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DACA

Dreamers left in limbo again Budget negotiators attempted to reach an accord on immigration but failed

By Sahil Kapur and Jennifer Jacobs B L OOMBE RG NEWS

The failure of a last-ditch attempt between the White House and congressional Democrats to strike a long-sought immigration deal in the $1.3 trillion spending bill left both sides far short of what they

wanted.

In a bid to get President Donald Trump’s border wall built, the White House and Republican leaders made Democrats an offer.

They wanted to include in the spending legislation $25 billion for border security — a mix of physical barriers, technology and border agents. In

A DACA holder is arrested by NYPD as she and a group of amnesty Dreamer protesters staged a sit-in at New York Senator Chuck Schumers’ office in New York.

return they offered two-and-ahalf more years of protection from deportation for the roughly 690,000 young immigrants currently enrolled in the Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals program, according to accounts from a White House official and aides in Republican and Democratic leadership DACA continues on A8

Timothy A. Clary / AFP/Getty Images

BORDER SECURITY STUDY

NAFTA

WALL NOT A HIGH PRIORITY Mauricio Palos / Bloomberg

A worker measures steel wire at the Grupo Acerero SA steel processing facility in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. President Trump has put new pressure on NAFTA negotiations saying he’ll impose steel and aluminum tariffs on May 1 if he’s not satisfied with talks.

Trump sets May 1 deadline on tariffs Gregory Bull / AP

Law enforcement officials, seen from Tijuana, Mexico, stand guard near one of the border wall prototypes during a visit to San Diego by President Trump.

Federal agents say more technology, personnel will curb illegal activity

By Ron Nixon N EW YORK T I ME S

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has called for a wall along the border with Mexico to stop immigrants and drugs from entering the United States. But Border Patrol agents on the front lines say they need more technology and additional personnel to curb the illegal traffic, according to a report released Thursday by Democrats on the Senate Homeland Security Committee.

The report was based on internal Customs and Border Protection documents from the 2017 fiscal year. It concluded that less than one half of 1 percent of the agents’ suggestions to secure the Southwest border mentioned the need for a wall.

Sen. Claire McCaskill, DMo., the committee’s top Democrat, said the report reinforced what she had previously heard from border agents and leaders at Customs and Border Protection, the

parent agency of the Border Patrol.

“We can’t let politics get in the way of our efforts to strengthen border security and protect our country,” said McCaskill, referring to Trump’s promises to build a border wall.

Officials at Customs and Border Protection called the report inaccurate, saying it confused how agents’ feedback about security vulnerabilities is used to develop programs to counter threats.

The documents show that the Border Patrol identified what it called 902 “capability gaps,” or vulnerabilities, on the Southwest border. The word “wall” was suggested as a possible solution for just three of those gaps.

Agents mentioned a “fence” or “fencing” as a possible solution 34 times — less than 4 percent of the 902 vulnerabilities identified, the report found.

Customs and Border Protection officials said Border Patrol agents were asked to

identify “gaps” in border security, not to propose solutions.

They said that Border Patrol sector chiefs, from San Diego to the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, have voiced support for a border wall.

Days after his inauguration last year, Trump ordered construction to begin immediately on a border wall. Customs and Border Protection then created a process to help decide where a wall was most needed on the border, and for how many miles.

“The U.S. Border Patrol has been very clear that a border wall is essential to gaining operational control of the Southwest border,” said Benjamine Huffman, the chief of the Border Patrol’s strategic plan and analysis directorate.

“The fact is, when it comes to border security, the border walls system works. Suggestions that the Border Patrol believes otherwise are false.”

The Senate Democrats’ report comes as Trump is stepping up his calls for building a border wall. On Monday in New Hampshire, where he outlined plans to fight opioid abuse, the president again said that building a wall would block drugs from entering the United States.

“We’ll build the wall to keep the damn drugs out,” he

Negotiators face added pressure to reach a deal

said.

Last year, Customs and Border Protection spent $20 million on border wall prototypes near San Diego. Agency officials said they have been testing the mock-ups to decide which best curbed illegal immigration and drug trafficking.

Congressional Democrats and some Republicans, including Rep. Will Hurd of Texas, have questioned the need for a wall and instead called for more technology along the border, such as sensors and surveillance equipment. A February 2017 study by the Government Accountability Office found that Customs and Border Protection had not shown the extent to which fencing and walls have secured the border.

In its most recent budget request, the Trump administration asked Congress for $1.6 billion to build additional physical barriers in the Rio Grande Valley, the border’s busiest sector for illegal immigration.

The administration wants to spend $18 billion over the next 10 years to build a wall on nearly 900 miles of the Southwest border. Currently, there are nearly 700 miles of wall and fences on the border.

U.S. President Donald Trump has put new pressure on NAFTA negotiations with an order saying he’ll impose steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada and Mexico on May 1 if he’s not satisfied with talks.

Trump’s presidential proclamation Thursday sets tariffs for some countries as of Friday while excluding others such as Canada and Mexico. The document specifies for the first time when those exclusions will run out, adding to pressure for a deal to be reached on the North American Free Trade Agreement around the same time.

A White House statement said Trump will decide by May 1 “whether to continue to exempt these countries from tariffs, based on the status of discussions.” Mexico has said it needs a deal by the end of April, or that talks might as well stretch past the country’s summer election, and then U.S. midterm elections this fall.

Canada and Mexico continue to push for permanent exemptions from the tariffs, which have been set at 25 percent for steel and 10 percent for aluminum. Canada is the leading

Border continues on A8

NAFTA continues on A8

By Josh Wingrove BL OOMBERG NEWS

In Brief A2 | Saturday, March 24, 2018 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

CALENDAR

AROUND THE NATION

TODAY IN HISTORY

SATURDAY, MARCH 24

ASSOCIATED PRE SS

United Methodist Women’s Flower and Art Show. 1220 McClelland Ave. at the Church’s Fellowship Hall. 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Donation of $3.00. Tickets sold at the door.

SUNDAY, MARCH 25 United Methodist Women’s Flower and Art Show. 1220 McClelland Ave. at the Church’s Fellowship Hall. 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Donation of $3.00. Tickets sold at the door.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 1220 McClelland Ave. 10 a.m. to noon. Hard cover $1, paperbacks $0.50, magazines and children’s books $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.

Provided by the Willey family / AP

THURSDAY, MARCH 29 Villa San Agustin De Laredo Genealogical Society Meeting, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Joe A Guerra Public Library- Calton, speaker are Lola O Norris- General Alonso De Leon's Expeditions Into Mexico and Booksigning For more information, call Sylvia Reash at (956) 763-1810.

TUESDAY, APRIL 3 Community Conversation on Teen & Young Adult Mental Health. 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Border Region Behavioral Health Center, 1500 Pappas St. For more information, call the Area Health Education Center at 956-7120037.

RGISC 4th Annual Post-Easter Cleanup at Lake Casa Blanca. 8:00 am Registration @ Lake Casa Blanca International State Park, 5102 Bob Bullock Loop. Help the Rio Grande International Study Center pick up after the Easter bunny. Complimentary lunch and community service hours provided. Register at www.rgisc.org.

SATURDAY, APRIL 7 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 8:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

1220 McClelland Ave. Hard cover $1, paperback $0.50, magazines and children’s books, $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.

SATURDAY, APRIL 14 Habitat for Humanity Laredo major fundraiser Golfing For Roofs golf tournament. Max A. Mandel Municipal Golf Course. Hole sponsorships are title $10,000, platinum $5,000, diamond $2,500, gold $1,500, silver $1,000, bronze. For information, call 724-3227.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25 Border Region Behavioral Health Center Volunteer Services Council’s 26th Annual Administrative Professionals' Day Luncheon & Musical Fashion Show. 11:30 a.m.

Laredo Country Club. If you would like to purchase tickets or reserve a table, RSVP with Laura Kim 956-7943130 or blaurak@borderregion.org.

Tickets are $75 a person.

This undated photo shows Jaelynn Willey. A teenager armed with a handgun shot and fatally wounded Willey inside a Maryland school on Tuesday.

SCHOOL SHOOTING VICTIM HAS DIED A teenage girl who was shot when a classmate opened fire inside their Maryland high school has died, authorities said Friday. The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office said Jaelynn Willey died at 11:34 p.m. Thursday. Earlier that night, her family had said she would be taken off life support at the University of Maryland Prince George’s Hospital Center. Melissa Willey told news reporters Thursday night that her daughter was brain dead and had “no life left in her.”

The mother, holding a young baby, said, “On Tuesday ... our lives changed com-

Lawyer: $500K bond excessive for suspect’s brother PARKLAND, Fla. — An attorney for the brother of Florida school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz said in court papers Thursday that a $500,000 bond for trespassing at the school is excessive and that the brother should be released from jail.

