A San Antonio, Texas, family that set up a large inflatable snowman, reindeer and a Santa helicopter on their front lawn on November 1 got a message from their homeowners association: Pull it down.
Claudia Simonis, who has resided at the Lakeside at Canyon Springs subdivision with her family for four years, received a letter from Diamond Association Management &amp; Consulting on November 4 reading: &#8220;Maintenance &#8211; holiday decorations need to be removed. Please remove the snowman until closer to the holiday season,&#8221; <a href="https://news4sanantonio.com/news/local/too-soon-festive-family-told-to-take-down-christmas-decorations">WOAI</a> reports. The Lakeside at Canyon Springs subdivision is located on the far north side of San Antonio.
<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/texas-family-told-take-down-snowman-because-too-early-christmas-n1082106">NBC News</a> reported, “The letter from the association goes on to say that it allows holiday decorations, but they should be taken down 10 days after the holiday. It doesn&#8217;t say when residents can put up decorations prior to the holiday.”
Claudia’s husband Nick said, &#8220;I was like, &#8216;Wow, that&#8217;s a first.’ I was angry, because there’s a reason why we&#8217;re doing it.&#8221;
Claudia Simonis, who is pregnant and due on Christmas Day, stated, &#8220;I just couldn’t believe it. My husband sent it to me and I said, &#8216;Are you serious?'&#8221; She added, “I feel kind of heavy, so the earlier we can put out the decorations, the better. Because probably in two more weeks, I&#8217;m not going to be able to build all this.&#8221;
Claudia continued, &#8220;I just found it crazy.  Especially that they didn’t give us a time. Like, when is the right time to put it?&#8221;
As NBC News reported, Claudia and Nick “put up their Christmas decorations a little earlier than usual in case the baby arrives early and because they wanted their two sons, a 7- and 3-year-old, to enjoy the display.”
Simonis insisted she won’t take down the display, adding, “I’m pregnant. And it took us forever to put them up. If anything, we’re adding more stuff.” Nick added, &#8220;We&#8217;re not going to do it. It&#8217;s the Christmas spirit. We&#8217;re not going to be forced by the HOA to take it down.&#8221;
According to Simonis, after she posted the association&#8217;s letter in a neighborhood Facebook group, some other residents reacted by supporting their support; one set up a 12-inch snowman in their yard; another put up Christmas lights.
One resident told WOAI, &#8220;We always abide by the rules and regulations. So, when we see it in black and white, there&#8217;s no problem. But if it&#8217;s not in black and white, who&#8217;s to say what&#8217;s what?&#8221; He added, &#8220;I don&#8217;t think this should be an issue. These are the holidays. This is what we do. We take care of our neighbors. That&#8217;s what a neighborhood is about.&#8221;
As <a href="https://thestir.cafemom.com/parenting_news/222524/hoa-tells-family-take-down-early-christmas-decorations">CafeMom</a> writes, commenting on the story, &#8220;Sure, you could make the argument that putting up Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving has even hit might feel a bit like putting the cart before the horse, but get this: Studies have proven that <a title="Link: https://nypost.com/2019/11/01/decorating-for-christmas-early-is-good-for-you-study/" href="https://nypost.com/2019/11/01/decorating-for-christmas-early-is-good-for-you-study/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">putting up Christmas decorations early is actually good for you</a>, since it can drum up nostalgic memories from childhood and bring on an overall mood boost.&#8221;
Nick concluded, &#8220;So, you&#8217;re going to see in a couple days, everybody will have decorations up.”
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NFL: DEC 07 Giants at Titans

Texas Family Sets Up Christmas Display On November 1. Their Homeowners Association Tells them To Pull It Down.

Christmas

Texas

U.S. Customs and Border Protection were surprised to discover liquid cocaine packaged inside 24 bottles of shampoo inside a man’s suitcase at the Houston airport.
The bottles totaled 35 pounds and contained $400,000 worth of liquid cocaine, Fox 10 Phoenix <a href="https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/400k-of-liquid-cocaine-found-hidden-in-24-shampoo-bottles-in-luggage-at-houston-airport-cbp">reported</a>. Officers at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport discovered the drugs, thanks to a K9 unit, and questioned the man who was carrying them, a 26-year-old  Columbian citizen, after he picked up the checked luggage. From Fox 10:
<blockquote>CBP says officers questioned the passenger, and that interaction led them to conduct a baggage search where they discovered the two dozen shampoo bottles concealing the liquid cocaine valued at $400,000.
Authorities say a K9 alerted to the bottles in a manner to indicate the presence of narcotics, and a test conducted by officers indicated the substance was cocaine.
“Our officers are the first line of defense at our ports of entry, so they are trained in the various smuggling methods people use to bring illicit goods into the U.S.,” said CBP Port Director Shawn Polley.  “We take every opportunity to intercept those illicit goods before they enter our communities, in this case it was 35 pounds of liquid cocaine.”</blockquote>
The drugs were seized and the man was sent back to Columbia, the outlet reported.
This was just the latest large drug bust this year.
In mid-June, federal law enforcement officials in Philadelphia seized 16.5 tons of cocaine &#8212; the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/record-bust-feds-seize-33000-pounds-cocaine-worth-ryan-saavedra">largest bust</a> in the history of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
“A U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations-led multi-agency inspection of shipping containers aboard the MSC Gayane resulted in a substantial cocaine seizure in Philadelphia on June 17, 2019,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement. “Authorities continue to process the seized cocaine and continue its inspection aboard the vessel in the Port of Philadelphia. Authorities have made two arrests, and will release a final tally and additional details when this operation concludes.”
U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain added: “This is one of the largest drug seizures in United States history. This amount of cocaine could kill millions – MILLIONS – of people. My Office is committed to keeping our borders secure and streets safe from deadly narcotics.”
In September, police in Virginia arrested more than 30 people who were suspected of possessing “enough fentanyl to kill 14 million people,” <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fentanyl-drug-bust-investigators-seize-enough-fentanyl-to-kill-14-million-people-in-massive-bust/">according to CBS News</a>. The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/35-people-arrested-virginia-having-enough-fentanyl-ashe-schow">reported</a> that it was the largest drug bust in the state in the past 15 years, and authorities seized more than 30 kilograms each of fentanyl and heroine, along with five kilograms of cocaine and more than $700,000.
“This opioid crisis is not an issue that is happening someplace else, or to someone else. It’s happening right here in Norfolk,” U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, G. Zachary Terwilliger, said during a press conference at the time of the arrests.
“We’re not talking about $500 and $600 deals, we’re talking hundreds of thousands of dollars,” he added. “You know, $20,000 in the trunk of somebody’s car in a gym bag, you know, behind a local restaurant.”
And in late October, police in North Carolina <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/6800-pounds-of-marijuana-39-pounds-of-cocaine-200000-seized-as-part-of-drug-trafficking-scheme">arrested four people</a> in connection with a drug trafficking scheme. In that bust, authorities seized 6,800 pounds of marijuana, 39 pounds of cocaine, and $200,000. One of the four who was arrested was charged with trafficking heroin.

Drugs

Border Patrol Found $400k Worth Of Liquid Cocaine In Shampoo Bottles At Houston Airport

Not all heroes wear capes.
Kayla Denney took over the animal shelter in Taft, Texas last November. At the time, the shelter was in disrepair and failing to find homes for its animals, leading to a 100% kill rate, <a href="https://www.kztv10.com/news/community/vista-semanal/local/petco-awards-local-woman-35-000-after-she-brings-animal-shelters-kill-rate-from-100-percent-to-zero-percent?sfns=mo">according to KZTV</a>. In the year since Denney took over, that rate has dropped to 0%, with 565 dogs and cats finding homes.
Thanks to her lifesaving changes, Denney has been awarded Petco’s 2019 National “Unsung Hero” Award.
“There are thousands of applicants, I didn&#8217;t know I was nominated,” Denney told KZTV. “I became the 2019 unsung hero for the country so one person in the whole United States and it still just blows my mind that that&#8217;s still a thing.”
Denney’s work in Taft quickly gained attention, because just four months into the job, she was among the top five contenders for the Petco award. For that she was awarded $10,000. After winning first place in the contest, she will be awarded an additional $25,000.
Denney told KZTV that the money will be reinvested into the animal shelter.
“It’s an older shelter and its run down,” said Denney. “We got lights thanks to a donor who put in electricity for us, but I want indoor outdoor kennels with a guillotine in between so when it’s raining we can put them inside.”
Just to clarify, Denney was referring to a type of door that raises and lowers when an animal enters or exits, not an actual guillotine.
Denney also talked about her plans for the future of the animal shelter.
“We want an area where they can have meet and greet out in the field and somewhere, they can have grass time rather than just cement time,” she told KZTV.
While Denney has been working to save the lives of hundreds of animals, Congress has been working to make animal cruelty a federal crime. While animal cruelty is deserving of harsh punishment, it is unclear just how much authority the feds have over the crime.
Last month, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would make animal cruelty a federal crime, with exemptions for those who hunt, trap, and fish. On Tuesday, the Senate unanimously passed its own version of the bill, known as the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act. The bill increases the penalties for those purposefully hurt animals, including fines and up to seven years in prison.
As The New York Times reported, the House bill “was meant to bolster a law signed in 2010 by President Barack Obama, which banned videos showing animal abuse.” At the time, the bill did not make the videos a federal crime. That has changed under the new legislation, which now goes to President Donald Trump to sign into law.
It is unlikely that Trump would fail to sign the law.

