News roundup: March 13 – April 14

Here are the top stories March 13 to April 14 from Texas, the United States and around the world

Texas:

Blake Farenthold resigns – Rep. Blake Farenthold resigned April 6. The congressman had been accused of several sexual harassment allegations and was in the midst of an ongoing ethics investigation when he tendered his resignation. Farenthold originally stated he planned to serve out the remaining eight months of his term in Congress but decided not to. Farenthold previously announced his retirement in December, creating an open-seat race to succeed him – the winner of which will begin serving in the two-year term beginning next January. Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to call a special election to fill Farenthold’s seat, which will be served until January 2019.

ACLU – The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas filed a class-action lawsuit that names 12 Galveston county judges and magistrates as well as Galveston County District Attorney Jack Roady. The lawsuit claims the county’s bail system discriminates against those who cannot afford to post bail. The lawsuit bears resemblance to a similar suit filed against Harris County in 2017. As of February 2018, a federal appellate court upheld that suit and recommended the county create a hearing procedure for people who say they cannot afford bail.

LGBT workplace discrimination – Judge Lee Rosenthal of the Houston-based Southern District Court of Texas said last week that federal employment laws protecting workers from discrimination based on sex also applied to sexual orientation and gender identity. While this does not change the laws already in place, this decision could be cited in future cases by plaintiffs who believe their sexual orientation or gender identity affected their treatment at work.

Violence Against Women Act – U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee announced April 9 that she intends to introduce legislation reauthorizing the 1994 Violence Against Women Act. The act, signed by former President Bill Clinton, toughened federal sanctions for domestic abuse. In Texas, studies show that the number of women killed by their partners is up to 10 percent greater than the national rate. The act was last renewed in 2013 following a debate over extending the law’s protections to same-sex couples. Lee said the law has been pivotal in protecting half of the population. “[This Act] has ushered in a seismic transformation on how society perceives violence against women. This progress cannot be allowed to stop,” Lee said.

Texas data sale – Texas state agencies sold at least $3 million worth of personal data last year. From January 2015 to July 2017 more than 800 independent groups requested a fee estimate or were granted voter registration data from the Texas Secretary of State’s office. The information sold is limited and cannot contain a person’s social security number. State law allows anyone to purchase information on Texas citizens, permitting they meet certain requirements. Information sold by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles can include an individual’s photograph, social security number, driver identification number, name and address. Last year Rep. Giovanni Capriglione proposed a cybersecurity bill that would audit Texas systems and commission a statewide response plan in the event of a cyber attack. The bill passed but did not bar the state from selling an individual’s “precise geographic location,” internet browsing history and application usage.

United States:

Immigration – President Trump issued a memorandum April 6 in an effort to overhaul immigration policy at the U.S.-Mexico border. Included in that memorandum Trump outlined the end of “catch and release,” the previous immigration policy that saw the release of illegal immigrants into the U.S. pending immigration applications shortly after their apprehension. In another memorandum released April 4, Trump ordered the deployment of National Guardsmen to the U.S.-Mexico border, stating the situation at the border “has now reached a point of crisis.” Texas was the first state to send troops to the border.

John Bolton – Effective April 9, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton will replace Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster as President Trump’s national security adviser. McMaster’s resignation has been scheduled for weeks, the latest in a high turnover rate for Trump’s White House staff. Bolton is known for his hard stances on North Korea, Iran, and other nations seeking nuclear power and weaponry.

Mark Zuckerberg – Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee April 10 and 11. Zuckerberg addressed the recent use of Facebook users’ data and information by third-party apps, as well as his company’s delayed response to Russian interference and use of Facebook during the 2016 U.S. election. In February it was revealed that a political consultancy company improperly gained data on 87 million Facebook users, 71 million being Americans. Zuckerberg admitted companies other than Cambridge Analytica had access to user information, and that regulation was likely necessary for the future.

Lynching memorial – A new memorial dedicated to lynching victims over a 70-year period after the Civil War is due to open April 26 in Montgomery, Alabama. Designed and constructed by The Equal Justice Initiative founder Bryan Stevenson, The National Memorial for Peace and Justice contains 805 steel markers for each county where lynchings took place. Each marker is then engraved with the dates and names of victims. So far Stevenson’s group documented more than 4,000 lynchings during this period. Stevenson is also opening a museum in Montgomery, Alabama that traces the African-American experience from slavery to present day.

Missile strike on Syria – President Trump ordered missile strikes against key targets within Syria in the late hours April 13. The strike, coordinated with France and the United Kingdom, came in response to Syria’s use of chemical weapons against its citizens. Trump stated that the United States is prepared to continue strikes against the country.

International

Gaza Strip – Protests continue this week as Palestinians march to and along the Palestinian – Israeli border to mark the 42^nd anniversary of Land Day. The protests which began March 30 have resulted in the deaths of 34 Palestinians, including journalist Yasser Murtaja, and injuries to more than 2,766 citizens. Israel’s use of deadly force against the protesters has been criticized by United Nations officials. The first day of protests marked the most deaths since demonstrations in 2014.

China – A Chinese fugitive was caught via facial recognition software at a pop concert in Nanchang attended by 60,000 people. The suspect, identified as Mr. Ao, was wanted for economic crimes. Ao reportedly drove 56 miles from Zhangshu to Nanchang with his wife to attend the concert and was thoroughly shocked when he was arrested shortly after sitting down. China’s surveillance network has more than 170 million closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in use. Last year, China’s facial recognition software apprehended 25 suspects at the Qingdao International Beer Festival. China is expected to install another 400 million cameras in the next three years.

Ecuador – President Lenin Moreno of Ecuador confirmed April 13 that journalists employed by the El Comercio newspaper were killed at the country’s northern border. Moreno stated that elite troops would be deployed soon as a military retaliatory strike against their captors. The captors are led by Walter Arizala, leader of a group of guerrilla fighters from the demobilized Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos dispatched military advisors to assist in military planning.

Mali – Militants disguised as U.N. peacekeepers set off two suicide car bombs and launched dozens of rockets at French and United Nations bases in Timbuktu April 13. The U.N. mission confirmed the attack killed one U.N. peacekeeper. The Malian government said 10 French soldiers had been wounded. U.N. peacekeepers and French military forces have been under almost-continuous attacks over the past year by jihadist groups in Africa’s Sahel region.

Trinidad and Tobago – Trinidad and Tobago are set to decriminalize homosexuality as a judge ruled April 12 that the country’s laws banning gay sex were unconstitutional. “The court declares that sections 13 and 16 of the [Sexual Offenses Act] are unconstitutional, illegal, null, void, invalid and of no effect to the extent that these laws criminalize any acts constituting consensual sexual conduct between adults,” Justice Devindra Rampersad said. The ruling came after a lawsuit was filed in February 2017 by LGBTQ activist Jason Jones against the country’s attorney general. Conservative groups expressed caution, with the Christian group T&T Cause stating that the removal of laws against homosexuality would be a “slippery slope to same-sex marriage.”

On the bright side:

Houston high school senior Michael Brown was accepted to 20 colleges and universities, including four Ivy League schools. Brown received a full ride to each school and more than $260,000 in scholarships. Brown is graduating from Lamar High School with a 4.68 GPA. Brown’s principal James McSwain said that Brown’s success is an example of what can happen when “the forces line up the right way.” Brown is deciding between Harvard and Stanford and will make his decision by the May 1 deadline.

Also published on Medium.