Lawyer Joseph Kimok said in the documents that 18-year-old Zachary Cruz already paid the

pletely and totally forever. My daughter was hurt by a boy who shot her in the head and took everything from our lives.”

The teen was shot Tuesday by 17-yearold Austin Rollins at Great Mills High School in St. Mary’s County. Rollins died after shooting Willey. A school resource officer got there within a minute and fired a shot at Rollins, but it’s not yet clear whether Rollins was killed by the officer’s bullet or took his own life. The county sheriff’s Office said that Rollins and the girl had been in a relationship that recently ended. — Compiled from AP reports

standard $25 bond for a misdemeanor and should not be kept in custody.

“Zachary Cruz did not kill 17 people on a high school campus. He should not be treated as if he did,” Kimok wrote.

“There is no justice where the government seeks to hang a man for the crimes of his brother.” Zachary Cruz was arrested Monday while skateboarding on the campus of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where authorities say his brother killed 17 people and wounded 17 others in the

Valentine’s Day massacre. Zachary Cruz had been warned not to visit the campus, but did so three times, authorities say.

Kimok also objected to several conditions imposed by a judge, including forcing Zachary Cruz to undergo a psychological evaluation, prohibiting him from visiting Broward County, putting him on house arrest with an ankle monitor if released, having the home he is living in searched for weapons and having no contact with Nikolas Cruz. — Compiled from AP reports

TUESDAY, MAY 1 15th Annual Mental Health and Substance Abuse Symposium. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. UT Health Regional Campus Laredo. 1937 Bustamante St. For more information, call the Area Health Education Center at 956-7120037.

AROUND THE WORLD

SATURDAY, MAY 5

BRUSSELS — British Prime Minister Theresa May won the backing of 27 other European Union leaders Thursday in blaming Russia for the poisoning of a former spy on English soil — an attack the bloc called a threat to its collective security.

EU Council President Donald Tusk tweeted that the 28 leaders agree with Britain that it’s “highly likely Russia is responsible” for the attack on Sergei Skripal. In a strongly worded statement later, the EU Council of all the bloc’s national leaders said that “there is no plausible alternative explanation.” Calling the attack a “grave challenge to our shared security,” the EU states said they would “coordinate on the consequences to be drawn in the light of the answers provided by the Russian authorities.”

The unanimity was a victory

First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 8:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

1220 McClelland Ave. Hard cover $1, paperback $0.50, magazines and children’s books, $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.

SATURDAY, JUNE 2 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 8:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

1220 McClelland Ave. Hard cover $1, paperback $0.50, magazines and children’s books, $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.

SATURDAY, JULY 7 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 8:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

1220 McClelland Ave. Hard cover $1, paperback $0.50, magazines and children’s books, $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.

FRIDAY, JULY 13 6th U.S. – Mexico Regional Binational Health Conference. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. UT Health Regional Campus Laredo. 1937 Bustamante St. For more information, call the Area Health Education Center at 956-7120037.

SATURDAY, AUG. 4 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 8:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

1220 McClelland Ave. Hard cover $1, paperback $0.50, magazines and children’s books, $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.

Submit calendar items by emailing editorial@lmtonline.com with the event’s name, date and time, location, purpose and contact information for a representative. Items will run as space is available.

Leaders agree with Britain in blaming Russia for attack

Dario Pignatelli / Bloomberg

Donald Tusk, president of the European Union, speaks during a news conference following a summit of EU leaders.

for May. She had been striving at a summit in Brussels to persuade her EU colleagues to unite in condemning Moscow over the attack on Skripal, a former Russian military intelligence officer convicted of spying for Britain, and his daughter, Yulia.

Russia strongly denies responsibility and has slammed

Britain’s investigation.

During a summit dinner, May laid out the reasons Britain is convinced Moscow was behind the attack, including the type of poison used — a Sovietdeveloped nerve agent known as Novichok — and intelligence that Russia has produced it within the last decade. — Compiled from AP reports

AROUND THE STATE $2.3M will help church shooting survivors recover AUSTIN — More than $2.3 million in grant funding has been allocated to provide longterm recovery services to survivors of the November 2017 mass shooting at a South Texas church that killed 25 people.

The massacre at the First Baptist Church of Sunderland Springs also left an unborn child dead, bringing the official

death toll to 26.

Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement Thursday that the money will go toward providing counseling and other mental health services to those suffering the traumatic effects of the shootings.

Court strikes down gag order in Waco shootout case WACO — A Texas appeals court has struck down a gag order issued in a case arising

Today is Saturday, March 24, the 83rd day of 2018. There are 282 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History: On March 24, 1958, Elvis Presley was inducted into the U.S. Army at the draft board in Memphis, Tennessee, before boarding a bus for Fort Chaffee, Arkansas. (Presley underwent basic training at Fort Hood, Texas, before being shipped off to Germany.)

On this date: In 1765, Britain enacted the Quartering Act, requiring American colonists to provide temporary housing to British soldiers.

In 1832, a mob in Hiram, Ohio, attacked, tarred and feathered Mormon leaders Joseph Smith Jr. and Sidney Rigdon.

In 1913, New York's Palace Theatre, the legendary home of vaudeville, opened on Broadway.

In 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill granting future independence to the Philippines.

In 1944, in occupied Rome, the Nazis executed more than 300 civilians in reprisal for an attack by Italian partisans the day before that killed 32 German soldiers.

In 1965, Ranger 9, a lunar probe launched three days earlier by NASA, crashed into the moon (as planned) after sending back more than 5,800 video images.

In 1988, former national security aides Oliver L. North and John M. Poindexter and businessmen Richard V. Secord and Albert Hakim pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from the Iran-Contra affair. (North and Poindexter were convicted, but had their verdicts thrown out; Secord and Hakim received probation after each pleaded guilty to a single count under a plea bargain.)

In 1989, the supertanker Exxon Valdez ran aground on a reef in Alaska's Prince William Sound and began leaking an estimated 11 million gallons of crude oil.

In 1998, two students, ages 13 and 11, opened fire outside Jonesboro Westside Middle School in Arkansas, killing four classmates and a teacher. (The gunmen were imprisoned by Arkansas until age 18, then by federal authorities until age 21.)

In 1999, NATO launched airstrikes against Yugoslavia, marking the first time in its 50-year existence that it had ever attacked a sovereign country.

Thirty-nine people were killed when fire erupted in the Mont Blanc tunnel in France and burned for two days.

In 2015, Germanwings Flight 9525, an Airbus A320, crashed into the French Alps, killing all 150 people on board; investigators said the jetliner was deliberately downed by the 27-year-old co-pilot.

Ten years ago: President George W. Bush pledged to ensure "an outcome that will merit the sacrifice" of those who had died in Iraq, offering both sympathy and resolve as the U.S. death toll in the five-year war hit 4,000. The FBI said authorities had recovered the remains of two U.S. contractors, Ronald Withrow and John Roy Young, who were kidnapped in Iraq more than a year earlier. Actor Richard Widmark died in Roxbury, Connecticut, at age 93.

Five years ago: Just days after the 10th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, on a previously unannounced trip to Baghdad, confronted Iraqi officials for continuing to grant Iran access to its airspace and said Iraq's behavior was raising questions about its reliability as a partner. Rebels overthrew Francois Bozize, Central African Republic's president for a decade.

Today's Birthdays: Poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti is 99. Actor William Smith is 85. Fashion and costume designer Bob Mackie is 79. Actor R. Lee Ermey is 74. Former Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire is 71. Rock musician Lee Oskar is 70. Singer Nick Lowe is 69.

Rock musician Dougie Thomson is 67.

Fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger is 67.

Comedian Louie Anderson is 65.

Actress Donna Pescow is 64. Actor Robert Carradine is 64. Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is 62. Actress Kelly LeBrock is 58. Rhythm-andblues DJ Rodney "Kool Kollie" Terry is 57. TV personality Star Jones is 56.

Country-rock musician Patterson Hood is 54. Actor Peter Jacobson is 53. Rock singer-musician Sharon Corr is 48. Actress Lauren Bowles is 48.

Actress Lara Flynn Boyle is 48. Rapper Maceo is 48. Actress Megyn Price is 47. Actor Jim Parsons is 45. Christian rock musician Chad Butler is 44.

Actress Alyson Hannigan is 44. NFL quarterback Peyton Manning is 42.

Thought for Today : "The history of almost every civilization furnishes examples of geographical expansion coinciding with deterioration in quality." — Arnold Joseph Toynbee, English historian (1889-1975).

