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☆ Fact Check-As voter registration mailers trigger claims of ‘dead voters’ in Texas, officials and experts say there are safeguards in place against voter impersonation
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Allegations that voter registration applications sent to deceased voters in Texas equate to or would lead to voter fraud are circulating on social media ahead of the U.S. midterms. The Texas Secretary of State stressed that there are multiple safeguards in place against voter impersonation. If someone received an application addressed to a deceased voter, to actually commit voter fraud, they would still need to: complete the application, request a mail-in ballot and ultimately, cast that ballot. “It would seem unlikely, but not impossible to acquire these pieces of information and then receive, complete and return a mail ballot for the deceased voter. The use of non-official datasets containing outdated information could result in some mailers being sent to deceased voters.

☆ How Mark Vlaskamp built his Texas laundry-delivery business and made $2.4 million in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Mark Vlaskamp started a laundry-delivery business in 2017 in hopes of cashing in on a model that was gaining popularity. The Folde's original concept was to pick up and deliver customers' laundry to local laundromats. But Vlaskamp and his cofounders, Jordan Suydam, Myles Bragman, and Aaron Bowen, soon realized their business model had limitations. Here's how Vlaskamp built his laundry business and his advice for other entrepreneurs interested in starting one. "I've never stopped scrolling Instagram to look at a plumbing company," Vlaskamp said.

☆ Swiatek dominates Kasatkina at WTA Finals
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 1 (Reuters) - Iga Swiatek showed why she is world number one and the hot favorite to win this year's WTA Finals in Forth Worth with a 6-2 6-3 dismantling of Daria Kasatkina on Tuesday. The 21-year-old Pole cruised from there on, dominating with her serve, including one on match point that Kasatkina could not handle, to improve her head-to-head record against Kasatkina to 5-0 this year. "I think I started pretty well and that gave me a lot of confidence," Swiatek told Tennis Channel. WTA Finals debutante Kasatkina has also raised her level this season, making the semi-finals of the French Open and returning to the top 10 for the first time since 2019. The WTA Finals features eight women split into two groups, with the top two finishers moving into the semi-finals.

☆ Elon Musk's SpaceX expects first Starship launch to orbit this year -NASA
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Joey Roulette | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Starship prototypes are pictured at the SpaceX South Texas launch site in Brownsville, Texas, U.S., May 22, 2022. Billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX has sought for years to send its towering next-generation rocket system into orbit from the company's private launch facilities in Texas, where it has only launched prototypes of Starship's upper half some 6 miles (10 km) high to demonstrate landing attempts. The December mission will test the entire system for the first time, involving the company's 230-foot (70-meter) Super Heavy booster to lift the 160-foot (50-meter) Starship spacecraft into orbit. NASA in 2021 picked SpaceX's Starship to land humans on the moon around 2025 for the first time since 1972. That mission, under a roughly $3 billion contract, requires several spaceflight tests in advance that could delay the 2025 moon landing mission.

☆ Verstappen sets F1 record for most wins in a season
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Formula One F1 - Mexico City Grand Prix - Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City, Mexico - October 30, 2022 Red Bull's Max Verstappen celebrates winning the race and setting a new F1 record of 14 grand prix wins in a season REUTERS/Henry RomeroMEXICO CITY, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Red Bull's double world champion Max Verstappen won the Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday to set a Formula One record of 14 victories in a single season. The Dutch 25-year-old led from pole position at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez to take the chequered flag ahead of Mercedes's Lewis Hamilton with Red Bull's Sergio Perez third in front of his home crowd. Verstappen's win was his fourth in Mexico and the podium was the same as last year. Verstappen retained his drivers' title in Japan on Oct. 9. Writing by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Clare FallonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

But Silva is getting a second chance to celebrate her quinceañera or 15th birthday in a different, more empowering way. Silva is part of Quince to the Polls, a campaign by Poder Quince geared to mobilize young women to become civic and community leaders. Poder Quince is a program run by Jolt Initiative, a progressive nonprofit organization focused on increasing the civic participation of Latinos, especially young Latinos. “Even though I can’t vote yet," Silva said, "I want to motivate others." Organizers on the ground will be speaking with community members, many of who are first-time voters, said Christine Bolaños, director of communications at Jolt Action, Jolt Initiative's political arm.

