of social media platforms as reasons the Court should step in.

    Last month, Florida’s attorney general called on the Supreme Court to review a social media law in that state that is similar to Texas’ legislation. The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals had earlier blocked Florida’s law, saying it was likely unconstitutional.

    That finding created a split with the Fifth Circuit’s decision to uphold Texas’ law, making it even more likely for the Supreme Court to take up the matter.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • EXPLAINER: What next in the Florida school shooter trial?

    EXPLAINER: What next in the Florida school shooter trial?

    [ad_1]

    FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The jurors who will decide whether Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz is sentenced to death or life without parole are expected to begin their deliberations Wednesday, concluding a three-month trial.

    Cruz, 24, pleaded guilty last year to the murders of 14 students and three staff members at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14, 2018. The trial has only been to determine his sentence.

    Cruz’s massacre is the deadliest mass shooting that has ever gone to trial in the U.S. Nine other people in the U.S. who fatally shot at least 17 people died during or immediately after their attacks by suicide or police gunfire. The suspect in the 2019 massacre of 23 at an El Paso, Texas, Walmart is awaiting trial.

    The jurors will be sequestered during their deliberations, which could take hours or days — no one knows. They have been told to pack for at least two nights.

    Here is a look at the case, how the seven-man, five-woman jury will come to their decision and what will happen after that.

    WHAT DID CRUZ DO?

    Cruz, by his own admission, began thinking about committing a school shooting while in middle school, about five years before he carried it out. He purchased his AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle almost exactly a year before the shooting and his planning became serious about seven months in advance. He researched previous mass shooters, saying he tried to learn from their experience. He bought ammunition, a vest to carry it and a bag to hide it. He picked Valentine’s Day to make sure it would never be celebrated at the school again.

    He took an Uber to the school, arriving about 20 minutes before dismissal. He went inside a three-story classroom building, shooting down the halls and into classrooms for about seven minutes. He returned to some wounded to kill them with a second volley. He then tried to shoot at fleeing students from a third-floor window, but the thick hurricane glass thwarted him. He put down his gun and fled, but was captured about an hour later.

    WHAT HAPPENED AT THE TRIAL?

    Lead prosecutor Mike Satz kept his case simple. He played security videos of the shooting and showed gruesome crime scene and autopsy photos. Teachers and students testified about watching others die. He took the jury to the fenced-off building, which remains blood-stained and bullet-pocked. Parents and spouses gave tearful and angry statements.

    Cruz’s lead attorney Melisa McNeill and her team never questioned the horror he inflicted, but focused on their belief that his birth mother’s heavy drinking during pregnancy left him with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Their experts said his bizarre, troubling and sometimes violent behavior starting at age 2 was misdiagnosed as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, meaning he never got the proper treatment. That left his widowed adoptive mother overwhelmed, they said.

    WHAT’S REQUIRED FOR CRUZ TO GET A DEATH SENTENCE?

    The jurors will be voting 17 times — once for each victim. For the jurors to recommend a death sentence for a specific victim, they first must unanimously agree that the prosecution proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the killing involved at least one aggravating circumstance as proscribed under Florida law.

    This part should not be difficult — the listed aggravating circumstances include knowingly creating a great risk of death to numerous people, committing murders that were “especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel” or committed in a “cold, calculated, and premeditated manner.” They then must unanimously agree that the aggravating factors warrant consideration of the death penalty.

    They then must determine whether the aggravating circumstances “outweigh” the mitigating factors that the defense argued such as his birth mother’s drinking, his adoptive mother’s alleged failure to get him proper psychiatric care and his admission of guilt.

    If they do, the jurors can then recommend a death sentence — but that’s not required. A juror can ignore the weighing exercise and vote for life out of mercy for Cruz.

    A death sentence recommendation requires a unanimous vote on at least one victim. If one or more jurors vote for life on all victims, that will be his sentence.

    WHAT HAPPENS IF THE JURY RECOMMENDS A DEATH SENTENCE?

    Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer will schedule a sentencing hearing, likely months from now. Cruz’s attorneys will have an opportunity to persuade her to override the jury and impose a life sentence, but that rarely succeeds. If sentenced to death, he will be sent to Florida’s Death Row while his case goes through appeals. It will be years before he is executed, assuming the death sentence isn’t overturned and a retrial required.

    WHAT HAPPENS IF THE JURY IMPOSES A LIFE SENTENCE?

    If the jury cannot unanimously agree that Cruz should be executed for at least one victim, he will be sentenced to life without parole — Scherer cannot overrule the jury. She could sentence him immediately or schedule a future hearing.