CONTACT US from the 2015 shootout between two motorcycle clubs outside a Waco restaurant that left nine dead.

In a six-page opinion issued Wednesday, a three-judge panel of the 10th Texas Court of Appeals ruled that the McLennan County District Attorney’s Office had failed to make a case for the order.

State District Judge Doug Shaver of Houston had issued the order at District Attorney Abel Reyna’s request. — Compiled from AP reports

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THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, March 24, 2018 |

A3

Letters to the editor Send your signed letter to editorial@lmtonline.com

A4 | Saturday, March 24, 2018 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

COLUMN

OTHER VIEWS

First lady fights online bullying

By Martin Schram TR IB UN E NEWS SE RV ICE

Media punditologists love to regale you with their cliché insight about how living in the White House is like living in a bubble — the ultimate in isolation from reality. So it is time we say a good word about Melania Trump.

Because at the White House on Tuesday, the first lady made clear she is determined to continue her crusade to combat online bullying. She invited the officials of Facebook, Google, Amazon, Snap and Twitter to a White House roundtable discussion of the evils perpetuated by online bullying.

This was her first event devoted to the topic since she had first discussed it at the end of the 2016 campaign. She hosted this discussion at a time when the news is filled with allegations of her husband’s infidelities.

And after all the world has seen how hard President Donald Trump has worked — both with his incessant online tweets and on the stump — to earn his reputation as America’s most famous bully.

And so, as she greeted her guests Tuesday and challenged them to combat cyberbullying, the first lady knew we are all clucking about how difficult her anti-bullying battle must be, given that she’s obviously not divorced herself from the problem. So she addressed it directly.

"I am well-aware that people are skeptical of me discussing this topic," the first lady told the social media representatives on Tuesday. "I have been criticized for my commitment to tackling this issue, and I know that will continue. But it will not stop me from doing what I know is right. I am here with one goal: helping children and our next generation."

In the campaign, and now in the White House, Trump has never been content to just defeat his opponents on the merits; he always has gone for the personal taunts and insults that descended to an unprecedented bottom-feeding level of bullying and even cruelty. He wasn’t content to just dabble in schoolyard nicknames when he campaigned against "Little" Marco Rubio and "Lying" Ted Cruz. When Cruz still posed a challenge, Trump insulted Cruz’s wife’s appearance — and suggested Cruz’s father had been linked to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. And he

then famously branded his Democratic opponent "Crooked" Hillary Clinton.

Since his inauguration, Trump has made himself famous (or, more accurately, infamous) around the world for his intemperate name-calling tweets. He called North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, "Little Rocket Man" and then may have set a new terrible standard for global diplomacy by following up: "I would NEVER call him short and fat."

So, especially given that cyber-sordid history, Melania Trump deserves to be praised for returning to her campaign promise and having the fortitude of finally going public with her determination to tackle cyberbullying.

Her husband’s most appalling bullying — unacceptable by any standard — occurred at a 2015 campaign rally when he cruelly ridiculed the physical impairment of a disabled New York Times reporter, Serge Kovaleski, who cannot use or control his arms.

"You gotta see this guy," Trump told his audience, as he mimicked the journalist’s disability by bringing his arms up to his chest with wrists bent and hands dangling helplessly. And Trump mimicked the reporter’s voice, saying: "Aaahh, I don’t know what I said.

Ahhh, I don’t remember!’"

You can still see it online. It was the most horrible, soul-less thing I’ve ever seen a politician do.

I’d wondered what parents might have told their disabled child who had seen Trump be so cruel.

And I thought of it again, late in the 2016 campaign, when Mrs. Trump, in a rare speaking role, told a Pennsylvania rally: "It is never OK when a 12-year-old girl or boy is mocked, bullied or attacked. It is terrible when that happens on the playground. And it is absolutely unacceptable when it is done by someone with no name hiding on the internet."

It was unclear Tuesday whether the first lady’s anti-bullying spotlight will ever produce effective new cybersecurity reforms. But it’s a start.

And she has already out-performed generations of satirists and authors who sharpen their creases with irony. She is tackling, quite frontally, this subject that is her husband’s worst affront upon American decency.

Martin Schram is a Tribune News Service columnist.

EDITORIAL

Many questions still linger in Austin bombings case AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATE SMAN

Central Texans are exhaling a collective sigh of relief at the news that suspected serial bomber Mark A. Conditt is dead.

For much of March, the 23-year-old Pflugerville resident held the city captive as it held its breath awaiting the next explosion. In all, five bombs detonated, not counting the one he turned on himself early Wednesday morning.

Add to that at least one that failed and potentially, officials said, others that might have been in the works.

The loss to the community runs deep - two Austin residents were killed and four injured.

At times like these, we are grateful for the tireless efforts of law enforcement - the Austin Police Department, FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and others in bringing this phase of the case to closure in a way that saved lives.

They stepped up big time, running down leads, examining evidence and piecing together a puzzle as they worked around the clock, knowing that the bomber intended to strike again. And again.

Until he was stopped.

That happened Wednesday morning. As authorities closed in on him in Round Rock, Conditt blew himself up in his vehicle, according to local and federal law enforcement sources.

From the little we know now, Conditt was akin to the guy next door from a good family who gave little if any reason to suspect him of a nefarious act.

At this point, we all

would be wise to follow the advice of Austin interim Police Chief Brian Manley, who cautioned that Central Texans stay vigilant for possible other explosives because, "we do not know where (the suspect) has been in the past 24 hours."

Even as one critical phase of the investigation ends with Conditt’s death, other phases continue, including constructing the motive behind the bombings and a full timeline of events, and gathering information about his life, how he learned bomb making and the materials he used to do so. Authorities have yet to rule out whether Conditt had collaborators.

Certainly, there is an expectation that law enforcement and city officials provide answers to Central Texans who for much of March have been in the dark about the terror in their midst.

Those answers are crucial for healing. The dead included members from prominent families in Austin’s African American community.

Anthony Stephan House, 39, the father of an 8year-old daughter and a Pflugerville High School and Texas State University graduate, was killed when he opened a package left on the front porch of his Northeast Austin home on March 2.

Police initially called it an isolated incident before the bomber struck again on March 12. Austin lost a budding talent in Draylen Mason, 17, whose skill as a double bass player won him admission to the University of Texas Butler School of Music. His mother also was injured

in that attack.

Later that day, another package bomb seriously injured Esperanza Herrera, 75, who is beloved by family and friends.

Those explosions sent fear and shock through the city’s minority communities because the bombs went off in neighborhoods where many African Americans and Latinos live. Community leaders understandably raised questions about whether the explosions were hate crimes that were racially motivated.

Those questions linger.

On Sunday came the explosion that left all of Austin feeling vulnerable and unsafe because it was random, activated by a trip wire aimed at anyone who stumbled across it. Two men in their mid-20s did: Will Grote and Colton Mathis suffered injuries that sent them to a local hospital.

Authorities clearly learned more about the bomber from each of those scenarios. It was the last explosion on Tuesday, however, at a FedEx facility in Schertz (near San Antonio) and another bomb that didn’t explode at a Southeast Austin FedEx that apparently revealed the bomber’s identity and helped clinch the case.

The investigation does not end with Conditt’s death. His actions in targeting Austin residents feel personal. How else does one explain that he chose to leave bombs on doorsteps or streets in residential neighborhoods, bypassing larger targets that would generate more attention? Consider that his targets excluded Austin’s core that includes the Capitol, University of Texas at Aus-

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DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU

tin and Austin’s downtown hotel and entertainment district. He avoided events that draw thousands of tourists, such as SXSW, to focus on people who already live here. Why? It’s a mystery we hope will be solved.

As law enforcement continues investigating those and other issues, they likely will look at lessons learned and incorporate them into policing and safeguarding a city that no longer can been seen through the lens of a small town, even with violent crime rates that mirror those in many smaller cities.

The bombings also raised questions about whether the attacks should be branded as terrorism. The narrowest legal definition of terrorism, which focuses on violence by people or groups who are aligned against the nation, may not apply here. But there is no doubt Conditt’s bombing campaign inflicted widespread fear and drew a massive federal law enforcement response.

There are lessons we all can learn. As Manley reminds, public safety is a shared responsibility.

See something, say something. Austin Mayor Steve Adler said that getting to know our neighbors can help us better take care of one another. Good advice from our leaders.

We say Central Texans should stay vigilant beyond this episode and remember and honor our lost and injured neighbors.

Visit Austin American-Statesman, Texas at www.statesman.com.

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, March 24, 2018 |

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STATE CRIME

Bomber frustrated police before breakthrough

By Paul J. Weber and Ryan J. Foley A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

AUSTIN — After the first package exploded on an Austin doorstep, police assured the public that there was no wider threat, no signs of terrorism. The idea of a serial bomber striking random strangers never came up.

