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SOUTH TEXAS
Program addresses nurse shortage ‘Not a single mental health provider’ in Zapata County S P ECIAL T O T HE T I ME S
A partnership between Texas A&M International University and the University of Texas Health Science Center, now called UT Health San Antonio, will offer a new
certificate nursing program that can begin to address the severe shortage of psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners in South Texas, officials say. Dr. Glenda Walker, TAMIU dean of the Col-
lege of Nursing and Health Sciences and its Dr. F. M. Canseco School of Nursing, said the idea for the program was driven by critical need and quantifiable data. “Very simply put, the overwhelming need for
TRUCK DEATHS
psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners in South Texas is stunning,” she said. “In Webb County, an area of over 3,300 square miles, and over 269,721 people, there is one mental health provider for every 6,479 residents. In Jim Hogg and Starr counties, the numbers are equally grim: one mental health provider for every 2,633 Jim Hogg residents, and one mental
health provider for every 1,832 Starr County residents. “In Zapata County, some 1,058 square miles in size, and with over 14,374 residents, there is not a single mental health provider. Further exacerbating that need is that in many counties, such as Webb and Zapata, over 40 percent of residents are primarily Spanish speakers, adding another
potential barrier to quality patient treatment.” Walker said TAMIU joined forces with UT Health, a champion in health education in South Texas. Dr. Eileen T. Breslin, dean of the School of Nursing at UT Health, said, “We are pleased to work with TAMIU to provide advanced education to nurses in this Shortage continues on A9
ZAPATA COUNTY
Plea deal reached in fatal smuggling attempt
ZAPATANS TAKE PART IN TRADITIONAL TRAIL RIDE
Laredo man set to plead guilty By Guillermo Contreras and Jason Buch SA N A NT ONI O E XPRE SS-NEWS
A plea deal has been reached for a Laredo man involved in a smuggling incident last year that killed 10 immigrants and injured many others who had been in a sweltering tractor-trailer. Pedro Silva Segura, 46, is scheduled to plead guilty Thursday in federal court in San Antonio to conspiracy to transport undocumented immigrants resulting in death, and is to admit to loading only five of the 39 immigrants who were found outside a San Antonio Walmart, with the tractor-trailer that had transported them from Laredo. He faces up to life in prison. His attorney did not respond to a request for comment Monday. By the time police arrived in the wee hours of July 23, eight Plea continues on A9
Graphitiks / Courtesy photo
A trail ride was held over the weekend as part of the Zapata County Fair festivities. The ride started at Las Comitas Ranch in Bustamante and ended at Zapata County Fairgrounds Pavilion. See more trail ride photos on A3.
NATION
Deadline for DACA passes with no solution Program remains in place for now after court ruling blocks Trump’s decision By Jason Buch SA N A NT ONI O E XPRE SS-NEWS
The congressional failure to fix the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program before it was scheduled to expire Monday now leaves hundreds of thousands of young immigrants in limbo. Some 700,000 young immigrants, including 124,000 in Texas, now must rely on protection from federal courts, which have blocked Pres-
ident Donald Trump’s efforts to end the program. Trump, who called the Obama-era program illegal, set a March 5 expiration date last fall and called on Congress to come up with a permanent fix. But several solutions, including bipartisan and hard-line bills, failed to make it through the Senate after the president shifted his positions on the legislation and added demands, such as funding for a border
wall. “I think this day has a lot of significance to us, because we had hoped they were going to do something by today,” said Jessica Azua, a DACA recipient who works for the advocacy group Texas Organizing Project. “We really had a lot of hope and faith in (Congress), and nothing has happened. The only thing that has happened is in the courts, not because Congress is doing their DACA continues on A9
Jacquelyn Martin / AP
Wearing "butterfly wings," supporters of the DACA program hold a tarp with an image of President Trump as they march in support of DACA on Monday.
In Brief A2 | Wednesday, March 7, 2018 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
CALENDAR
AROUND THE NATION
TODAY IN HISTORY
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7
ASSOCIATED PRE SS
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. Better Neighbors: Toward a Renewal of Economic Integration in Latin America. 7:30 pm, TAMIU Student Center Ballroom, 5201 University Blvd., Laredo, TX 78041. Please join us for our International Bank of Commerce Keynote Speaker Series presentation featuring Dr. Raymond Robertson, professor and the Helen and Roy Ryu Chair in Economics and Government at Texas A&M University. The event is free and open to the public. Translations services (English to Spanish) will be available. Contact: Amy Palacios, 956-326-2820, cswht@tamiu.edu. Dan Joling / AP
SATURDAY, MARCH 10 National Women and Girls HIV/ AIDS Awareness Day 2018. 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Gateway Community Health Center, 1515 Pappas St. Event is free and open to the community. Call Gabriela Perez, SCAN, 956-7243177 or Julie Bazan, AHEC, 956-7120037 for more information.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14 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.