    After he is sentenced, the Florida Department of Corrections would assign him to a maximum security prison where he would be part of the general population. McNeill, in her closing argument, alluded that could be an exceedingly dangerous place for someone like Cruz.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Teen shot by police officer at McDonald’s remains on life support as questions grow over incident

    Teen shot by police officer at McDonald’s remains on life support as questions grow over incident

    [ad_1]

    Erik Cantu, the 17-year-old shot by a police officer in a McDonald’s parking lot in San Antonio, Texas, remains on life support with more surgeries scheduled, his family said. 

    Body camera video shows police officer James Brennand walking toward a parked car on Oct. 2. The officer opens the driver side door and orders Cantu out of the vehicle. Cantu looks surprised and reverses the car. 

    Roughly five seconds after opening the door, the officer fires five rounds into the car. He then shoots five more times as the car drives away. 

    Brennand, who was with the San Antonio Police Department for less than a year, has been fired over the incident. Once the police investigation is completed, the case will be handed over to the district attorney’s civil rights division before a grand jury decides if charges will be filed. 

    “Nothing that that officer did that night were in accordance with our training or our policies,” said police chief William McManus. 

    Brennand was called to the McDonald’s for an unrelated disturbance. He told investigators that the car looked like one that had evaded him the day before. 

    Cantu’s friend, George Ramos, said he was shocked by the body camera video.

    “It was absolutely heartbreaking,” Ramos said. “When I saw that video, it just made me break down.” 

    While Cantu fights for his life, his friends and family are praying. 

    “He’s inspired me so much to be a better person,” Ramos said. “He’s also positive and motivated and ambitious and happy. To see him laying there helpless, it’s just so much emotions. I’m just trying to be as strong as I possibly can.” 

    Omar Villafranca


    Omar Villafranca

    Omar Villafranca is a CBS News correspondent based in Dallas.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • San Antonio Spurs Hold Open Practice, Interact With Children At Uvalde School

    San Antonio Spurs Hold Open Practice, Interact With Children At Uvalde School

    [ad_1]

    UVALDE, Texas (AP) — The smallest gesture can have a huge impact.

    That was reaffirmed to the San Antonio Spurs when the team held an open practice and community fair in Uvalde, Texas.

    It was 137 days ago that the small town, 88 miles southwest of downtown San Antonio, was the sight of an elementary school shooting. On May 24, 19 children and two teachers were killed in a shooting at Robb Elementary.

    The Spurs held an open practice Saturday at Uvalde High School in support of the students of Robb Elementary and those affected by that tragic day.

    “It’s extremely sad,” San Antonio guard Tre Jones said. “We wish everybody was with us, still being able to enjoy this moment. We are just trying to bring joy to the families and all the kids who were friends with those kids that died and help the teachers as well. We want to bring a moment of happiness into their lives again and try to just bring a smile to their faces.”

    With a transformative roster brimming with young players, San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich received the loudest ovation as the team took the court for a brief practice. The Spurs then literally lifted the community, raising toddlers on their shoulders to bring them closer to the rim for a basket.

    The true elevation was felt off the court.

    Monica Flores’ eldest daughter is still understandably traumatized by the day’s tragedy. Her daughter was in the fourth grade, the same classification as those who died. Her daughter’s classroom was directly across the hall from the two adjoining rooms where the shooting took place.

    “She has her moments, but we will never forget,” Flores said. “Sudden hands, different people that look like the shooter — she did see the shooter through her classroom window. She is terrified by people who look like him, not that she judges, but people have (similar looks), and it’s just scary.”

    Flores’ daughter is scared to leave her home. She is terrified of certain situations. But that was pushed aside for a few hours, thanks to the Spurs.

    Flores’ daughter eagerly anticipated Saturday afternoon once she heard the Spurs were coming to Uvalde just to see her and the other kids from Robb Elementary.

    Dressed in the Manu Ginobili jersey her uncle purchased for her a few years ago, Flores’ daughter and the crowd were surprised and delighted to see the Spurs’ hall of fame guard in attendance. Now a special advisor with the Spurs, Ginobili spent the entire event signing autographs and taking pictures with those in attendance.

    Flores’ daughter sprinted directly for Ginobili at midcourt when it was her group’s turn to take the court and meet the players.

    And just as hundreds of fans have done for more than a decade, Flores’ daughter was beaming in delight as she posed with Ginobili.

    “I am so glad she got to experience this with Manu,” Flores said.

    The feeling was mutual for the Spurs.

    “It’s big for me to be able to come out here and see the kids smile,” San Antonio forward Keldon Johnson said. “We know it’s been tough. If we can just come out here and bring just a little bit of joy, it’s a successful day for us.”

    The tragedy of May 24 is something the Uvalde community will never get over, but they are trying to get through it.

