HOUSTON – The Houston Chronicle reports that Texas has surpassed 18 million registered voters for the first time as an increasingly urban and diverse population reshapes the stateâs political landscape and pushes the GOP to retool its decades-old playbook to keep a grip on the state. The stateâs voter registration rolls are expanding at a quicker pace than other fast-growing southern states like Florida, North Carolina and Georgia. And they’re surpassing the stateâs population growth, a sign that more than just new Texans are signing up to vote. Since U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz was last on the ballot in 2018 and narrowly won reelection by just 215,000 votes, Texas has added nearly 2.6 million voters â the size of Connecticutâs entire voting rolls. The biggest growth has come in Harris County and along the I-35 corridor, areas that have trended blue in recent elections. While transplants from other states make up a good portion of that rise, voter advocacy groups say it is also a product of their work in places like Houston and San Antonio to find and register Texans who don’t typically participate in elections.
Also fueling the rise is the state’s booming youth population coming of voting age. Many high schools have programs to help sign up new voters and people can also register when getting a driver’s license. The shifting demographics are forcing both parties to lean on advanced analytics to help them identify who these new voters are, where they came from, how likely they are to vote in November and which party’s platform they gravitate more towards. While some Republicans have convinced themselves Texas will always be red, top strategists in the party warn Texas is at risk of following other Southwestern states like Arizona and Nevada, once solid Republican states that started turning blue in the last two decades and helped put Joe Biden in the White House in 2020. âWe are in a competitive state and we are not going to win just sitting on our laurels,â said Dave Carney, a veteran Republican strategist who has helped Gov. Greg Abbott and former Gov. Rick Perry dominate Texas politics for the last 25 years.
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(NEW YORK) -- Dr. Lisa Newman, the chief of the section of breast surgery at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, sat down with ABC News to discuss breast cancer prevention, early screenings and diagnosis discrepancies.
A new American Cancer Society report, released in October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, finds that breast cancer mortality rates overall have dropped by 44% since 1989, averting about 517,900 breast cancer deaths. However, not all women have benefited from this progress.
ABC News discussed the issue with Newman, who provided more context.
ABC NEWS: Dr. Lisa Newman, chief of the section of breast surgery at New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. Dr. Newman, thank you so much for joining us. So overall, are you encouraged or concerned by this report?
DR. LISA NEWMAN: Well, thank you for this attention to such a major problem of breast cancer. As you mentioned, it is rising in incidence in American women. So we are very gratified to see these continued declines in breast cancer mortality rates. This is a testimony to our successes with breast health awareness, early detection through screening mammography programs and wonderful advances that we've made in treatment.
But as you also noted, we are still seeing some rather appalling and disturbing trends in the breast cancer statistics. It's very concerning to us that the rates of breast cancer are rising for young women, women younger than the age of 50. And this is for a variety of reasons. We are also seeing very concerning disparities in the burden of breast cancer and, in particular, breast cancer death rates continue to be significantly higher for African-American women and for Black women younger than the age of 50.
ABC NEWS: As far as the disparities with regard to ethnic groups, which we also discussed, why the increase there as well?
NEWMAN: Yeah. The disparities in breast cancer burden are also secondary to some complex factors with the disproportionate mortality rates that we see in Black women. We know that this is going to be explained heavily by socioeconomic disadvantages that are more prevalent in the African-American community, and African-American women are more likely to be diagnosed with more advanced breast cancers because of delays in diagnosis.
Black women are more likely to have delays in initiation of treatment, and there are some tumor biology questions that we need to evaluate in research, as well. A lot of the research that I do actually looks at the breast cancer burden of women with African ancestry. And we do know that African ancestry in and of itself increases the likelihood of getting biologically aggressive forms of breast cancer and getting breast cancer at younger ages. So we need to address that, these socioeconomic disparities, but we also need more research to understand these biological differences.
ABC NEWS: And we saw that we're just seeing that trend of an increase year after year. What can we do to, to try and bring these numbers down?