animal shelter

Texas Woman Wins Award After Reducing Animal Shelter’s Kill Rate From 100% to 0%

animals

One small town in Texas is growing because it refuses to do one thing: collect property taxes.
In 2014, Von Ormy, Texas mayor, Art Martinez de Vara, issued his proposed 2015 city budget, which proposed eliminating property taxes. He told the <a href="http://www.vonormystar.com/search?q=budget">Von Ormy Star</a>, &#8220;In 2009 we established a goal of shifting the tax burden for operating the city from property taxes towards sales taxes.  We did this because over 95% of sales taxes are paid by non-residents and we understood that we could increase sales tax revenue much faster than property tax revenue.  Since that time we have increased sales tax revenue by over 400%.  In order to have achieved the same revenue, we would have had to increase them by 300% from where we were in 2009.&#8221; He added, &#8220;I believe that government should not spend every penny it collects, rather we should spend what is necessary to deliver high quality core services to our residents.  Excess taxation is unjust taxation.&#8221;
Von Ormy was not the first town in Texas to eliminate property taxes; others included Stafford, which eliminated property taxes as far back as 1995. The Von Orly Star reported in 2017, &#8220;The Von Ormy City Commission unanimously adopted its fiscal year 2018 budget on September 29 and maintained the city&#8217;s property tax rate at zero percent.&#8221;
Writing in the <a href="https://www.houstoncourant.com/houston-voices/2019/von-ormy-texas-a-liberty-success-story">Houston Courant</a>, Grace Watson, a legislative fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, noted that Von Ormy voted in 2015 to reduce property taxes by 10% a year, adding, “The city now gets its revenues from sales taxes, franchise fees collected from utility companies, and miscellaneous permits.” Watson also pointed out that the city retains enough funds “to fully cover maintenance and operations costs for a full year in the event of a sudden emergency” and that Niche ranked Von Ormy as the suburb with the <a href="https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/search/suburbs-with-the-lowest-cost-of-living/m/san-antonio-metro-area/?fbclid=IwAR3jUEssEvC97IQ4dofHf9Mj5uDp-ASZGKkPA-Cvpwg3_ChOGYcEx1Q3atI">lowest cost of living in the San Antonio area</a>.
As the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-32072814">BBC reported</a>, Jess Fields, a policy analyst for the Texas Public Policy Foundation who has fought for the  “liberty city” movement in Texas, stated in 2015, &#8220;The liberty city idea kind of goes back to the basic concept that people have a fundamental right to determine what kind of government they want to live under,&#8221;  arguing that the regulations in large Texas cities restrict personal liberties. He stated, &#8220;I don&#8217;t deny that some of these regulations are well intended to promote public health and safety, but there&#8217;s a point at which these good intentions are eclipsed by their clear, negative, unintended consequences. We don&#8217;t want the government to tell you how to do every little thing with your property and what to do with your life.&#8221;
In 2015, Texas state senator Konni Burton introduced <a href="https://legiscan.com/TX/text/SB710/2015">SB710</a>, which would have required any change in property taxes to be approved by at least 60% of constituents in a public vote. De Vara, who was Burton&#8217;s chief of staff at the time as well as serving as Von Ormy’s mayor, stated, &#8220;It&#8217;s a really good experiment in democracy.” He pointed out that Von Ormy had no gun restrictions, no smoking bans and no fireworks ban. He concluded, &#8220;We&#8217;re not anarchists. We just believe in limited government.&#8221;

Chinese Yuan, Hong Kong Dollar and U.S. Dollar Banknotes

Texas Town Growing As It Refuses To Collect Property Taxes

On Thursday, Judge Kim Cooks ruled Texas father Jeffrey Younger has a say in his seven-year-old son&#8217;s gender &#8220;transition,&#8221; which is being facilitated by the boy&#8217;s mother and Younger&#8217;s ex-wife, Dr. Anne Georgulas. Younger is attempting to halt the boy&#8217;s transition.
Cooks, of the 255th district, ruled that &#8220;the parents will have joint conservatorship over James, which includes making joint medical decisions for the child,&#8221; <a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/judge-rules-dad-will-have-say-in-gender-transition-of-7-year-old">LifeSiteNews&#8217; Madeleine Jacob</a> reported Thursday afternoon.
Cooks also placed a gag order on Younger, according to Jacob, &#8220;so that he cannot speak to the press about the case and decided that the father is not required to pay attorney fees.&#8221;
Younger&#8217;s &#8220;<a href="https://savejames.com">Save James</a>&#8221; website, which has circulated videos of James, testimonials, and vital court documents, will have to be shut down pursuant to the order.
Before the judge handed down her verdict, she kicked out media sources including The Texan, Daily Mail, and LifeSiteNews, as well as all family and friends. ABC, CBS 11, and NBC were reportedly allowed access.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Daily Mail has just been denied access. And here is a video of the door lady saying The Texan (newspaper) is not allowed. <a href="https://t.co/NY2kwtPRcn">pic.twitter.com/NY2kwtPRcn</a>
&mdash; Jordan Rachel (@TheJordanRachel) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheJordanRachel/status/1187441513975832577?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Judge Kim Cooks just closed the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ProtectJamesYounger?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ProtectJamesYounger</a> courtroom. LifeSiteNews, <a href="https://twitter.com/TheTexanNews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheTexanNews</a>, and many other reporters were preventing from entering the closed court because we didn’t have ‘hard cards press passes. Digital passes didn’t count. No family either.
&mdash; LifeSiteNews.com (@LifeSite) <a href="https://twitter.com/LifeSite/status/1187442013974810626?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Reporting from <a href="https://thetexan.news/dallas-custody-battle-over-alleged-transgender-seven-year-old-will-resume-next-week/">The Texan</a> says Georgulas’ lawyers Jessica Janicek and Laura Hayes claimed during the trial that the mother does not plan on giving James hormone blockers at this time. However, “no one has stated that she (Georgulas) would not be open to using them when James begins puberty,” the report said, noting, &#8220;When Georgulas testified on Friday, she said that she understood a &#8216;social transition&#8217; is usually followed by a &#8216;medical transition&#8217; using puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones.&#8221;
In addition, Ms. Georgulas&#8217; July 2018 testimony reveals that James, if he “persists” in being a “girl” named “Luna,” is set to be <a href="https://twitter.com/AmandaPresto/status/1186955355647070208">evaluated</a> for hormone suppressants as young as age eight.
Younger disagrees with Ms. Georgulas that James is actually a girl named &#8220;Luna.&#8221; He has claimed Georgulas, in his opinion, would only show James love and affection when he would say he&#8217;s a girl and began showing James trans-related material, such as media from famed transgender child Jazz Jennings, when he was a toddler. In a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/video-james-younger-at-age-3-to-dad-mommy-tells-me-im-a-girl">video</a> captured by Younger when the boy was just three years old, James tells his dad that &#8220;mommy&#8221; tells him he&#8217;s a girl and puts him in dresses.
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ProtectJamesYounger?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ProtectJamesYounger</a> <a href="https://t.co/3gMIRLouu4">pic.twitter.com/3gMIRLouu4</a>
&mdash; Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) <a href="https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1187354842076979201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2019</a></blockquote>
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During a podcast in January, Mr. Younger said his son has already been fully socially &#8220;transitioned&#8221; and noted that he&#8217;s not allowed to use masculine pronouns or use the boy&#8217;s name &#8220;James&#8221; to third-parties who know the boy as &#8220;Luna.&#8221;
“[James] wears a dress at her (his ex-wife’s) home; he has a new made-up name, Luna &#8212; it appears in the court filings. He goes to school; the teachers call him ‘Luna.’ He uses the girl’s bathroom at school. All of his authority figures &#8212; his mother, his teacher, the librarian at school, the police officer at school, the principal at school &#8212; tell him he’s a girl. I’m the only authority figure in his life that tells him the truth; that he’s actually a boy,” Younger <a href="https://lukemacias.com/afathersfight/">told</a> host Luke Macias during an episode of “The Luke Macias Show.&#8221;
According to Jacob, prior to the case, &#8220;Dr. Georgulas had exclusive rights to make decisions regarding psychological and psychiatric care for James and [his twin brother] Jude. She needed to inform Mr. Younger of her decisions, but he couldn’t weigh in on or change the decisions. GENECIS (a gender clinic) wouldn’t begin James on puberty blockers without Mr. Younger’s consent.&#8221;
Folks concerned over the wellbeing of the 7-year-old child began sporting the hashtag <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23ProtectJamesYounger&amp;src=typed_query">#ProtectJamesYounger</a> and triggered a reaction from the state&#8217;s governor and other political figures in Texas, including Senator Tex Cruz (R-TX).
&#8220;This is horrifying &amp; tragic. For a parent to subject such a young child to life-altering hormone blockers to medically transition their sex is nothing less than child abuse,&#8221; posted Sen. Cruz. &#8220;A 7-year-old child doesn&#8217;t have the maturity to make profound decisions like this. The state of Texas should protect this child&#8217;s right to choose — as an informed, mature person — and not be used as a pawn in a left-wing political agenda. <a class="PrettyLink hashtag customisable" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ProtectJamesYounger?src=hash" rel="tag" data-query-source="hashtag_click" data-scribe="element:hashtag">#ProtectJamesYounger</a>.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
A 7-year-old child doesn&#39;t have the maturity to make profound decisions like this. The state of Texas should protect this child&#39;s right to choose—as an informed, mature person—and not be used as a pawn in a left-wing political agenda. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ProtectJamesYounger?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ProtectJamesYounger</a>
&mdash; Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenTedCruz/status/1187157175250149376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2019</a></blockquote>
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“FYI the matter of 7 year old James Younger is being looked into by the Texas Attorney General’s Office and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services,” Gov. Abbott posted on his Twitter account on Wednesday night,&#8221; Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, announced Wednesday night.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
FYI the matter of 7 year old James Younger is being looked into by the Texas Attorney General’s Office and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JamesYounger?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JamesYounger</a>
&mdash; Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) <a href="https://twitter.com/GregAbbott_TX/status/1187156266449330176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Sad Boy

Judge Rules Dad Has Say In Gender ‘Transition’ Of 7-Year-Old James Younger, Puts Gag Order On Dad

