Southwest
Restoration of the Alamo could be new front in the culture war as TX fights over portrayal of slavery: Report
San Antonio is embarking on a $550 million project to restore the historic Alamo, but some critics have concerns about how slavery will be portrayed in the changes.
Updates to the Spanish mission, which was the site of the historic Battle of the Alamo in 1836 during Texas’ fight for independence from Mexico, will include a new 100,000-square-foot visitor center and museum, a 4D theater, as well as a rooftop restaurant, which is being built across the street, the Washington Post reported. The budget is mostly allocated by the Republican-controlled state legislature.
The Post’s headline read, “Remember the Alamo? Rehab of battle site is latest front in culture war.”
Because the attraction is a source of Texas pride, Republican Jerry E. Patterson, who served as Texas Land commissioner from 2003 to 2015, told the Washington Post that if the new museum focuses too much on slavery, it could put off visitors.
“If we make it a museum about all the bad things and whatever, nobody’s going to go there,” he said.
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In contrast, some historians argue that slavery should be on display as a leading factor in the conflict, the outlet reported.
“Slavery was maybe not the spark of the revolution, but it was the underlying tension that could not be reconciled,” Chris Tomlinson, co-author of “Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of an American Myth,” told the Washington Post.
Tourists gather in front of the chapel of the Alamo Mission, known as the “Shrine of Texas Liberty,” in downtown San Antonio, Texas, on January 23, 2023. (DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images)
The most recent fight about the direction the restoration should take is the proposed statue of a man named Joe, an enslaved Black man who was at the Alamo during battle along with his owner, William B. Travis, who was a commanding officer among the Texas revolutionaries, The Washington Post reported.
Historical accounts indicate Joe was armed, but the Alamo Museum Planning Committee, overseen by the Alamo Trust, has been divided over whether to include Joe’s statue with a musket.
Some Black community members, like Deborah Omowale Jarmon, who runs the San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum, described it as “delusional” that an enslaved person was there “willfully fighting for Texas independence.”
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“If his contribution to this battle was he told the story, let’s show him doing that,” she said. “But the next thing we know, Joe has a gun now and they’re saying he’s an Alamo defender.”
The planning committee ultimately decided not to arm him and instead depict him as a survivor and eyewitness of the Alamo, The Washington Post reported. But, while Republicans want the museum to focus on the battle, Democratic leaders would like to see more focus on the role Native Americans and slaves played in Texas’ fight for independence.
“The staff at the Alamo have expressed to me that they want to deal with controversial issues, but I don’t think they’re free to do so,” Tommy Calvert, a Democratic commissioner in Bexar County, said. “Much like we’re in a heart and soul battle for America, we’re in a heart and soul battle for Texas, and the Alamo is at the center of that.”
Patterson told The Washington Post that the argument is less about the Alamo and is instead about those who believe that the 1836 rebellion of Texas was about slavery, which he said was candidly wrong. But, he did admit that there are certain aspects of the state’s history that have been skipped over in the past.
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“The bottom line is for about 100 years, Texas taught, believed and supported a narrative of history that was not completely factually accurate and did not include all players that needed to be included,” he said.
But, historians, like Tomlinson, disagree and argue slavery was a key issue while Texas was fighting for its independence.
“The genie is out of the bottle, they’re not going to be able to put this story out there without people knowing that there’s another version of what really happened,” Mario Marcel Salas, a retired political science professor and author of “The Alamo: A Cradle of Lies, Slavery, and White Supremacy,” told The Washington Post.
“Eventually, maybe not in my lifetime, but eventually, San Antonio will be ready to give up the myth of the Alamo,” he concluded.
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The 2024 winner of the MLB Home Run Derby is a Los Angeles Dodger.
Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández captured the home run crown Monday evening, the first Dodger in the history to win the beloved event.
Hernández hit a total of 49 homers through the competition.
He battled in the final round with Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., edging out his opponent with a final score of 14 to 13.
The Dodgers All Star eliminated Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm in the semifinals, taking the win after a swing-off after both sluggers notched 14 home runs.
Prior to that, Hernández hit 19 dingers in the opening round, advancing to the semifinals and earning the fourth-seed in the elimination tournament.
Pete Alonso of the New York Mets was eliminated in the first round after hitting only 12 homers, putting a hold on his pursuit to join Ken Griffey Jr. as a three-time derby champion.
This was the 31-year-old Dominican’s first appearance in the Home Run Derby. It’s also his first year as a member of the Dodgers.
The field of competitors lacked some of the big names of the National League and American League, including each league’s home run leaders in New York Yankees star Aaron Judge and Hernández’s teammate Shohei Ohtani.
Ohtani had previously voiced interest in competing, but ultimately decided to sit this one out to allow himself some extra time to recover from elbow surgery.
Hernández and Ohtani will share the field Tuesday during the MLB All Star Game, alongside fellow Dodgers in first baseman Freddie Freeman and catcher Will Smith.
Shortstop Mookie Betts and starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow, also named 2024 National League All Stars, are not expected to play.
The All Star Game take place Tuesday at 5 p.m. exclusively on Fox.