NEWMAN: Being aware of breast health is very important and making sure that you get screened regularly. For average risk women, The American Society of Breast Surgeons advocates in favor of getting yearly mammograms starting at age 40. If you have a strong family history, you should consider getting genetic testing, because if you do have inherited predisposition for breast cancer, you may need to start getting your mammograms at even younger ages.
ABC NEWS: The good news that we see here in this report: The mortality rate has dropped in the last year compared to 35 years ago. What do you attribute that to?
NEWMAN: Yeah. Very exciting to see that the mortality rates are declining. This is secondary to women advocating more forcefully for themselves and getting screened regularly. Women also, we want to remind women that mammograms aren't perfect. And so women do indeed need to be aware of the potential danger signs of breast cancer, such as a new lump in the breast, lump in the underarm, bloody nipple discharge, changes in the skin appearance of the breast like swelling, a rash.
ABC NEWS: And what are some basic things that all women can do to protect themselves? You mentioned diet, for example. What kinds of food or diet would be helpful with this?
NEWMAN: Well, a good way to look at it is in terms of the holistic picture and in general, the dietary patterns that are good for cardiovascular health are good for breast health. So a diet that has lots of fresh fruits and vegetables in it, minimizing fat intake, minimizing alcohol intake, alcohol has also been associated with breast cancer risk.
ABC NEWS: Such important and lifesaving information. Dr. Newman, thank you very much for coming on the show.
WASHINGTON (AP) â The Supreme Court agreed on Friday to step into a fight over plans to store nuclear waste at sites in rural Texas and New Mexico.
The justices said they will review a ruling by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that found that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission exceeded its authority under federal law in granting a license to a private company to store spent nuclear fuel at a dump in West Texas for 40 years. The outcome of the case will affect plans for a similar facility in New Mexico.
Political leaders in both states oppose the facilities.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas has said his state âwill not become Americaâs nuclear waste dumping ground.â
The push for temporary storage sites is part of the complicated politics of the nationâs so far futile quest for a permanent underground storage facility.
Roughly 100,000 tons (90,000 metric tons) of spent fuel, some of it dating from the 1980s, is piling up at current and former nuclear plant sites nationwide and growing by more than 2,000 tons a year. The waste was meant to be kept there temporarily before being deposited deep underground.
A plan to build a national storage facility northwest of Las Vegas at Yucca Mountain has been mothballed because of staunch opposition from most Nevada residents and officials.
The fight over storing nuclear waste is among 13 cases the justices added to their agenda for the term that begins Monday. Other notable cases include a plea by gun makers to end a lawsuit in which Mexico seeks to blame them for gun violence south of the border and an appeal from a death row inmate in Texas whose execution the high court halted at the last minute in July.
In the NRC case, there are two issues before the justices, which will be argued early next year.
The NRC contends that the states forfeited their right to object to the licensing decisions because they declined to join in the commissionâs proceedings.
Two other federal appeals courts, in Denver and Washington, that weighed the same issue ruled for the agency. Only the 5th Circuit allowed the cases to proceed.
The second issue is whether federal law allows the commission to license temporary storage sites. Texas and environmental groups, unlikely allies, both relied on a 2022 Supreme Court decision that held that Congress must act with specificity when it wants to give an agency the authority to regulate on an issue of major national significance.
In ruling for Texas, the 5th Circuit agreed that what to do with the nationâs nuclear waste is the sort of âmajor questionâ that Congress must speak to directly.
The Biden administration told the court that the commission has long-standing authority reaching back to the 1954 Atomic Energy Act to deal with nuclear waste.
The NRC granted the Texas license to Interim Storage Partners LLC for a facility that could take up to 5,000 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel rods from power plants and 231 million tons of other radioactive waste. The facility would be built next to an existing dump site in Andrews County for low-level waste such as protective clothing and other material that has been exposed to radioactivity. The Andrews County site is about 350 miles (563.27 kilometers) west of Dallas, near the Texas-New Mexico state line.