    “Tomorrow, on the court and off the court, we will fly,” Dr. Kara Allen, Spurs chief impact officer, said. “We will do the work and we will fly, but today, today is just doing joy. So, on behalf of the brilliant humans on the court and the brilliant humans you are, thank you for letting us choose to just do joy with you today.”


    To stream NBCU shows featured in this piece sign up to Peacock



    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • DeSantis’ migrant flights to Martha’s Vineyard appear outside the scope of Florida transport program guidelines, state documents show | CNN

    DeSantis’ migrant flights to Martha’s Vineyard appear outside the scope of Florida transport program guidelines, state documents show | CNN

    [ad_1]



    CNN
     — 

    A pair of flights carrying migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard last month, orchestrated by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, may have exceeded the original scope of the state’s plan to transport undocumented individuals, according to records obtained by CNN.

    The records show that in the months leading up to those flights, Florida had planned a narrower mission for a controversial new state program to transport migrants to other states. The goal, according to a callout to contractors and guidelines for the program, was to, “relocate out of the state of Florida foreign nationals who are not lawfully present in the United States.”

    But that’s not what transpired. On September 14, two planes picked up 48 migrants in San Antonio – not Florida – and dropped them off in Martha’s Vineyard.

    The documents, provided to CNN through a records request and released Friday evening by the Florida Department of Transportation and the governor’s office, offer new details about the stunt that thrust DeSantis even deeper into the middle of a national debate on immigration. From the White House to Florida, Massachusetts and beyond, the condemnation from Democrats was swift. So was the praise from Republicans for DeSantis, who only further bolstered his standing in his party as he considers running for President in 2024.

    A Democratic state lawmaker is already suing the state and asking a judge to stop future flights, arguing the DeSantis administration was illegally spending taxpayer dollars. The budget act that created the $12 million program specified the money was set aside to relocate “unauthorized aliens from this state.”

    The governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    The records for the first time also directly tie a $615,000 state payment made to Vertol Systems Company for the September flights that sent migrants from San Antonio to Martha’s Vineyard. Previously, the payment to Vertol was disclosed by the state, but the governor’s office for weeks declined to confirm that the check was linked to the flights that landed in Massachusetts.

    The Florida Department of Transportation, the agency tasked with executing the new migrant relocation program, received a price quote from Vertol CEO James Montgomerie on September 6 for “the first Project,” one document showed. Montgomerie identified that project as “the facilitation of the relocation of up to fifty individuals to the State of Massachusetts or other, proximate northeastern state.” The price, he said, was $615,000.

    The next day, FDOT officials sent a letter asking for authorization for the $615,000 and the state made the payment within the next 24 hours, according to financial statements maintained on the Florida Chief Financial Officer’s website previously reported by CNN.

    In communications with FDOT earlier during the summer, Montgomerie offered the state services that suggested a considerably less ambitious mission for the migrant relocation program.

    On July 26, after a discussion with FDOT’s general counsel, Montgomerie gave the agency estimates for his company to charter flights that could carry four to 12 people from Crestview, Florida, to the Boston or Los Angeles areas, according to an email from the Vertol executive to FDOT.

    “We are certainly willing to provide you with pricing information on specific ad-hoc requirements on a case by case basis,” Montgomerie wrote in the email.

    The prices quoted for flights originating from Florida more closely aligned with FDOT’s guidelines for the program that it sent to prospective contractors and the agency’s request for quotes. In the three-page guidelines, FDOT stipulated the chosen company needed to ensure “that the Unauthorized Alien has voluntarily agreed to be relocated out of Florida.” The quotes also showed Montgomerie early on anticipated Vertol would be moving less people. Later, in September, his quotes evolved to include many more people on board.

    Ultimately, the planes that left San Antonio briefly touched down in Crestview before eventually landing in Massachusetts.

    At the time of the state’s request for contractors, DeSantis was publicly claiming that President Joe Biden could send buses of migrants from the US-Mexico border to Florida. But DeSantis acknowledged last month those buses never arrived, and his focus began to shift hundreds of miles away to Texas.

    DeSantis has said the intention of executing the flights from Texas was to stop the flow of migrants at the source before they came to Florida.

    “If you can do it at the source and divert to sanctuary jurisdictions, the chance they end up in Florida is much less,” DeSantis told reporters in September.

    DeSantis has vowed to use “every penny” of the $12 million allocated to his administration for migrant transports. However, the state has not publicly taken credit for any transports since the two planes landed in Martha’s Vineyard.

    State Sen. Jason Pizzo, the lawmaker now suing DeSantis, said the governor cannot choose to ignore the law when spending state money.

    “You can’t even play by your own rules,” Pizzo told CNN last month when speaking of DeSantis. “This isn’t something that we passed 12 years ago. It was done four months ago at your request.”

