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1 Impeachment Trial For Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Starts Today
The Texas Senate will convene today to consider the impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton. The Republican official has been accused by his own party of taking bribes and abusing his office. Paxton was indicted on securities fraud in 2015, and his own staff reported him to the FBI for suspected corruption in 2020. Paxton has been at the forefront of legal battles to overturn the Affordable Care Act, legal protections for undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, known as “Dreamers,” and the 2020 election results. It’s only the third time in the history of Texas that an official has been impeached, and Paxton has denied any wrongdoing. The Republican-controlled Texas House voted 121-23 to impeach the AG, and 31 Texas Senators will sit as the jury in the trial starting today over the 20 articles of impeachment filed against Paxton. Both the impeached Attorney General and former President Donald Trump have threatened political retribution for the impeachment.
2 Burning Man Lockdown Lifted
The lockdown was lifted for attendees at the annual Burning Man festival yesterday, ending a weekend of food and water rationing amid flooding. Organizers of the festival said that roughly 64,000 of this year’s over 70,000 attendees were still on site yesterday afternoon when the ban on driving out of the area was loosened. Traffic out of the area was limited to no more than 800 vehicles per hour, and a five-hour wait to leave quickly built up. A “no driving” order was in place before yesterday to avoid having vehicles getting stuck in the mud and blocking others from leaving. Not everyone decided to wait out the rain and flooding. DJ Diplo and Chris Rock hiked five miles through the mud to a blacktop road and grabbed a ride in a passing fan’s pickup truck on Saturday, the same day that one death was reported at the festival. Authorities identified him as 32-year-old Leon Reece. Police said there were no obvious signs of trauma, and they were waiting for a toxicology report to be completed to possibly identify the cause of death.
3 Manhunt For Escaped Killer Enters Sixth Day
Convicted murderer Danelo Cavalcante escaped from a Pennsylvania prison on Thursday, and as of last night he was still at large. According to Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan, he was seen on a residential surveillance camera early Saturday wearing pants, a white t-shirt, white sneakers, and a backpack. Lt. Col. George Bevins of the Pennsylvania State Police said there have been four credible sightings of Cavalcante, including a state trooper who spotted him from a distance. The trooper gave chase but lost him. Cavalcante was convicted of first-degree murder on August 16th for fatally stabbing his 33-year-old former girlfriend and is currently also wanted on homicide charges in his native Brazil. All four sightings have been in the area of Pocopson Township, near the prison he escaped from. Bevins said in a press conference yesterday that “He is desperate. He does not want to be caught. He has very little to lose at this time.” It's the second time in less than two months that an inmate has escaped from a Pennsylvania prison. Michael Burham, a suspect in the rape and murder of a 34-year-old woman in Jamestown, New York, escaped from the Warren County Jail on July 6th. Burham was captured nine days later in the northern Pennsylvania woods.