New Mexico officials, led by Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, are opposed to a license the commission granted to Holtec International for a similar temporary storage site in Lea County, in the southeastern part of the state near Carlsbad. The 5th Circuit also has blocked that license.
A decision is expected by the middle of next year.
HENDERSON â Over the past decade, public school enrollment has been declining across the nation. Now, that trend is starting to impact at least two school districts in East Texas, according to our news partners at KETK. At Palestine ISD, Director of Public Relations Larissa Loveless said she has worked for their district for 24 years. When she first started, she was an elementary school principal, and their campus had about 740 students. This year, that number is about 670 students. This trend is one her district has seen over the past 3 to 5 years, lower enrollment in lower grade levels and higher enrollment in middle school and high school. This year, their kindergarten class has 188 students, but in previous years, Loveless said theyâve had 225-240 students in that class. Continue reading How low enrollment could affect East Texas schools
MEMPHIS, Texas (AP) â Authorities issued a âBlue Alertâ across Texas Friday morning as they searched for a man who allegedly shot and wounded a small town’s police chief.
The Texas Department of Public Safety sent a âBlue Alertâ to smartphones statewide shortly after 5 a.m. Friday for Seth Altman, 33, in the shooting of Memphis Police Chief Rex Plant. Local media reports the chief was shot late Thursday when he and another officer tried to arrest Altman on a burglary charge.
KVII-TV reports Plant was listed in stable condition at a hospital in Lubbock. A hospital spokesperson did not immediately return a phone call from The Associated Press.
Blue Alerts, similar to Amber Alerts for missing children, were created by the executive order of then-Gov. Rick Perry in 2008. They are issued at a local law enforcement agency’s request whenever an officer is killed or wounded by a suspect considered a risk to public safety, according the DPS website.
Police in the Texas panhandle town of Memphis referred questions to the DPS, whose officials did not immediately return phone calls to The Associated Press Friday morning.
(NEW YORK) -- U.S. hiring surged in September, blowing past economist expectations and rebuking concern about weakness in the labor market. The fresh report marks one of the last major pieces of economic data before the presidential election.
Employers hired 254,000 workers last month, far exceeding economist expectations of 150,000 jobs added, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed. The unemployment rate ticked down to 4.1%.
Weaker-than-expected jobs data in both July and August has stoked worry among some economists about the nation's economic outlook.
Despite an overall slowdown this year, the job market has proven resilient. Hiring has continued at a solid pace; meanwhile, the unemployment rate has climbed but remains near a 50-year low.
"The labor market is still healthy, but we have clearly seen a slowdown," Roger Aliaga-Diaz, chief Americas economist at investment firm Vanguard, told ABC News in a statement before the new data was released. "Now we are approaching an inflection point."
The new data arrived two weeks after the Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate a half of a percentage point. The landmark decision dialed back a years-long fight against inflation and offered relief for borrowers saddled with high costs.
Inflation has slowed dramatically from a peak of about 9% in 2022, though it remains slightly higher than the Fed's target of 2%.
Speaking at a press conference in Washington, D.C. last month, Fed Chair Jerome Powell described the rate decision as a shift in approach as the Fed focuses more on ensuring robust employment and less on lowering inflation.
"This recalibration of our policy stance will help maintain the strength of the economy and the labor market, and enable further progress on inflation," Powell said.
In theory, lower interest rates help stimulate the economy and boost employment. However, the Fed's interest rate decisions typically take several months before they influence economic activity. In any case, the soon-to-be released report tracks hiring for September, meaning the majority of the period reflected in the data took place before the rate cut.
Still, the jobs report on Friday held significant implications for further rate decisions over the coming months. The Federal Open Market Committee, or FOMC, a policymaking body at the Fed, has forecast additional interest rate cuts.
By the end of 2024, interest rates will fall another half of a percentage point from their current level of between 4.75% and 5%, according to FOMC projections. Interest rates will drop another percentage point over the course of 2025, the projections further indicated.