Transgender

According to Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas Attorney General’s Office and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services are looking into the case of James Younger, a 7-year-old boy whose mother says he is &#8220;transgender.&#8221;
&#8220;FYI the matter of 7 year old James Younger is being looked into by the Texas Attorney General’s Office and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services,&#8221; Gov. Abbott posted on his Twitter account on Wednesday night.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
FYI the matter of 7 year old James Younger is being looked into by the Texas Attorney General’s Office and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JamesYounger?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JamesYounger</a>
&mdash; Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) <a href="https://twitter.com/GregAbbott_TX/status/1187156266449330176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2019</a></blockquote>
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A jury ruled Monday against a request from the boy&#8217;s father, Jeffrey Younger, to have sole conservatorship over James and his twin brother Jude, thereby allowing Dr. Anne Georgulas, the boy’s mother and Younger’s ex-wife, to continued to facilitate the child&#8217;s gender transition.
“With a consensus of 11 of the 12 jurors, the jury decided not to grant Mr. Younger Sole Managing Conservatorship over his two twin boys,” <a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/breaking-jury-rules-against-dad-trying-to-save-his-7-year-old-from-gender-transition">LifeSiteNews</a> reported. “They voted that the current Joint Managing Conservatorship should be replaced by a Sole Managing Conservatorship, but that Mr. Younger should not be that person.”
According to reports, Georgulas has been granted authority to move forward with <a href="https://www.acpeds.org/chemical-castration-not-the-best-for-children">puberty blockers</a>, which can cause chemical castration, and, potentially, hormones, if she so chooses.
Reporting from <a href="https://thetexan.news/dallas-custody-battle-over-alleged-transgender-seven-year-old-will-resume-next-week/">The Texan</a> says Georgulas’ lawyers Jessica Janicek and Laura Hayes claim the mother does not plan on giving James hormone blockers at this time. However, “no one has stated that she (Georgulas) would not be open to using them when James begins puberty,” the report said.
In testimony from Ms. Georgulas in July, the mother admits that James, if he &#8220;persists&#8221; in being a &#8220;girl&#8221; named &#8220;Luna,&#8221; will be <a href="https://twitter.com/AmandaPresto/status/1186955355647070208">evaluated</a> for hormone suppressants as young as age eight.
Moreover, with the jury’s decision, Mr. Younger will likely be forced to “affirm” his son’s new gender identity: a girl named “Luna.”
In addition to Gov. Abbott, Republican Texas Rep. Matt Krause said Wednesday that he will &#8220;introduce legislation that prohibits the use of puberty blockers in these situations for children under 18.&#8221;
&#8220;Absent a special session between now &amp; the the 87th Session, I will introduce legislation that prohibits the use of puberty blockers in these situations for children under 18. We missed our opportunity to do so in the 86th Session. We won’t miss the next one. <a class="css-4rbku5 css-18t94o4 css-901oao css-16my406 r-1n1174f r-1loqt21 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" role="link" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/savejamesyounger?src=hashtag_click" data-focusable="true">#savejamesyounger</a>,&#8221; he posted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Absent a special session between now &amp; the the 87th Session, I will introduce legislation that prohibits the use of puberty blockers in these situations for children under 18. We missed our opportunity to do so in the 86th Session. We won’t miss the next one. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/savejamesyounger?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#savejamesyounger</a> <a href="https://t.co/BpbGDPwujZ">https://t.co/BpbGDPwujZ</a>
&mdash; Matt Krause (@RepMattKrause) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMattKrause/status/1187172853621428226?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2019</a></blockquote>
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​Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) expressed outrage over the case, calling the gender &#8220;transition&#8221; of James &#8220;nothing short of child abuse.&#8221;
&#8220;This is horrifying &amp; tragic. For a parent to subject such a young child to life-altering hormone blockers to medically transition their sex is nothing less than child abuse,&#8221; Sen. Cruz posted to Twitter. &#8220;A 7-year-old child doesn&#8217;t have the maturity to make profound decisions like this. The state of Texas should protect this child&#8217;s right to choose — as an informed, mature person — and not be used as a pawn in a left-wing political agenda. <a class="css-4rbku5 css-18t94o4 css-901oao css-16my406 r-1n1174f r-1loqt21 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" role="link" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ProtectJamesYounger?src=hashtag_click" data-focusable="true">#ProtectJamesYounger</a>.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
A 7-year-old child doesn&#39;t have the maturity to make profound decisions like this. The state of Texas should protect this child&#39;s right to choose—as an informed, mature person—and not be used as a pawn in a left-wing political agenda. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ProtectJamesYounger?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ProtectJamesYounger</a>
&mdash; Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenTedCruz/status/1187157175250149376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2019</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Proud to stand with Gov Abbott today against this shocking development in Dallas,&#8221; said Texas Rep. Jared Patterson Wednesday night via Twitter.
&#8220;The judicial endorsement of chemical and surgical castration being done to a child was unthinkable just a few short years and even months ago, especially in Texas,&#8221; the Republican said in a statement, adding, &#8220;I cannot stand for the physically and psychologically abusive practice of sex-change procedures being performed on innocent children.&#8221;
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<a href="https://t.co/9ET0eAFpIM">pic.twitter.com/9ET0eAFpIM</a>
&mdash; Rep. Jared Patterson (@JaredLPatterson) <a href="https://twitter.com/JaredLPatterson/status/1187164452879253505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2019</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;
Speaking to podcast host Luke Macias in January, Younger detailed his ex-wife dressing up his son as a girl.
&#8220;I want you to imagine having electronic communication with your son on FaceTime, and imagine that your ex-wife has dressed him as a drag queen to talk to you,” Younger said on an episode of “<a href="https://lukemacias.com/afathersfight/">The Luke Macias Show</a>.” “He has false eyelashes and makeup. His hair has got glitter in it. He’s wearing a dress.”
“Now imagine how you would feel seeing what I believe is actual sexual abuse — I believe this is not just emotional abuse but is the very, most fundamental form of sexual abuse, tampering with the sexual identity of a vulnerable boy,” the father continued.
As noted by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/38728/mom-says-6-year-old-son-transgender-dad-disagrees-amanda-prestigiacomo">The Daily Wire</a> in November, court documents show that Younger’s son only dresses as a girl when he’s with his mother, who calls the boy by his trans name and has even enrolled James as “Luna” in school. According to Younger, however, James consistently chooses to wear boy’s clothes, “violently refuses to wear girl’s clothes at my home,” and identifies as a boy whenever he is around him.
James’ mother has accused Younger of child abuse in their divorce proceedings “for not affirming James as transgender” reported <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2018/11/26/mom-dresses-six-year-old-son-girl-threatens-dad-losing-son-disagreeing/">The Federalist</a>.
The boy, according to Younger, has already been fully “socially transitioned.”
“[James] wears a dress at her (his ex-wife’s) home; he has a new made-up name, Luna &#8212; it appears in the court filings. He goes to school; the teachers call him ‘Luna.’ He uses the girl’s bathroom at school. All of his authority figures &#8212; his mother, his teacher, the librarian at school, the police officer at school, the principal at school &#8212; tell him he’s a girl. I’m the only authority figure in his life that tells him the truth; that he’s actually a boy,” Younger noted during the podcast.
As reported by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/video-james-younger-at-age-3-to-dad-mommy-tells-me-im-a-girl">The Daily Wire</a> on Wednesday, a video of James at age three shows the child telling his dad that &#8220;mommy&#8221; tells him he&#8217;s a girl:
<blockquote>“You’re a boy, right?” Mr. Younger asks his son in the video.
“No,” James responds. “I’m a girl.”
“Who told you you’re a girl?” the father asks.
“Mommy,” the child answers.
Mr. Younger asks, “When did she tell you you were a girl?”
“Because, I love girls!” the three-year-old says.
“Oh, I see. So mommy told you you’re a girl?”
“Mhmm,” James answers in the affirmative.
The child tells Mr. Younger that his mother puts dresses on him, buys him headbands and hair clips, and paints his nails because he likes nail polish.
“So mommy puts you in a dress and puts nail polish on you?” Mr. Younger says.
“Mhmm,” James replies.
“And what does mommy tell you?”
“She tells me I’m a girl,” the child responds.</blockquote>
The presiding judge will give her final ruling on James’ fate on Thursday.
WATCH:
<iframe title="James at 3 years old" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hF0ZLd_3PMc?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Gov. Greg Abbott

Texas Governor Gives Update On ‘Transgender’ 7-Year-Old James Younger

The warrant for the arrest of Fort Worth officer Aaron Dean for the killing of Atatiana Jefferson, 28, in her home provides details from the account of her 8-year-old nephew, who witnessed the fatal shooting. According to the boy, his aunt was holding a handgun and pointed it at the window after she heard noises outside from the officers inspecting her home in response to a call from a concerned neighbor early Saturday morning.
Police have underscored that it &#8220;makes sense&#8221; that Jefferson would use her gun if she felt she was being threatened by someone in her own home. The lawyer representing the Jefferson family has also noted that she legally owned the gun.
As reported by <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2019/10/15/atatiana-jefferson-pointed-gun-out-window-before-fort-worth-officer-killed-her-nephew-told-authorities/?fbclid=IwAR1Lx73SOk32HweII9ruwrS8na_hP0iohR7Ilh/">The Dallas Morning News</a>, the boy told authorities that he was in the room with Jefferson when she was shot and killed by Dean, one of the two officers who responded to a neighbor&#8217;s call expressing concern about Jefferson&#8217;s front door being left open and lights on so late at night.
The boy was playing video games with his aunt when she heard noises outside her home, he said. She took a handgun from her purse and pointed it &#8220;toward the window,&#8221; the boy told forensic investigators. That&#8217;s when Dean yelled, “Put your hands up! Show me your hands!” then fired a single shot, killing Jefferson.
&#8220;Interim Police Chief Ed Kraus said at a news conference Tuesday that it &#8216;makes sense that she would have a gun if she felt that she was being threatened or there was someone in the backyard,'&#8221; Dallas Morning News reports.
“It’s only appropriate that Ms. Jefferson would have a gun,” said Lee Merritt, the lawyer representing Jefferson&#8217;s family, noting that she had a license to carry the legally owned firearm. &#8220;When you think there’s someone prowling around in the back at 2 in the morning, you may need to arm yourself. That person could have a gun.”
Merritt stressed that Jefferson legally owned the firearm and was licensed to carry it.
After turning in his badge earlier in the day, Dean was arrested on Monday on murder charges. Shortly afterward, the Fort Worth Police Department issued a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/update-fort-worth-officer-arrested-after-shooting-woman-in-her-house">press release</a> providing some details about the case.
“At approximately 6 p.m., Aaron Dean was arrested for the murder of Ms. Jefferson and he has since been booked in Tarrant County Jail,” the release reads. “Our department is working closely with the Tarrant County District Attorney’s office. Our Major Case and Internal Affairs Units are continuing to work around the clock to ensure that no stone is left unturned and justice for Ms. Jefferson’s family and community are served.”
The shooting has sparked outrage from the community, some of the leaders of which suggesting that it may have been racially motivated since the officer is white and Jefferson is black.
Amid the outcry over the shooting, the department released <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/body-cam-video-fort-worth-officer-shoots-woman-in-her-home-after-non-emergency-call">body cam footage</a> on Saturday showing the officers scanning the perimeter of her home using flashlights. After checking a door and some windows, Dean shouts, “Put your hands up! Show me your hands!” He then fired through a bedroom window. The footage ends with two still shots of a handgun in the bedroom, presumably the one Jefferson was holding in self-defense when she was shot.
The video footage does not show the officer announcing that he is with law enforcement, and the neighbor who called the non-emergency police number says the officers parked around the block so their vehicle likely was not visible from inside the house.
Video below (warning: graphic content):
<iframe title="RAW: Fort Worth police release body cam after officers shoot woman in her home" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xpcV0ODTy0Y?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