☆ Newly released Uvalde video shows officers discussing need to confront gunman, concerns about being shot
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Minyvonne Burke | Minyvonne Burke Is A Senior Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Newly released body camera video shows Texas law enforcement at the scene of the Uvalde school massacre discussing the need to confront the gunman, but expressing concerns about being shot. I wonder if we can get in there ... and maybe open that door," a trooper says in the video. People mourn at a memorial at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 28, 2022. During Thursday's public meeting in Austin, Texas Department of Public Safety Director Col. Steven McCraw said that he does not believe the agency failed the community. Someone is heard in the video saying how there have been no attempts to negotiate with the gunman.

☆ Ted Cruz says he and several GOP colleagues hid out in a supply closet during the Capitol riot
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

In his new book, Ted Cruz says he hid out in a supply closet during the Capitol riot. "While we waited for the Capitol to be secured, I assembled our coalition in a back room (really, a supply closet with stacked chairs) to discuss what we should do next," Cruz wrote. And the Democrats were even angrier," Cruz wrote. But earlier this year, Cruz called the Capitol riot a "violent terrorist attack" at a Senate committee meeting on January 5. Cruz went on Carlson's show the same week and walked back his description of the Capitol riot.

☆ Robb Elementary educator says she is 'suffering mentally' after police wrongly claimed she left a school door open
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Mirna Alsharif | Mirna Alsharif Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

The Robb Elementary educator whom Texas law enforcement initially blamed for leaving an exterior door at the school open says she is "suffering mentally" after the shooting and its aftermath. “He said, ‘A teacher left the door propped open,’ and I looked at my daughter and I said, ‘That’s a lie,’” Marin told ABC News' John Quiñones. "I'm running to him to help him." When Marin realized he was armed, she kicked away a rock that was holding the door open to close it as she ran inside, not knowing it wouldn't lock behind her. "As I'm running back, I tell her, 'He's got a gun, he's shooting,'" she said.

☆ Exclusive emails show Austin officials bragging about its lack of oversight of a new self-driving delivery service from Ford and Argo AI
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Caroline Haskins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Several cities launched an autonomous vehicle delivery service for Walmart orders with Ford vehicles using Argo AI's self-driving car technology. In 2016, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey announced Uber's self-driving car pilot by proclaiming that Arizona "welcomes Uber self-driving cars" while states with regulatory laws do not. Part of the companies' motivation for the self-driving car delivery service is the drive to meet Walmart's consumer demands for "next-day or same-day delivery." Argo AI was founded in 2016 by two former engineers from Google and Uber's self-driving car programs, respectively. Argo AI hired more than 1,700 people in 6 years but laid off many of its recruiters in July.

An attorney for Jones, Norm Pattis, said in an email Friday that he is confident the verdict will be reversed on appeal. The families say they suffered a decade of harassment and death threats from people who believed the bogus claims. The Connecticut jury found Jones and Infowars parent company Free Speech Systems LLC should also pay punitive damages, which are set to be determined by a judge after several days of hearings next month. In their filing Friday, the families offered various methods of calculating punitive damages in similar cases. The Connecticut verdict came several months after a jury in Texas awarded two Sandy Hook parents $49.3 million in damages.

☆ Cassidy Hutchinson testified that Trump told Mark Meadows 'I don't want people to know that we lost' 2020 election court case
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Donald Trump was "fired up" after the Supreme Court rejected a case aiming to overturn the 2020 election. He told his former chief of staff that he didn't want others to know he had lost, Cassidy Hutchinson testified. "The president was just raging about the decision and how it's wrong," she told the January 6 committee. "He had said something to the effect of, 'I don't want people to know we lost, Mark. Trump had pinned his hopes on the Supreme Court siding with him in the case that sought to toss out election results in four battleground states that he lost to President Joe Biden.