DETROIT (AP) â Some 45,000 dockworkers at East and Gulf coast ports are returning to work after their union reached a deal to suspend a strike that could have caused shortages and higher prices if it had dragged on.
The International Longshoremenâs Association is suspending its three-day strike until Jan. 15 to provide time to negotiate a new contract. The union and the U.S. Maritime Alliance, which represents ports and shipping companies, said in a joint statement that they have reached a tentative agreement on wages.
A person briefed on the agreement said the ports sweetened their wage offer from about 50% over six years to 62%. The person didnât want to be identified because the agreement is tentative. Any wage increase would have to be approved by union members as part of the ratification of a final contract.
Talks now turn to the automation of ports, which the unions says will lead to fewer jobs, and other sticking points.
Industry analysts have said that for every day of a port strike it takes four to six days to recover. But they said a short strike of a few days probably wouldnât gum up the supply chain too badly.
The settlement pushes the strike and any potential shortages past the November presidential election, eliminating a potential liability for Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee. Itâs also a big plus for the Biden-Harris administration, which has billed itself as the most union-friendly in American history. Shortages could have driven up prices and reignited inflation.
The union went on strike early Tuesday after its contract expired in a dispute over pay and the automation of tasks at 36 ports stretching from Maine to Texas. The strike came at the peak of the holiday season at the ports, which handle about half the cargo from ships coming into and out of the United States.
Most retailers had stocked up or shipped items early in anticipation of the strike.
âWith the grace of God, and the goodwill of neighbors, itâs gonna hold,â President Joe Biden told reporters Thursday night after the agreement.
In a statement later, Biden applauded both sides âfor acting patriotically to reopen our ports and ensure the availability of critical supplies for Hurricane Helene recovery and rebuilding.â
Biden said that collective bargaining is âcritical to building a stronger economy from the middle out and the bottom up.â
The union’s membership won’t need to vote on the temporary suspension of the strike. Until Jan. 15, the workers will be covered under the old contract, which expired on Sept. 30.
The union had been demanding a 77% raise over six years, plus a complete ban on the use of automation at the ports, which members see as a threat to their jobs. Both sides also have been apart on the issues of pension contributions and the distribution of royalties paid on containers that are moved by workers.
Thomas Kohler, who teaches labor and employment law at Boston College, said the agreement to halt the strike means that the two sides are close to a final deal.
âIâm sure that if they werenât going anywhere they wouldnât have suspended (the strike),â he said. âTheyâve got wages. Theyâll work out the language on automation, and Iâm sure that what this really means is it gives the parties time to sit down and get exactly the language they can both live with.â
Kohler said the surprise end to the strike may catch railroads with cars, engines and crews out of position. But railroads are likely to work quickly to fix that.
Just before the strike had begun, the Maritime Alliance said both sides had moved off their original wage offers, a tentative sign of progress.
Thursday’s deal came after Biden administration officials met with foreign-owned shipping companies before dawn on Zoom, according to a person briefed on the day’s events who asked not to be identified because the talks were private. The White House wanted to increase pressure to settle, emphasizing the responsibility to reopen the ports to help with recovery from Hurricane Helene, the person said.
Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su told them she could get the union to the bargaining table to extend the contract if the carriers made a higher wage offer. Chief of Staff Jeff Zients told the carriers they had to make an offer by the end of the day so a manmade strike wouldn’t worsen a natural disaster, the person said.
By midday the Maritime Alliance members agreed to a large increase, bringing about the agreement, according to the person.
WHITEHOUSE â A property owner and Atmos Energy have been at odds over the installation of a natural gas pipeline according to our news partner KETK. With a civil jury trial set, construction continues.
Anthony and his wife Pamela moved to Whitehouse three years ago in search of a dome-shaped home with lots of shade for his medical conditions. âTheyâve made my sanctuary into a prison,â Anthony Voss, property owner, said. âI have light sensitivity, being a disabled vet, and eye issues,â Anthony said.