The badge of a Fort Worth Police officer

UPDATE: Woman Shot By Fort Worth Police Officer In Her Home Pointed Gun At Window

Guns

Law Enforcement

Race

Second Amendment

Former Rep. Beto O&#8217;Rourke (D-TX) revealed in a report published on Tuesday that if he fails to become the Democratic nominee for the presidency in 2020 that he will refrain from seeking public office again.
&#8220;I cannot fathom a scenario where I would run for public office again if I&#8217;m not the nominee,&#8221; O&#8217;Rourke said during an interview with <a href="https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/10/15/beto-orourke-gun-debate-229849">Politico</a>. The former politician served in Congress for three terms before his failed Senate bid to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) during the 2018 midterm election cycle.
Despite never winning even a state-wide election, O&#8217;Rourke announced in March that he would be running for the presidency. His presidential campaign, however, has been struggling to gain traction. O&#8217;Rourke has not broken 5% support since April and currently is receiving less than 2% on average, according to <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/president/us/2020_democratic_presidential_nomination-6730.html#polls">Real Clear Politics</a>.
The Democratic presidential hopeful further sounded the alarm on Friday after his campaign revealed that it had raised $4.5 million during the third quarter of 2019, surpassing his haul for the previous quarter, but falling far short of his Democratic primary challengers. In an email to supporters, he emphasized the need for an urgent &#8220;breakthrough.&#8221;
&#8220;If we&#8217;re going to take this campaign to the next level and move up in the standings, we are going to need your help right now,&#8221; O&#8217;Rourke&#8217;s campaign wrote. &#8220;I often say this is a critical moment for the country, and now it&#8217;s a critical moment for the campaign too.”
&#8220;We believe we have the right message,&#8221; the email continued. &#8220;But we need a monumental amount of money this month to make sure we get on that debate stage in November, reach out to folks who don&#8217;t know us yet, pay for our ads, grow our organizing team, and all the other ingredients we need to get right so we can win this thing.&#8221;
While O&#8217;Rourke contends that his bid for the presidency will be his last shot at elected office, he notably walked back his repeated pledge to Texans that if he lost the Senate race, he would definitively not be running for president in 2020.
O&#8217;Rourke told CNN&#8217;s Dana Bash in October 2018 that he did not have any 2020 presidential aspirations, and in the days leading up to the midterm elections the following month, the El Paso congressman again denied he would run against President Donald Trump.
&#8220;I will not be a candidate for president in 2020,&#8221; O&#8217;Rourke said on MSNBC. &#8220;That&#8217;s, I think, as definitive as those sentences get.&#8221;
However, only a week after meeting with former President Barack Obama, following his election loss, the Texas politician revealed that he had changed his mind and was considering walking back his pledge not to launch a bid for the presidency.
&#8220;Running for Senate, I was 100% focused on our campaign, winning that race and then serving the next six years in the United States Senate,&#8221; O&#8217;Rourke said. &#8220;Now that that is no longer possible, you know, we&#8217;re thinking through a number of things.&#8221;
After facing mounting pressure to drop out of the presidential race in August, O&#8217;Rourke doubled down and re-launched his campaign for a third time.

2020 Democratic Presidential Candidates Speak At The Polk County Steak Fry

Beto Says His Presidential Bid Is His Last Go At Public Office

2020 Election

Beto O'Rourke

After turning in his badge earlier in the day, the officer who shot and killed 28-year-old Atatiana Jefferson in her home early Saturday morning after responding to a neighbor&#8217;s call to a non-emergency police number has been arrested. The shooting, which involved a white officer and a black victim, has sparked racially charged outrage in the community, and the department&#8217;s release of body cam footage has only inspired more criticism.
In an update to the case posted online Monday, the Fort Worth Police Department announced that officer Aaron Dean, 34, has been arrested and charged with murder. &#8220;Aaron Dean was arrested by Fort Worth Police on Oct. 14. Dean has been charged with murder of Atatiana Jefferson,&#8221; the department announced. &#8220;Dean is in the Tarrant County Jail.&#8221;
In a press release issued soon after the announcement, the department expressed its &#8220;deepest condolences to the family of Ms. Jefferson&#8221; and provided more details about Dean&#8217;s arrest.
&#8220;At approximately 6 p.m., Aaron Dean was arrested for the murder of Ms. Jefferson and he has since been booked in Tarrant County Jail,&#8221; the statement reads. &#8220;Our department is working closely with the Tarrant County District Attorney&#8217;s office. Our Major Case and Internal Affairs Units are continuing to work around the clock to ensure that no stone is left unturned and justice for Ms. Jefferson&#8217;s family and community are served.&#8221;
&#8220;To the citizens and residents of our city: We feel and understand your anger and disappointment and we stand by you as we work together to make Fort Worth a better place for all of us,&#8221; the release states.
&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UPDATE?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UPDATE</a> 
Aaron Dean was arrested by Fort Worth Police 
on Oct. 14. Dean has been charged with 
murder of Atatiana Jefferson. Dean is in 
the Tarrant County Jail.
Interim <a href="https://twitter.com/chiefkraus?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@chiefkraus</a> will schedule a News 
Conference for Oct. 15 at Bob Bolen. That time has not been determined yet. <a href="https://t.co/eRZfMWtgM4">pic.twitter.com/eRZfMWtgM4</a>
— Fort Worth Police (@fortworthpd) <a href="https://twitter.com/fortworthpd/status/1183899320711557120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UPDATE?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UPDATE</a> on the arrest of Aaron Dean: <a href="https://t.co/owb3IiozOl">pic.twitter.com/owb3IiozOl</a>
— Fort Worth Police (@fortworthpd) <a href="https://twitter.com/fortworthpd/status/1183924831785553921?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
After being booked Monday evening, Dean was released on a $200,000 bond at 9:15 p.m., according to a Tarrant County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman, <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2019/10/14/fort-worth-officer-who-fatally-shot-atatiana-jefferson-has-resigned-chief-says/">The Dallas Morning News</a> reports.
The department held a press conference Tuesday morning addressing the case:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
10/15/19 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NewsConference?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NewsConference</a> <a href="https://t.co/sJeTdn6HuB">https://t.co/sJeTdn6HuB</a>
— Fort Worth Police (@fortworthpd) <a href="https://twitter.com/fortworthpd/status/1184121791544995842?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2019</a></blockquote>
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As reported by the <a href="https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/fort-worth/article236067328.html">Fort Worth Star-Telegram</a>, Fort Worth police responded Saturday to a 2:25 a.m. call on a non-emergency police number from concerned neighbor, James Smith, after he noticed that the front door of Jefferson’s home was left open and the lights were on — something he told the press he found &#8220;unusual.&#8221; Jefferson, said Smith, was home with her 8-year-old nephew, and he was worried about her wellbeing.
Police arrived, reportedly parking their vehicle around the corner so it was likely not visible to anyone in the house, according to Smith. Two officers, including Dean, began to check the perimeter of the home using flashlights. As body cam footage released by the department Saturday shows, while checking one side of the house, Dean yells, &#8220;Put your hands up! Show me your hands!” then fires a shot through a bedroom window (video below).
The footage also shows two still shots of a handgun police say was found in the bedroom, though it is unclear if Jefferson was holding it when she was shot.
“Perceiving a threat, the officer drew his duty weapon and fired one shot striking the person inside the residence,” Fort Worth police said in a statement reported by the Star-Telegram. “Officers entered the residence locating the individual and a firearm and began providing emergency medical care.”
But the lawyer representing Jefferson&#8217;s family says she was simply playing video games with her nephew and went to the window to see who was outside, suspecting &#8220;prowlers.&#8221; The video footage does not show the officer announcing that he is with law enforcement.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/update-woman-shot-by-fort-worth-police-officer-in-her-home-pointed-gun-at-window-warrant-says">UPDATE: Woman Shot By Fort Worth Police Officer In Her Home Pointed Gun At Window</a>
Video released by Fort Worth police below:
<iframe title="RAW: Fort Worth police release body cam after officers shoot woman in her home" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xpcV0ODTy0Y?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
&nbsp;

