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☆ SXSW weighs in after Texas governor tells artists pulling out of the music festival because of the US Army 'don't come back'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Ella Sherman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

South by Southwest acknowledged artists who boycotted the festival due to US Army sponsorship. Despite the controversy, SXSW is maintaining its military sponsorship. Greg Abbott on Tuesday, after he demanded artists who pulled out of the festival due to US Army involvement not visit or return to Texas. The Army is hosting a range of panels at the festival from "Transforming for the Future: Innovation, Tech, and the Army" to "Unleash Your Beast: Army Functional Fitness." Mong Tong at the SXSW Music Opening Party Music Festival Showcase as part of SXSW 2024 Conference and Festivals held at the Palm Door on Sixth on March 12, 2024 in Austin, Texas.

Persons: Greg Abbott's, —, Greg Abbott, Governor Abbott, Abbott, Mong Tong, Diego Donamaria, Rachel Chinouriri, Chinouriri, Eliza McLamb, Ellen Lovett Organizations: US Army, Gov, SXSW, Service, Southwest, Army, Israel, U.S, Collins Aerospace, BAE Systems, RTX Corporation, Raytheon, Texas Tribune, Innovation, Tech, Getty, Star Locations: Southwest, Texas, Austin, Antonio, Austin , Texas

☆ Wildfires Prompt Evacuations in Texas and Oklahoma
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( John Yoon | More About John Yoon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Wildfires were spreading rapidly in Texas and Oklahoma early Wednesday, prompting evacuations and the closure of a plant that disassembles nuclear weapons. In Texas, Gov. The largest current blaze in the Texas Panhandle, the Smokehouse Creek fire, has burned at least 300,000 acres since igniting on Monday, fueled by strong winds and dry conditions, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. “Hot and dry conditions caused by high temperatures and windy conditions are expected to continue in the region in the coming days,” Governor Abbott said in a statement. “These conditions could increase the potential for these wildfires to grow larger and more dangerous.”

Persons: Greg Abbott, Abbott Organizations: Gov, Texas Panhandle, Texas, M, Service Locations: Texas, Oklahoma

☆ The Texas Border War and the Battle Within the Supreme Court - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Linda Greenhouse | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Most people know by now about the border war between Texas and the United States playing out along the banks of the Rio Grande. Less obvious, but no less consequential, is an emerging border war inside the Supreme Court. At the physical border are 29 miles of coiled razor wire on the United States side of the river, put in place by the Texas National Guard on orders from Gov. It has had the added and hardly unpredictable effect of barring access to the border by the federal Border Patrol agents. The state lost in Federal District Court on the grounds that the United States is immune from suits of this type.

Persons: Greg Abbott, Abbott Organizations: Texas National Guard, Gov, Republican, federal Border Patrol, Federal, Court, United States, Appeals, Fifth Circuit Locations: Texas, United States, Rio Grande

And it certainly wouldn’t be the first time states have lent a hand to Abbott to help border security efforts. Kevin Stitt also sent National Guard troops to the border last year – about 50 of them each – to, at least symbolically, bolster Abbott’s efforts. “[Abbott] is exactly right to invoke Texas’ constitutional authority to defend itself,” she said in a statement. “It's unfortunate that there is a governor in Texas, Governor Abbott, who has politicized this issue of what's happening on the border. “Governor Greg Abbott is using the Texas National Guard to obstruct and create chaos at the border,” Rep. Joaquin Castro, Texas Democrat, said in a statement.

Persons: Gregg Abbott, Biden, Abbott, ” Abbott, ”, “, Bertrall Ross, James Madison, Trump, –, ” Trump, Ron DeSantis, ” DeSantis, Kristi Noem, Kevin Stitt, Mike Johnson, Alejandro Mayorkas, Karine Jean, Pierre, Governor Abbott, ” Jean, we’ve, he's, – Jean, Greg Abbott, Joaquin Castro, Abott Organizations: Texas Gov, White, University of Virginia, Karsh Center for Law and Democracy, U.S ., Appeals, Circuit, Border Patrol, Texas National Guard, National Guard, Florida Gov, U.S, South Dakota Gov, Oklahoma Gov, Biden Administration, Republican, Homeland, Mayorkas, White House, CNN, Republicans, Democrats, ”, Texas Democrat Locations: U.S, Mexico, Texas, United States, “ Texas, Florida, Alabama , Arkansas, Georgia , Idaho , Iowa, Louisiana , Montana , Nebraska, North Dakota , Oklahoma, South Carolina , Tennessee , Utah, West Virginia, Wyoming, ”