Soon after, they received a letter from Atmos Energy informing the Vossâ they were planning to place a natural gas pipeline through their property. Leading to a long legal battle.
SMITH COUNTY â According to our news partner KETK, the Troup Volunteer Fire Department declined to renew their contract with Smith County Emergency Service District 2 (ESD2) after claiming expectations are too high. The ESD provides volunteer stations with necessities otherwise hard to obtain without funding.
Though Troup is situated between Smith and Cherokee county, Troup VFDâs decline to recontract with the ESD will allow them to only serve Cherokee county. Now, ESD2âs Troup station off Wilkinson Street will be handling all calls in the community and claim response time will not be a problem.
ESD2 was created by 11 volunteer fire stations in Smith County back in 2007 to help cover Smith county volunteer stations that were not fully staffed. Now, Chief Dustin Rust of the Troup Volunteer Fire Department said the expectation by the ESD are dwindling their man power from 30 to 5 volunteers.
âWeâre a volunteer department, anything we can do to help the citizens is great, but when my numbers start falling and I canât do my job and I canât guarantee our level of service to people, itâs time to make a change somewhere,â Troup Volunteer Fire Department Chief Dustin Rust said. Continue reading Troup VFD declines contract with Smith County
LINDALE â The Lindale Fire Department responded to a crash of an 18-wheeler on Thursday after the tanker rolled over and spilled about 5,000 gallons of hot asphalt. According to our news partner KETK, the tanker rolled over and crashed at I-20 and mile marker 548, westbound near Lindale. The driver of the 18-wheeler was taken to a hospital, their condition is unknown.
Initially, Smith County ESD2 used their plow to help contain the spill. As of 5:30 p.m. Thursday, a hazmat crew was at the scene working to clean up the spill.
The Lindale Fire Department said on their Facebook page the cause of the accident is still under investigation.
HOUSTON – The Houston Chronicle reports that since moving to The Woodlands about two years ago, former U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger â one of the most vocal GOP critics of Donald Trump â says heâs met several Texas Republicans who are just as uncomfortable with the direction of his party as him. Now Kinzinger is trying to convince them to do the unthinkable and vote for a Democrat. Kinzinger is leading a group of Republicans supporting U.S. Rep. Colin Allredâs bid against U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in one of the most hotly contested Senate races in the nation. It is the latest effort by Kinzinger, who served on the House committee that investigated Jan. 6, to target Republicans involved in the effort to delay the certification of President Joe Bidenâs election victory. Cruz was a key figure in the effort, objecting to Arizonaâs electoral votes just before the mob breached the Capitol that day.
âWhen I talk to Republicans, I say, âDo you like where the GOP is now?ââ Kinzinger said in an interview with Hearst Newspapers. âThere are some that do, and they’re going to vote for Ted Cruz,â he said. âBut there are a lot that are embarrassed about where the Republican Party is that are holding onto this hope that, âJust after November, weâre going to wake up and come back to what we were.â Well guess what, weâre not going to do that â particularly if Ted Cruz wins again, because heâs part of the reason weâre exactly in this position.â Kinzinger, who withdrew from his reelection campaign in Illinois after his district was redrawn to pit him against a Trump-aligned Republican congressman, slammed Cruz for going from Trumpâs ânemesisâ in the 2016 GOP primary to his âchief supporter.â He argued Allred has no similar allegiance to his party or anyone in it. âIf the Democratic Party decided some day to go off the rails, similar to what the GOP did, I guarantee you, he would be like Adam Kinzinger or Liz Cheney, saying this canât happen,â he said. Cheney, a Republican who also served on the Jan. 6 committee and is a vocal critic of Trump and Cruz, has also endorsed Allred in the race.