    DeSantis’ office previously said the lawsuit by Pizzo was an attempt at “15 minutes of fame.”

    The state has paid Vertol $1.6 million so far through its migrant program, which is funded by interest earned on federal coronavirus relief money, according to the state budget documents. The initial payment of $615,000 was made by the FDOT on September 8, six days before the Martha’s Vineyard flight. Another payment for $950,000 followed on September 16, though it’s not clear what that payment went for.

    A few days after that second payment, reports of a similar flight plan from San Antonio to Delaware, Biden’s home state, sent officials there scrambling to prepare for migrant arrivals. The flights, though, never arrived.

    The state did not provide a contract with Vertol in the records released Friday night. Nor do the documents offer further insight into why Vertol was chosen over two other companies that appeared to submit quotes to the state, according to records.

    CNN has reached out to Montgomerie for further comment.

    Vertol had an existing link to a DeSantis administration official prior to its work with the state. Lawrence Keefe, Florida’s “public safety czar” appointed by DeSantis to lead the state’s crackdown on illegal immigration, represented the aviation company from 2010 to 2017.

    In its quoted price to the state, Vertol said it was providing “Project management, aircraft, crew, maintenance logistics, fuel, coordination and planning, route preparation, route services, landing fees, ground handling and logistics and other Project-related expenses,” according to the documents.

    The request for quotes from the state also asked that potential contractors have “multilingual capability for Spanish.” The chosen contractor would also have to develop procedures for “confirming with Partner Agencies that the person to be transported is an Unauthorized Alien.” Pizzo and others have questioned whether the migrants are considered “unauthorized” by the federal government if they are legally seeking asylum.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Texas Gov. Greg Abbott: No Pardons For Marijuana Convictions

    Texas Gov. Greg Abbott: No Pardons For Marijuana Convictions

    [ad_1]

    Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he won’t consider pardons for low-level marijuana offenders after President Joe Biden called on governors across the country to consider pardons.

    “Texas is not in the habit of taking criminal justice advice from the leader of the defund police party and someone who has overseen a criminal justice system run amuck with cashless bail and a revolving door for violent criminals,” Abbott spokesperson Renae Eze said in a statement Thursday.

    “Just as no one should be in a federal prison solely for possessing marijuana, no one should be in a local jail or state prison for that reason, either,” Biden tweeted.

    Abbott spokesperson Eze explained the process of issuing pardons in Texas in her statement, saying Abbot would not consider pardons.

    “The governor of Texas can only pardon individuals who have been through the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles system with a recommendation for pardon,” she said.

    Meanwhile, Democratic candidate for Texas governor Beto O’ Rourke has promised to legalize weed in the state should he be elected.

    “When I’m governor, we will legalize marijuana and expunge the records of those arrested for marijuana possession — and we’ll use the nearly $1 billion in new state revenue and reduced criminal justice costs to invest in public schools and reduce property taxes,” O’Rourke’s campaign website says.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Kanye West Wonders How Conspiracy Peddler Tucker Carlson Is Taking His Theories

    Kanye West Wonders How Conspiracy Peddler Tucker Carlson Is Taking His Theories

    [ad_1]

    In an unfounded conspiracy theory, the “Donda” artist ― who changed his name to Ye last year ― claimed he felt as if executives of the Gap clothing chain knew about the school shooting “before it even happened.”

    West ended his Yeezy Gap partnership with the brand in September, claiming there was a “breach of contract.”

    “Have I reached Alex Jones territory yet?” West asked Carlson.

    “No, I think you’re telling the truth,” Carlson replied with a smile.

    You can watch a clip of the moment, including West awkwardly smiling back at Carlson, below.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • San Antonio police officer fired after shooting teen in McDonald’s parking lot

    San Antonio police officer fired after shooting teen in McDonald’s parking lot

    [ad_1]

    A Texas police officer who shot and wounded a teenager who had been sitting in his car eating a hamburger has been fired, police said.

    San Antonio Officer James Brennand was fired after shooting Erik Cantu, 17, on Oct. 2 in a McDonald’s parking lot, police training commander Alyssa Campos said in a video statement released Wednesday, which included the officer’s bodycam footage of the incident. 

    Brennand had responded to an unrelated disturbance at the McDonald’s when he saw the Cantu inside the car, which had evaded him a day earlier, Campos said.

    San Antonio police officer fired after shooting teen in restaurant parking lot
    Bodycam video of a San Antonio police officer who shot and wounded a teenage boy in the parking lot of a McDonald’s restaurant on Oct. 2, 2022. 

    San Antonio Police Department


    A Texas prosecutor said in a statement Friday that he has not seen enough evidence to file charges against the teenager.

