The Standard’s news roundup gives you a quick hit of interesting, sometimes irreverent, and breaking news stories from all over the state.
A coalition of Texas-based attorneys wants to stop the Trump administration from separating parents from their children when they enter the country seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border.
They filed an emergency request with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights last Thursday on behalf of five parents who were separated from their children in South Texas.
Zenen Jaimes Perez is with the Texas Civil Rights Project, one of the groups asking the commission to condemn this practice. He told reporters Friday that, in many cases, parents were not told their children were being taken.
“One instance of note is that a border patrol agent told the mother they were taking her daughter to give her a bath, but they never returned her, so these are the sorts of horrific practices we needed to take action on,” Perez says.
🚨 #FamiliesBelongTogether Update 🚨 At the McAllen, TX courthouse this morning, 101 people were processed for “illegal entry.” Out of those, 27 people stood up when asked if they were separated from children. This human rights crisis is still going on. Follow us for updates.
— Texas Civil Rights Project (@TXCivilRights) June 4, 2018
Efren Olivares is also with Texas Civil Rights Project.
“And the big problem is that the children are being taken away before there is any determination about the parents criminal liability but also their potential immigration relief,” Olivares says.
Attorneys say they think the request to cease this practice will move more quickly though the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, than a complaint in civil court. This commission is part of the Organization of American States.
Five former NFL cheerleaders filed a lawsuit against the Houston Texans at the end of last week. As Houston Public Media’s Florian Martin reports, they’re alleging sex discrimination.
The cheerleaders claim the Texans didn’t pay them for many hours worked and failed to compensate them for merchandise that included their images. They’re represented by Gloria Allred, who’s known for high-profile gender discrimination cases.
“Our clients have one thing in common,” Allred said. “In addition to their evident talent and ability, they are all women and I believe that they are being targeted and discriminated against because of their gender.”
The cheerleaders are asking for back pay plus damages. It’s the second lawsuit filed by cheerleaders against the Texans within a short time period. Similar lawsuits have also been brought against other NFL teams recently. In a statement, the Texans say they’re constantly evaluating their procedures and making adjustments as needed.
Jimmy Kimmel has accepted U.S. Senator Ted Cruz’s challenge to play one-on-one basketball.
The Texas senator challenged Kimmel last Wednesday after the late night host mocked a photo Cruz posted of himself at Game 7 of the NBA’s Western Conference Finals.
.@jimmykimmel All right, Big Guy…you talk a good game. You besmirched my support for the @HoustonRockets 🤨 So let’s settle this man-to-man: one-on-one, hoops (or “ring-ball,” if you prefer). The loser gives $5k to the (non-political) charity of the winner’s choice. https://t.co/BWvAP5VOtM
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 31, 2018
At first, Kimmel said he’d play as long as they each wore very short shorts. Cruz suggested they should just dress themselves.
“So, I just to try to again, I wrote, ‘eh, crop tops?’ And that didn’t fly either. He wrote, ‘Jimmy Kimmel, never mind the dress code,’ now I’m annoying him. ‘We can play to 10, or 21, or 50, your choice, Adam Carolla can provide color commentary.’ Well, first of all, if we play til 50 we’ll both be dead by the end of the game,” Kimmel said.
It’s not clear when Kimmel and Cruz will go head-to-head or how short their shorts will be. But the loser will donate $5,000 to the non-political charity of the winner’s choice.