The March 2 blast killed Anthony Stephan House, a 39-year-old man with a background in finance and an 8-year-old daughter. Investigators didn’t rule out that House may have mishandled homemade explosives.

Hours later, in an interrogation room, detectives told one of House’s neighbors their main theory: The deadly package was retaliation, maybe from a drug cartel, for a raid days earlier that seized more than $300,000 and 30 pounds of pot. The cartel just got the address wrong.

“They’re saying, ‘Who’s trying to blow you up?’

They’re trying to do the whole thing, ‘Help us help you, because they’re not going to miss again,”’ said Mark McCrimmon, an Austin attorney who represents the neighbor.

It wouldn’t be the last wrong lead in the threeweek search that eventually led to Mark Anthony Conditt, an unemployed community college dropout who blew himself up Wednesday as officers closed in.

The manhunt intensified after more explosions in the weeks that followed House’s death. By the time the suspect too was dead,

his bombs had killed two people, badly wound four others and unnerved the Texas capital.

On Thursday, authorities gave no indication they were any closer to understanding why Conditt did it. Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said the bomber left behind a 25-minute cellphone recording that amounted to a confession but revealed no clear motive.

It’s one last mystery in a case that police struggled to crack. More than 500 federal agents swarmed Austin in what Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, called the nation’s largest bombing manhunt since the 2013 Boston Marathon attacks.

The trail to Conditt included many dead ends among more than 500 phoned-in tips. There were theories that didn’t pan out and surveillance cameras that failed to record a glimpse of the suspect.

“They got a lot of calls,” McCaul said of investigators, “but not a lot of credible leads.”

Early miscalculations stoked frustration in the neighborhoods where the second and third bombings went off on March 12.

Because police initially believed House’s death was an isolated attack, they did not warn Austin residents about suspicious deliveries before another package killed 17-year-old Draylen Mason and wounded his mother.

Mason and House were both black and related to prominent Austin fami-

lies, which led police to consider whether they were dealing with a hate crime.

“They didn’t consider all the alternatives, and it came back to bite us,” said Nelson Linder, president of the Austin chapter of the NAACP. When the third bomb wounded a 75-year-old Hispanic woman, investigators wondered whether it was actually intended for a neighbor, Erica Mason, who has the same last name as the slain teenager.

Erica Mason, who is white, said she told police she had no connection to Draylen Mason’s family.

Police now think the shared name was just a coincidence.

Even after three bombings, investigators were still unsure whether they were dealing with a single attacker. “We’re not calling it a serial bomber,” Manley told reporters on March 12.

A week later, they were.

By then, police had urged residents to report any strange packages. The warning flooded 911 operators with more than 1,000 calls. Six days after Mason’s death, authorities increased the pot of reward money to $115,000 and tried a new tactic to draw the bomber out: a news conference that included a direct appeal for him to get in touch.

Hours later, another explosion seemed to be his answer.

The fourth blast, triggered by a tripwire attached to a “children at play” sign that Conditt purchased at Home Depot, was the first on the city’s

Tom Reel / San Antonio Express-News

Law enforcement officers secure the neighborhood at the scene of Walnut and 2nd Street in Pflugerville, Texas where Austin bombing suspect Mark Anthony Conditt lived.

more affluent west side.

The new location dampened earlier theories about who the bomber was targeting.

After a fifth explosion Monday at a FedEx processing center outside San Antonio, authorities finally got their big break.

Conditt had been careful to avoid cameras before entering a FedEx store in southwest Austin disguised in a blond wig and gloves, said McCaul, who called it the bomber’s “fatal mistake.”

Surveillance at the store also captured a license plate linked to Conditt, which in turn gave authorities a cellphone number they could track.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said police were able to monitor Conditt and his movements for about 24 hours before his death.

The cellphone number tied Conditt to bombing sites around Austin, but McCaul said Conditt had eluded authorities by powering off the phone for long stretches.

By Tuesday night, police began closing in on Conditt’s home in suburban Pflugerville. They finally found him early Wednesday at a hotel north of Austin, and officers prepared to move in for an arrest. When the suspect’s sport utility

Austin Community College / AP

This Austin Community College 2010 student ID photo shows Mark Anthony Conditt, who attended classes there between 2010 and 2012. Conditt, the suspect in the deadly bombings that terrorized Austin, blew himself up early Wednesday as authorities closed in on him, bringing a grisly end to a three-week manhunt.

vehicle began to drive away, they followed.

Conditt drove into a ditch on the side of the road, and SWAT officers approached, banging on his window. That’s when he ended his life by setting

off one of his own devices inside the vehicle.

Police found him because he turned his phone back on, McCaul said.

“He turned it on. It pinged, and then the chase ensued,” he said.

Sports&Outdoors

A6 | Saturday, March 24, 2018 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION: SAN ANTONIO SPURS

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL: HOUSTON ASTROS

SPURS PLAYERS SEEKING CLARITY John Bazemore / Associated Press file

Reigning AL MVP Jose Altuve and the Houston Astros are poised to contend for a World Series title again this season.

Astros looking for an encore Champion Houston loaded again in ‘18

By Kristie Rieken ASSOCIATED PRE SS

Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News file

The Spurs reportedly held a players-only meeting, led by Tony Parker, to ask Kawhi Leonard when he intends to return.

San Antonio holds players-only meeting

By Jabari Young SA N AN T ONI O E XPRE SS-NEWS

With confusion continuing to build around Kawhi Leonard's season status, key team veterans on the Spurs took matters into their own hands.

Sources tell the ExpressNews veterans held a playersonly meeting that was led by Tony Parker after Saturday's win over the Minnesota Timberwolves to ask Leonard about his return.

The vets wanted to know if Leonard intended to play this season, and if so, when he was planning to return.

Leonard was reminded about the Spurs' status – in the middle of a playoff push with now 10 games remaining. According to sources, Leonard, who was caught off guard by the meeting, stood his ground. He spoke up telling his teammates that a return was still the goal. But Leonard offered no set date or guarantee about a return this season.

Leonard did receive support from some teammates, urging him not to return until he feels healthy enough, sources told the Express-News.

The meeting lasted roughly five to 10 minutes with no clear update on Leonard's plans.

When asked Wednesday about Leonard's status, Ginobili responded: "For me, he's not coming back, because (thinking he will return) is not helping.

"We fell for it a week ago – again. I guess you guys (the media) made us fall for it. But we have to think he's not coming back. That we are who we are."

Earlier this month, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich told reporters Leonard still needs medical clearance from doctors outside of the team before deciding his status.

"Like anybody else, he's frustrated," Popovich said. "He wants to be playing. He's competitive. It's been a tough year in that regard for him. But the first step is he's got to be cleared by his medical staff that he's seeing.

"Until he gets cleared, we can't make a decision on when he's coming back," Popovich

Edward A. Ornelas / SAEN file

Spurs star Kawhi Leonard has played in only nine games this year as the team is quickly approaching the start of the 2018 playoffs.

continued. "So, once he gets cleared, then he and I can sit down and talk and see what we think about an appropriate time to come back. But that clearance has to be obtained first."

Leonard has not played since Jan. 13 as he continues to rehab further from a right quadriceps tendinopathy injury which caused him to miss the first 27 games of the season.

The Spurs watched Leonard workout recently, but Popovich said the two-time Defensive Player of the Year "needs a little bit more work."

Asked when Leonard, who has only played nine games this season, does get cleared if the team will allow him to return with so few games remaining, Popovich said: "That's a negotiation between the player and the coach to figure out what's best.

"He knows very well our history is pretty documented," added Popovich. "If we're going to err, we're going to err on the conservative side because his career is going to be of paramount importance to us. It's not the game or the playoffs or this or that. It was the same way with Tim (Duncan) early

on when he hurt a knee one year, and we didn't let him go in the playoffs. I don't know if it's going to be this situation.

We don't know. But his career is going to be paramount in our thinking as we make a decision."

Leonard confirmed he hopes to return this season when he spoke to reporters this month.

"I just have to keep doing what I am doing," Leonard said. "The progression that I am making has been great. I just have to keep doing what I am doing."

After beating the Washington Wizards, the Spurs have won their last five games, sitting sixth in the Western Conference playoff picture. Still, the veterans wanted to know where the face of the franchise stood moving forward.

In need of a spark after being swept on a recent three-game road trip, Popovich revamped his starting lineup again, this time re-inserting Danny Green, to play alongside Patty Mills, Dejounte Murray, Kyle Anderson, and LaMarcus Aldridge.