    “While Sunday’s shooting of an unarmed teenager by a then-San Antonio Police officer remains under investigation, the facts and evidence we have received so far led us to reject the charges against Erik Cantu for further investigation,” Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales said.

    Brennand, who had been on the force for less than one year, violated his training and police procedures after approaching the car, Campos said.

    “The officer abruptly opened the driver’s door and ordered the driver out of the car” before the arrival of backup officers that Brennand had requested, Campos said.

    Cantu, in the officer’s body camera video, looks toward Brennand while holding a hamburger, then backs the car away, striking the officer with the open door.

    Brennand then opened fire several times as the door closed and Cantu drove away.

    Cantu, who was struck by gunfire, stopped nearby where he and a passenger, who was not injured, were found by police.

    “There is nothing I can say in defense of that officer’s actions that night,” Police Chief William McManus told WOAI-TV. “I think what happened, initially, there was some contact made, but that did not justify the shooting.”

    Cantu was hospitalized in stable condition and initially charged with evading police and aggravated assault.

    Gonzales, the district attorney, said no decision had been made on whether to pursue charges against Brennand, pending the outcome of a police investigation into the shooting.

    “As we do with all officer-involved shootings that result in death or serious injury, we will submit the case to a Grand Jury for their consideration. Until that happens, we can make no further comment on this matter,” Gonzales said.

    Police and an attorney for Cantu did not immediately return phone calls for comment on Friday.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Uvalde school district suspends entire police force

    Uvalde school district suspends entire police force

    [ad_1]

    Uvalde school district suspends entire police force – CBS News


    Watch CBS News



    The entire Uvalde school district police force was suspended more than four months after the mass shooting at Robb Elementary. Several investigations into the police department and its response to the massacre that left 19 children and two teachers dead are ongoing.

    Be the first to know

    Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.


    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • New York City declares emergency over migrant busing

    New York City declares emergency over migrant busing

    [ad_1]

    New York City declares emergency over migrant busing – CBS News


    Watch CBS News



    New York City Mayor Eric Adams declared a state of emergency over thousands of asylum seekers who have been bused to the city from the southern border. Tanya Rivero reports.

    Be the first to know

    Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.


    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Man charged with killing 22 Texas women gets 2nd conviction

    Man charged with killing 22 Texas women gets 2nd conviction

    [ad_1]

    DALLAS — A man charged with killing 22 elderly women in the Dallas area over a two-year span was found guilty Friday in one of their deaths — his second murder conviction.

    With the verdict, Billy Chemirmir, 49, automatically received a second sentence of life without parole, this time for the smothering death of 87-year-old Mary Brooks. Jurors took less than 30 minutes to reach the verdict against Chemirmir, who was already sentenced to life in prison without parole for an April conviction in the death of 81-year-old Lu Thi Harris.

    Authorities allege that he preyed on older women, killing them and stealing their valuables. Time after time, their deaths were initially determined to be from natural causes, even as family members raised alarm bells about missing jewelry.

    “This is a conscious, dedicated effort to stalk, surveil, kill, steal, strip and sell,” Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot said in closing arguments.

    Creuzot decided against seeking the death penalty. After Friday’s verdict he said the two sentences mean Chemirmir is “going to die in a penitentiary.”

    Creuzot said the 11 additional capital murder cases against Chemirmir in Dallas County will now be dismissed. Prosecutors in neighboring Collin County haven’t yet said if they will try any of their nine capital murder cases against Chemirmir, who has maintained his innocence.

    Prosecutors told jurors that the evidence showed that Chemirmir followed Brooks home from Walmart, smothered her and took her jewelry.

    One woman’s survival of a March 2018 attack set Chemirmir’s arrest in motion. Mary Annis Bartel, then-91, told police a man forced his way into her apartment at an independent living community for seniors, tried to smother her with a pillow and took her jewelry.

    After Chemirmir’s arrest, police across the Dallas area reexamined deaths and the charges against him grew. Many of the victims’ children have said they were left perplexed by the deaths at the time, as their mothers, though older, were still healthy and active. Four indictments were added this summer.

    Most lived in apartments at independent living communities for older people. One woman who lived in a private home was the widow of a man Chemirmir cared for while working as an at-home caregiver.

    Defense attorneys told the jury that prosecutors hadn’t presented enough evidence to convict.

    “They are begging that you plug in the holes that they cannot,” defense attorney Phillip Hayes said in his closing argument.

    After the verdict, he told reporters that he plans to appeal.

    While jurors this week were deciding Chemirmir’s guilt only in Brooks’ death, they also heard evidence that led to his conviction in Harris’ death as well as details related to the death of 80-year-old Martha Williams. Prosecutors for the first time presented DNA evidence linking Chemirmir to one of the deaths — Williams’.