MONDAY, MARCH 19 Ray of Light Anxiety and Depression Support Group Meeting in Spanish. 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Holding Institute, 1102 Santa Maria Ave., classroom #1. The support group welcomes adults suffering from anxiety and/or depression to participate in free and confidential support group meetings. Contact information: Anna Maria Pulido Saldivar, gruporayitodeluz@gmail.com, 956-3072014
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21 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.
THURSDAY, MARCH 22 Spanish Book Club meeting. 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Joe A. Guerra Public Library off Calton Road. Meeting will feature PowerPoint presentation on Bosnia, Croatia and Slovenia. For more info, call Sylvia Reash at 763-1810.
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.
Dave Battle of the Alaska Department Fish and Game waits for a moose to move off after firing a dart into its side that's designed to obtain a skin sample in Anchorage, Alaska.
ACCURATE COUNT OF ALASKA MOOSE EYED ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Moose thrive in Alaska’s largest city with little to fear from natural predators such as wolves or bears, but getting an accurate count of the largest member of the deer family remains a challenge for the state wildlife biologists who must manage their numbers. Traditionally, aerial surveys are performed from low-flying aircraft after there’s snow on the ground when spotters can distinguish between male moose with antlers and cows without them, but flight rules from Anchorage’s international airport prohibit the survey flights.
New marker notes general’s role in slave trade MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A new historical marker in Memphis will point out that a famed Confederate general was a prosperous slave trader before the Civil War. The marker near the site of Nathan Bedford Forrest’s early home will be unveiled April 4 on the property of Calvary Episcopal Church, which is sponsoring it along with
In response to those restrictions, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game is experimenting with a new method of surveying moose. Biologists for three days last month asked Anchorage residents to call or text whenever they spotted moose. Teams of moose trackers with dart guns then hurried to the locations. The darts they fired captured DNA samples. DNA analysis will let researchers calculate the ratio of bulls to cows. The samples will be the start of a database to identify individual moose, without the expense of capturing them. — Compiled from AP reports
Rhodes College and the National Park Service, The Commercial Appeal reported . A nearby 1955 historical marker dedicates 60 words to Forrest’s early life, noting his Mississippi childhood and terms as an aldermen. It says “business enterprises” made Forrest wealthy, but fails to note that his primary enterprise was slave trading. Efforts to set the record straight began in December 2015, when local clergy and members of the Memphis Lynching Sites Project held a
“Prayer Service for Truth and Justice” at the foot of the 1955 marker. The new, 462-word marker says Forrest operated a slave trading business at the site. History professor Tim Huebner said it will be the only historical marker in Memphis that refers to the slave trade. The text of the new marker was written by some of Huebner’s students and approved by the National Park Service and professors at the University of Memphis. — Compiled from AP reports
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.
AROUND THE STATE
SATURDAY, APRIL 14
SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, Texas — Two people have been arrested after appearing at the Texas church where more than two dozen worshippers were gunned down and claiming the attack was staged. The pastor of First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, southeast of San Antonio, tells the San Antonio Express-News that the pair appeared Monday and claimed the shooting was fabricated by the U.S. government. Pastor Frank Pomeroy, whose 14-year-old daughter died in the Nov. 5 shooting, says they claimed his daughter never existed. Wilson County authorities identified the pair as 54-year-
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.
SATURDAY, MAY 5 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.
2 arrested after claiming church shooting was fiction
Eric Gay / AP
A man walks out of the memorial for victims of a shooting at Sutherland Springs First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs.
old Robert Ussery and 56-yearold Jodie Mann. Ussery is charged with making a terroristic threat and Mann with obstructing a deputy. Jail records did not indicate attorneys for them.