Popovich downplayed the change after the win over the New Orleans Pelicans, but the move is paying off, especially defensively.

Asked if the new lineup should remain, Ginobili said: "It's good for stability to know who is going to play at what time and who is going to close game. The important thing is we stay together and push each other and support each other.

"Don't start bouncing heads when a mistake happens because it's a game of mistakes and we've had a tough stretch last month and early in this one," added Ginobili. "So, now we hopefully left it behind, and we look forward. This is a very important month. Of course, we're fighting for the playoffs, and we put ourselves in a good spot after these three games.

We got to keep going."

And still, the question is whether the Spurs will keep going with or without Leonard? It's a question veteran leaders on the Spurs still hope to get answered sooner rather than later.

HOUSTON — Not long after the Houston Astros won the World Series, third baseman Alex Bregman got another big reason to smile.

Justin Verlander wasn’t simply a late-season rental. He was under contract with the team for two more seasons.

Bregman’s reaction, caught on a teammate’s Instagram Live account, was one of pure joy, filled with shrieks and yelling.

The Astros could have more grins in store this season: Manager A.J. Hinch will not only have the ace right-hander for the whole year, he will have a loaded rotation and pretty much every key player who helped Houston win it all last fall, from American League MVP Jose Altuve to World Series MVP George Springer and All-Star Carlos Correa.

Acquired in an Aug. 31 trade from Detroit, Verlander was 5-0 with a 1.06 ERA and 43 strikeouts in five regular-season starts for Houston before going 4-1 with a 2.20 ERA and making his first career relief appearance in the postseason to help the Astros to their first title.

The 2011 American League MVP and Cy Young Award winner leads a pitching staff that is arguably the best in baseball and one of many reasons the Astros believe they will contend for the title again this year. He will start on March 29 when the Astros open the season on the road against the Texas Rangers, followed by 2015 Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel, Lance McCullers, new acquisition Gerrit Cole and Charlie Morton.

The 35-year-old Verlander admitted that his time with Houston last season was a bit of a blur, and he is looking forward to having more time this year to settle in and get to know his teammates.

“The last few years I’ve done a much better job of taking (off my blinders) and seeing what other guys are doing, watching their routines and seeing any way that maybe I could help guys out,” he said. “So that’s a lot of fun for me especially in a new organization with tons of new guys, tons of young guys. I feel like I have a lot of wisdom and I’ve experienced a lot in this game ... so any way I can help them that’s what I’m trying to do.”

Some things to know as the Astros prepare to defend their title: BEST CASE If Houston’s rotation pitches to its potential and the team’s powerful lineup led by Altuve, Correa and Springer builds on last season’s success, there’s no

reason to think the Astros can’t make another deep playoff run and possibly repeat as champions. Hinch believes the Astros have the right mindset for continued success this season.

“My job is to set the culture and set the expectations and then the players really focus on the chemistry and it’s a really tight knit group,” he said.

“This is the closest team I’ve ever been associated with. I like how they push each other.”

WORST CASE Anything less than competing for a title would be a disappointment. If the Astros stay healthy, it’s hard to believe that they won’t make the postseason for the third time in four years.

ALTUVE GETS PAID Altuve signed a seven-year, $163.5 million contract last week after becoming Houston’s first MVP since Jeff Bagwell won the National League honor in 1994. The popular second baseman was one of the biggest bargains in baseball, making just $4.5 million last season as he won the AL batting title for the third time in four years by hitting a career-best .346. His last deal, which paid him just $12.5 million from 2014.2017 included club options of $6 million and $6.5 million, which remain in the new contract. He will get a $21 million signing bonus and $26 million a year from 2020-24.

DOING IT ALL The Astros entered spring training hoping to move utility man Marwin Gonzalez into a full-time role in left field. But first baseman Yuli Gurriel had hand surgery on Feb. 28, which will leave Gonzalez to fill in there early in the season. Last year, Gonzalez hit .303 with 23 homers and 90 RBIs — all career highs — while playing all over the field. Though Hinch wanted Gonzalez to be more settled this season, he knows he will excel wherever he plays.

“It’s very rare that you have a guy like Marwin that can fill in and you don’t feel like you’re taking a step back,” Hinch said. “If I have a problem anywhere on the field the answer is usually Marwin can do it.

He’s a very versatile guy that deserves high praise.”

MOVING TO THE ‘PEN Houston’s overabundance of starters forced the Astros to move two players who spent last season mostly as starters into the bullpen. The move isn’t a big deal for Brad Peacock, who has spent his career bouncing between starting and relieving. But the switch will be a bit of an adjustment for Collin McHugh, who hasn’t pitched out of the bullpen since two relief appearances in 2013 with the New York Mets.

Frontera THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, March 24, 2018 |

RIBEREÑA EN BREVE Impuestos 1 Voluntarios de VITA estarán asistiendo de forma gratuita a aquellas personas con ingresos menores a 66.000 dólares y que deseen presentar su declaración de impuestos. La cita es el 24 de marzo en Zapata County Technical and Advanced Education Center, en la Carretera 83 y 7th Street.

Huevos de Pascua 1 Evento de Búsqueda de Huevos de Pascua en su sexta edición, organizado por la Ciudad de Roma, de 10 a.m. a 12 p.m., en Roma Texas Municipal Park, el sábado 24 de marzo.

Genealogía 1 ¿Desea saber más sobre su historia familiar? ¿Necesita ayuda para iniciar su genealogía? Venga y reciba ayuda personalizada para investigar a sus ancestros utilizando recursos en línea.

Voluntarios entrenados le ayudarán, este martes 27 de marzo de 6:30 p.m a 8 p.m., en Roma Birding Center. Evento gratuito patrocinado por la Iglesia de Jesús de los Santos de los Últimos Días.

PATRULLA FRONTERIZA

Asisten a lesionado Agentes responden a llamado de ayuda en accidente de ATV E SPECIAL PARA TIEMP O DE ZAPATA

El 18 de marzo, agentes de la Patrulla Fronteriza brindaron ayuda a un individuo que participó en un accidente de un vehículo conocido como

todo terreno (ATV por sus siglas en inglés), en Zapata.

Los agentes de la Patrulla Fronteriza respondieron a un llamado de ayuda de la Oficina del Alguacil del Condado de Zapata con respecto a

un accidente con un ATV y llegaron al lugar de los hechos.

Parques y Vida Silvestre de Texas y el Departamento de Seguridad Pública de Texas ya se encontraban en la escena e indicaron que el sujeto estaba inconsciente y que parecía haber sufrido un trauma en la cabeza y posiblemente otras lesiones internas.

Un agente de la Patrulla Fronteriza, certificado como Técnico Médico en

Emergencias valoró los signos vitales del paciente, e inició una terapia intravenosa, y lo preparó para su traslado con un Collar-C (collar cervical) y una camilla.

Los Servicios Médicos de Emergencia del Condado de Zapata llegaron al lugar de los hechos poco después y se hicieron cargo del individuo.

El sujeto fue trasladado vía aérea a través de un helicóptero a un hospital en el Valle del Río

ROMA INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT

CELEBRA DISTRITO 70 ANIVERSARIO

Vaquero Day Festival

1 La Ciudad de Roma invita a visitar el aviario Roma Bluffs World Birding Center en el distrito histórico de Roma. El aviario estará abierto desde el jueves a domingo de 8 a.m. a 4 p.m. hasta enero.

Mayores informes al 956-849-1411

Botes de basura 1 La Ciudad de Roma informa a la comunidad que sólo estará recolectando basura contenida en botes propiedad de la ciudad. Informes al 849-1411

Pago de impuestos 1 Desde diciembre, los pagos por impuestos a la propiedad de la Ciudad de Roma deberán realizarse en la oficina de impuestos del Distrito Escolar de Roma, localizado en el 608 N. García St.

Pago en línea 1 La Ciudad de Roma informa a sus residentes que a partir de ahora el servicio del agua puede pagarse en línea a cualquier hora las 24 horas del día.

TAMAULIPAS

Entregan apoyos y obra social a Río Bravo

E SPECIAL PARA TIEMP O DE ZAPATA

Torneo de Golf

Aviario

Grande para tratamiento posterior.

“Este evento ilustra cómo los hombres y mujeres de la Patrulla Fronteriza de los Estados Unidos no solo trabajan para proteger nuestras fronteras sino que también están comprometidos a la preservación de la vida y a ayudar a cualquier persona en necesidad”, dijo el Agente Asistente de Patrulla en Jefe, Gabriel H. Acosta.