Fort Worth Police

Fort Worth Officer Arrested For Shooting Woman In Her House

Amid mourning and outrage from community members, the Fort Worth Police Department released body camera footage on Sunday of a tragic officer-involved shooting in which a white officer shot and killed a black woman in her own home after a reported &#8220;non-emergency&#8221; call from a neighbor.
At 2:25 a.m. on Saturday, police responded to a call on a non-emergency police number from a concerned neighbor after he noticed that the front door of his neighbor Atatiana Jefferson&#8217;s (28) home was left open and the lights were on. The neighbor, James Smith, knew that Jefferson was home with her 8-year-old nephew and found it &#8220;unusual&#8221; that her front door would be left open and the lights on at such an hour, the <a href="https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/fort-worth/article236067328.html">Fort Worth Star-Telegram</a> reports.
The police-released video (below) shows two officers outside Jefferson&#8217;s home scanning the perimeter using flashlights, checking a door and windows of the home, when one officer shouts, “Put your hands up! Show me your hands!” The officer then fires a single shot through a bedroom window.
The footage ends with two still shots of what the department says is a handgun found in the bedroom in which Jefferson was shot. Whether or not Jefferson was ever holding that gun is unclear.
The video also does not show the officer announcing that he is with the police department, and police have not specified whether he did so. According to Smith, the police parked around the corner; thus, Jefferson may not have been able to see their police vehicle.
Video below (warning: graphic content):
<iframe title="RAW: Fort Worth police release body cam after officers shoot woman in her home" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xpcV0ODTy0Y?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office said Jefferson died of the gunshot wound in her bedroom.
&#8220;Perceiving a threat, the officer drew his duty weapon and fired one shot striking the person inside the residence,” Fort Worth police said in a statement reported by the Star-Telegram. &#8220;Officers entered the residence locating the individual and a firearm and began providing emergency medical care.&#8221;
According to attorney S. Lee Merritt, who is representing Jefferson&#8217;s relatives, Jefferson was inside the home playing video games with her nephew.  Believing that the police were prowlers, she went to the window to try to see who was outside and was shot, Merritt said.
Though the released footage features images of a handgun found in the home, police have not said if she was holding the gun when the officer fired.
Asked by the Star-Telegram if Jefferson was holding the weapon and what exactly the officer perceived as a threat, the department declined to answer, a department spokesman telling the outlet in an email, &#8220;Being the preliminary stages of this critical investigation we have provided all the information we have available to release at this time.&#8221;
Smith, who stressed that he made the non-emergency call only out of concern for Jefferson&#8217;s well-being, expressed regret at his decision to involve authorities. &#8220;I&#8217;m shaken. I&#8217;m mad. I&#8217;m upset,&#8221; he told reporters. &#8220;And I feel it&#8217;s partly my fault. If I had never dialed the police department, she&#8217;d still be alive.&#8221;
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In a Facebook post Saturday, Merritt preemptively defended Jefferson against what he described as law enforcement&#8217;s &#8220;pattern of villainizing&#8221; suspects.  Jefferson, he noted, was a pre-med graduate of Xavier University who was &#8220;very close to her family&#8221; and was just trying to have fun playing video games with her nephew.
Several black community leaders and pastors held a meeting on Saturday in which they decried the tragic killing of Jefferson. One of the pastors who attended the event, Greater Saint Stephen&#8217;s Rev. Michael Bell, declared the shooting a &#8220;murder&#8221; and suggested it was racially motivated.
&#8220;The Fort Worth police murdered this woman,&#8221; Bell said in comments reported by the <a href="https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/fort-worth/article236078063.html#storylink=cpy">Star-Telegram</a>. &#8220;They murdered this woman in her own house. And now, African Americans, we have no recourse. If we call the police, they will come and kill us. And we know that.&#8221;
Police say the officer who fired on Jefferson is on administrative leave pending the investigation.
<div>
H/T <a href="https://hotair.com/archives/taylormillard/2019/10/13/fort-worth-police-kill-woman-inside-home/">Taylor Millord</a>
</div>

Police Tape

BODY CAM VIDEO: Fort Worth Officer Shoots Woman In Her Home After &#8216;Non-Emergency&#8217; Call

A battle between prosecutors and the president of the local police union has broken out in regard to former officer Amber Guyger’s murder of Botham Jean.
The trial is over and Guyger was sentenced to 10 years for entering the wrong apartment — Jean’s — thinking there was an intruder and killing him.
On the night Guyger killed Jean, Dallas Police Association President Mike Mata arrived on the scene. Guyger, <a href="https://dfw.cbslocal.com/2019/10/04/fraternal-order-police-supports-dallas-police-association-president-mike-mata-alleged-misconduct-accusation/">as reported by CBS DFW</a>, was sitting in the back of a patrol car when Mata arrived. At trial, “prosecutors used security camera[s] video to suggest the Dallas Police Association acted improperly when DPA President Mike Mata arrived on the scene after the shooting,” the outlet reported.
The footage showed Mata leaning into the patrol car and then telling another officer to turn off the car’s recording devices while Guyger was speaking to her attorney over the phone. This is what prosecutors and a civil rights group appear to be claiming is a cover up and some kind of conspiracy to alter Guyger’s account of what occurred in the apartment.
Dallas Police Chief Renee Hall said last week she would <a href="https://cbsloc.al/2oAcLr4">launch an internal review</a> of the situation.
Steve Stribley, president of the Texas Fraternal Order of Police, released a statement defending Mata, saying the officer went to the scene as president of the local union, not as an officer of the law. His full statement:
<blockquote>The Fraternal Order of Police Texas State Lodge supports Sergeant Mike Mata and his efforts to expose what appears to be a blatant case of prosecutorial misconduct by the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office.
Despite making claims to the contrary, prosecutor Jason Hermus knew that Mike Mata was responding in his capacity as President of the Dallas Police Association to the scene of an officer involved shooting, In his role as DPA President, he had a legal responsibility to request recording devices in a squad car be turned off as Officer Amber Guyger was going to talk to her attorney on her cell phone.
Even a first-year law student knows that her conversation was protected under attorney-client privilege and any effort to record such confidential communication would be illegal.
Hermus was willing to make a despicable, false, and theatrical accusation to win a conviction, even if it meant deteriorating the public’s trust in the Dallas Police Department and discrediting a decorated police officer who has spent the last 25 years of his life protecting families.</blockquote>
Patrick Yoes, president of the national Fraternal Order of Police, also defended Mata in his own statement:
<blockquote>I was outraged to learn that Dallas Assistant District Attorney Jason Hermus deliberately and maliciously attacked the character of Mike Mata, the President of the Dallas FOP Lodge, in the course of prosecuting Officer Amber Guyger. It was unnecessary, it was wrong and it was so grossly irresponsible that I believe it constitutes prosecutorial misconduct.
Mike Mata responded to the scene, not as an officer of the Dallas Police Department, but as the representative of the Dallas Police Association—the union to which Officer Guyger belongs. When she telephoned her attorney, President Mata requested that all recording devices be turned off. Anyone who has seen an episode of TV’s Law and Order knows that conversations between a client and her attorney are privileged communications. As her union representative, President Mata would have been negligent had he not made that request If the accused were not a police officer, there would be no question that recording devices should be deactivated ‘k hitt.. [sic] a client and her attorney communicate.
The false and reckless accusations made by the Assistant District Attorney, not only smears the character of a law enforcement officer of 25 years, but it undermines the public’s trust in the Dallas Police Department. He should be ashamed of himself, and he should apologize for his blatant misconduct.</blockquote>

Policeman

Police Union Stands By Officer Who Turned Off Recording Devices So Amber Guyger Could Talk To Her Attorney

Police

Former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer warned on Tuesday that the growing number of Texas Republicans retiring from Congress could signal a larger issue with the party&#8217;s ability to win over voters in the Lone Star State.
&#8220;Republicans should be worried,&#8221; Fleischer told Fox News host Sandra Smith. &#8220;What happened in the 2018 election, if that&#8217;s any indication, is that Republicans have a problem particularly in college educated, suburban areas around Dallas, Houston, et cetera.&#8221;
Fleischer harkened back to his role in the 1990&#8217;s serving as the spokesman for the House of Representatives&#8217; Ways and Means Committee under former Rep. Bill Archer (R-TX). At the time, Archer served as the representative for Texas&#8217; 7th Congressional district, preceding former President George H.W. Bush.
&#8220;[The district is] one of the most college educated districts in America,&#8221; Fleischer said. &#8220;After being Republican for some-30 years, it flipped to Democrat in 2018. This is worrisome.&#8221;
Fleischer&#8217;s remarks come only a day after the sixth House Republican in Texas revealed that he will not be seeking re-election after his term expires.
&#8220;It has been a great honor to serve the people of the 13th District of Texas as their congressman for the last 25 years. They have given me opportunities to serve the nation in ways I could have never imagined, including as Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee,&#8221; Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX) wrote on Twitter. &#8220;We are reminded, however, that &#8216;for everything there is a season,&#8217; and I believe that the time has come for a change. Therefore, this is my last term in the U.S. House of Representatives.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&quot;It has been a great honor to serve the people of the 13th District of Texas as their congressman for the last 25 years. They have given me opportunities to serve the nation in ways I could have never imagined, including as Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. (1/2)
&mdash; Mac Thornberry Press (@MacTXPress) <a href="https://twitter.com/MacTXPress/status/1178684292857237504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Thornberry was first elected to the House in 1994 and is one of the longest-tenured Texans in Congress. He won his district in 2018 after receiving more than 80 percent of the vote and the seat is not considered to be at risk of flipping Democrat after he steps down.
However, out of the 25 House Republicans representing Texas districts when President Donald Trump was sworn into office in 2016, only 11 are poised to still be in Congress when the upcoming election cycle concludes.
In what the media has dubbed the &#8220;Texodus,&#8221; six House Republicans have announced their retirements since July. Rep. Pete Olson (R-TX), revealed that he would not be seeking re-election to the 22nd Congressional District, turning that district into a top-tier battleground going into 2020. Reps. Mike Conaway, Will Hurd, Kenny Marchant, and Bill Flores made their own retirement announcements shortly after Olson.
Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-house-minority-leader-brushes-slew-gop-molly-prince">has dismissed</a> the slew of retirements as an opportunity for &#8220;new blood&#8221; to go through the party.
&#8220;There&#8217;s a difference between an election year and a midterm year,&#8221; Fleischer said. &#8220;This one&#8217;s got a presidential election cycle coming out, so you&#8217;ve got much heavier turnout in Texas of a Republican base than you did in 2018, but still, I think Texas is a warning sign to Republicans about suburbia, about college educated voters and women, and they need to keep their eye on it.&#8221;
&#8220;They&#8217;ve got to do better with those groups,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;Texas is still a red state &#8212; it has a little purple tinge to it [but] presidential level, I&#8217;m not worried about Texas at all, but these House retirements are tough on Republicans.&#8221;

