VIRUS OUTBREAK-TEXAS
More than 4,400 new coronavirus cases reported in Texas
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas health officials report a record of more than 4,400 new coronavirus cases in the state and 25 additional deaths due to COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. A total of 107,735 confirmed cases, an increase of 4,430, and 2,165 deaths were reported Saturday. Officials had reported 3,454 new cases on Friday after a previous record of 3,516 were reported on Thursday. The actual number of people who have contracted the virus that causes COVID-19 is likely higher because many people have not been tested and studies suggest that people can be infected and not feel sick.
OIL AND GAS FRAUD
Kansas brothers plead guilty to oil, gas fraud
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Two Kansas City-area brothers have pleaded guilty in a scheme to defraud oil and gas investors out of millions of dollars. The Kansas City Star reports that 49-year-old Phil Hudnall, of Lenexa, Kansas, pleaded guilty Friday to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Forty-three-year-old Brian Hudnall, of Kansas City, Missouri, pleaded guilty midweek to the same charge. A third man accused in the scheme, Duc Nguyen, of Houston, Texas, pleaded not guilty this month to wire fraud. Under their plea agreements, the Hudnalls must repay their victims and forfeit $3.8 million. Sentencing dates have not been set.
AP-US-HOUSTON-POLICE-SHOOTINGS
Texas man whose son was killed by police wants videos
HOUSTON (AP) — A Texas man whose son was shot and killed by Houston police in April is calling for law enforcement officials to release any videos related to the encounter. KPRC-TV reports that the request from Joaquín Chavez comes after a bystander posted cellphone video on YouTube that appears to show Nicolas Chavez on his knees when officers shot him on April 27. Houston police have said they believe the 27-year-old charged at officers with an object. Police have not released videos from officer’s body cameras. The Greater Houston Coalition for Justice is trying to get the Houston Police Department to release videos of six recent shootings.
PEOPLE-HURRICANE CHRIS-ARREST
Rapper Hurricane Chris arrested for murder in Louisiana
SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) — Rap artist Hurricane Chris has been arrested on a murder charge in Louisiana. Shreveport Police say the rapper was arrested Friday after an early-morning shooting at a gas station. In a news release, police say the rapper claimed self-defense after shooting a man he thought was trying to steal his car. But they say video footage appears to show otherwise, and the car was reported as stolen from Texas. Online jail records don’t indicate if he has an attorney who can speak on his behalf. The 31-year-old rapper is known for the hit “A Bay Bay.” His real name is Christopher Dooley Jr., and he hails from Shreveport.
AP-US-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-CRUISE-SHIPS
Cruise lines extend COVID-19 pause on sailing from the US
MIAMI (AP) — The Cruise Lines International Association is announcing that ships will not be sailing from U.S. ports throughout the summer, extending a pause put in place because of the coronavirus pandemic. The current no-sail order issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on March 14 is set to expire July 24. The association says cruise lines have decided to voluntarily prolong this pause until Sept. 15 because they need time “to resolve barriers” with U.S. authorities to restart sailing. Carnival Cruise Line had announced last month that it was planning to restart cruising from Florida and Texas in August. The suspension now extends until Sept. 15.
AP-US-SUPREME-COURT-IMMIGRATION
Trump says he will renew effort to end DACA protections
PHOENIX (AP) — President Donald Trump says he’ll renew his effort to end legal protections for hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought to the United States as children. Trump on Friday denounced a Supreme Court ruling that the administration improperly ended the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in 2017. Through executive action, Trump could still take away the ability of 650,000 young immigrants to live and work legally in the U.S. With no legislative answer in sight in Congress, uncertainty continues for many immigrants who know no other home except America, but many are vowing to keep fighting for the program and for a pathway to citizenship.
AP-US-HOUSTON-EXPLOSION
Video: Suspects doused Houston bar with liquid before blast
HOUSTON (AP) — Authorities say they’re looking for at least four individuals who doused chairs and tables at a Houston bar with a flammable liquid, leading to an explosion that heavily damaged the bar and surrounding homes but caused no serious injuries. In surveillance video released Thursday by Houston Fire Department arson investigators, the unidentified males can be seen carrying 5 gallon containers and pouring the liquid over furniture on a deck outside Bar 5015 early on June 12. Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña says the suspects were trying to burn down the bar but instead caused an explosion that caused $750,000 in damage.
TESLA-FACTORY
$68 million tax breaks may go to put Tesla plant to Austin
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — An Austin-area school district is considering offering more than $60 million in tax incentives to attract a proposed Tesla “gigafactory” to Central Texas. Tesla revealed the Del Valle Independent School District proposal in an application filed Thursday with the Texas comptroller’s office. The district would offer Tesla $68 million in property tax breaks over 10 years to build on a 2,100-acre site just off Texas 130 on Austin’s southeastern outskirts. Travis County commissioners are considering a separate tax incentive package. Austin is competing with Tulsa, Oklahoma, to become the city to host the plant that builds Tesla’s electric pickup truck.
AMERICA PROTESTS-TEXAS
Austin city leaders weigh cutting 100 police vacancies
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Austin would cut 100 police officer vacancies and postpone the graduation of its July cadets as part of a broader effort to overhaul its police department. City Manager Spencer Cronk on Thursday sent a memo to the City Council in which he proposed several changes to how the police department should operate. Among other things, he proposed creating a team to lead the city’s police reform efforts that would be made up of city leaders focused on safety, health, environment and culture. The council voted last week to eliminate the police vacancies and to not hire additional officers until after the next fiscal year, at the earliest.
AMERICA PROTESTS-THE LATEST
The Latest: Nevada officials seek removal of McCarran statue
Democratic members of Nevada’s congressional delegation are renewing a proposal to remove a statue of former Nevada Sen. Patrick McCarran from the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall, saying that he left a “legacy of racism, anti-Semitism, and xenophobia.” Sens. Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto and Reps. Steven Horsford, Dina Titus and Susie Lee made the request in a letter to Gov. Steve Sisolak and legislative leaders. The letter says McCarran supported workers’ rights and helped shape the air travel industry, but that his statue should be replaced with one of a person who better represents Nevada’s values “as a compassionate, diverse and welcoming state.”