Authorities say the church attacker died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after being shot and chased by two residents after he left the church. — Compiled from AP reports
Today is Wednesday, March 7, the 66th day of 2018. There are 299 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On March 7, 1965, a march by civil rights demonstrators was violently broken up at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, by state troopers and a sheriff's posse in what came to be known as "Bloody Sunday." On this date: In 1793, during the French Revolutionary Wars, France declared war on Spain. In 1918, Japanese corporation Panasonic had its beginnings as Konosuke Matsushita founded Matsushita Electric Housewares Manufacturing Works in Osaka. The musical comedy "Oh, Look!" featuring the song "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" opened on Broadway. In 1926, the first successful transAtlantic radio-telephone conversations took place between New York and London. In 1936, Adolf Hitler ordered his troops to march into the Rhineland, thereby breaking the Treaty of Versailles (vehr-SY') and the Locarno Pact. In 1955, the first TV production of the musical "Peter Pan" starring Mary Martin aired on NBC. In 1967, the musical "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," based on the "Peanuts" comic strips by Charles M. Schulz, opened in New York's Greenwich Village, beginning an off-Broadway run of 1,597 performances. In 1994, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that a parody that pokes fun at an original work can be considered "fair use." (The ruling concerned a parody of the Roy Orbison song "Oh, Pretty Woman" by the rap group 2 Live Crew.) Ten years ago: On the heels of a gloomy report that 63,000 jobs were lost in February 2008, President George W. Bush said "it's clear our economy has slowed" as he tried to reassure an anxious public that the long-term outlook was good. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Samantha Power, who was acting as an adviser to Barack Obama, resigned after calling rival Hillary Rodham Clinton "a monster." Leon Greenman, the only Englishman sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp, died in London at age 97. Five years ago: The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously for tough new sanctions to punish North Korea for its latest nuclear test; a furious Pyongyang threatened a nuclear strike against the United States. The Senate confirmed John Brennan to be CIA director, 63-34, after the Obama administration bowed to demands from Republicans blocking the nomination and stated explicitly there were limits to the president's power to use drones against U.S. terror suspects on American soil. Sybil Christopher, 83, the wife Richard Burton left in 1963 to marry Elizabeth Taylor, and who became a theater producer and nightclub founder, died in New York. One year ago: WikiLeaks published thousands of documents described as secret files about CIA hacking tools the government employed to break into users' computers, mobile phones and even smart TVs from companies like Apple, Google, Microsoft and Samsung. The Commerce Department reported the U.S. trade deficit jumped in January 2017 by 9.6 percent to $48.5 billion, the highest level in nearly five years as a flood of mobile phones and other consumer products widened America's trade gap with China. Today's Birthdays: TV personality Willard Scott is 84. Entertainment executive Michael Eisner is 76. Rock musician Chris White (The Zombies) is 75. Rock singer Peter Wolf is 72. Rock musician Matthew Fisher (Procol Harum) is 72. Pro Football Hall of Famer Franco Harris is 68. Pro and College Football Hall of Famer Lynn Swann is 66. Rhythm-and-blues singer-musician Ernie Isley (The Isley Brothers) is 66. Rock musician Kenny Aronoff (BoDeans, John Mellencamp) is 65. Actor Bryan Cranston is 62. Actor Nick Searcy is 59. Golfer Tom Lehman is 59. International Tennis Hall of Famer Ivan Lendl is 58. Actress Mary Beth Evans is 57. Singer-actress Taylor Dayne is 56. Actor Bill Brochtrup is 55. Author E.L. James is 55. Comedian Wanda Sykes is 54. Actor Jonathan Del Arco is 52. Rock musician Randy Guss (Toad the Wet Sprocket) is 51. Actress Rachel Weisz is 48. Actor Peter Sarsgaard is 47. Actor Jay Duplass is 45. Actor Tobias Menzies is 44. Actress Sarayu Rao is 43. Actor TJ Thyne is 43. Bluegrass singer-musician Frank Solivan is 41. Thought for Today : "Caveat actor." (Let the doer beware.) — Latin proverb.
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.
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.
AROUND THE WORLD North Korea said to be open to nuke talks with US SEOUL, South Korea — After years of refusal, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is willing to discuss the fate of his atomic arsenal with the United States and has expressed a readiness to suspend nuclear and missile tests during such talks, a senior South Korean official said Tuesday. “They seem to be acting positively,” President Donald Trump said as the world awaited his next move.
