Austin, TX

Vice President Kamala Harris to join Colin Allred at Houston campaign rally on Friday

Published

1 month ago

October 23, 2024

Vice President Kamala Harris to join Colin Allred at Houston campaign rally on Friday

Just 11 days ahead of the Nov. 5 election, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris will be in the Republican state of Texas. She will be joined by Senate hopeful Colin Allred at a rally in Houston that will focus on the loss of reproductive freedom — a central issue in both candidates’ campaigns.

Friday’s event will be the first time Allred, a Democratic congressman from Dallas seeking to upset Republican incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz, and the vice president has shared a stage in Texas in the 2024 election cycle. Allred has so far been running a thread-the-needle campaign that seeks to keep the Democratic base in his tight grip, while not alienating independents and middle-of-the-road Republicans who might not want to award Cruz six more years in the Senate.

“Allred has gone from an arm’s length handshake to a full-on embrace of the Harris campaign,” said Brandon Rottinghaus, a University of Houston political science professor. “I think that’s because they’ve gone from persuasion to mobilization.”

Mere days away from the election, several polls show Trump and Harris neck-to-neck. A new USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll from the first day of early voting shows Harris leads Trump by 63%-34%, close to 2-1. However, polls predicting Election Day turnout show Trump leading Harris 52% to 35%. Similarly, in a poll from the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin, Trump has a five-point lead over Harris, 51% to 46%.

Harris has been closely trailing Trump in Texas since her Democratic nomination this summer.

How to get Kamala Harris rally tickets

As of Wednesday morning, the exact location of Harris’ rally, along with the availability of tickets, had not yet been released by the Democratic National Committee.

The Democrats’ rally Friday, at a Houston venue to be announced later, will be an opportunity to remind voters that Trump appointed the three U.S. Supreme Court justices who anchored the 2022 decision that ended the right to an abortion, which had been in place for 49 years under the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling. And it’s a chance to highlight Cruz’s long-standing opposition to abortion rights and his expressed support for the high court’s decision to leave it to the individual states to set abortion law.

Donald Trump to visit Austin for ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ podcast

Former President Donald Trump is set to appear on podcasting giant “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast later this week.

“The Joe Rogan Experience” is a popular podcast hosted by UFC color commentator Joe Rogan. The podcast is particularly among right-leaning men and is known for its wide-ranging interviews and discussions on politics, culture, and controversial topics.

Rogan is set to interview Trump in his Austin studio on Friday, USA TODAY confirmed on background. The studio is inside the Onnit Headquarters in South Austin.

This would mark Trump’s first appearance on Rogan’s popular podcast.

Read more: Former President Donald Trump is coming to Texas for ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ appearance

Kamala Harris campaign rally schedule

Harris’ decision to stop in Houston is a bit of a surprise. Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, have expended much of their time and financial resources in such must-win swing states as Pennsylvania and Michigan, largely ceding Texas to the GOP, which has won the state in every presidential election since 1980.

Harris is traveling to Pennsylvania on Wednesday and participating in a CNN Town Hall event in Chester Township, just outside of the Philadelphia metropolitan area.
On Thursday, the vice president will be in Georgia for a campaign rally, joined by former President Barack Obama as Bruce Springsteen performs. The event will mark the first time Harris and Obama have appeared together on the campaign trail.
Harris is expected to visit Texas on Friday to attend a campaign event in Houston focusing on abortion rights and rally with Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, who is challenging Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. And finally, she’ll sit down for an interview with researcher Brené Brown, a podcaster who talks about feeling vulnerable.

‘This election is different’: Bill Gates responds to leak of his $50M to pro-Harris super-PAC

This week, it was revealed that Bill Gates, the Microsoft founder who is among the wealthiest people in the world, privately shared about his $50 million donation to a super PAC supporting Harris.

Gates has not publicly endorsed a candidate, and his donation to Future Forward’s nonprofit arm, Future Forward USA Action, was intended to remain private, according to the New York Times. The outlet also reports Gates has “concerns about what a second Trump presidency would look like,” as expressed in private phone calls.