Prominent Republicans Address The Republican Jewish Coalition Spring Meeting

Ari Fleischer Sounds The Alarm On Texas Republican Retirements

Ari Fleischer

House Republicans

CBS announced on Monday that the hit action television show &#8220;Walker, Texas Ranger&#8221; will get a modern reboot and complete overhaul.
According to <a href="https://deadline.com/2019/09/walker-texas-ranger-reboot-jared-padalecki-in-the-works-chuck-norris-1202741160/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Deadline</a>, &#8220;Supernatural&#8221; star and Texas native Jared Padalecki is set to both produce the show and take over the role of Cordell Walker from original star, acting legend Chuck Norris, who wore the Texas Ranger badge for nine seasons and starred in a television film after the show ended. 
Anna Fricke, best known for executive producing the military drama &#8220;Valor,&#8221; will write and executive produce the remake along with Dan Lin (&#8220;Lethal Weapon&#8221; and &#8220;Godzilla: King of the Monsters&#8221;) and Dan Spilo (&#8220;Sunnyside&#8221;).
&#8220;Walker, Texas Ranger&#8221; was known for exploring themes of morality, family, justice, and faith. Deadline is reporting that those themes will all be facets of the new series with a focus on &#8220;rediscovering our lost common ground.&#8221;
Moving the action from its original city of Dallas to Austin, The Hollywood Reporter <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/jared-padalecki-star-walker-texas-ranger-reboot-1242551" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">notes</a> the plot will revolve around widower Cordell Walker returning home after some time undercover. He will receive a female partner and begin patrolling the streets of Texas&#8217; capital city and possibly beyond. No word yet on who will play his partner or if other familiar characters will appear on the show.
CBS Studios has not decided on which network the series will land. Some have speculated that the series will join their flagship network beside other remakes such as &#8220;Hawaii Five-0&#8221; and &#8220;MacGyver.&#8221; However, it is also possible that &#8220;Walker&#8221; could land at the CW, where Padalecki has spent fifteen years on their long-running series &#8220;Supernatural,&#8221; along with his co-star Jensen Ackles. That series will end on its fifteenth season later this year, freeing up Padalecki for this new project. 
&#8220;Walker, Texas Ranger&#8221; ran for eight seasons from 1993 to 2001 and starred Norris as the titular character, Clarence Gilyard as his partner James Trivette, Sheree J. Wilson as Assistant D.A. Alexandra &#8220;Alex&#8221; Cahill, and Noble Willingham as &#8220;semi-retired&#8221; Captain C.D. Parker. The last two seasons would add Nia Peeples and Judson Mills as fellow Rangers. The original show won several TV awards including Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Gilyard at the 2000 NAACP Image Awards.
&#8220;Walker&#8221; crossed over with fellow law enforcement action series &#8220;Martial Law&#8221; starring Sammo Hung and spun-off the short-lived private detective show &#8220;Sons of Thunder.&#8221; Its iconic theme song &#8220;Eyes of the Ranger,&#8221; composed by Tirk Wilder and performed by Norris, was introduced midway through the second season. 
Four years after the show ended, a reunion television film, &#8220;Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire,&#8221; was produced by Paramount Network Television and aired in October 2005. Norris, Gilyard, Wilson, and Mills all reprised their roles. Though the film garnered high ratings, CBS ultimately passed on doing further projects. 
In February 2018, Chuck Norris&#8217; film company Top Kick Productions filed a lawsuit against CBS Productions in Los Angeles for over thirty million dollars in unpaid royalties over &#8220;Walker, Texas Ranger.&#8221; According to <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/media/cbs-legal-battles-lawsuits-history" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Fox Business</a>, the suit was forced into arbitration and its verdict is yet undecided. 
Norris currently hosts &#8220;Chuck Norris&#8217;s Epic Guide to Military Vehicles&#8221; on the History Channel.

walker_texas_ranger.jpg

CBS Rebooting Hit Series ‘Walker, Texas Ranger’

Crime

Hollywood

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick praised former Rep. Beto O&#8217;Rourke&#8217;s (D-TX) failed bid for Senate on Tuesday and slammed the Democratic presidential candidate for demanding a government-run gun confiscation program.
While participating in the Democratic National Committee&#8217;s (DNC) third presidential primary debate, O&#8217;Rourke declared in no uncertain terms that if he were to be elected president, he would impose a nationwide gun confiscation program to size millions of firearms from law-abiding citizens.
&#8220;Hell yes, we&#8217;re going to take away your AR-15, your AK-47,&#8221; O&#8217;Rourke said at the time amid massive cheers. &#8220;We are not going to allow it to be used against our fellow citizens anymore.&#8221;
&#8220;When I heard Beto&#8217;s now infamous statement in the debate last week … my first thought was thank god he lost to Ted Cruz,&#8221; <a href="https://www.danpatrick.org/dan-patrick-on-o-rourke-gun-confiscation-scheme-done-in-texas/?utm_medium=Tweet&amp;utm_source=Twitter&amp;utm_campaign=BetoStatement">Patrick wrote</a> in a statement. &#8220;Because the Texas press never asked him any serious questions in that race, it wasn&#8217;t clear until now what a radical left-winger he is – the most radical of all the looney leftists and socialists currently running for president.&#8221;
&#8220;My second thought was he will never be a threat to Texas politics again,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;He&#8217;s stuck in tiny single digits in the polls, so he&#8217;s not going to be president, but now the Democrats can&#8217;t even put him on the ticket with the hope that he will help win Texas. He&#8217;s a gun confiscator – he&#8217;s done in our state.&#8221;
Accordingly, O&#8217;Rourke unsuccessfully ran to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) during the 2018 midterm election cycle. As the race tightened to a margin of single digits in the consistently red state, the former Texas congressman received glowing nationwide attention, which ultimately compelled him to launch a bid for the presidency.
However, after his presidential campaign failed to gain traction, O&#8217;Rourke faced mounting pressure to drop out of the race and run for the Texas&#8217; U.S. Senate seat against Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX). Instead, O&#8217;Rourke re-launched his campaign to focus primarily on his anti-gun platform.
While O&#8217;Rourke declined to run for Senate, speculation further emerged that the former Texas Congressman might make a good presidential running mate, with the hopes that he would give Democrats a chance to flip the state blue. However, O&#8217;Rourke&#8217;s strong anti-Second Amendment policies have seemingly squelched the likelihood that he would add any benefit to the ticket in the gun-friendly state.
&#8220;Now he&#8217;s selling T-shirts with his &#8216;hell yes&#8217; statement – another flailing attempt to hide his naked ambition and distract from his doomed campaign,&#8221; Patrick said. &#8220;Beto says he has talked to people in Texas who own AR-15s and they support his confiscation plan – so he found some liberal who agrees with him. It&#8217;s a big state, but the people I talk to don&#8217;t want to give up their guns. They know it is the evil intentions of a shooter, not the gun that is a threat to our safety.&#8221;
&#8220;I will never support banning the AR-15s, AK-47s, or a phony buyback program – the government can&#8217;t buy back something they have never owned,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;This is what our Second Amendment rights are about – making sure the government can never take away our guns.&#8221;

betoorourke.jpg

Texas Lt Gov Nukes O’Rourke In Fiery Statement: ‘He Will Never Be A Threat In Texas Politics Again’

Ted Cruz

Former Rep. Beto O&#8217;Rourke (D-TX) urged his supporters on Sunday to donate money to the challenger of a Texas state legislator whom the presidential hopeful reported to the FBI for what he considered a death threat.
&#8220;Texas lawmaker Briscoe Cain tweeted a death threat at Beto after Thursday night&#8217;s debate,&#8221; O&#8217;Rourke&#8217;s 2020 campaign wrote in an email. &#8220;Twitter removed it and we reported him to the FBI. But then — and this is truly unbelievable — Fox News invited Cain to be on primetime TV last night so he could joke around about the death threat and raise money for his campaign. Absolutely despicable.&#8221;
&#8220;So here&#8217;s what we&#8217;re going to do: We&#8217;re going to raise a bunch of money today for the Democrat running against Cain, Josh Markle,&#8221; the email continued. &#8220;We need ALL hands on deck because Cain probably raised tens of thousands of dollars for his campaign last night on Fox News.&#8221;
After struggling to gain traction in the polls, O&#8217;Rourke faced increased pressure during the summer to drop out of the presidential race. Rather than ending his campaign, O&#8217;Rourke re-launched it — making his anti-gun policies the cornerstone to his platform. Days later, the former Texas congressman announced his support for federally mandated gun confiscation for all so-called &#8220;assault weapons.&#8221;
While participating in the Democratic National Committee&#8217;s third presidential primary debate on Thursday, O&#8217;Rourke declared in no uncertain terms that if he were to be elected president, he would impose a nationwide confiscation program to seize tens of millions of firearms from law-abiding citizens.
&#8220;Hell yes, we&#8217;re going to take away your AR-15, your AK-47,&#8221; O&#8217;Rourke said at the time. &#8220;We are not going to allow it to be used against our fellow Americans anymore.&#8221;
The declaration received massive cheers from O&#8217;Rourke&#8217;s left-wing base. However, even members of his own party have been subsequently warning that such an anti-Second Amendment provocation could prove politically detrimental to Democrats by inadvertently firing up the Republican base.
Accordingly, Republican Texas state Rep. Briscoe Cain took issue with O&#8217;Rourke&#8217;s calls for action, and tweeted at the presidential hopeful, &#8220;My AR is ready for you Robert Francis.&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">This is a death threat, Representative. Clearly, you shouldn&#8217;t own an AR-15—and neither should anyone else. <a href="https://t.co/jsiZmwjMDs">pic.twitter.com/jsiZmwjMDs</a>
— Beto O&#8217;Rourke (@BetoORourke) <a href="https://twitter.com/BetoORourke/status/1172359875093061632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
&#8220;This is a death threat, Representative,&#8221; O&#8217;Rourke responded. &#8220;Clearly, you shouldn&#8217;t own an AR-15 — and neither should anyone else.&#8221;
Cain, however, denied that he was threatening O&#8217;Rourke. He further defended his language, stating that it was a nod to the Battle of Gonzales, the first armed engagement of the Texas Revolution.
&#8220;He&#8217;s threatened to trespass on my property and the property of others or to kick down our door and take from us,&#8221; Cain said while appearing on Fox News. &#8220;What I wrote really is just another way of saying, &#8216;Come and Take It.'&#8221;
O&#8217;Rourke&#8217;s campaign, however, endorsed Cain&#8217;s Democratic challenger and urged supporters to donate to help unseat the Republican state lawmaker.
&#8220;Last year, Briscoe Cain ran completely unopposed. This time, we have a Democrat running to defeat him. Josh [Markle] served in the Air Force before moving to the Houston area to pursue computer science. He now works for a sign language interpreting agency that serves the deaf community of Southeast Texas,&#8221; O&#8217;Rourke&#8217;s campaign wrote. &#8220;The more money we can raise for Josh today, the stronger and clearer our message to Cain becomes. So please make your donations right now.&#8221;