Kim also agreed to meet with South Korea’s president next month, South Korean presidential national security director Chung Eui-yong said after returning from rare talks with the enigmatic dictator, believed to be in his mid-30s, in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang. North Korea’s willingness to hold a “candid dialogue” with the United States to discuss denuclearization and establish diplomatic relations follows a year of increased fears of war on the Korean Peninsula, with Kim and Trump exchanging fiery rhetoric and crude insults
over Kim’s barrage of weapons tests. The Trump administration also pushed through some of the harshest sanctions any country has ever faced. Trump tweeted Tuesday that “possible progress” was being made in the talks with North Korea, and that all sides were making serious efforts. He added: “May be false hope, but the U.S. is ready to go hard in either direction!” Later he said that progress with North Korea “would be a great thing for the world.” But he added, “We’re going to see.” — Compiled from AP reports
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THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, March 7, 2018 |
A3
ZAPATA COUNTY FAIR
ZAPATA COUNTY FAIR TRAIL RIDE
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Letters to the editor Send your signed letter to editorial@lmtonline.com
A4 | Wednesday, March 7, 2018 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
COLUMN
OTHER VIEWS
Driverless cars will save lives and kill jobs By Andres Oppenheimer M IA M I HE RALD
When I saw a demonstration of Domino’s pilot program to deliver pizzas with driverless cars last week, I wondered whether governments around the world are preparing for the massive job disruption that this new technology will bring. It’s not an academic question: These cars will be on the road very soon. Ford Motor Co., which is using its cars for the pizza chain’s experiment in Miami, plans to have its autonomous cars operating commercially in 2021. Waymo, Tesla, GM, Toyota, Nissan and Audi, among others, plan to roll out these cars by 2020 or 2021, if not sooner. The Domino’s Pizza self-driven delivery car works like this: You order a pizza through a cellphone app, and immediately receive a message with a code number. When the self-driven car arrives, you write your code number on a tablet that is fixed to the car’s rear window, and a loudspeaker on the car’s rooftop confirms that you ordered the pizza. The car’s rear window rolls down, and you take your dinner. Why would people want to order their pizzas this way? For the same reason that young people prefer to order their food from a tablet in a growing number of fast-food restaurants instead of having to interact with a server. They consider it more expedient — and they don’t have to leave a tip. Autonomous car enthusiasts say driverless vehicles will save many lives. They point out that 95 percent of car accidents are because of human error — drivers who fall asleep at the wheel, text while driving or are intoxicated. Autonomous cars don’t drink, or fall asleep. In their book, "The Driver in the Driverless Car," authors Vivek Wadhwa and Alex Salkever say the public conversation will soon shift to whether humans should be allowed to take control of the wheel at all. "My grandchildren will ask me to tell them what it was like to drive a car in an old city. I’ll tell them it was scary, dangerous and wasteful," one coauthor wrote. But driverless cars will kill many jobs, even if they create others. Uber and Lyft, the private ridehailing platforms, are
already experimenting with driverless taxi services in several U.S. cities. What will happen with the more than 350,000 taxi drivers who, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, are working in the United States? And what will happen with the 38,000 registered taxi drivers in Buenos Aires, Argentina, or the 24,000 in Mexico City? The first commercial autonomous vehicles are likely to be trucks on the highways, where driving conditions are safer, some car company executives say. There are more than 1 million truck drivers in America, according to U.S. Labor Department figures. The American Truckers Association puts the figure at 3.5 million. What will they do when many of their jobs disappear? Meantime, Amazon, FedEx, UPS and DHL, among other companies, soon are expected to use drones to deliver packages. Many package transportation and pizza delivery jobs are likely to disappear as well. At a time when the unemployment rate is at 4.1 percent, which is historically low, few in Washington are worrying about any of this. Optimists note that people have been forecasting that technology would produce massive unemployment since the days of the Industrial Revolution, which started in the 18th century, and it hasn’t happened. Technology has always created more jobs than it has destroyed. But skeptics counter that technology is accelerating at such an exponential rate, that the coming job disruption will be unlike anything we’ve seen. Fortunately, President Donald Trump and the leaders of China, Japan, Germany and other major world economies will have to deal with this issue when they meet Nov. 30 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for the G-20 Summit. The long-scheduled central theme of the summit will be "The future of jobs." They should urgently discuss ways of raising global education standards, in order to re-train displaced workers. It’s time to start a serious global debate on how to confront the coming wave of technological job disruptions. And make no mistake — it is coming. Andres Oppenheimer is a Miami Herald columnist.