☆ Federal appeals court pauses Texas social media law’s enforcement amid looming Supreme Court petition
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Washington CNN Business —A federal appeals court has agreed to suspend enforcement of Texas’ social media law restricting content moderation, in the face of a looming request by tech industry groups for the Supreme Court to review the case. Some justices, including conservatives Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, have explicitly cited the role and power of social media platforms as reasons the Court should step in. Last month, Florida’s attorney general called on the Supreme Court to review a social media law in that state that is similar to Texas’ legislation. The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals had earlier blocked Florida’s law, saying it was likely unconstitutional. That finding created a split with the Fifth Circuit’s decision to uphold Texas’ law, making it even more likely for the Supreme Court to take up the matter.

The doctor sent along the questions and answers and received a resounding “no” from the PR official: “We ask that you do not comment to the NY Times at this time.”“They’re censoring me,” the doctor told CNN. Even when they are permitted to speak about abortion as private citizens, these doctors say, their employers have made it clear that they would prefer the doctors not talk at all, and so they have hesitated to speak up. UT Southwestern isn’t the only medical center that has been hesitant to allow their doctors to speak with the media. About 10 hospitals and medical practices said no, Wade told CNN. And I thought we would use our position as a respected women’s health institution to continue to educate about the impact these laws have on women’s health,” she told CNN.

☆ Alex Jones: Jury decides conspiracy theorist should pay nearly $1 billion in damages to Sandy Hook families for his lies about the school massacre
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Plaintiffs in the trial included family members of eight school students and employees, in addition to one FBI agent who responded to the scene. He was streaming live when the jury’s decision was read in court, mocked the decision on his Infowars show and used it to fundraise. The figure, he said, would represent the more than 550 million online impressions Jones’ Sandy Hook lie allegedly received online. The decision in Connecticut comes two months after a separate jury in Texas determined that Jones and his company should award two Sandy Hook parents who sued in that state nearly $50 million. While Jones initially lied about the 2012 shooting, he later acknowledged that the massacre had occurred as he faced multiple lawsuits.

☆ Uvalde school district superintendent will resign after outrage over response to school massacre
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

UVALDE, Texas — Uvalde’s school district superintendent announced Monday he plans to resign by the end of the academic year, following months of community outrage over the handling of the United States’ deadliest school shooting in nearly a decade. The Uvalde school board voted unanimously Monday evening to begin the search for Harrell’s successor. The Uvalde school board did not respond to requests for a copy of Harrell’s statement. The superintendent’s announcement comes a week after school district officials suspended the entire school police force. In July, the Uvalde school board called a special meeting to hear from parents.

☆ Here's what William Shatner would have seen on his trip to space aboard Blue Origin as his new book says it 'felt like a funeral'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

William Shatner became the oldest person to journey to space when he flew on Blue Origin in October 2021. The 11-minute flight reached 66 miles above Earth, where Shatner may have seen deserts, mountains, and water. The Star Trek actor described space as dreadful "ominous blackness," but was wowed by Earth's beauty. ReutersBefore the journey, Shatner expressed excitement about finally seeing space with his own eyes, describing the opportunity as "a miracle." Bettmann/Getty ImagesIn the film, Gagarin said he could see forests, and described Earth as "visible and distinct," but many areas were "covered with cumulus clouds."

☆ GOP makes push to weaken Democrats’ grip on Texas border
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Greg Abbott, kicking off a rally in the Texas border city of Harlingen. Border Democrats say dramatic moves to bus and fly migrants across the country will backfire with voters, but also acknowledge they can no longer coast into office. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, a South Texas Democrat, switched districts to more favorable territory and is hoping to unseat her for a full term in November. Nikki Haley is set to campaign with Flores and de la Cruz on the border Monday — an unusual display of national GOP political force for South Texas. It also has a record 32 Hispanic Republican nominees on House ballots around the country, although many are underdogs.

☆ Texas AG Paxton fled home in a truck driven by his wife to avoid subpoena, process server alleges
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Summer Concepcion | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton allegedly fled his home in a truck driven by his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, on Monday to avoid being served a subpoena, a process server said in an affidavit filed in federal court. About 20 minutes later, Paxton left the house and Herrera approached him on the driveway. “I walked up the driveway approaching Mr. Paxton and called him by his name," Herrera wrote. “A few minutes later I saw Mr. Paxton ran from the door inside the garage towards the rear door behind the driver side," Herrera wrote. Last May, Paxton defeated Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush — the son of former Florida Gov.