☆ Republicans are urging Texas to ignore the Supreme Court at the border
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The ruling allows for federal agents to cut through Texas' wire fencing at the southern border. Texas GOP Rep. Chip Roy suggested that the state should tell the Supreme Court to "go to hell." "And if the Supreme Court wants to ignore that truth, which a slim majority did, Texas still had the duty, Texas leaders still have the duty, to defend their people." Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz said in a Tuesday interview on Fox News that the Supreme Court ruling makes him "angry." AdvertisementDespite the Supreme Court's ruling allowing federal border agents to remove the wire fencing, Texas Gov.

Persons: Chip Roy, —, Biden, Roy, Texas Republican Sen, Ted Cruz, Joe Biden, Republican Sen, Mike Lee of, Glenn Beck's, Glenn Beck, Lee, Greg Abbott, Abbott, Andrew Mahaleris, Mahaleris Organizations: Texas GOP, Service, Texas, GOP, Lone Star State, Fox News Digital, Twitter, US Border Patrol, Biden, Texas Republican, Fox News, Republican, Glenn Beck Program, US Justice Department, Texas National Guard, Border, Texas Gov, National Guard, Biden Administration, DPS, Department of Public Safety Locations: Mexico, Texas, Mike Lee of Utah, . Texas, Rio Grande, Eagle

His spokesman said the absence of razor wire and other deterrents encourages migrants to risk unsafe crossings and makes the job of Texas border personnel more difficult. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesThe White House applauded the order, which was handed down after a federal appeals court last month had forced federal agents to stop cutting the concertina wire. Eagle Park has become one of the busiest spots on the southern U.S. border for migrants illegally crossing from Mexico. Abbott has said Texas won’t allow Border Patrol agents into Shelby Park anymore, having expressed frustration over what he says are migrants illegally entering through Eagle Pass and then federal agents loading them onto buses. Texas officials have argued that federal agents cut the wire to help groups crossing illegally through the river before taking them in for processing.

Persons: Biden, Greg Abbott, Abbott, ” Abbott, Andrew Mahaleris, Angelo Fernández Hernández, John Roberts, Amy Coney Barrett, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, Clarence Thomas, ___ Weber, Valerie Gonzalez Organizations: WASHINGTON, Border Patrol, U.S, Justice Department, Texas Gov, Republican, House, Texas Military Department, Eagle, Shelby, Border, Texas, Associated Press Locations: Texas, U.S, Mexico, Rio, Eagle, Austin , Texas, McAllen , Texas

☆ U.S. Appeals Court Orders Texas to Remove Buoy Barrier in Rio Grande
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Edgar Sandoval | More About Edgar Sandoval | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A federal appeals court on Friday ordered the state of Texas to remove a barrier of floating buoys in the Rio Grande installed at the direction of Gov. Greg Abbott to block migrants trying to cross from Mexico, delivering a blow to the state’s efforts to curtail unauthorized immigration. The decision came after months of legal wrangling between Governor Abbott’s office and the federal government. The previous judge had ordered the state to remove the barrier because it was an impediment to navigation on the river and a “threat to human life” for those trying to cross. The appeals court had issued an order temporarily keeping the buoys in place while the complex legal issues were resolved in court.

Persons: Greg Abbott, Abbott’s, Abbott, Biden, ” Organizations: U.S ., Appeals, Fifth Circuit, Constitution Locations: Texas, Rio, Mexico, New Orleans, U.S

[1/2] Former U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Texas Governor Greg Abbott at a briefing on security at the U.S. southern border with Mexico in Weslaco, Texas, U.S. June 30, 2021. We need a president who's going to secure the border," Abbott said. "You're not going to have to worry about the border anymore, governor ... you're not going to have to worry about the border in Texas or Arizona or anywhere else." Since Biden took office in 2021, U.S. border agents have made more than 5 million arrests of migrants making irregular crossings - not through a controlled border station - over the U.S.-Mexico border. But he has struggled with record levels of migrants caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally.