COLUMN
A few words on trade wars By Noah Feldman BL OOMBERG NEWS
President Donald Trump says trade wars are easy to win, but that hasn’t always been true in U.S. history. To the contrary, for the first 40 years of the republic, the founders struggled desperately to establish international trade agreements that Americans would find acceptable. The need for trade leverage was the first factor motivating James Madison to call for a new Constitution. And trade wars had a way of turning into shooting wars. The War of 1812, the first declared war in U.S. history, was the result of a trade fight that the Americans seemed unable to win with economic sanctions alone. The key to understanding the founders’ struggles with trade is to realize that in the 18th century, empires worked a lot like multinational freetrade agreements do in the modern world. Different parts of the British Empire could trade freely with each other, but not with the French or Spanish empires. So when the U.S. declared independence in 1776, the founders were undertaking a kind of proto-Brexit. The British, deeply displeased with the rebellion, cut off access to British ports. After the Revolutionary War was over, the U.S. found itself struggling to regain access. “What is to be done?” Madison asked James Monroe rhetorically in a letter he wrote in April 1785. “Must we remain passive victims to foreign politics; or shall we exert the lawful means which our independence has put into our hands, of extorting readdress?” Madison was proposing “retaliating regulations of trade”: In short, a trade
Today’s U.S. is, of course, a global superpower very much unlike the republic of 1812. But the lessons of the framers’ trade wars are still relevant. war to force the British to allow American shipping to British ports. The problem was that, under the Articles of Confederation, it was almost impossible to coordinate a single national trade policy. Even where Congress could agree on guidance, individual states, like Rhode Island, could deviate from tariffs or export sanctions. Madison’s solution to the trade war problem was to design a new, more effective government. “I conceive it to be of great importance that the defects of the federal system should be amended,” Madison wrote. The states “cannot long respect a government which is too feeble to protect their interests.” A few months later, Madison and the Virginia assembly proposed a convention to discuss “the subject of general regulations” of trade. That would become the Annapolis convention of 1786, which in turn proposed the Philadelphia convention of the following year. It’s no exaggeration to say that Madison’s ideas for the Constitution were born from trade. Once the Constitution was ratified and the new federal government was in place, however, it turned out to be extremely hard to achieve the results the founders wanted. As the BritishFrench wars that broke out with the French Revolution bled into the Napoleonic wars, both sides barred U.S. shipping. As Thomas Jefferson’s secretary of state, Madison returned to his old
ideas about trade wars. First, he proposed the famous embargo of 1807, a game of chicken in which the U.S. banned all exports of any kind in the hopes of bringing the British to their knees. The embargo failed. Americans’ ability to live without export revenue ran out before the British blinked. Madison was elected president anyway in 1808. He spent the entirety of the next four years trying every imaginable configuration of trade sanction against Britain and France, trying to play them against each other while simultaneously pursuing aggressive diplomacy. His goal was, as always, to restore access to foreign ports. The peaceful nature of Madison’s efforts went against the conventional wisdom of the time, which held that only military force could eventually produce meaningful trade concessions. Madison intended to prove the conventional wisdom wrong. He was confident partly because he had designed a successful Constitution that itself contradicted many accepted ideas about what a republic could or could not do. But Madison also thought he had no choice. The U.S. didn’t have a standing army, and its minuscule Navy consisted of just six frigates, not all of them operational. This was by design. As a republican, Madison believed that a standing army or navy would become tools to facilitate the end of democratic government and its replacement by empire, as
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letter. Laredo Morning Times does not allow the use of pseudonyms. This space allows for public debate of the issues of the day. Letters are edited for style, grammar, length and civility. No name-calling or gratuitous abuse is allowed. Also, letters longer than 500 words will not be accepted. Via email, send letters to editorial@lmtonline.com or mail them to Letters to the Editor, 111 Esperanza Drive, Laredo, TX 78041.
DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU
had happened in ancient Rome. Madison gradually came to believe that his theories about trade war were overstated -- and he began to threaten military action against Great Britain. Everyone understood that would take the form of an invasion of Canada, from which Britain supplied its West Indian colonies. Ultimately, Madison thought he had to go to Congress and ask for a declaration of war against Britain. The War of 1812 was born of the American inability to achieve its trade goals using trade sanctions. Ironically, Madison’s strategy of threat-plussanctions worked: The British revoked their standing orders to ban and capture U.S. trade in June 1812. But the decision came too late to avert war, which had been declared in Washington at almost the exact same time as the British had caved. Today’s U.S. is, of course, a global superpower very much unlike the republic of 1812. But the lessons of the framers’ trade wars are still relevant: Trade wars don’t always work in practice the way they are supposed to work in theory. And when push comes to shove, trade sanctions can raise the specter of armed conflict. The War of 1812 was a near-failure. The invasion of Canada was repeatedly repelled, and the U.S. was lucky to get out with a draw. That’s worth remembering as Trump commences alienating U.S. allies over trade -- including the ally immediately to the north. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Noah Feldman is a Bloomberg View columnist.
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, March 7, 2018 |
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STATE Release sought for Mexican journalist A S S O CIAT E D PRE SS
HOUSTON — Human rights attorneys are seeking the release of an award-winning Mexican journalist detained in a remote Texas immigration facility while seeking asylum in the United States. Attorneys told the Board of Immigration Appeals on Tuesday that
Abuse deaths decrease in Texas A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
AUSTIN, Texas — New state data reveals that more than 170 children died in Texas last year from neglect or abuse, a 23 percent decrease from the year before. The Austin AmericanStatesman reports that the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services released data this month on child maltreatment fatalities that occurred during the 2017 fiscal year. Figures show that the number of such deaths have fluctuated annually over the last eight years between 151 and 227. The agency decided to pursue major reforms in Texas Child Protective Services amid child deaths, high worker turnover and problems seeing potentially abused children in a timely manner. Child advocacy group TexProtects says the reforms likely contributed to the drop, but more needs to be done to prevent child deaths.
there’s no justification for detaining Emilio Guiterrez Soto. He’s been held for nearly three months in an immigration detention center in El Paso despite never having violated U.S. law. Gutierrez fled to the U.S. a decade ago after writing about alleged corruption in the Mexican military. His work caused his name to end up on a hit list. Supporters have asked the U.S. government to grant him and his son asylum. Gutierrez in October accepted the John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award on behalf of Mexico’s journalists.
Two immigrants in distress rescued by BP SPECIAL TO THE TIME S
Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents responded this week requests for assistance involving individuals lost near Hebbronville and Zapata. Agents located one person in good health after he or she became lost in a ranch northwest
of Hebbronville. The person was determined to be from Mexico and had entered the United States illegally. Later that afternoon, agents responded to a request for assistance involving an individual in distress near Zapata. He claimed he was unable to
walk due to excruciating pain in his feet. Agents arrived at the scene and located him. He was evaluated by an agent certified as an emergency medical technician. He was determined to be from Mexico and had entered the United States illegally.
“These events illustrate how the men and women of the United States Border Patrol not only serve to protect our borders, but are also committed to the preservation of life and assist anyone in need,” said Assistant Chief Patrol Agent Gabriel H. Acosta.
Settlement reached in kickback lawsuit ASSOCIATED PRE SS
TULSA, Okla. — Federal prosecutors have reached a settlement in a lawsuit against a Texas contractor accused of violating anti-kickback statutes with an Oklaho-
ma emergency medical services company. The lawsuit filed last year alleges that Paramedics Plus and Emergency Medical Services Authority entered into a $20 million kickback scheme to obtain and keep a prof-
itable public ambulance services contract awarded by the authority and its director. It alleges the "pay to play" scheme violates anti-kickback statutes and the False Claims Act. The Tulsa World reports that the settlement also
affects the East Texas Medical Center Regional Healthcare System, an affiliate of Paramedics Plus. Prosecutors said in a February court filing that the parties are "finalizing documents" for the agreement.
