ELECTION 2020-TEXAS

Texas votes as new virus cases again surge past 10,000

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas is holding primary runoff elections amid a single-day record of nearly 10,800 confirmed new cases of the coronavirus. State health officials Tuesday also reported 87 new deaths. The bleak new markers come as Air Force veteran MJ Hegar and state Sen. Royce West were vying for the Democratic nomination to take on Republican incumbent John Cornyn. Fears over the coronavirus kept some poll workers home, forcing San Antonio to open fewer polling places than originally planned.

CARGO PLANE CRASH-INVESTIGATION

Investigators say pilot in Texas cargo crash made errors

DALLAS (AP) — Investigators say a pilot’s errors and disorientation were primary factors in causing the 2019 crash of a Boeing 767 cargo plane in Texas. The National Transportation Safety Board heard testimony Tuesday on the crash of Atlas Air Flight 3591. Investigators say the co-pilot who was flying the jet was a “train wreck” in training. They say he incorrectly believed the jet was about to stall before pushing it into a fatal nosedive that ended in a bay east of Houston. They say he also gave false information to Atlas Air, concealing issues at past employers.

ELECTION 2020-BIDEN-MAP

Biden’s Texas ad signals opportunity in GOP stronghold

Joe Biden is targeting Texas with a modest advertising investment that raises new questions about President Donald Trump’s vulnerability in the longtime Republican stronghold as coronavirus infections explode. The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee doesn’t mention Trump in the ad and instead offers an uplifting message that allows voters to envision him in the role of consoler-in-chief. Trump’s campaign laughed off the small new investment, and even some Democrats are skeptical of Biden’s chances in Texas. But his modest step into a state that hasn’t backed a Democrat for president in 44 years reflected the extent to which the pandemic threatens to scramble the electoral map this fall.

AP-US-MISSING-SOLDIER-TEXAS

Woman pleads not guilty to charges in Texas soldier’s death

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A 22-year-old woman accused of helping hide the body of a slain Texas soldier has pleaded not guilty to charges related to the crime. Cecily Aguilar of Killeen, near Fort Hood, entered the pleas Tuesday to three conspiracy charges from the death of 20-year-old Spc. Vanessa Guillén. Aguilar remains in the Bell County Jail in Belton while awaiting trial. Investigators say Aaron Robinson, a fellow Army specialist who committed suicide on July 1, killed and dismembered Guillén and had Aguilar help dispose of the body in nearby woods. Her disappearance became the focus of a nationwide missing-persons search.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-SCHOOL POLITICS

Masks for kids? Schools confront the politics of reopening

Schools and educators across the U.S. have landed in the middle of an increasingly politicized debate over how best to reopen schools this fall. It’s a daunting challenge as coronavirus infections spike in many places. Some parents object to masks and social distancing and want schools open full time. Others are calling for part-time school and face coverings for all. School board meetings, social media debates and online petitions have often devolved into mudslinging. Some parents are threatening to pull their children from school districts if masks are required. Other parents and many teachers want precautions to be taken.

MASS SHOOTING-TEXAS-MENTAL HEALTH

Lawyer: El Paso shooting suspect has ‘mental disabilities’

DALLAS (AP) — Lawyers for a man charged with shooting scores of people in a racist attack at a Texas Walmart last summer say he has diagnosed mental disabilities. Patrick Crusius’ attorneys said in a court filing that he has “severe, lifelong neurological and mental disabilities.” They say the 21-year-old and was treated with anti-psychotic medication following his arrest moments after the massacre in El Paso that killed 23. The lawyers claim this may be a “red flag” against federal prosecutors pursuing the death penalty. A lawyer for Crusius’ family declined to comment. Prosecutors did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-TEXAS GOP CONVENTION

Texas GOP votes to move convention online after court losses

HOUSTON (AP) — The Texas Republican Party is changing course and accepting a virtual convention. The decision Monday night came after courts refused to force Houston to allow in-person events the city canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, a Democrat, said last week that he had directed city lawyers to terminate the contract because he believed the event could not be held safely. The convention typically draws thousands of attendees and was scheduled to begin this week.

RACIAL INJUSTICE-TEXAS

Texas keeps ‘The Eyes of Texas’ despite athlete demands

The University of Texas has rejected calls by its athletes to change a school song that they believe has racist undertones. “The Eyes of Texas” has long been criticized for its connection to minstrel shows with characters in blackface in the early 1900s. The school says the song will remain. Texas interim president Jim Hartzell says the Texas community has the power to determine “what the ‘Eyes of Texas’ expect of us, what they demand of us.”

VIRUS OUTBREAK-TEXAS

More than 10,000 virus patients remain in Texas hospitals

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas continues to report more than 10,000 patients hospitalized with the coronavirus as the state tries containing the spread in what has become one of America’s biggest hot zones. As Republican Gov. Greg Abbott warns that the worst is yet to come in Texas, state health officials Monday reported more than 40 new deaths and 5,600 new cases. County leaders in the hard-hit Rio Grande Valley on Monday asked Abbott to give them broader emergency powers as hospitals exceed capacity. Top officials in Houston have also called for stay-at-home orders, while Abbott has said putting Texas back on lockdown is a last resort.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-IMMIGRATION COURTS

Immigration courts reopen despite rising coronavirus cases

BALTIMORE (AP) — U.S. immigration courts are resuming hearings for non-detained immigrants despite a record rise in coronavirus cases in many of the states where they are reopening. Some immigration courts reopened Monday, including in Baltimore. The reopening extended a haphazard but unmistakable march to business as usual that has outraged judges and lawyers who say the pandemic poses unacceptable risk of spreading disease. About a dozen senators have asked the Justice Department agency overseeing the courts to explain the logic behind its decision. The agency says it has reviewed guidance from public health officials and others when making operational decisions.