Although Gates did not confirm or deny the donation and instead emphasized his bipartisanship, the billionaire also said that “this election is different.”

Obama introduced by Eminem at Harris rally, raps ‘Lose Yourself’

Eminem has shown further support for the Harris-Walz campaign this week. At a Detroit rally Tuesday, the rapper introduced former President Barack Obama. And Obama ensured the crowd got hyped.

“I have done a lot of rallies, so I don’t usually get nervous. But I was feeling some kind of way following Eminem,” Obama said when he took the stage in Detroit, Michigan.

“Now, I notice my palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy, vomit on my sweater already, mom’s spaghetti, I’m nervous but on the surface I look calm and ready to drop bombs but I keep on forgetting,” Obama rapped as the crowd burst into cheers.

Obama raps Eminem’s ‘Lose Yourself’ at Harris rally

Rapper Eminem introduced former president Barack Obama at a Kamala Harris rally. Obama returned the favor by reciting Eminem’s “Lose Yourself.”

The lyrics came from Eminem’s 2002 song “Lose Yourself.”

— USA TODAY contributed to this report.

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Austin, TX

‘Superman!’ Jelani McDonald Proves to Be Crucial Piece to Texas Longhorns Defense

Published

34 mins ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

‘Superman!’ Jelani McDonald Proves to Be Crucial Piece to Texas Longhorns Defense

AUSTIN — Texas defensive back Jelani McDonald made his mark in the Longhorn secondary on Saturday.

McDonald recorded his first career interception, and it was one for the books.

With five minutes left in the first half as Texas led 14-7, Kentucky had possession. The crowd went wild as McDonald dove for the ball to get possession back to the Longhorn offense. Commentators described the play as a “Superman” performance.

WENT FULL SUPERMAN FOR THIS PICK 👀🤯@TexasFootball x 📺 ABC pic.twitter.com/ZV5AxOSWo7
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) November 23, 2024
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McDonald’s teammates also had their takes on the play.

“Superman…I mean everybody knows how athletic Jelani is, we’ve been talking about that all season, and even tied back to last season,” Michael Taaffe said. “He’s so athletic. I’m glad he finally got to show that and for you all to see, because we’ve known that forever.”

McDonald has totaled 22 tackles this season, playing in every conference and two non-conference games.

While he’s not a name on everyone’s mouths, like Quinn Ewers, Isaiah Bond, Taaffe or Kelvin Banks Jr., McDonald proved once and for all his impact on the team. McDonald could very much have a breakout season in 2025, and this play, which recorded Texas’ 16th interception of the season taking the national record, opened up the doors for his campaign.

That pick could even be awarded play of the year.

“I’ve been just happy to see him grow and get better as a player,” Anthony Hill Jr., who played with McDonald in the Freshman All-American game, said.

“He was playing corners, so I was like ‘Who’s this guy,’ and then one the game, he’s playing linebackers, and at one game he’s playing safety,” Hill said.

McDonald has one more shot to showcase his talent in the regular season as Texas faces Texas A&M next Saturday. But with two years left of eligibility, the sky is the limit.

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Other Texas Longhorns News:

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MORE: Texas Longhorns Survive Slow Second Half to Take Down Kentucky Wildcats

MORE: Gunnar Helm’s Two TDs Gives Texas Longhorns Halftime Lead vs. Kentucky Wildcats

MORE: Quinn Ewers Returns vs. Kentucky Wildcats After Exiting Medical Tent

MORE: Texas Longhorns QB Commit Dia Bell Sends Message After Serious Leg Injury

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Austin, TX

No. 3 Texas ends UK’s bowl chances

Published

9 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

AUSTIN, Tx. (WKYT) – The Kentucky Wildcats (4-7, 1-7 SEC) ended their SEC slate with a 31-14 loss on the road against the No. 3 Texas Longhorns (10-1, 6-1 SEC). For the first time in eight seasons, UK will not be bowl eligible.

Junior quarterback Brock Vandagriff started the game for the Cats, going 3-7 for 51 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The staff opted to once against start true freshman Cutter Boley in the second half. The LCA alum wet 10-18 for 160 yards and an interception in the loss.