Frontera A6 | Wednesday, March 7, 2018 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
RIBEREÑA EN BREVE FERIA DEL CONDADO DE ZAPATA 1 Arranque de la Feria del Condado de Zapata con la presentación de Albert Zamora, Rick Naranjo y Los Gamblers, Jaime y Los chamacos, el jueves 8 de marzo. 1 Disfrute del carnaval durante las actividades de la Feria del Condado, el jueves 8 de marzo. 1 Presentación de los grupos La Mafia, La Firma y Kyle Park, el viernes 9 de marzo. 1 Asista con su familia al Desfile de la Feria del Condado de Zapata, el sábado 10 de marzo. 1 Subasta de ejemplares en la Feria del Condado de Zapata, el sábado 10 de marzo. 1 Presentación de los grupos Pesado, Ramón Ayala y sus Bravos del Norte y el grupo Palomo, el sábado 10 de marzo. CONSULADO MÓVIL 1 El Consulado de México en McAllen invita al evento Consulado Móvil en Roma, el sábado 17 de marzo, en el Centro Mundial de las Aves, ubicado en Portscheller St., y avenida Convento de 8 a.m. a 1:30 p.m. Prepare sus documentos y haga una cita en consulmex.sre.gob.mx/ mcallen 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. AVIARIO 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 956849-1411 ASISTENCIA VITA 1 Voluntarios estarán ayudando a que le preparen la declaracion de impuestos el 24 de marzo de 10 a.m. a 2 p.m. en Zapata County Technical and Advance Education Center, ubicado en Hwy. 83 y 7th Street en Zapata. 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
SEGURIDAD
Preocupa alerta Fronterizos temen obstáculos al crecimiento económico Nota del editor: Esta es la primera parte de dos notas en relación con la seguridad en Tamaulipas Líderes del sector empresarial fronterizo de Texas están preocupados por el reciente aumento en la alerta de viaje emitida por el Departamento de Estado de los Estados Unidos de "no viajar" al estado mexicano de Tamaulipas podría desalentar la inversión, ahuyentar a los turistas y obstaculizar el crecimiento económico de la región. El departamento cambió recientemente su sistema de clasificación de alerta de viaje a cuatro niveles de riesgo, y a Tamaulipas se le asignó el más alto, la misma calificación asignada a países como Siria, Irak y Afganistán. "Eso nos crea un problema porque lo que (el departamento) básicamente está diciendo es que también somos una zona de guerra, pero no estamos en una zona de guerra", dijo Keith Patridge, presidente y CEO de McAllen Economic Development Corporation, un grupo público dedicado a promover negocios en el área de McAllen y la vecina ciudad de Reynosa al otro lado de la frontera en Tamaulipas. Las compañías que operan en la frontera hicieron ajustes durante mucho tiempo para lidiar con la prolongada guerra contra las drogas que se libra en la frontera, y hasta ahora la exportación anual de productos de Texas a México por 92 millones de dólares no ha sido interrumpida. En McAllen, donde la economía local sufrió un
declive en 2017 a medida que aumentaba la violencia en la frontera, los líderes empresariales ahora están preocupados que la "clasificación engañosa" del Departamento de Estado creará un problema de reputación para la región fronteriza, dijo Patridge. "Afectaría toda la economía... porque afecta la capacidad de las empresas para atraer proveedores, reclutar empleados en el área y demás", dijo. Pablo Pinto, quien dirige el Centro de Políticas Públicas de la Universidad de Houston, está de acuerdo en que la alerta de viaje podría dañar a un sector manufacturero que ha florecido a medida que las industrias estadounidenses han reubicado sus plantas de ensamblaje al sur de río Bravo. "Tamaulipas es el hogar de maquiladoras (plantas) y otras industrias que están integradas fuertemente a la economía de América del Norte", dijo Pinto. "Aquí (en Texas) el impacto a corto plazo podría ser menos importante, pero puede afectar futuras decisiones de inversión y negocios de las empresas estadounidenses e incluso mexicanas”. El factor Reynosa El Departamento de Estado creó recientemente un nuevo sistema para evaluar el riesgo de viajar a países extranjeros, y a México se le asignó un Nivel de Riesgo 2, y se recomendó a los viajeros estadounidenses que "tomaran precaución". Pero los niveles de riesgo también fueron asignados individual-
Foto de cortesía / Gobierno de Tamaulipas
El gobierno de Tamaulipas lanzó una nueva unidad de fuerzas especiales de la policía en noviembre, entrenada como equipo SWAT y equipada con vehículos blindados. Las unidad concentra la mayor parte de sus operaciones en Reynosa.