Persons: Donald Trump, Greg Abbott, Brandon Bell, Republican Donald Trump, Trump, Joe Biden, Abbott, who's, Biden, David Morgan, Jasper Ward, Scott Malone, Bill Berkrot, Chris Reese Organizations: U.S, Texas, Republican, Democratic, Texas National Guard, Texas Department of Public Safety, Trump, Lone Star, Thomson Locations: U.S, Mexico, Weslaco , Texas, Edinburg , Texas, Biden's, United States, America, Texas, Arizona, Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Mexican, Washington

☆ Cassidy Hutchinson says Ted Cruz told her not to be a 'tattletale' after she complained to Mark Meadows that Cruz crashed a Trump tarmac arrival in Texas
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Cassidy Hutchinson, in her new memoir, recounted her dismay with Ted Cruz over a 2020 incident. AdvertisementAdvertisementFormer White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, in her new memoir, said that Sen. Ted Cruz told her not to be a "tattletale" after she vented to Mark Meadows about him showing up to greet President Donald Trump at a tarmac arrival in Texas. In the memoir, Hutchinson described her plan to have Republican Gov. As a top aide to then-Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Hutchinson said she wasn't impressed by Cruz's actions. "That was the last time I spoke to Ted Cruz," she added.

Persons: Cassidy Hutchinson, Ted Cruz, Hutchinson, Greg Abbott, Cruz, —, Sen, Mark Meadows, Donald Trump, Texas . Hutchinson, Hurricane Laura, Steve Scalise, Cruz —, texted, POTUS, Governor Abbott, wasn't, Abbott, He'll, Meadows, Insider's Bryan Metzger, he'd Organizations: Texas Gov, Trump, Service, White House, Republican, OLA, Legislative Affairs, Capitol, Democrats Locations: Texas ., Hurricane, Gulf, Texas, Louisiana, —

☆ Texas Gov. Abbott doesn't want to remove his 1,000-foot Rio Grande barrier full of metal blades unless the Supreme Court tells him to
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Abbott plans to appeal a federal judge's order to remove a Rio Grande barrier. The judge ruled Texas must get rid of the floating barrier by Sept. 15 — and pay for its removal. Greg Abbott said he'd appeal the decision — and wouldn't get rid of the floating barrier unless SCOTUS tells him to. "Governor Abbott announced that he was not 'asking for permission' for Operation Lone Star, the anti-immigration program under which Texas constructed the floating barrier. "Thus, we intend to seek appropriate legal remedies, which may include seeking injunctive relief requiring the removal of obstructions or other structures in the Rio Grande River."

Persons: Abbott, Greg Abbott, he'd, SCOTUS, Judge David Ezra, Biden's, SUZANNE CORDEIRO Organizations: Texas Gov, Service, Gov, Court, Operation Lone Star, U.S, Supreme, Texas National Guard, Department of Public Safety, Workers, Getty, Star, Justice Department Locations: Rio, Texas, Wall, Silicon, Rio Grande, Austin, Mexico, Eagle Pass , Texas, AFP

Workers install connected buoys, a measure by Texas authorities in an attempt to deter migrants from crossing the border, in the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, Texas, U.S. July 24, 2023. The Biden administration argued in a legal challenge that the 1,000-foot (305-meter) barrier illegally disrupts navigation and was installed without permission from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The floating barrier is one of multiple strategies Abbott has launched to deter migrants, including coils of razor wire placed along the riverbank. "Unfortunately for Texas, permission is exactly what federal law requires before installing obstructions in the nation's navigable waters." The Texas Department of Public Safety said the victim appeared to have drifted into the barrier after drowning.

Persons: Go Nakamura, Joe Biden, David Ezra, Biden, Greg Abbott, Abbott, Governor Abbott, Ezra, Biden's, Ezra's, Vanita Gupta, Weeks, Ronald Reagan, Ted Hesson, Aida Pelaez, Fernandez, Bill Berkrot, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, Go, Rights, U.S . Army Corps of Engineers, Texas, Republican, Democrat, Operation Lone Star, Circuit, Appeals, U.S . Justice, Texas Department of Public Safety, Thomson Locations: Texas, Rio, Eagle Pass , Texas, U.S, Mexico, Austin, Eagle, Washington

☆ At Texas Border, Some Support for Abbott’s Crackdown Is Waning
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Edgar Sandoval | More About Edgar Sandoval | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Hugo Urbina, who owns a pecan farm next to the Rio Grande, was unhappy with the constant foot traffic on his land, sometimes dozens of people a day. Jessie Fuentes, who owns a canoe and kayak business, did not want migrants to think America had an “open border.” The town’s mayor, Rolando Salinas Jr., saw the Border Patrol being overwhelmed. “People cannot be arriving by the thousands without consequence,” Mr. Urbina said. The recent reports of injuries and at least two deaths near the 1,000-foot string of river buoys has raised the level of concern. “He went too far,” Mr. Fuentes said.