    The jury also heard testimony that Chemirmir was in either in possession of jewelry and valuables belonging to the women or had offered pieces for sale and that cellphone records put him in the vicinity of the victims.

    Before Bartel died in 2020, she described the attack in a taped interview that has been played at Chemirmir’s trials. She said the minute she opened her door and saw a man wearing rubber gloves, she knew she was in “grave danger.”

    Police testified they found Chemirmir the next day in the parking lot of his apartment complex holding jewelry and cash, having just thrown away a large red jewelry box. Documents in the jewelry box led them to the home of Harris, who was found dead in her bedroom, lipstick smeared on her pillow.

    Evidence presented at trial showed that just hours before Harris was found dead, Chemirmir was at the Walmart where Harris was shopping.

    When Brooks’ grandson had found her dead in her condo several weeks earlier, grocery bags from a trip to the same Walmart were sitting out on her counter. Surveillance video showed a car matching the description of Chemirmir’s pulling out just after Brooks and going in the same direction.

    Brooks’ daughter, Ann Brooks, said after the verdict that her family was “thrilled that this defendant will never be able to hurt any other family again.”

    “Our beloved mother, Mary Sue, her life is over and her jewelry is gone, but her love and her memories will live in us forever,” she said.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Texas officer fired after shooting hamburger-eating teenager

    Texas officer fired after shooting hamburger-eating teenager

    [ad_1]

    A Texas police officer who shot and wounded a teenager who had been sitting in his car eating a hamburger has been fired, police said.

    San Antonio Officer James Brennand was fired after shooting Erik Cantu, 17, on Oct. 2 in a fast food restaurant parking lot, police training commander Alyssa Campos said in a video statement released Wednesday.

    Brennand had responded to an unrelated disturbance at the fast-food restaurant when he saw the Cantu inside the car, which had evaded him a day earlier, Campos said.

    A Texas prosecutor said in a statement Friday that he has not seen enough evidence to file charges against the teenager.

    “While Sunday’s shooting of an unarmed teenager by a then-San Antonio Police officer remains under investigation, the facts and evidence we have received so far led us to reject the charges against Erik Cantu for further investigation,” Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales said.

    Brennand, who had been on the force for less than one year, violated his training and police procedures after approaching the car, Campos said.

    “The officer abruptly opened the driver’s door and ordered the driver out of the car” before the arrival of backup officers that Brennand had requested, Campos said.

    Cantu, in the officer’s body camera video, looks toward Brennand while holding a hamburger, then backs the car away, striking the officer with the open door.

    Brennand then opened fire several times as the door closed and Cantu drove away.

    Cantu, who was struck by gunfire, stopped nearby where he and a passenger, who was not injured, were found by police.

    “There is nothing I can say in defense of that officer’s actions that night,” Police Chief William McManus told WOAI-TV. “I think what happened, initially, there was some contact made, but that did not justify the shooting.”

    Cantu was hospitalized in stable condition and initially charged with evading police and aggravated assault.

    Gonzales, the district attorney, said no decision had been made on whether to pursue charges against Brennand, pending the outcome of a police investigation into the shooting.

    “As we do with all officer-involved shootings that result in death or serious injury, we will submit the case to a Grand Jury for their consideration. Until that happens, we can make no further comment on this matter,” Gonzales said.

    Police and an attorney for Cantu did not immediately return phone calls for comment on Friday.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Uvalde schools suspend campus police operations after outrage over hiring of former Texas trooper who was at May attack

    Uvalde schools suspend campus police operations after outrage over hiring of former Texas trooper who was at May attack

    [ad_1]

    Uvalde schools suspend campus police operations after outrage over hiring of former Texas trooper who was at May attack

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • FBI: Man killed at Border Patrol station held ‘edged weapon’

    FBI: Man killed at Border Patrol station held ‘edged weapon’

    [ad_1]

    EL PASO, Texas — A Mexican man fatally shot at a U.S. Border Patrol station in Texas had grabbed an “edged weapon” and was advancing toward agents when they opened fire, the FBI said Thursday.

    Manuel Gonzalez-Moran, 33, died at an El Paso hospital Tuesday after he was shot by Border Patrol agents. The FBI said Moran was taken into custody at the Ysleta Border Patrol Station for reentering the country illegally.

    Agents first used a stun gun on Moran after he charged out of a holding cell, the FBI said, and eventually opened fire.

    Moran was released on parole earlier this year and deported to Mexico after serving 11 years in prison in Colorado, the FBI said. He had been convicted in 2011 in Pueblo, Colorado, of assault with a deadly weapon resulting in serious bodily injury, according to the FBI.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Uvalde school officer fired over shooting response

    Uvalde school officer fired over shooting response

    [ad_1]

    Uvalde school officer fired over shooting response – CBS News


    Watch CBS News



    A former Texas state trooper who was on the scene of the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, and then hired by the school district after the massacre, has been fired. Lilia Luciano has the latest.