Buscan elevar calidad de vida

1 El distrito escolar Roma ISD invita a su torneo Roma ISD Scholarship Golf Classic, en Monte Cristo Golf & Country Club, 2919 N. Kenyon Road, Edinburg, Tx., el sábado 31 de marzo desde las 8 a.m. Mayores informes con Beto Escobar de la División Atlética del distrito escolar Roma ISD al 956-8491333.

1 La Ciudad de Escobares invita al Vaquero Day Festival en su 13ava. edición, el sábado 27 de abril.

Música en vivo, cabalgata, parrilladas, y más actividades para toda la familia.

Entrada gratuita.

Mayores informes al 956-847-4106.

A7

Foto de cortesía / Roma ISD

Estudiantes de la escuela primaria R & C Saenz Elementary School muestran sus trabajos artísticos durante la celebración del 70 aniversario del distrito escolar Roma Independent School District.

DACA

Dreamers: Esfuerzo de último minuto, un manotazo de ahogado Por Alan Fram ASSOCIATED PRE SS

WASHINGTON — El esfuerzo por proteger a los jóvenes sin permiso de residencia que fueron traídos al país de niños en realidad nunca tuvo muchas esperanzas de ser tenido en cuenta en el último presupuesto que el Congreso aprueba en este año electoral. Por eso llamó la atención que la Casa Blanca tratase de incorporarlo esta semana.

Lo hizo, sin embargo, con la intención de conseguir más fondos para el muro que el presidente Donald Trump quiere construir en la frontera con México. Fue un gesto de último minuto en momentos en que los legisladores negociaban los detalles finales de una enorme propuesta fiscal que se espera sea aprobada esta semana, según los involucrados y observadores.

La iniciativa no prosperó y Trump consiguió apenas 1.600 millones de dólares para su muro y otras medidas de seguridad en la frontera, lo que cubre los gastos de un año. Ante este panorama, las perspectivas de que el Congreso renueve el programa DACA que ampara de la deportación a los jóvenes conocidos como “dreamers” son muy escasas ya que los demócratas se oponen fervientemente a ayudar a Trump con su muro.

Trump, por su parte, adoptó

otra postura y dijo en un tuit: “Los demócratas se negaron a atender el DACA. Hubiera sido fácil, pero no les interesa. Tuve que pelear por los militares y por el inicio del Muro”.

Circuló la versión de que Trump comenzó a llamar a los líderes legislativos hace dos semanas para decirles que quería una financiación a largo plazo para el muro y que a cambio de eso estaba dispuesto a aceptar una renovación del programa DACA a corto plazo. Trump dejó sin efecto el programa el año pasado, pero jueces federales dispusieron que el gobierno siga renovando los permisos de dos años hasta que se resuelva el tema en los tribunales.

Una persona dijo que en conversaciones sostenidas el domingo en el Capitolio, funcionarios de la Casa Blanca indicaron que querían 25.000 millones de dólares --que cubrirían el costo total del muro-- a cambio de dar a los “dreamers” protección hasta el 2020. Cuando los demócratas dijeron que para aprobar esa suma debían conceder la posibilidad de la ciudadanía a 1,8 millones de receptores de DACA, la Casa Blanca rechazó la propuesta y se disipó toda esperanza de que se siga cobijando a los “dreamers”.

El programa, creado por el predecesor de Trump, Barack Obama, ampara temporalmente de la deportación a estos jóvenes.

La información sobre las con-

versaciones fue suministrada por asistentes y grupos abocados al tema de ambos bandos a condición de no ser identificados ya que se trató de diálogos en privado.

Se contempló la posibilidad de otorgar una extensión de tres años a los receptores de DACA a cambio de dinero para tres años del muro, o de cinco y cinco. Algunos dice que el gobierno fue más allá todavía y pidió a los demócratas más dinero para agentes fronterizos y para más camas en los centros de detención de inmigrantes.

También habría plantado que se facilitase la deportación de pandilleros.

Una propuesta más simple todavía --una extensión del DACA a cambio de dinero para el muro-tropezó con la oposición de sectores de ambos bandos y con divisiones internas.

Muchos republicanos se oponen terminantemente a proteger a cualquier inmigrante que esté en el país ilegalmente, incluidos los que fueron traídos de niños, y el jefe del bloque republicano de la cámara baja Paul Ryan se muestra reticente a someter a votación una propuesta que es resistida por la mayoría de sus correligionarios.

Algunos republicanos, no obstante, querían un acuerdo, diciendo que los inmigrantes ayudan a la economía y que expulsar a cientos de miles de ellos podría ser un problema grave en las elecciones.

RÍO BRAVO, México— En gira de trabajo por la región fronteriza del estado de Tamaulipas, el gobernador Francisco García Cabeza de Vaca, junto con los titulares de Obras Públicas, Bienestar Social y Desarrollo Urbano y Medio Ambiente, entregaron en Río Bravo apoyos y obra social, acciones encaminadas a fortalecer y elevar la calidad de vida de las familias e impulsar el desarrollo del municipio.

Durante su visita por la colonia Satélite, el gobernador Francisco García Cabeza de Vaca presentó el programa de rehabilitación de pavimentos, que con una inversión inicial de 70 millones de pesos, permitirá el mejoramiento de 130 mil metros cuadrados de calles, beneficiando directamente a más de 102 mil habitantes.

También supervisó el avance de la construcción de un Centro de Bienestar y Paz, uno de los 16 espacios públicos que desarrolla el Gobierno de Tamaulipas en la entidad, que contará con áreas específicas para impartir pláticas de orientación familiar, valores, talleres, áreas de juegos y convivencia familiar.

“Estamos viviendo el tiempo de todos y cuando digo todos somos todos, pero todas aquellas gentes buenas bien nacidas que quieren heredar un mejor futuro a sus hijos; yo he exhortado a los tres órdenes de gobierno a que se sumen a poder transformar a nuestro estado, a trabajar de la mano hombro con hombro para hacer realidad el sueño que tenemos muchos tamaulipecos que es de restablecer la paz el orden y el Estado de Derecho”, enfatizó el gobernador.

Adultos mayores de esta localidad recibieron su cheque de aportación bimestral, apoyos que entrega el Gobierno del Estado a aquellas personas que están listados dentro del expediente único de la Secretaría de Bienestar Social.

En la colonia Paraíso Norte, el mandatario estatal, constató el programa de infraestructura social, gracias al que 51 familias de Río Bravo recibieron un cuarto habitacional, el cual fue construido con los mejores estándares de calidad; el programa ha replicado en 20 municipios, construyéndose mil 470 cuartos.

Antes, en el Parque de Bienestar de la colonia Fundadores, el mandatario estatal realizó el corte de listón de un paralibros con 500 títulos para fomentar la lectura de niños y jóvenes, así como el equipamiento de internet inalámbrico para este espacio público con el objetivo de fortalecer la conectividad y el acceso de las familias a las tecnologías de comunicación e información.

A8 | Saturday, March 24, 2018 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

FROM THE COVER

9 Iranians charged in massive hacking scheme

By Eric Tucker A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration announced criminal charges and sanctions Friday against Iranians accused in a governmentsponsored hacking scheme to pilfer sensitive information from hundreds of universities, private companies and American government agencies.

The nine defendants, accused of working at the behest of the Iranian government-tied Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, hacked the computer systems of about 320 universities in the United States and abroad to steal expensive science and engineering research that

NAFTA From page A1 source of U.S. imports of steel and aluminum.

Steel is closely tied to the auto sector, one of the core disputes in NAFTA in which there’s been progress recently.

Read more about how Trudeau is trying to save NAFTA after a win on tariffs “The United States is continuing discussions with Canada and Mexico,” along with the European Union, South Korea and others, “on satisfactory alternative means to address the threatened impairment to the national security by imports of steel articles from those countries,” Trump’s proclamation said.

Trump pledged to apply them unless “I determine by further proclamation that the United States has reached a satisfactory alternative means” to address “threatened impairment” of the steel sector.

The move comes after recent signs for optimism on NAFTA talks.

Canadian Prime Minister

BORDER From page A1 The Democratic report concluded that funding requests for a wall far exceeded proposed spending on border technology and personnel, which border agents identified as critically needed.

The president’s budget request for the 2019 fiscal year includes $43 million for remote video surveillance systems along the border and more funding for other security technology.

was then used by the government or sold for profit, prosecutors said.

The hackers also are accused of breaking into the networks of government organizations, such as the Department of Labor and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the United Nations and companies including law firms and biotechnology corporations.

The Justice Department said the hackers were affiliated with an Iranian company called the Mabna Institute, which prosecutors say contracted with the Iranian government to steal scientific research from other countries. The institute was founded by two of the defendants.

“By bringing these

criminal charges, we reinforce the norm that most of the civilized world accepts: nation-states should not steal intellectual property for the purpose of giving domestic industries an advantage,” Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said in announcing the charges.

