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RICHARDSON, TEXAS
SUPREME COURT
Toddler missing after late-night punishment
One travel ban case dismissed
She is believed to be in grave danger By Marwa Eltagouri WA S H INGT ON P O ST
A 3-year-old from Texas has been missing for three days since her father sent her out alone to an alley at 3 a.m. — her punishment, police say he told officers, for not drinking her milk. Sherin Mathews, a specialneeds toddler last seen early Saturday morning in her family’s back yard in Richardson, a northern Dallas suburb, is thought to be in grave and immediate danger. Her father, Wesley Mathews, was arrested and charged Saturday evening with abandoning or endangering the girl. He was released Sunday night on a $250,000
bond. Mathews told police detectives that he told Sherin to go stand by a tree near the family’s house in the 900 block of Sunningdale at 3 a.m. Saturday because she wouldn’t drink her milk, according to his arrest affidavit. The tree was behind the fence, about 100 feet south of the house and across an alley. Mathews checked on Sherin about 3:15 a.m. and she was gone, according to the affidavit. Police said they weren’t alerted to her disappearance until several hours later, about 8 a.m. Mathews told police he thought she’d come back on her own so he did a load of laundry while he waited, hoping he could locate her once the sun rose.
Mathews and his wife, Sini, reportedly adopted Sherin about two years ago from an orphanage in India, said Sgt. Kevin Perlich, a spokesman for the Richardson Police Department. Mathews told police that Sherin was malnourished and had to be on a special diet to gain weight. She had to be fed whenever she was awake, Perlich said, and wasn’t cooperating when her father tried to feed her. “So that was the frustration [Mathews] was experiencing that night,” Perlich said. “But of course we’re working to verify all of that.” It’s a narrative that has the community buzzing with quesToddler continues on A12
Lawsuit in Hawaii remains unaddressed By Mark Sherman ASSOCIATED PRE SS
Richardson Texas Police / AP
This undated photo shows 3-year-old Sherin Mathews. Authorities are searching for the girl who went missing over the weekend when her father allegedly made her stand outside in the middle of the night as punishment for not drinking her milk.
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed one of two cases over President Donald Trump’s ban on visitors from mostly Muslim countries, suggesting it will step away from the controversy for now. The court got rid of a case that originated in Maryland and involves a ban that has now expired and been replaced by a new version. But the justices took no action on a separate case from Hawaii. That dispute concerns Travel continues on A12
NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION
NRA OPPOSES ‘BUMP STOCKS’ BAN Debate over regulation stems from fatal Vegas shooting By Hope Yen and Stephen Braun A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
WASHINGTON — The National Rifle Association is opposing a ban on “bump stocks” like the device used by the Las Vegas gunman to turn semiautomatic weapons into rapidfire guns, stressing its support for more limited regulations. The powerful lobby last week surprised many gun control advocates by embracing possible restrictions on the bump stock devices in the wake of the shootings that killed more than 50 people and injured 500, prompting bipartisan support in Congress for regulating or banning bump stocks. But on Sunday, the NRA drew a line on an outright ban. Chris Cox, the NRA’s chief lobbyist, said too much public focus was being placed on limiting the devices rather than preventing bad human behav-
ior. He said it was the responsibility of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — not Congress — to regulate the sale of bump stocks. “We don’t believe that bans have ever worked on anything. What we have said has been very clear — that if something transfers a semiautomatic to function like a fully automatic, then it ought to be regulated differently,” Cox said. It was a sign of a possible rocky road ahead for action by Congress. Seeking momentum for gun restrictions, Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Sunday said only broader legislation would be effective in outlawing bump stock devices. “Regulations aren’t going to do it. We need a law. It can’t be changed by another president,” said Feinstein, D-Calif., a longtime advocate of stricter gun NRA continues on A12
George Frey / Getty Images
A bump stock device, right, that fits on a semi-automatic rifle to increase the firing speed, making it similar to a fully automatic rifle, is shown next to a AK-47 semi-automatic rifle, left, at a gun store on Oct. 5 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
WHITE HOUSE
$5B requested for Puerto Rico’s fiscal crisis
Alex Flynn / Bloomberg
Soldiers assigned to the 1st Mission Support Command, U.S. Army Reserve, stand near a large fallen boulder on a road near Adjuntas, Puerto Rico, on Oct. 7.
WASHINGTON — The White House on Tuesday asked Congress for $5 billion to ease a fiscal crisis striking the government of Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria. Puerto Rico’s central government and various municipalities and other local governments are suffering unsustainable cash shortfalls as Maria has choked off revenues and strained resources. The administration’s request, so far delivered informally, would provide $4.9 billion for Puerto Rico and its local jurisdictions. The White House also requested $150 million to help Puerto Rico with the 10 percent match required for Federal Emergency Management Agen-
cy disaster relief. A senior administration official confirmed the request, requiring anonymity because it is not yet official. The official stressed that jurisdictions other than Puerto Rico are eligible, though draft language sent to Capitol Hill limited the request to U.S. territories. On Saturday, Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello sent a letter to lawmakers asking for $500 million for the community disaster loan program, which is designed to help local governments deal with tax revenue shortfalls caused by disasters. He requested almost $4 billion in other aid. “In addition to the immediate humanitarian crisis, Puerto
Rico is on the brink of a massive liquidity crisis that will intensify in the immediate future,” Rossello wrote. Puerto Rico was already suffering from a lengthy recession and its government was beset with fiscal struggles to begin with. A financial control board is overseeing its debt problems and austerity plans. The administration asked for $29 billion last week for FEMA disaster relief efforts and to pay federal flood insurance claims. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said a vote is likely this week. The White House also requested $577 million to replenish federal firefighting accounts depleted by this year’s Crisis continues on A12