For complete results of the 2024 MLB Home Run Derby, click here.
Illegal immigrants accused of killing 12-year-old Texas girl
Fox News’ Mike Tobin reports the latest on Jocelyn Nungaray’s death. The ‘Outnumbered’ panel discussed the brutal killing and the latest details on the suspects accused of her murder, which officials claim entered the United States illegally.
Two Republican lawmakers have introduced a measure to improve the detention and tracking of illegal immigrants who enter the United States.
The Justice for Jocelyn Act was introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, on Thursday. The measure would crack down on the Department of Homeland Security’s “Alternative to Detention” (ATD) program by requiring every ICE detention bed to be filled, and, if filled, would require the DHS to exhaust all reasonable efforts to keep illegal immigrants in custody, according to Cruz’s office.
The legislation is named for Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year-old girl who was murdered on June 17, allegedly by two Venezuelan nationals who were in Texas illegally.
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Titled the “Justice for Jocelyn Act,” the bill was introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, in the Senate and Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, in the House of Representatives on Thursday. (Getty Images)
Cruz’s office noted that the suspects were enrolled in the ATD program, meaning “they were released into the interior of the United States despite the availability of thousands of ICE detention center beds.”
The senator’s office also highlighted the fact that one of the suspects “was wearing an ICE GPS monitor at the time of Jocelyn’s assault and murder.”
Should DHS nevertheless release an illegal immigrant pursuant to ATD, the person would be subject to continuous GPS monitoring until either their removal from the country or the completion of all immigration proceedings, Cruz’s office noted in describing the bill.
The Texas senator’s office also noted that the bill would “empower immigration officials to immediately deport illegal aliens who violate the terms of their release.”
“Jocelyn Nungaray’s horrific death was entirely preventable,” Cruz said in a statement. “The illegal aliens charged with murdering her should have been held in ICE custody, but they were allowed into the U.S. despite the availability of thousands of open detention center beds. No parent should have to feel the anguish that Jocelyn’s mother, Alexis, is suffering.”
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Jocelyn Nungaray, 12, was allegedly murdered on June 17 by two Venezuelan nationals who were in Texas illegally. (Fox Houston courtesy of the Nungaray family)
He added, “No family should have to live in fear that a violent criminal from another country is wandering their neighborhood intending to harm their children. No ICE or Border Patrol agent should have their hands tied when an illegal alien commits a crime. Congress needs to wake up and act decidedly to ensure that a tragedy like this never happens again.”
Echoing Cruz, Nehls said the “tragic” death of Nungaray was preventable and that he hopes the legislation will prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.
“The tragic death of Jocelyn Nungaray was entirely preventable. The two illegal aliens suspected of assaulting and murdering her were from Venezuela, a gang haven, and were released by the Biden Administration into our homeland, despite ICE detention beds being available,” Nehls said. “Without serious reforms, American families will continue to lose family members and loved ones at the hands of illegal aliens. Enough is enough. I am proud to introduce the Justice for Jocelyn Act with Senator Ted Cruz to ensure tragedies like the death of Jocelyn never happen again.”
Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, left, and Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel have been charged in the killing of Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston, Texas. (Harris County Jail)
“In the wake of so much grief, Jocelyn gives me the strength to be her voice and demand justice,” said Alexis Nungaray, Jocelyn’s mother. “Senator Ted Cruz’s Justice for Jocelyn Act would have prevented Jocelyn’s death. It would have prevented her two murderers from being on the street and it would have meant that Jocelyn would be here with us today. For the safety of kids nationwide, I urge everyone to support Sen. Cruz’s Justice for Jocelyn Act.”
Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel, 21, and Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, 26, are charged with capital murder in Nungaray’s death. The two men crossed illegally into the U.S. earlier this year, according to authorities.
The suspects allegedly sexually assaulted Nungaray before strangling her to death after luring her below a bridge in Houston last month.
Fox News’ Brie Stimson and Landon Mion contributed to this report.
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Krispy Kreme’s new sweet treats will take customers on a flavor-filled adventure to Paris this summer without needing airfare.
The chain has released three new doughnut flavors: Crème Brûlée, Double Chocolate Éclair, and Raspberry & Vanilla Crème, all of which are inspired by classic French flavors.
The new doughnut collection includes:
- The Crème Brûlée Doughnut is an unglazed shell doughnut filled with crème brûlée filling, dipped in crème brûlée caramel icing and topped with caramelized sugar crunch.
- The Double Chocolate Éclair Doughnut is an unglazed shell doughnut filled with chocolate custard filling, dipped in chocolate icing and topped with chocolate crisp pearls.
- The Raspberry & Vanilla Crème Doughnut is an Original Glazed Doughnut dipped in raspberry icing and cookie pieces and dolloped with vanilla cream.
Customers can try all three new flavors when they purchase the chain’s new “Passport to Paris” collection, available in-store or online.
Krispy Kreme also introduced a Crème Brûlée Latte, made to order and served hot or frozen.
The new doughnuts are available at Krispy Kreme locations nationwide. The 2024 Paris Olympic Games kick off on July 26.
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