Persons: Greg Abbott, Hugo Urbina, Jessie Fuentes, Rolando Salinas Jr, Mr, Urbina, Abbott, “, Fuentes Organizations: Gov, America, Patrol, National Guard Locations: Texas, Mexico, Eagle, Rio

☆ Congressmen call on Biden to stop Greg Abbott from transporting migrants to Democratic-led cities after a 3-year-old child died on a bus headed from Texas to Chicago
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The lawmakers made the plea after a 3-year-old died on a bus headed to Chicago on Thursday. Abbott has been battling with the Biden administration over immigration issues for over two years. Greg Abbott from transporting migrants from the US-Mexico border region to cities across the country after a three-year-old child died while en route to Chicago on Thursday. We are saddened and horrified, but not surprised, by the death of a three-year-old child on a state-sponsored bus from Texas to Chicago," the lawmakers said. Governor Abbott's barbaric practices are killing people, and the Biden administration has an obligation to stop them."

Persons: Castro, Joe Biden, Abbott, Biden, Greg Abbott, Joaquin Castro of, apprehensions, Eric Adams, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, Adams Organizations: Gov, Service, Democratic, Texas Republican Gov, Reps, Lone Star, Operation Lone Star, The Texas Division, Emergency Management, US Customs, New York Times, Associated Press, The Illinois Department of Public Health, Texas Division, White, New York City, Los Angeles Mayor Locations: Chicago, Wall, Silicon, Mexico, Joaquin Castro of Texas, Chuy, García, Illinois, Denver, Los Angeles , New York, Washington, Texas, Brownsville , Texas, Antonio, Marion County , Illinois, New York

☆ Beto O’Rourke: Governor Abbott’s Operation Lone Star Is Deadly and Also Failing - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Beto O Rourke | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

This “prevention through deterrence” framework risks worsening the humanitarian crisis at the border. Mr. Biden must change course, and that begins by stopping Mr. Abbott. The president should order the immediate removal of the lethal razor wire and obstructions in the Rio Grande and ensure that Border Patrol are unimpeded by Texas Department of Public Safety officers— today. And I can see why it might be tempting to allow the governor to assume ownership over the Texas border rather than pursue a public confrontation on an issue that is this politically charged. Be on the right side of history, demonstrate the kind of strong, decisive leadership that Americans are desperate for, and the politics will follow.

Persons: they’re, Biden, Abbott Organizations: Texas Department of Public Safety Locations: United States, Rio, Texas

☆ Texas governor to defy DOJ request to remove floating barriers in Rio Grande: ‘Texas will see you in court, Mr. President’
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Chris Boyette Priscilla Alvarez | Chris Boyette | Priscilla Alvarez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Greg Abbott will not be ordering floating barriers to be removed from the Rio Grande, in defiance of the US Department of Justice. The Justice Department gave Texas a deadline of Monday at 2 p.m. ET to commit to the removal of the floating border barriers or face legal action, according to the letter sent to Abbott. The governor’s actions are cruel and putting both migrants and border agents in danger,” White House spokesman Abdullah Hasan said. Among the complaints are reports that Texas troopers were told to push back migrants into the Rio Grande and ordered not to give them water.

Persons: Greg Abbott, “, ” Abbott, Joe Biden, ”, Abbott, Abbott’s, Abdullah Hasan, Ted Cruz, Biden’s Organizations: CNN, Texas Gov, US Department of Justice, DOJ, Justice Department, Texas, The, Department gave Texas, Republican, Texas Constitution, Patrol, Department of Homeland Security, United States Army Corps of Engineers, Justice, Texas Department of Public Safety, DPS Locations: Rio Grande, “ Texas, Texas, Mexico, United States, Rio

☆ Gun-loving Texas, where most households own a firearm, has become an epicenter of mass shootings
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Emma Tucker | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +23 min

CNN and the GVA define a mass shooting as a shooting that injures or kills four or more people, not including the shooter. They argue that more firearms and higher gun ownership increases public safety – a stance that continues to be at odds with gun violence experts and data. The area around the Robb Elementary School signs has become a memorial dedicated to the victims of the May 24 mass shooting. Mass shootings are just a piece of that, and the strategies that we’re laying out will impact mass shootings. They’ll also impact a lot of other types of gun violence and that’s absolutely critical to saving lives,” Horwitz said.