    Be the first to know

    Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.


    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Uvalde schools fire ex-Texas trooper who was at shooting

    Uvalde schools fire ex-Texas trooper who was at shooting

    [ad_1]

    AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — New outrage ripped through Uvalde on Thursday over revelations that a school police officer hired after the Robb Elementary massacre was not only on campus during the May attack as a Texas state trooper but under investigation over her actions while a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers.

    The hiring of Officer Crimson Elizondo was first reported by CNN on Wednesday night. Less than 24 hours later, the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District fired Elizondo on Thursday in the face of swift and mounting backlash from families of the fourth-grade victims and Texas lawmakers.

    But the abrupt firing did little to diffuse anger in Uvalde. Families demanded answers over why the school district’s small police force in the first place hired one of the nearly 400 law enforcement officers who rushed to the scene of the May 24 attack but waited more than an hour to confront a gunman with a AR-15-style rifle.

    Adding to some parents’ disbelief was the fact that Elizondo, according to records released to the school district in July by the Texas Department of Public Safety, is among at least seven troopers who were at the scene and put under internal investigation over their actions during one of the deadliest classroom shootings in U.S. history.

    “They knowingly hired her,” tweeted Brett Cross, whose 10-year-old son Uziyah Garcia was killed in the attack.

    The documents show that after the Uvalde school district contacted DPS in July while conducting a background screening of Elizondo, the agency sent back a letter noting that she was under internal investigation over allegations that her actions were “inconsistent with training and Department requirements.”

    In a statement Thursday announcing the firing, Uvalde school officials did not address their decision to originally hire Elizondo.

    “We sincerely apologize to the victim’s families and the greater Uvalde community for the pain that this revelation has caused,” the statement said.

    Elizondo gave notice of her resignation as a Texas state trooper Aug. 17 and her last day with the department of public safety was Aug. 29, said Travis Considine, a DPS spokesperson.

    In police body camera footage, CNN reported, Elizondo is heard telling other officers at the scene of Robb Elementary: “If my son had been in there, I would not have been outside. I promise you that.”

    Elizondo’s profile was on the Uvalde school district’s website Thursday morning but had been removed by the afternoon.

    Hours before the firing, families had gathered outside the school district’s administrative office to protest the hiring.

    “We are disgusted and angry at Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District’s (UCISD) decision to hire Officer Crimson Elizondo. Her hiring puts into question the credibility and thoroughness of UCISD’s HR and vetting practices,” a statement from some of the victims’ families said. “And it confirms what we have been saying all along: UCISD has not and is not in the business of ensuring the safety of our children at school.”

    In July, a damning report cited “egregiously poor decision making” by law enforcement officers who waited more than an hour before confronting the 18-year-old gunman. The campus police chief, Pete Arredondo, was fired in August.

    State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, whose district includes Uvalde, said Elizondo’s hiring “slapped this community in the face.”

    “A DPS trooper was on scene within two minutes of the shooter and failed to follow training, protocol, and the duty they were sworn to,” he said. “People’s children died because DPS officials failed to do their job.”

    A district spokesperson did not immediately return messages Thursday.

    ___

    Bleiberg reported from Dallas. Associated Press writer Jill Zeman Bleed in Little Rock, Arkansas, contributed to this report.

    ___

    For more AP coverage of the Uvalde school shooting: https://apnews.com/hub/uvalde-school-shooting

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Instawork Offers Houston Workers Ability to Earn Higher Pay as Texas Economy Slows

    Instawork Offers Houston Workers Ability to Earn Higher Pay as Texas Economy Slows

    [ad_1]

    The flexible work app matches a network of on-demand hourly workers with Houston businesses

    Press Release
    –

    Oct 6, 2022


    SAN FRANCISCO, October 6, 2022 (Newswire.com)
    –
    Instawork, the leading platform for connecting businesses with skilled workers, announced today the platform’s availability to hourly workers in the Houston area looking to earn higher wages while enjoying consistent, reliable economic opportunity.

    The announcement comes after economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas released a report last week concluding that mounting evidence points to an economic slowdown for Texas, adding that the numbers could signal a recession is coming. 

    During this challenging time, Instawork offers the ability for Houston workers to more than double their pay. In Houston, the average hourly pay rate on the Instawork platform is $14.80, while the state’s minimum wage of $7.25 has remained the same since 2008. 

    “During periods of economic uncertainty, Instawork provides hourly workers with economic stability,” said Kira Caban, Instawork’s Head of Strategic Communications. “Workers in Houston know that they can easily find ample work opportunities through our platform while enjoying work flexibility and higher income potential.”