beto.jpg

Beto Fundraises For Challenger Of Lawmaker Who Allegedly Threatened Him

Gun Buybacks

Gun Control

Presidential hopeful Robert Francis &#8220;Beto&#8221; O&#8217;Rourke has oft-repeated the claim that Texas gun owners are eager to have their guns, such as their legally owned AR-15s and AK-47s, confiscated from them by the government.
On Saturday, for example, the Democrat told MSNBC&#8217;s Joy Reid, &#8220;Texans who own AR-15s, they&#8217;ve told me, &#8216;I don&#8217;t need this. I don&#8217;t need it to hunt, I don&#8217;t need it to protect myself &#8230; if giving this back, or cutting it to pieces, or selling it to the gov helps to keep us safer, then by all means do it,'&#8221; reported The Daily Wire&#8217;s <a href="https://twitter.com/RealSaavedra/status/1172899392312885250">Ryan Saavedra</a>.
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Beto O&#8217;Rourke with another : “Texans who own AR-15s, they’ve told me, &#8216;I don’t need this. I don’t need it to hunt, I don’t need it to protect myself…if giving this back, or cutting it to pieces, or selling it to the gov helps to keep us safer, then by all means do it’” <a href="https://t.co/am73OpOC8A">pic.twitter.com/am73OpOC8A</a>
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) <a href="https://twitter.com/RealSaavedra/status/1172899392312885250?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 14, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
On the same day, Texas Tribune&#8217;s Patrick Svitek reported that O&#8217;Rourke claimed a &#8220;longtime Republican&#8221; spoke to him in the bathroom while they were urinating, telling the Democrat he&#8217;s all in for the gun confiscation.
&#8220;New O&#8217;Rourke anecdote: He says a longtime Republican chatted him up today in [Buc-ee&#8217;s Beaver] bathroom on guns,&#8221; posted Svitek. &#8220;He said, &#8216;This is gonna be strange — not strange that I&#8217;m talking to you while we&#8217;re both at a urinal &#8230; but strange because I&#8217;m telling you you&#8217;re absolutely right on guns.'&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">New O&#8217;Rourke anecdote: He says a longtime Republican chatted him up today in <a href="https://twitter.com/bucees?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BUCEES</a> bathroom on guns. &#8220;He said, &#8216;This is gonna be strange — not strange that I’m talking to you while we’re both at a urinal &#8230; but strange because I&#8217;m telling you you&#8217;re absolutely right on guns.&#8221;
— Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) <a href="https://twitter.com/PatrickSvitek/status/1172932837630185472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 14, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
O&#8217;Rourke echoed similar suspect claims during last week&#8217;s <a href="https://twitter.com/RealSaavedra/status/1172317454246113282">Democratic presidential primary debate</a>, and at other <a href="https://twitter.com/RealSaavedra/status/1173020736786595841">campaign events</a>.
The stories from Mr. O&#8217;Rourke have grabbed the attention of actual Texas gun owners.
The Blaze&#8217;s Jason Howerton, for example, took the Democrat to task over the claim. &#8220;Hey, [Beto O&#8217;Rourke], actual Texan here,&#8221; he wrote. &#8220;I regret to inform you that your request to buy my legally purchased firearms has been denied after your background check revealed a criminal record.&#8221;
&#8220;Don&#8217;t want to take any chances. Xoxo,&#8221; Howerton said, adding a kiss-face emoji.
Ouch.
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Hey, <a href="https://twitter.com/BetoORourke?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BetoORourke</a>, actual Texan here.
I regret to inform you that your request to buy my legally purchased firearms has been denied after your background check revealed a criminal record.
Don’t want to take any chances. Xoxo <a href="https://t.co/GAT1KRh0xy">https://t.co/GAT1KRh0xy</a>
— Jason Howerton (@jason_howerton) <a href="https://twitter.com/jason_howerton/status/1172996380979290116?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 14, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
Howerton was referring to the failed Senate candidate&#8217;s past run-in with the law. In 1998, O&#8217;Rourke was arrested for drunk driving. According to the <a href="https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/politics/texas/article/Police-reports-detail-Beto-O-Rourke-s-1998-13195088.php">Houston Chronicle</a>, the police report, which was newly obtained by the outlet last year, claimed that &#8220;there was a crash involved&#8221; and that &#8220;O&#8217;Rourke allegedly attempted to flee.&#8221;
Saavedra <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/35320/ted-cruz-challenger-beto-orourke-tried-flee-scene-ryan-saavedra">reported</a> last August:
<blockquote>&#8220;A reporter who witnessed the crash said that he observed O&#8217;Rourke traveling at a &#8216;high rate of speed’ in a 75-mph zone as O’Rourke then ‘lost control of the vehicle and struck a truck.&#8217;
O&#8217;Rourke then reportedly attempted to flee the scene of the crash after hitting someone, but the reporter was there to stop him from getting away.&#8221;</blockquote>
Other Texans pushed back on O&#8217;Rourke&#8217;s tales of gun owners, too.
&#8220;Texan here,&#8221; said Red State&#8217;s Brandon Morse. &#8220;I rate this a Texas sized lie.&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Texan here.
I rate this a Texas sized lie. <a href="https://t.co/Ub1VKgSrVy">https://t.co/Ub1VKgSrVy</a>
— Brandon Morse (@TheBrandonMorse) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheBrandonMorse/status/1173008235994976256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 14, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
&#8220;As an American who lived in Texas for a year, I feel confident in saying this is bull,&#8221; wrote Daily Caller associate editor Virginia Kruta.
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">As an American who lived in Texas for a year, I feel confident in saying this is bull. <a href="https://t.co/HRXVwn3zhL">https://t.co/HRXVwn3zhL</a>
— Virginia Kruta (@VAKruta) <a href="https://twitter.com/VAKruta/status/1173029391007453184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
Managing Director of Breitbart Texas Brandon Darby posted: &#8220;I&#8217;m as Texan as anyone and this is BS. Born in Pasadena, Texas.&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I’m as Texan as anyone and this is BS. Born in Pasadena, Texas. <a href="https://t.co/4kXru73wuo">https://t.co/4kXru73wuo</a>
— Brandon Darby (@brandondarby) <a href="https://twitter.com/brandondarby/status/1173376521966194688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
Daily Wire Editor-at-Large Josh Hammer, who has lived in both Houston and Dallas, told &#8220;Beto&#8221; to &#8220;come and take it,&#8221; captioning a piece he penned, titled: &#8220;I Will Never, Ever Let The Government &#8216;Buy Back&#8217; My &#8216;Assault Weapon.'&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Dear Beto,
Come and take it. <a href="https://t.co/MaxDpiyASv">https://t.co/MaxDpiyASv</a>
— Josh Hammer (@josh_hammer) <a href="https://twitter.com/josh_hammer/status/1172314393066913793?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>

Robert &#8216;Beto&#8217; O&#8217;Rourke

Beto Claims Texas Gun Owners Want Gun Confiscation. Actual Texas Gun Owner Levels Him In One Tweet.

Democratic Party

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) announced her official endorsement of Justice Democrats-backed candidate Jessica Cisneros, a Democratic primary challenger to longtime incumbent Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX).
&#8220;The people of Texas&#8217; 28th District are ready for systematic change and deserve a Democrat that will be on the side of working people; not the side of big money and obstructionist Republicans,&#8221; Warren said in a statement on Monday.
&#8220;I believe Jessica Cisneros is that fighter. As an immigration lawyer and daughter of small business owners growing up on the border, Jessica knows our diversity is our strength and that when progressives are unapologetic about our values and who we’re in this battle for, we win,&#8221; her statement continued. &#8220;It&#8217;s time Texans had a champion in Congress who does just that. I’m proud to support Jessica.&#8221;
The ultra-progressive Justice Democrats PAC credited with the rise of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) revealed in June that Cisneros would be the organization’s first effort to unseat a moderate Democrat in 2020.
Cuellar, who has represented the Lone Star State’s 28th Congressional District since 2005, has long been a target of Justice Democrats for not being progressive enough in a safely blue district, according to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/first-shot-fired-democratic-civil-war-8-term-incumbent-gets-n1016976?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma">NBC News</a>. Specifically, he is backed by the National Rifle Association (NRA) and wants to defund sanctuary cities. He also received blowback from progressives over his support for a ban on federally funded abortions.
Cisneros is a 26-year-old immigration lawyer who is running on a progressive platform to mandate a $15 per hour federal minimum wage, Medicare-for-All, the Green New Deal, free public college, increasing taxes, and expanding Social Security, reported <a href="https://www.lmtonline.com/local/politics/article/Meet-Jessica-Cisneros-the-26-year-old-Laredo-13980053.php">The Laredo Morning Times</a>. Cisneros is also pro-abortion, anti-Second Amendment, and opposes any construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/JCisnerosTX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JCisnerosTX</a> is taking on Henry Cuellar. He claims to be a Democrat, but he:
Voted with Trump 69% of the time 
Earned &#8216;A&#8217; Rating from the NRA 
Voted to defund reproductive services &amp; sanctuary cities 
Gets $ from the Koch Bros
It&#8217;s time for a real Democrat in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TX28?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TX28</a>.
— Justice Democrats (@justicedems) <a href="https://twitter.com/justicedems/status/1139142065382723586?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
&#8220;I&#8217;m so proud to receive the endorsement of [Warren]. Thank you for embracing our grassroots movement in South Texas,&#8221; Cisneros replied to the Democratic presidential hopeful&#8217;s endorsement. &#8220;Together, we will fight to fix our corrupt political system and improve the lives of working families across the country. ¡Si, se Puede!&#8221;
Warren is the most high-profile Democrat to have voiced support for Cisneros, and the endorsement comes only days before the Massachusetts senator heads down to Texas to participate in the third Democratic National Committee (DNC) primary debate in Houston. Warren will also be holding a town hall in Austin, Texas earlier in the week.
Cuellar, however, defended his political stances in January when rumors began circulating that he was a political target of Justice Democrats.
&#8220;I&#8217;ve been polling and my district is more moderate, conservative Democrats,&#8221; the Texas lawmaker said at the time. &#8220;I think an outside group that thinks they know South Texas politics better than I do are going to find [that] out.&#8221;
Cuellar won re-election to his sear for an eighth term in 2018 after receiving nearly 85% of the vote. The congressional district also went to Hillary Clinton by more than 20 points during the 2016 presidential election.
Justice Democrats revealed in April that it would be launching its own infrastructure to fundraise for progressive primary candidates after the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) announced that it would not support a challenger to Democratic congressional incumbents.