But the killings in Allen, coming after other recent mass shootings, has deepened her feeling that something has to be done. “I’m not totally against gun control, but they’re trying to control it for the wrong people. Mass shootings have not been,” Mr. Taggart said. “My first question would be, Why do we have mass shootings now? Mr. Abbott won by a wide margin.

☆ Title 42: Why the Biden administration expects a surge at the US-Mexico border next week
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Migrant surge expectedThe surge of migrants is expected because Title 42, the Trump-era policy that allowed the government to quickly turn away certain migrants at the border during the Covid-19 pandemic, is expiring. These deployments are not unprecedented in recent years, but this one is notable since it coincides with an expected surge of border encounters. Biden administration’s plan to discourage border crossingsThe administration has tried to discourage migrants from simply crossing the border and promised that people apprehended will be turned away and potentially barred from reentry. Anger from New York’s mayorTexas has been transporting thousands of migrants to cities like New York, Chicago and Washington, DC. “Governor Abbott sent asylum seekers to NY – Black mayor; to Washington – Black mayor; to Houston – Black mayor; to Los Angeles – Black mayor; to Denver – Black mayor.

☆ White House condemns Texas governor after migrants were dropped off outside Kamala Harris' house: 'Abbott abandoned children on the side of the road in below freezing temperatures'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Greg Abbott after busloads of migrants arrived in Washington, DC. Busloads of migrants arrived on Christmas Eve outside of Vice President Kamala Harris' home. The move comes as the future of an immigration policy known as Title 42 remains uncertain. "Governor Abbott abandoned children on the side of the road in below freezing temperatures on Christmas Eve without coordinating with any Federal or local authorities," White House spokesperson Abdullah Hasan said in a statement. Abbott previously sent migrants to Harris' home in September to pressure the administration to take further action.

☆ Texas Governor Abbott endangered lives with Christmas Eve migrant drop -White House
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Nandita Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 26 (Reuters) - The White House on Monday accused Texas Governor Greg Abbott of endangering lives after busloads of migrants from the southwest border in Texas were dropped near Vice President Kamala Harris' home in Washington, D.C., on a cold Christmas Eve. "Governor Abbott abandoned children on the side of the road in below freezing temperatures on Christmas Eve without coordinating with any Federal or local authorities," White House spokesman Abdullah Hasan said in a statement. The Republican Abbott, a vocal critic of Biden administration immigration policies, has not acknowledged the Christmas Eve drop and his office has not claimed responsibility. Abbott has said previously his state was purposefully busing migrants to sanctuary cities, where law enforcement is discouraged from deporting immigrants. Hasan said the Biden administration was willing to work with Democrats and Republicans on solutions to the migrant issue.

☆ A subreddit post is trolling Texas' controversial content-moderation law by requiring every comment to include Gov. 'Greg Abbott is a little piss baby'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A subreddit post is trolling the law by only allowing "Greg Abbott is a little piss baby" comments. "Greg Abbott is a little piss baby" to raise awareness of the state's social media content-moderation law. 20, which they called "a ridiculous attempt to control social media." 20 allows private citizens in Texas and the Texas attorney general to sue social media companies for censoring specific points of view. The law affects social media platforms that have more than 50 million active users a month in the US.

DeSantis claimed credit for a pair of chartered flights on Wednesday that carried around 50 migrants to Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, as part of a broader Republican effort to shift responsibility for border crossers to Democratic leaders. "There may be more flights, there may be buses," he said to cheers and applause from backers in the crowd. The state paid $615,000 to Vertol Systems Company Inc, an aviation business, on Sept. 8 as part of a "relocation program of unauthorized aliens," Florida state data showed. The flights to Martha's Vineyard follow a busing effort by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, another Republican, that has sent more than 10,000 migrants to the Democrat-controlled cities of Washington, New York and Chicago since April. The Republican governor of Arizona also has sent more than 1,800 migrants to Washington.

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