Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana was elected as the 56th speaker of the House in a party-line vote, with all 220 Republicans voting for him. Johnson is a close ally of former President Donald Trump and had led many of the 2020 election challenges, including an amicus brief signed by more than 100 House Republicans. Johnson is the most ideologically conservative speaker since Newt Gingrich in the 1990s and is now second in line to the presidency.
Posts tagged as “Annual Texas Country”
Since the ousting of Rep. Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House, the Republican conference has been in chaos as they search for a replacement. At least eight candidates are vying for the position, with Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota the latest to earn the nod and attempt to secure the 217 votes needed to win the gavel.
Thousands of United Auto Workers (UAW) members have gone on strike against Detroit's Big Three automakers, General Motors (GM), Ford, and Fiat Chrysler, impacting GM's profits and causing the company to withdraw its 2023 profit forecast. On Tuesday, 5,000 workers from the Arlington Assembly Plant in Texas joined the strike, and the UAW has created a loan program and website to provide resources to its members. The strike is ongoing and it is unclear when it will end.
On Saturday night, the State Fair of Texas in Dallas was evacuated after reports of a shooting. One suspect is in custody, and the Dallas Police Department is continuing to investigate the incident. The fairgrounds were evacuated, and the fair, which had drawn a record crowd of over 2.5 million attendees last year, was scheduled to run through next weekend.
On October 14th, 2023, the United States experienced a rare "ring of fire" annular solar eclipse, visible from Oregon to Texas. The moon passed between the Earth and the sun while at its farthest point, creating a crescent-shaped shadow and a "ring of fire" in the sky. Crowds gathered along the narrow path of the eclipse to cheer, and the eclipse coincided with an international balloon fiesta in Albuquerque. The next annular solar eclipse visible from American skies will be in June 21, 2039, passing only over Alaska.
President Joe Biden acknowledged the 25th anniversary of Matthew Shepard's death, a tragic hate crime that has fueled the LGBTQ+ rights movement since 1998. The Shepard family and activists have worked tirelessly to ensure that Matthew's death was not in vain, and Biden condemned the recent uptick in anti-LGBTQ threats and acts of violence. Progress has been made since 1998, such as the scrapping of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy and the striking down of a Texas law criminalizing consensual gay sex.
Kaitlin Armstrong, a 35-year-old Texas woman charged with the murder of an elite cyclist, attempted to escape custody while being escorted to a correctional vehicle following an off-site medical appointment. She was apprehended by two corrections officers and transported back to the Travis County Correctional Complex. An investigation is underway to determine any disciplinary action against the officers involved, and Armstrong is currently being held on a $1 million bond with her next court appearance scheduled for June 2022.
Darryl George, an 18-year-old Black high school student in Texas, has been removed from his school and sent to a disciplinary alternative education program after being suspended for his dreadlocks. The incident has sparked outrage among civil rights groups, who argue that the school district is discriminating against George, and has raised questions about the school district's policies and the potential for discrimination against students of color. It has also highlighted the need for more inclusive policies that take into account the cultural and religious backgrounds of students.