In addition to the severance, Ramsey began serving as the districtâs âambassador for public relationsâ as of Tuesday and âshall be placed on school related leave with pay and benefitsâ during this period, which will continue through Aug. 30, according to the agreement. The agreement states she will continue to receive her full pay and benefits in accordance with the terms outlined in her contract during this employment. Her salary in the contract is $335,000 per year. Ramsey will be allowed to work outside the district during this time span. If Ramsey decided to resign her employment before Aug. 30, the board would accept her early resignation without penalty and future salary payments would stop but she would not lose the severance payments, the agreement states. The previous Fort Worth ISD superintendent, Kent Scribner, received a similar buyout when he stepped down in 2022, with payments of more than $500,000 and the same ceremonial title of ambassador for public relations, according to the Star-Telegramâs archives.
TYLER â Even with it being October, hot and dry weather is persisting. This can create a fire hazard. Some counties in East Texas have issued burn bans. You can see the list provided from our news partner KETK with this link.
Moderators Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan listen as Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, speaks during a vice presidential debate hosted by CBS News, with Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Tuesdayâs VP debate between JD Vance and Tim Walz offered further compelling evidence â as if further evidence is needed â that debate sponsor CBS, in keeping with the rest of the legacy news organizations, has abandoned even the pretense of journalistic objectivity.
Tuesdayâs debate rules specified that the moderators would not fact check the candidates and would instead allow the candidates to fact check each other. As my mother often said, âthat didnât last âtil the water got hot.â
In the portion of the debate devoted to immigration (a subject upon which much less time was spent than on climate change and January 6), JD Vance was making a point about the approximately ten thousand Haitian migrants that the Biden administration has air-dropped into Springfield, Ohio, a community of only 58,000.
CBS News debate moderator Margaret Brennan â in direct contravention of the rules â dove in to âcorrectâ Senator Vance on his assertion that the Haitian migrants are here illegally. As it happens, JD Vanceâs premise was right and Margaret Brennanâs âcorrectionâ of him was wrong.
To Vanceâs credit, he didnât let Brennan get away with it, despite her sputtering about having âso much to get to,â (such as climate change and January 6).
Vance said,
The rules that you were not going to fact-check, and since youâre fact-checking me, I think itâs important to say whatâs actually going on.â
(Thatâs how itâs done, Mitt Romney. Just sayinâ.)
But the particulars of the Haitian migrant situation in Springfield, Ohio stand beside the point.
The point is that the legacy media â as now embodied by elitist, condescending partisan hacks like Margaret Brennan â are deeply in the tank for the Democratic Party and anyone who is opposed to Donald Trump. I was privy to the emails that CBS News Radio was sending to their affiliates Tuesday night. Though both candidates misstated some facts, CBS News emailed their radio affiliates numerous fact-checks against JD Vance while not offering even a single fact-check against Tim Walz.
Am I surprised by that? Of course not. Am I appalled by it? Absolutely.
Though CBS, ABC, NBC, TheWashington Post and TheNew York Times no longer command the audience shares they once did, they are still huge. Despite years of squandering their inheritance from the days when 92 percent of the country trusted Walter Cronkite, these legacy organizations are still the primary sources of news for millions of Americans. They continue to enjoy their status as practitioners in the one field of professional endeavor to be given specific protection in the U.S. Constitution. They continue to be at the front of the line when it comes to the necessarily limited access by news media to the top leaders and top levels of the U.S. government. (Thatâs a way of saying that a reporter from CBS will get a seat in the White House briefing room long before Paul Gleiser from KTBB gets one.)
Put simply, the legacy media organizations are still at the top of the food chain in American media. They are the privileged ones. They get the best seats at the political conventions and the first access to disaster sites like those weâre currently seeing in western North Carolina. Theyâre still the big dogs. (They also get reservations at the best restaurants when those same restaurants are telling the likes of you and me that theyâre fully booked for the night.)
For all these reasons, the Margaret Brennans of the world bear a special responsibility.
In America, a properly informed electorate can be counted on to get it right at the ballot box more often than not. A commitment to fairness and objectivity toward the goal of creating that informed electorate is a small price to pay for the privilege and standing that the legacy media continue to enjoy.
That they have long ago abandoned that commitment does much to explain why we in America are at each otherâs throats.