☆ Texas AG Ken Paxton fled home with his wife to avoid subpoena in abortion case, court filing says
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton leaves the U.S. Supreme Court following arguments over a challenge to a Texas law that bans abortion after six weeks in Washington, U.S., November 1, 2021. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton fled his home to avoid being served a subpoena Monday in a federal lawsuit filed by groups seeking to help Texans receive out-of-state abortions, court filings show. When he told her that he was trying to deliver the subpoenas to Ken Paxton, she told him that the AG was on the phone. Herrera, who said he recognized Ken Paxton inside the house through glass on the door, offered to wait for him. "I approached the truck, and loudly called him by his name and stated that I had court documents for him.

☆ Elon Musk will be forced to acquire Twitter for $44 billion, says a top M&A legal expert who warns that the billionaire is 'in trouble' as he heads to court
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Elon Musk has spent the past few months trying to get out of his agreement to acquire Twitter. Musk needs only to convince Judge Kathaleen McCormick of one of his claims, while Twitter needs to convince her of all of its claims. Musk can appeal the ruling, and likely will, but he will almost certainly still be forced to buy Twitter, Miller said. Musk knew Twitter has some "bots" and even stated in the press release announcing the deal that he would "defeat" them. "Musk could probably go to Mars and try do this under Martian law and have a better chance than going to Texas law," Miller said.

☆ Ted Cruz was booed by a Texas audience when he said his plan to end school shootings is putting more police officers in schools
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ted Cruz was met with a booing audience when he said his plan to stop school shootings is putting more police in schools. Cruz commented on gun control efforts and the Uvalde school shooting at the Texas Tribune Festival. A responsive audience jeered at Cruz at some points, demanding age restrictions on assault weapons. "Two weeks ago, I stood on the Senate floor and tried to pass legislation I've introduced that would double the number of police officers in school," Cruz said to a crowd of boos. Cruz was met with more yells from the audience, this time specifically about the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, in May that left 19 elementary schoolers and two teachers dead.

☆ Ex-Texas police officer acquitted of murder in fatal shooting of man at gas station
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Tim Stelloh | Tim Stelloh Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A white former police officer charged in the fatal shooting of a Black man at a Texas gas station two years ago was acquitted of murder Thursday, the officer’s lawyer said. One of Price’s sisters, Sabrina Price, wept after the verdict was announced Thursday afternoon, NBC Dallas-Fort Worth reported. via Facebook“There was not one person that looked like me,” said Sabrina Price, who is Black, referring to the jury, according to the station. At the time of the shooting, Lucas was one of six white police officers in the small city northeast of Dallas, state records show. Lucas had been dispatched to the gas station over a possible fight in progress, Lt. Lonny Haschel of the Texas Department of Public Safety said in a statement.

☆ Wildfire Smoke Is Erasing Progress on Clean Air
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Mira Rojanasakul | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

Smoke from wildfires has worsened over the past decade, potentially reversing decades of improvements in Western air quality made under the Clean Air Act, according to research published Thursday from Stanford University. The new analysis reveals a picture of daily exposure to wildfire smoke in better geographic detail than ever before. Where Wildfire Smoke Pollution Increased Over the Past Decade 0 0.25 0.5 1 2 4+ micrograms of PM2.5 Seattle Spokane WASH. Portland MAINE Missoula MONT. FLA. Micrograms of PM2.5 0 0.25 0.5 1 2 4+ Note: Map shows increase in average wildfire smoke from 2006-2010 to 2016-2020. The research isolated wildfire smoke from background pollution from other sources, which has actually decreased in recent decades.

☆ Migrants flown to Martha's Vineyard have been left 'traumatized' after being 'thrust' into political firestorm 'without their consent': lawyer
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Migrants who were flown to Martha's Vineyard have been left "traumatized," a lawyer told Insider. "They're scared, they're traumatized, and they don't know what's going to happen next," the attorney said. Dozens of migrants were flown to Martha's Vineyard in a move planned by Gov. "They're scared, they're traumatized, and they don't know what's going to happen next," Love said. "Luckily," Love said, Martha's Vineyard locals quickly mobilized to support the migrants.

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