The Wildcats went 1-2 in the red zone and just 2-12 on third down conversions.

Senior inside linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson had a 25-yard fumble return for a touchdown, and also led the defense in tackles with eight.

Texas junior QB Quinn Ewers went 20-31 for 191 yards and two touchdowns for the Longhorns.

The season concludes next week as Kentucky hosts the Governor’s Cup game against Louisville at Kroger Field. Kick-off is set for noon on the SEC Network.

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Austin, TX

Texas’ Quinn Ewers competes against Simone Biles, others in DICK’S Sporting Goods competition

Published

17 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

Texas’ Quinn Ewers competes against Simone Biles, others in DICK’S Sporting Goods competition

Simone Biles, Dak Prescott, Chris Paul and Quinn Ewers are decorating DICK’S store in their hometowns of Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin.

DICK’S Sporting Goods is joining in on the holiday cheer — along with a dose of competition among Texas cities, featuring some of the Lone Star State’s best athletes.

Simone Biles, Dak Prescott, Chris Paul and Quinn Ewers will be competing, just not on any athletic field. They are each responsible for decorating a DICK’S Sporting Goods store in their hometown, competing for the title of DICK’S Holiday Decorating Officer and a trophy.

The athletes have begun decorating at stores in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin. Videos by DICK’S Sporting Goods offer a sneak peek of each as the athletes add their own flair to spread holiday cheer.

The competition comes as part of DICK’S Sporting Goods and DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation’s program Sports Matter, which funds and maintains youth sports programs across the nation. The four athletes will each get a $100,000 Sports Matter grant, to be awarded to a local youth sports organization(s) of their choosing.

“We’ve had a blast getting ready for the holidays with Texas’ most inspiring and entertaining sports icons,” said Kari DeGori, VP Local Marketing and Marketing Capabilities at DICK’S Sporting Goods. “These in-store displays are interactive, fun, a great place for photos, and each has its own tie of sport into the holiday – whether it’s a gingerbread locker room, a chimney basketball game, or a vintage farm basketball hoop. We hope that these displays add some extra joy for our customers while they shop for everyone on their list. And we’re thrilled to be able to partner with our Foundation’s Sports Matter program to extend the holiday cheer to deserving local sports organizations.”

“I love competing, so taking part in this Texas holiday contest with some of the best athletes across sports was a lot of fun,” said Chris Paul. “We are all trying to win and become DICK’S Holiday Decorating Officer, but no matter what, we all win as we have the opportunity to give back to youth sports. Thank you to DICK’S for awarding a $100,000 Sports Matter grant to the Chris Paul Family Foundation.”

This campaign will run across DICKS.com, YouTube, streaming, and social media, as well as broadcast on local TV, radio, and other audio platforms in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin.

Quinn Ewers decorates Austin DICK’S store

Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers is responsible for decorating the Austin DICK’S store on 183A Toll Road. A promotion video captures Ewers placing a giant cowboy hat on a snowman and standing amid a Longhorn-themed tailgate scene while on a video call with actor Matthew McConaughey.

Chris ‘CP3’ Paul decorates San Antonio DICK’S store

Over in San Antonio, Spurs point guard Chris “CP3” Paul is busy decorating the DICK’S store on Northwest Loop 410. CP3 can be seen carefully placing basketballs into a Christmas tree and building a holiday barn-themed basketball court, casually making backward swishes throughout a promotional video.

Simone Biles decorates Houston DICK’S store

World-famous gymnast and gold Olympic medalist Simone Biles has been tasked with decorating the Houston DICK’S store on the Gulf Freeway. In a promotional video, Biles stands in front of goat decorations wearing Olympic medals and a “GO FOR GOLD” sign display. Other notable decorations include a balance beam decked with stockings, a medal podium, and a photo op featuring “five golden rings.”

Dak Prescott decorates Dallas DICK’S store

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is in charge of decorating the Dallas DICK’S store on University Drive. A promotional video depicts Prescott designing a gingerbread-themed locker room and a tunnel featuring holiday lights, speaking in front of snowmen decked in football gear.