Also Friday, the Treasury Department targeted the Mabna Institute and 10 Iranians — the nine defendants and one charged in a separate case last year — for sanctions that officials say will make it harder for them to do business outside Iran.

The defendants are unlikely to ever be prosecuted in an American courtroom since there’s no extradition treaty with Iran. But the grand jury

indictment — filed in federal court in Manhattan — is part of the government’s “name and shame” strategy to publicly identify foreign hackers, block them from traveling without risk of arrest and put their countries on notice.

The strategy has been employed with past indictments accusing Iranian hackers of a digital break-in of a New York dam, Chinese military officials of large-scale hacks at energy corporations and Russians of a massive breach of Yahoo user accounts.

“People travel. They take vacations, they make plans with their families,” said FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich. “Having your name, face and de-

scription on a ‘wanted’ poster makes moving freely much more difficult.” According to the indictment, the Iranians broke into universities through relatively simple, but common means — tricking professors to click on compromised links.

The spear-phishing emails purported to be from professors at one

university to those at another and contained what appeared to be authentic article links. But once clicked on, the links steered the professors to a malicious Internet domain that led them to believe they’d been logged out and that asked them to enter their log-in credentials.

Those credentials were stolen by the hackers.

Justin Trudeau said this week “there seems to be a certain momentum around the table” and that “a win-win-win deal is not only possible but likely.” U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said Wednesday the countries are “finally starting to converge” on the critical issue of auto sector rules, but warned Thursday time was running out.

“I believe that substantial progress is being made but we are quickly running out of time if we are going to have this congress vote on a final passage,” Lighthizer said during a Senate hearing on Thursday in Washington.

(Updates with possibility of new exemption to 1st paragraph, auto sector in 4th paragraph.)

--With assistance from Jennifer Jacobs and Toluse Olorunnipa To contact the reporter on this story: Josh Wingrove in Ottawa at jwingrove4@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Theophilos Argitis at targitis@bloomberg.net, Stephen Wicary, David Scanlan ©2018 Bloomberg L.P.

DACA From page A1

They wanted to include in the spending legislation $25 billion for border security — a mix of physical barriers, technology and border agents. In return they offered two-and-a-half more years of protection from deportation for the roughly 690,000 young immigrants.

down payment on it.

“We — the president and I and other leaders in the House and Senate — offered that to the Democrats and they said no,” House Speaker Paul Ryan said Thursday on Fox News, referring to protections for dreamers. “So we said let’s do multiyear funding for the wall in exchange for multiyear relief for the DACA kids and they walked away from that. They wouldn’t take that. So what we’re doing here is there isn’t a DACA solution in here, but there is wall funding for the next six months.”

The House passed the comprehensive spending bill Thursday afternoon and the Senate is set to follow before the midnight Friday deadline when current government funding runs out.

It also includes $255 million to hire and retain agents at the Border Patrol, which has been shedding personnel faster than it can hire. Agency documents indicate the Border Patrol must recruit 133 applicants to fill a single agent’s position. Trump wants to hire 5,000 new agents.

A program to detect drug tunnels beneath the southern border — another security priority cited by agents — was not funded in Trump’s budget request, the Democratic report noted.

offices.

“DACA was abandoned by the Democrats.

Very unfair to them!

Would have been tied to desperately needed Wall,” Trump said Friday on Twitter.

According to the GOP congressional aide, Republicans also offered to expand the DACA-eligible population by adjusting the age limits.

The proposal was rebuffed. The Democratic aide said party leaders viewed the White House offer as giving Trump what he wanted while still leaving the young immigrants in limbo.

They countered with acceptance of the $25 billion for a wall, but in exchange demanded a path to citizenship for the 1.8 million people eligible for DACA — known as dreamers — which Trump had offered in his four-point immigration plan earlier this year.

But the White House rejected the path to citizenship without the other demands in Trump’s four-point plan, including reductions in familybased legal immigration and an end to the diversity green-card lottery.

The negotiations lasted about a week and the attempt to reach an accord on immigration was one of the reasons Republican leaders repeatedly missed their self-imposed deadlines to get the spending bill to the floor of the House and Senate for votes.

Once the chances for a deal melted away, the finger-pointing began.

“Democrats refused to take care of DACA. Would have been so easy, but they just didn’t care. I had to fight for Military and start of Wall,” Trump

tweeted late Wednesday.

Democrats had a different view.

“President Trump created this crisis,” said Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, who’s been the lead Democrat in the immigration debate. “But instead of working towards a solution, he has stopped every effort that we’ve tried to make on behalf of the dreamers.”

The 2,232-page budget legislation that came out

FBI / AP

This image is the wanted poster for 9 Iranians that took part in a government-sponsored hacking scheme that pilfered sensitive information from hundreds of universities, private companies and government agencies.

Wednesday included $1.6 billion for border security with a major caveat: construction of barriers would be limited to the building and replacement of fencing and levees. The bill allows planning and design of new barriers but not their construction.

Democrats argue they blocked Trump from getting his wall, while Republican leaders are selling the funding as a

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, March 24, 2018 |

A9

BUSINESS

US aims to block AT&T, Time Warner merger

By Marcy Gordon A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

WASHINGTON — The government and AT&T exchanged opening salvos in a federal trial Thursday as the U.S. seeks to block the telephone giant from absorbing Time Warner, in a case that could shape how consumers get — and how much they pay for — streaming TV and movies.

The Trump Justice Department has sued to block the $85 billion deal, saying it would hurt competition and consumers would have to pay more to watch their favorite shows, whether on a TV screen, smartphone or tablet.

The combination of the wireless, broadband and

satellite giant with Time Warner — home to the CNN, HBO and TBS networks as well as coveted sports programming — would harm competition and dampen innovation, Craig Conrath, the lead Justice Department attorney in the case, insisted in opening arguments. “The evidence will show that this merger would hurt ... pay TV consumers,” Conrath said, noting they number some 90 million households in the U.S. “Time Warner is a weapon for AT&T,” he said. “Buying Time Warner would give AT&T a weapon to slow down innovation and protect its cash cow” of pay TV. AT&T owns DirecTV, which contributes a substantial per-

Jose Luis Magana / AP

AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson leaves the federal courthouse Thursday in Washington. The Trump administration is facing off against AT&T to block the telephone giant from absorbing Time Warner.

centage of its earnings.

AT&T’s strategy of discounting DirecTV Now streaming service has helped it hold on to wireless customers, ac-

cording to industry analysts.

But the companies’ lead attorney in defending the merger, Daniel Petrocelli, countered that

the government “cannot meet their heavy burden of proof” that deal would hurt competition in a rapidly shifting media landscape. “We’re not trying to suppress or impede this transformation. ... This transformation is what makes this merger imperative,” he said.

More people are using streaming services like Netflix and Amazon.

Those companies and others such as Google, Hulu and Facebook “are running away with the industry,” Petrocelli said — by offering pay TV at lower rates, selling subscriptions for on-demand programming and dominating advertising.

He rebuffed the idea that consumer prices would be pushed higher,

accusing the government of relying on hypothetical economic models that don’t square with the reality of the market. In fact, consumers could end up paying less after a merger, Petrocelli suggested.

As AT&T Inc. CEO Randall Stephenson and Jeffrey Bewkes, the CEO of Time Warner Inc. looked on in the packed courtroom, the opposing attorneys outlined their cases before U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in a landmark trial that could imprint future antitrust policy. In their arguments, the attorneys journeyed through the complex, twisty dynamics of the 21st century media and entertainment landscape, with opposing spins.

Trump signs $1.3 trillion budget after veto threat

Stocks dive on trade war fears with China

By Jill Colvin, Catherine Lucey, Lisa Mascaro and Alan Fram

By Marley Jay

A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

NEW YORK — Stocks are slumping again Friday afternoon as fears of an escalating trade conflict between the U.S. and China rattled investors around the world. U.S. indexes are on track for their worst week in two years.

China has not responded to the tariffs President Donald Trump announced Thursday, and stocks have flipped between gains and losses as investors try to figure out what might happen next and how it will affect the global economy and company profits. The White House announced sanctions that could affect as much as $60 billion in imports and said Beijing steals or forces foreign companies to hand over technology. China has said it will defend itself.

The Chinese government said it might place tariffs on a $3 billion list of U.S. goods in response to the steel and aluminum tariffs President Donald Trump announced earlier this month.

Those goods include pork, apples, and steel pipes.

Technology companies plunged. They have made enormous gains over the last year, but since they do so much business outside the U.S., investors see them as particularly vulnerable to the effects of a trade dispute.