Elizabeth Warren Endorses Justice Democrats’ Primary Challenge To Long-Time Democratic Incumbent

Elizabeth Warren

Leftism

Progressivism

Two Texas students who have grown a single braid in their hair for religious reasons had been banned from participating in extracurricular activities for the past two years. Last week the brothers received a major court win and will be allowed to participate in sports and other activities.
The brothers, Cesar and Diego Gonzales, have grown the braids as part of a religious promise known as a promesa. They have kept this “promise” since birth, The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty wrote in <a href="https://www.becketlaw.org/media/court-tells-texas-school-stop-bullying-boys-faith/">a press release</a> about the brothers’ court win.
“After two years of needless bullying of students of faith, it’s now clear that the school district is breaking the law,” said Montserrat Alvarado, vice president and executive director at Becket. “Mathis Independent School District should stop this foolish fight and do the right thing.”
The brothers’ school dress code prohibits male students from having hair past their collar, but they received a religious exemption until the sixth grade, participating in extracurricular programs without incident.
Once they entered seventh grade, however, they were told they would no longer receive the religious exemption and would not be allowed to participate in sports or clubs.
“It is unacceptable to keep children from doing what they love because of their religious beliefs,” said Alvarado. “Mathis ISD should follow the law and respect these students’ religious beliefs.”
On Thursday, a federal court granted the family’s request to force the school district to allow the Gonzalez brothers to participate in school programs while their case works its way through the legal system.
U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos wrote in her order granting a preliminary injunction that the brothers “demonstrated a substantial likelihood of success on the merits.”
The ruling explains that the brothers made their promesa to God after birth. Cesar was sick as an infant, so their parents prayed to God for help. The parents also prayed during their mother’s pregnancy with Diego, since she had complications during her previous pregnancy. The brothers testified to Ramos that their “promesa has been, and continues to be, a sacred promise and an outward sign of their religious belief.”
“They believe that God would be disappointed in them and could withdraw his healing protection if they were to break the promesa by cutting the long strands of hair,” Ramos wrote.
This is not an uncommon religious practice. Keeping one’s hair long or wearing black after a loved one dies is a common practice in some Central American countries.
Ramos wrote that the brothers would be able to easily prove that the hair braids were a religious exercise and that the school’s refusal to give a religious exemption would present “a substantial burden” to their free exercise of religion.

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY WIN: Court Rules In Favor Of Students Banned From Extracurricular Activities Due To Religious Braids

Religion

A man who killed seven innocents in Odessa, Texas, over the weekend was barred from legally obtaining a firearm because he was deemed mentally unfit, law enforcement officials revealed to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/texas-shooter-had-been-banned-from-buying-firearms-because-mentally-unfit-11567540321?mod=e2fb&amp;fbclid=IwAR0B4sLcFBFkYLs9X6K09I_d5kRzSeMmldyyIkUIJNIDCEEG2DySMWdj-X8&amp;fbclid=IwAR3sL3yPnSC5KDJmJXyyRi5GqhCy4Ve39aB9foGVRW_0CqYlS-hvaedM7m0">The Wall Street Journal</a> on Wednesday.
The shooter, who will not be named per Daily Wire policy, was denied a weapon in 2014 after failing a background check in Texas. He then bypassed the gun control measure and obtained a gun illegally sometime before his shooting rampage, though it is unclear how exactly it was obtained.
&#8220;The gunman had tried to buy a gun in January 2014 but failed because a nationwide criminal background check system flagged the mental health determination by a local court and prevented the purchase, according to the officials,&#8221; the report said, noting that &#8220;[f]ederal law bars individuals who have been found to be mentally unfit from purchasing or owning guns. Records of the gunman’s mental health ruling would have been submitted to an FBI database (the National Instant Criminal Background Check System) used to check the backgrounds of prospective gun buyers.&#8221;
It remains unclear which illegal route the shooter went to obtain the firearm he used to shoot over two dozen people, including a 17-month-old baby.
According to the Journal, the shooter was struggling with mental health issues. Mere hours before his rampage, the man called into 911 and the FBI tip line to rant about being fired from his job and the &#8220;atrocities&#8221; he had suffered; authorities claim no threats were made.
As noted by the outlet, those who&#8217;ve been committed to a mental institution or deemed &#8220;adjudicated as a mental defective&#8221; are federally prohibited from owning a firearm. &#8220;It also makes it illegal to sell a weapon to such a person who the seller knows has been prohibited,&#8221; the Journal reports. &#8220;The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has been working on tracing the history of the rifle that [the shooter] used in the attack and how he obtained it.&#8221;
During the shooting rampage on Saturday, the gunman abandoned his gold Honda to hijack a mail truck, where he continued to open fire. &#8220;The suspect was traveling toward a movie theater called Cinergy, at which point he was engaged by law enforcement. A shootout followed, and the suspect was killed,&#8221; <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/51271/breaking-shooting-odessa-texas-least-5-dead-frank-camp">The Daily Wire</a> reported.
Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) said he and his wife were &#8220;heartbroken&#8221; over the &#8220;senseless and cowardly attack&#8221; and promised justice for the victims&#8217; families in a statement following the carnage.
&#8220;The First Lady and I are heartbroken over this senseless and cowardly attack, and we offer our unwavering support to the victims, their families, and all the people of Midland and Odessa,&#8221; the statement said. &#8220;The state of Texas and the Department of Public Safety are working closely with local law enforcement to provide resources as needed and deliver justice for this heinous attack. I thank the first responders who have acted swiftly and admirably under pressure, and I want to remind all Texans that we will not allow the Lone Star State to be overrun by hatred and violence. We will unite, as Texans always do, to respond to this tragedy.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/51445/breaking-report-refutes-cnns-claim-odessa-attacker-ryan-saavedra">Report Refutes CNN’s Claim That Odessa Attacker Bought Weapon In Private Sale</a>

At Least 7 Dead And 21 Injured In Mass Shooting In Odessa And Midland, Texas

REPORT: TX Shooter Was Banned From Buying A Gun. He Broke The Law And Obtained One, Anyway.

On Monday night, Popeyes employees in the Houston area were held at gunpoint for selling out of the famed restaurant chain&#8217;s latest fried chicken sandwich.
&#8220;Group of people with gun rushes door at [Popeyes Chicken] on Scott and Corder. They wanted the chicken sandwich, say employees. Employees were able to lock them out. [Houston Police] responded,&#8221; ABC affiliate reporter Jessica Willey posted to Twitter.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Group of people with gun rushes door at <a href="https://twitter.com/PopeyesChicken?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PopeyesChicken</a> on Scott and Corder. They wanted the chicken sandwich, say employees. Employees were able to lock them out. <a href="https://twitter.com/houstonpolice?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@houstonpolice</a> responded. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/abc13?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#abc13</a> <a href="https://t.co/6kTYvWRUBI">pic.twitter.com/6kTYvWRUBI</a>
— Jessica Willey (@ImJessicaWilley) <a href="https://twitter.com/ImJessicaWilley/status/1168711293995556864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2019</a></blockquote>
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About a half-hour after Willey posted her tweet, the Twitter account for the Houston Police confirmed the reporting, writing: &#8220;Southeast officers are at 7100 Scott. Male pulled a gun on employees of restaurant after they ran out of chicken sandwich.&#8221;
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Southeast officers are at 7100 Scott. Male pulled a gun on employees of restaurant after they ran out of chicken sandwich. 202 <a href="https://t.co/xC6jlmwJeD">pic.twitter.com/xC6jlmwJeD</a>
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) <a href="https://twitter.com/houstonpolice/status/1168719163336081408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2019</a></blockquote>
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According to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/man-pulls-gun-popeyes-workers-texas-after-restaurant-sells-out-n1049126">NBC News</a>, the incident occurred around 8:45 P.M. local time. One male, accompanied by four others reportedly in their late teens and early 20s, pulled out a gun and threatened workers when he was informed that they had been cleaned out of the desired chicken sandwich, police told the outlet. &#8220;The suspect did not fire the weapon and left before officers arrived. No one was injured, a police spokesperson said,&#8221; the report said.
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen rolled out its latest chicken sandwich in August; the restaurant has been largely unable to keep up with the high demand, selling out at locations across the country.
The chicken sandwich deficit has sparked some extreme behavior. In a video posted online last month, a man can be seen jumping through a drive-through window and assaulting employees seemingly due to the restaurant&#8217;s having sold out of the chicken.
&#8220;Another Popeyes chicken sandwich fight!!! Bruh they need to ban that sandwich cus it’s like the Purge out here!!&#8221; one man captioned the viral video. &#8220;[Shaking my head]!!&#8221;
WATCH:
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Another Popeyes chicken sandwich fight!!! Bruh they need to ban that sandwich cus it’s like the Purge out here!! Smh!! <a href="https://t.co/T3DM8vAofu">pic.twitter.com/T3DM8vAofu</a>
— Van (@vanman_1000) <a href="https://twitter.com/vanman_1000/status/1164860485294088193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 23, 2019</a></blockquote>
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As noted by NBC, others have even resorted to legal action for missing out on the advertised sandwich: &#8220;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/tennessee-man-sues-popeyes-running-out-chicken-sandwiches-n1048321">A Tennessee man filed a lawsuit against Popeyes</a> last week alleging false advertising and &#8216;deceptive business practices by entity to public&#8217; for selling out of the fried sandwich. Craig Barr is seeking $5,000 in damages, according to the suit. A court date has been set for Oct. 28.&#8221;
Fast-food freak-outs are not exclusive to Popeyes, however. For example, in October 2017, a special sauce from McDonald’s led to rioting.
The Szechuan sauce, which had been temporarily offered at the chain in 1998, was reintroduced after the popular show &#8220;Rick and Morty&#8221; featured the condiment, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/22/mcdonalds-szechuan-sauce-to-return-after-rick-and-morty-fan-riots.html">CNBC News</a> reported last year. The product was met with &#8220;chaos at stores, as fans <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/08/mcdonalds-rick-and-morty-szechuan-sauce-stunt-backfires.html">protested over a lack of supply</a>,&#8221; the outlet said.
&#8220;Cops are at Wellington McDonalds where tons of angry people lined up for hrs for Rick and Morty Szechuan sauce only to learn they had none,&#8221; posted Palm Beach Post reporter Lulu Ramadan.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Cops are at Wellington McDonalds where tons of angry people lined up for hrs for Rick and Morty Szechuan sauce only to learn they had none <a href="https://t.co/3T272osid4">pic.twitter.com/3T272osid4</a>
— Lulu Ramadan (@luluramadan) <a href="https://twitter.com/luluramadan/status/916729163305947137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;We did not anticipate the overnight crowds, the cross-state travel and the amazing curiosity, passion and energy fans showed,&#8221; McDonald’s said in a statement at the time. &#8220;Our super-limited batch, though well-intentioned, clearly wasn’t near enough to meet that demand. We disappointed fans and we are sorry.&#8221;
McDonald&#8217;s brought back the dipping sauce in February 2018.

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