Texas
What’s next at the Democratic National Convention
North Texas delegates to the Democratic National Convention tell political reporter Jack Fink the message they want to hear from Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Republican North Texas Congressman Roger Williams explains what he believes is a key economic argument for former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance. Texas Representatives Brian Harrison and Mihaela Plesa discuss the ongoing school choice battle between Democrats and most Republicans in the Texas House. A controversial new policy at the State Fair over guns ends up with the Texas Attorney General threatening legal action against the City of Dallas. Jack Fink covers these stories and more in the latest edition of Eye on Politics (original air date: August 18, 2024).
Democratic National Convention
Delegates from across North Texas and elsewhere are convention-bound. They’re gathering in Chicago for the start of the Democratic National Convention on August 19.
Here’s what you can expect:
- Citing a source, CBS News reports President Biden and former First Lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will speak Monday night.
- Former President Barack Obama will speak Tuesday night, while on Wednesday night, former President Bill Clinton will address delegates before Vice Presidential nominee, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
- On Thursday night, Vice President Kamala Harris will accept her party’s nomination.
The Vice Presidential candidates have agreed to a debate. Republican Ohio Senator JD Vance and Democratic Governor Tim Walz will square off October 1st on CBS News.
Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris will face off in their first debate September 10th. Another debate between Trump and Harris may take place in October.
In the six battleground states the Real Clear Politics average of polls has tightened.
In Arizona, former President Donald Trump is leading Vice President Harris by point eight percentage points. Trump’s biggest lead comes in Nevada – where he’s up by 3.5% points. In Georgia, Trump is only up by 0.6% points. Harris leads in Wisconsin by 1% point. Her biggest gain over Trump is in Michigan where she’s up by 2.1% points. In Pennsylvania, it’s close to a tie, where Trump is up by 0.2% points.
Jack spoke with four delegates from Dallas County who are heading to the convention: Carmen Ayala, Kathy Nealy, Tony Pham, and Jeff Strater. They discussed the messages they would like to hear from Harris and Walz at the convention.
Watch Jack’s conversation with the DNC Delegates below:
Congressman Roger Williams on Trump-Vance message
The Trump-Vance campaign is renewing its focus on inflation, affordability, and border security.
They continue to criticize Harris for not holding a news conference or doing a formal, sit-down interview.
Jack spoke with North Texas Congressman Roger Williams, R-25th Congressional District, who chairs the Small Business Committee, about the presidential race.
Watch Jack’s interview with Congressman Williams below:
School Choice battle
The controversial policy of taxpayer-funded education savings accounts, ESA’s, or vouchers returned to the Texas Capitol last week.
The House Public Education Committee held hearings on this and other issues.
State Representative Brian Harrison, R-Waxahachie strongly favors taxpayer-funded education savings accounts. “I want every parent to have education freedom because I believe every child deserves a quality education and the best way to do that, Texas should make up for being late to school choice by being bold. I want us to have a truly universal education savings account program so that every family has the opportunity to make a choice for their kid.”
State Representative Mihaela Plesa, D-Plano, disagrees and says some rural Republicans in the Texas House will still join Democrats to try to block any legislation. “They continuously bring up that these voucher scams do not do anything to promote their districts and their schools. One of my colleagues pointed out that he represents almost 19 counties. I might be mistaken, but somewhere around 19 counties. Not one private school in any of those counties.”
While lawmakers held a hearing, bills will start being filed in November for the next legislative session that begins in January.
State Fair fight over gun policy
A legal fight is brewing involving the State Fair of Texas over its new gun free policy.
The Texas Attorney General sent the city of Dallas a letter last week threatening to sue over the new policy for this year’s event that won’t allow people who have permits to carry concealed firearms to bring them into the State Fair of Texas.
In a statement, AG Ken Paxton said the policy, “that infringes on LTC holders’ Second Amendment rights is unlawful. Dallas has 15 days to fix the issue, otherwise I will see them in court.”