The S&P 500 index skidded 38 points, or 1.4 percent, to 2,605 as of 3:10 p.m. Eastern time. It had dropped 2.5 percent Thursday.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost 263 points, or 1.1 percent, to 23,691. The Nasdaq fell 118 points, or 1.7 percent, to 7,048.

The Dow dropped more than 700 points Thursday, its worst loss since early February, as in-

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed a $1.3 trillion spending measure Friday, averting a midnight government shutdown just hours after declaring he was considering a veto.

Trump said he was “very disappointed” in the package, in part because it did not fully fund his plans for a border wall with Mexico and did not address some 700,000 “Dreamer” immigrants who are now protected from deportation under a program that he has moved to eliminate.

But Trump praised the increases the bill provides for military spending and said he had “no choice but to fund our military” “My highest duty is to keep America safe,” he said.

The bill signing came a few hours after Trump created last-minute drama by saying in a tweet that he was “considering” a veto.

With Congress already on recess, and a government shutdown looming, he said that young immigrants now protected in the U.S. under Barack Obama’s Delayed Action for Childhood Arrivals “have been totally abandoned by the Democrats (not even mentioned in Bill) and the BORDER WALL, which is desperately needed for our National Defense, is not fully funded.”

Trump’s veto threat was at odds with top members of his administration and House Speaker Paul Ryan, who had said Thursday that he was

ASSOCIATED PRE SS

J. Scott Applewhite / AP

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, left, and House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry, speak about the massive government spending bill moving through Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington on Thursday

supportive of the measure. The White House also issued a formal statement of administration policy indicating Trump would sign the bill.

Several advisers inside and outside the White House said earlier Friday that they suspected the tweet was just Trump blowing off steam.

Finally, in made-for-TV scheduling, Trump took to twitter again to announce he’d be holding a news conference to talk about the bill. The drama was short-lived: An aide told reporters the signing was on. And telegraphing the outcome, an internal television feed advertised its next program: “President Trump Participates in a Bill Signing.”

Asked why he’d made the threat, Trump said he’d

“looked very seriously at the veto,” but “because of the incredible gains that we’ve been able to make for the military that overrode any of our thinking.” Trump also warned Congress: “I will never sign another bill like this again.”

The will-he, won’t he episode came hours after the Senate early Friday morning passed the $1.3 trillion spending package aimed at keeping the government open past midnight. Trump has been increasingly frustrated with media coverage of the bill, spurred on by conservative Republicans and other critics who had spent recent days calling the president, inciting him, and making their cases loudly on cable news shows Trump is known to watch.

vestors worried the dispute could escalate and could slow down global economic growth and company profits.

Germany’s DAX lost 1.8 percent and the French CAC-40 fell 1.4 percent. The FTSE 100 in Britain dipped 0.4 percent. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index plunged 4.5 percent and South Korea’s Kospi tumbled 3.2 percent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 2.5 percent.

Big U.S. companies tend to get more of their revenue from foreign customers than small companies do, and that makes them more vulnerable to damage from a trade war. With nearly 1.4 billion people, China is a big market for the largest U.S. businesses.

That’s especially true for technology companies. Roughly $1 of every $5 in Apple’s sales came from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan in its last year. That doesn’t take into account how much of the manufacturing and assembly of Apple products is done in Chinese factories, which could be affected if tariffs start piling up.

Chipmakers fared especially badly Friday. Micron Technology shed $4.74, or 8 percent, to $54.18 after its quarterly report and Nvidia lost $7.632, or 3.1 percent, to $234.23.

Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note slipped to 2.82 percent from 2.83 percent.

Bond yields climbed earlier this week after the Federal Reserve raised interest rates, but then tumbled after the tariffs were proposed. Lisa Erickson, chief investment officer at U.S. Bank Wealth Management, said investors are concerned the rising trade tensions will slow down economic growth. If that happens, interest rates will likely rise at a slower pace.

A10 | Saturday, March 24, 2018 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

NATIONAL

Species battle pits sea lions against fish

By Gillian Flaccus A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

NEWPORT, Ore. — The 700-pound sea lion blinked in the sun, sniffed the sea air and then lazily shifted to the edge of the truck bed and plopped onto the beach below.

Freed from the cage that carried him to the ocean, the massive marine mammal shuffled into the surf, looked left, looked right and then started swimming north as a collective groan went up from wildlife officials who watched from the shore.

After two days spent trapping and relocating the animal designated #U253, he was headed back to where he started — an Oregon river 130 miles (209 kilometers) from the Pacific Ocean that has become an allyou-can-eat fish buffet for hungry sea lions.

“I think he’s saying, ‘Ah, crap! I’ve got to swim all the way back?”’ said Bryan Wright, an Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife scientist.

It’s a frustrating dance between California sea lions and Oregon wildlife managers that’s become all too familiar in recent months. The state is trying to evict dozens of the federally protected animals from an inland river where they feast on salmon and steelhead that are listed under the Endangered Species Act. The bizarre survival war has intensified recently as the sea lion population rebounds and fish populations decline in the Pacific Northwest.

The sea lions breed each summer off Southern California and north-

Don Ryan / AP

A sea lion eats a salmon in the Columbia River near Bonneville Dam in North Bonneville, Washington. Two species of fish listed as threatened are facing a growing challenge in Oregon from hungry sea lions. The federally protected sea lions are traveling into the Columbia River and its tributaries to snack on fragile fish populations.

ern Mexico, then the males cruise up the Pacific Coast to forage. Hunted for their thick fur, the mammals’ numbers dropped dramatically but have rebounded from 30,000 in the late 1960s to about 300,000 today due to the 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act. With their numbers growing, the dog-faced pinnipeds are venturing ever farther inland on the watery highways of the Columbia River and its tributaries in Oregon and Washington — and their appetite is having disastrous consequences, scientists say.

In Oregon, the sea lions are intercepting protected fish on their way to spawning grounds above Willamette Falls, a horseshoeshaped waterfall about 25 miles (40 kilometers)

south of Portland. Last winter, a record-low 512 wild winter steelhead completed the journey, said Shaun Clements, the state wildlife agency’s senior policy adviser.

Less than 30 years ago, that number was more than 15,000, according to state numbers.

“We’re estimating that there’s a 90 percent probability that one of the populations in the Willamette River could go extinct if sea lion predation continues unchecked,” he said. “Of all the adults that are returning to the falls here, a quarter of them are getting eaten.”

Clements estimates the sea lions also are eating about 9 percent of the spring chinook salmon, a species prized by Native American tribes still allowed to fish for them.

Oregon wildlife managers say sea lions are beginning to move into even smaller tributaries where they had never been seen before and where some of the healthiest stocks of the threatened fish exist. The mammals also have been spotted in small rivers in Washington state that are home to fragile fish populations.

California sea lions are not listed under the Endangered Species Act, but killing them requires special authorization under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which was changed to address the issue of fish predation.

Biologists this spring started trapping the sea lions in the Willamette River and releasing them at the coast. They also have applied with the

federal government to kill the worst offenders to protect the fish runs.

Native tribes, which have fished for salmon and steelhead for generations, support limited sea lion kills because of the cultural value of the fish, said Doug Hatch, a senior fisheries scientist with the Columbia River Intertribal Fish Commission.

“You’re pitting this protected population that has been fully recovered against these Endangered Species Act-listed fish,” Hatch said. “We think it’s an easy choice.”

If U.S. officials grant the request, the trap-andkill program would expand a similar and highly controversial effort on another major Pacific Northwest river. Oregon and Washington wildlife managers are allowed to

kill up to 93 sea lions trapped each year at Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River under certain conditions.

In the past decade, the agency has removed 190 sea lions there. Of those, 168 were euthanized, seven died in accidents during trapping and 15 were placed in captivity, according to state data.

The Humane Society of the United States sued over the trap-and-kill program and may sue again if it’s allowed on the Willamette River, said Sharon Young, the organization’s field director for marine wildlife.

The animals are not the only problem facing wild winter steelhead and chinook salmon, she said.

Hydroelectric dams that block rivers, agricultural runoff, damage to spawning grounds and competition with hatchery-bred fish have all hurt the native species, Young said. And new sea lions will take the place of those that are killed, she added.

“It’s easier to say, ‘If I kill that sea lion, at least I keep him from eating that fish.’ But if you don’t deal with the cause of the problem, you’re not going to help the fish,” she said. “It’s like a treadmill of death. You kill one, and another one will come.”

While Oregon awaits word on the sea lions’ fate, wildlife managers are trapping them and hauling them to the ocean, which can sometimes seem futile.

Five days after his 2 ½-hour drive to the Oregon coast, (hash)U253 was back at Willamette Falls, hungry for more fish.