    More than 85,000 hourly workers in Houston have already downloaded the Instawork app and are taking advantage of the opportunities it provides, staffing more than 300 business locations across the area. 

    Common roles in Houston include general labor, warehouse associates, event servers, and line cooks. 

    Pros can easily create a profile, find a shift that matches their skills and interests, and start working in as little as 24 hours.

    Hourly professionals (Instawork Pros) using Instawork experience: 

    • Work flexibility: build schedules around personal lives and income goals
    • Financial stability: view shift earnings before they work
    • Unlimited income potential: work as little or as much as they want
    • Get paid quickly: ability to get paid the same day
    • Unique and exciting work opportunities

    Businesses that rely on Instawork Pros range from nationally recognized hotels and restaurant groups to some of the city’s favorite local hot spots and sports venues. These businesses are consistently matched with high-quality, reliable Pros to fill available shifts and deliver valuable services. The Instawork platform encourages both hourly workers and businesses to rate each other on a five-star scale after each shift to help match future shifts with those who are best qualified. 

    Businesses using Instawork experience:

    • Quick access to skilled workers in their community
    • Improved operational efficiency with quality and reliable staffing
    • Increased customer loyalty due to happier staff and better experiences
    • Time saved on administrative tasks, returning focus to other top priorities

    Instawork is currently staffing businesses in more than 30 markets across the U.S. and Canada. Those interested in learning more about Instawork should visit www.instawork.com or download the app.

    About Instawork

    Founded in 2016, Instawork is the leading flexible work app for local, hourly professionals. Its digital marketplace connects thousands of businesses and more than three million workers, filling a critical role in local economies. Instawork has been featured on CBS News, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Associated Press, and more. In 2022, Instawork was ranked in the top 10% of the country’s fastest-growing companies by Inc. 5000 and was included in the Forbes Next Billion Dollar Startup list. Instawork was also named the 2022 ACE Award recipient for “Best Innovation” and one of the “Best Business Apps” by Business Insider. Instawork helps businesses in the food & beverage, hospitality, and warehouse/logistics industries fill temporary and permanent job opportunities in more than 30 markets across the U.S. and Canada. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

    Media Contact
    Kira Caban
    Head of Strategic Communications
    kcaban@instawork.com

    Source: Instawork

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Fan who caught Aaron Judge’s 62nd HR offered $2M for ball

    Fan who caught Aaron Judge’s 62nd HR offered $2M for ball

    [ad_1]

    The owner of a sports memorabilia auction house says he has offered $2 million to the fan who caught Aaron Judge’s American League-record 62nd home run.

    JP Cohen, president of Memory Lane Inc. in Tustin, California, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he has texted and emailed Cory Youmans, the man who caught Judge’s milestone shot Tuesday night at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Cohen says Youmans has not yet replied.

    “I feel the offer is way above fair, if he is inclined to sell it,” Cohen said in a telephone interview with the AP on Wednesday.

    Youmans grabbed the historic souvenir on the fly as it sailed into the front row of section 31 in left field. The homer pushed Judge past Roger Maris for the AL season record — a mark many consider baseball’s “clean” standard because the only National League players who hit more have been tarnished by ties to steroids.

    Youmans, who is from Dallas, works in the financial world. He was asked Tuesday what he planned to do with the prize while security personnel whisked him away to have it authenticated.

    “Good question. I haven’t thought about it,” he said.

    The record price for a home run ball is $3 million, paid for Mark McGwire’s record 70th from the 1998 season.

    Cohen had previously pledged to offer $2 million for Judge’s 62nd homer. He said his company has a good relationship with the Yankees and it would be willing to loan the ball to the team for an exhibit. He added the team has frequently exhibited items owned by Memory Lane at Yankee Stadium.

    “We did make an offer of $2 million and that offer is still valid,” Cohen said.

    After the Yankees lost 3-2, Judge said he didn’t have possession of the home run ball.

    “I don’t know where it’s at,” he said. “We’ll see what happens with that. It would be great to get it back, but that’s a souvenir for a fan. He made a great catch out there, and they’ve got every right to it.”

    Youmans was among the crowd of 38,832, the largest to watch a baseball game at the 3-year-old ballpark.

    ———

    More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Texas executes man convicted in 2004 fatal stabbing whose legal challenge clarified death chamber rules on prayer, touch

    Texas executes man convicted in 2004 fatal stabbing whose legal challenge clarified death chamber rules on prayer, touch

    [ad_1]

    Texas executes man convicted in 2004 fatal stabbing whose legal challenge clarified death chamber rules on prayer, touch

    [ad_2]

    Source link