The Fair begins September 27.
Leaders of the fair made the decision in part because there was a shooting there last year that injured three people.
The only exceptions to the new rule are for active police officers and certain retired officers.
Some 70 Republican state lawmakers signed a letter and sent it to the State Fair’s Board of Directors urging them to change the policy.
Representative Harrison was one of them. “Even if the State Fair’s intentions were pure there, it’s just a purely misguided policy. So, I very much hope they overturn it. Look, I’m proud to represent hundreds of thousands of Texans who believe in the Constitution. They believe in the Second Amendment, and they want their families to be protected. The good news is those things go together hand in glove. Even if the State Fair’s purported objective is to maximize safety, what they’ve done is to reduce safety.”
Representative Plesa supports the State Fair’s new policy. “When I see my colleague sign on to, a letter, you know, condemning the State Fair of Texas for trying to keep their community safe after they saw gun violence in Fair Park, that’s crazy to me. I think that’s why most people are ready for commonsense gun legislation, making sure that people have to do a background check that we don’t have a situation where three people were injured last year.”
Watch Jack’s interview with Representative Plesa below:
Watch Jack’s interview with Representative Harrison below:
City budgets
Two of the largest cities in North Texas, Dallas and Fort Worth, have proposed budgets for next year.
In Dallas, Interim City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert proposed a $1.9 billion dollar general fund budget, which is up by more than $65 million dollars from this year’s budget.
Some highlights include: the largest single year reduction in the property tax rate. It would lower the rate from 73.57 cents per $100 valuation to 70.47 cents per $100 valuation.
The proposal would also increase the property tax exemption for those 65 and older and the disabled, from $139,400 to $153,400. The city would also hire 250 police recruits and add 63 firefighters and four paramedics.
In Fort Worth, City Manager David Cooke has proposed a nearly $1.1 billion dollar general fund budget for next year, up $49 million from this year’s budget.
Cooke said in his proposal that the city’s population could pass the one million mark next year. His budget would increase the property tax rate by half a cent from 67.25 cents per $100 valuation to 67.73 cents per $100 valuation.
In a July interview with Mayor Mattie Parker, she discussed whether Fort Worth could surpass the cities of Austin and Jacksonville in population, and a key element to make that happen. She also discussed the presidential race and U.S. Senate race in Texas.
Watch Jack’s interview with Mayor Parker below:
Saturday started out a bit warm and sticky outside in North Texas, but there will be plenty of sunshine in the afternoon. Temperatures are expected to climb into the upper 80s. Most of the area will stay dry today, but there is a chance for an isolated storm that could reach severe criteria late tonight for counties to the northwest of the metroplex.
Make sure you have an indoor plan for Mother’s Day celebrations tomorrow! Sunday morning will start warm, muggy, and dry for most with the exception of an isolated storm possible along the Red River.
A First Alert Weather Day is in place on Sunday due to a front that will swing across North Texas in the late afternoon through the evening. All modes of severe weather will be likely, but the main threat includes a significant risk of hail up to 2 inches in diameter and winds up to category 1 hurricane strength.
Once the front moves through, cooler temperatures will settle into the forecast on Monday. However, the cool down won’t last long. A warming trend returns and temperatures climb into the 90’s once again at the end of the next week. Stay tuned!
Just days before Mother’s Day, a North Texas father is grieving the sudden loss of his wife and unborn son after she died unexpectedly, only days before her due date. Avi Carey said he is still in shock over the death of his wife, Tiffany, whom he described as his “rock” and “soulmate.”
“Tiffany’s smile, her radiance, her presence … she didn’t meet a stranger,” Carey said.
Nearly two decades together
The couple had been together for nearly two decades, raising two children, Kingston and Kasyn, and preparing to welcome their third child, a baby boy they planned to name Kylo.
Carey said Tiffany began complaining of a severe headache just days before she was due to give birth. He recalled her sitting on the couch, dozing off multiple times – something he said was unusual.
A short time later, Carey found her unresponsive.
“I saw her face … her lips were blue. And I already knew,” he said with tears in his eyes.
A celebration turned to heartbreak
Tiffany Carey and her unborn son died May 2, leaving behind a grieving husband and two children. The loss came less than a week after the family had celebrated a baby shower.
“We went from celebrating the baby shower to planning a funeral in less than five days,” Carey said.
A crisis affecting Black mothers
Health officials say cases like this highlight a broader crisis. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black women in the United States are more than three times as likely as white women to die from pregnancy‑related causes, and most of those deaths – around 80% – are considered preventable.
Carey said he is still searching for answers and now lives with questions about whether warning signs were missed.
“I would say educate yourself. Take everything seriously,” he said. “That should have been a red flag … the headache.”
Honoring Tiffany’s legacy
Now, surrounded by baby supplies meant for a child who never arrived, Carey said he is focused on honoring Tiffany’s memory and raising their children with the values she lived by.
“She always said, ‘You’ve got to lead with love,’” he said. “She did that in everything.”
Trump administration to release UFO files soon, president says
President Trump said his administration plans to release information and materials relating to UFOs.
Ever look up at the vast Texas sky and see something move across it? It could be a shooting star, a satellite — or a UFO.
The Pentagon released several documents Friday, May 8, detailing sightings of unidentified flying objects, or “bogeys,” in U.S. airspace, including reports from Texas.
The documents were released by the U.S. Department of Defense at the directive of President Donald Trump, marking the release of government files related to “alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP)” and UFOs.
“These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation — and it’s time the American people see it for themselves. This release of declassified documents demonstrates the Trump Administration’s earnest commitment to unprecedented transparency,” said U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in a statement.
Here’s a look at the files related to Texas.
UFO spotted in 1948 above Abilene, Texas
A DoD incident summary shows that on Jan. 1, 1948, a man identified as “Mr. A. Schroeder” reported a UFO in the 1100 block of Highland Ave in Abilene, Texas.
Schroeder reported seeing a stationary bright blue-green bell-shaped object in the western sky above Abilene at 1:25 a.m. and 1:30 a.m.
Fort Worth man sees UFO above Alaska
Also in 1948, Lt. Aytch Johnson noticed a silver flat disk in the sky in Fairbanks, Alaska.
According to the incident report, the Fort Worth man observed the object flying over Alaska at around 1:06 p.m. on April 18, 1948, at an estimated speed of 250 to 300 miles per hour.
The report also noted that the sighting “may have been the reflection of sun from wings” of aircrafts flying in the area at the time.
Possible UFO sighting during the NASA Gemini 7 space launch
The DoD released the transcript and audio file of NASA’s Gemini 7 mission in 1965 when astronaut Frank Borman reported to NASA mission control in Houston his sighting of an unidentified object, which he referred to as a “bogey.”
While the launch didn’t take place in Texas, the report came back to space control in Houston.
The conversation occurred on Dec. 5, 1965 — 4 hours and 24 minutes into the flight — when Borman notified space control that there was a “bogey” on their left-hand side.
When asked to clarify what they are seeing, Borman said he was seeing “hundreds of little particles” on their left, about three to four miles away.
As NASA Public Affairs clarified, the bogey was an unidentified object, along with the particles.
Pentagon documents report of other possible sightings in Texas
Some documents have connections or reports of possible UFO sightings in Texas, but are missing details to understand the situation.
For example, the DoD received a clipping from the Yoakum Times-Record reporting UFO sightings by Mrs. Anna Banys in 1947, but it is unclear why she was writing to the DoD.
This is a developing story. Check back for more updates.
Mateo Rosiles is the Texas Connect reporter for USA TODAY and its regional papers in Texas. Got a news tip for him? Email him at mrosiles@usatodayco.com.
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