mente a estados mexicanos, y cinco de ellos, incluido Tamaulipas, fueron clasificados como los de mayor riesgo. Tamaulipas comprende alrededor de un tercio de las 1.250 millas de la frontera entre Texas y México, que abarca desde río arriba en Laredo, pasando por McAllen, Brownsville y hasta el Golfo de México. "El crimen violento, como el asesinato, el robo a mano armada, el robo de automóviles, el secuestro, la extorsión y la agresión sexual, es común", dice la nueva alerta sobre Tamaulipas. El estado fronterizo es sede del poderoso Cartel del Golfo, una organización delictiva que se ha visto involucrada en una lucha territorial por el control de rutas clave de tráfico de drogas y de personas, incluso con su brazo separatista conocido como Los Zetas. Los homicidios dolosos en Tamaulipas aumentaron en un 24,5 por ciento el año pasado, de 615 a 804, según las estadísticas de la Comisión de Seguridad Nacional de
DACA
TAMAULIPAS
DREAMERS Y ALIADOS MARCHAN
PAGO DE IMPUESTOS 1 Los pagos de 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. GRUPOS DE APOYO 1 Grupo de Apoyo para Ansiedad y Depresión Rayo de Luz. Reunión se realizará en inglés. En Westcare Foundation ubicado en 1616 Callaghan St. El grupo se reúne de 6:30 p.m. a 8:00 p.m., cada primer lunes de mes. Mayores informes con Anna María Pulido Saldívar, gruporayitodeluz@gmail.com, 956-307-2014
México. Otros delitos de alto impacto, como los mexicanos llaman a aquellos que usualmente están relacionados con el crimen organizado, también aumentaron en el mismo período. La extorsión y los robos violentos de automóviles aumentaron en un 40 por ciento. Reynosa, la ciudad más grande en la frontera con Tamaulipas, ha sido causa de especial preocupación para las autoridades mexicanas, ya que los carteles de la droga se enfrentan a menudo a plena luz del día. La tasa de homicidios dolosos fue del 28 por ciento, segundo lugar en el estado solo detrás de la capital, Ciudad Victoria. Francisco García Cabeza de Vaca, el gobernador de Tamaulipas, conoce bien ese tramo de la zona fronteriza. García nació y asistió a la preparatoria en McAllen, y cuenta con doble ciudadanía estadounidense y mexicana. Él fungió como alcalde de Reynosa de 2005 a 2007. Miembro del principal partido opositor mexicano, el conservador
Partido Acción Nacional (PAN), García atribuyó los problemas de violencia en su estado al legado de colusión entre las organizaciones delictivas y los gobernadores anteriores que pertenecían al partido que controló Tamaulipas durante más de 80 años. Durante su campaña, García tomó una posición firme contra el crimen organizado, y miembros de su personal señalan las mejoras que dicen que el gobernador ha logrado en el ámbito de la seguridad pública en el estado. Sin embargo, los delitos han incrementado. "Reconocemos que hay un problema", dijo el vocero Aldo Hernández. Pero, agrega, "el estado ha tomado medidas fuertes" durante los últimos meses que "creemos que tendrán un impacto en esta batalla". Hernández mencionó la creación en septiembre de la Policía Auxiliar Carretera para patrullar las autopistas principales, una respuesta a las bandas de delincuentes que detienen autobuses, camiones y automóviles privados. El estado también lanzó una nueva unidad de fuerzas especiales de la policía en noviembre, entrenada como equipo SWAT y equipada con vehículos blindados, y que concentra la mayor parte de sus operaciones en Reynosa. "Vamos de frente, vamos contra los enemigos de la paz en Tamaulipas", dijo García durante una ceremonia anunciando la asignación de las unidades. "No habrá tregua contra los violentos; restauraremos la paz, el orden y el estado de derecho".
Danny Zaragoza / Laredo Morning Times
Integrantes de la Alianza de Inmigrantes de Laredo, estudiantes de la Universidad Walsh en Ohio y residentes de San Antonio participan en una marcha para mostrar su apoyo por DACA el lunes 5 de marzo a lo largo de la avenida McPherson.
Gobernador presente en Houston E SPECIAL PARA TIEMP O DE ZAPATA
HOUSTON— Integrantes de la mesa directiva del Rodeo y Muestra Ganadera de Houston, una organización dedicada a la promoción de la ganadería y agricultura de la región, recibieron el pasado viernes a el Gobernador de Tamaulipas Francisco García Cabeza de Vaca, convirtiéndolo en el primer Gobernador Mexicano en ser distinguido en este evento que reúne a más de dos millones y medio de personas en un lapso de 20 días. Garcı a Cabeza de Vaca acudió acompañado de una delegación de ganaderos tamaulipecos, que pudieron constatar las mejores prácticas de la industria, que está representada en el estado por más de 25.000 ranchos registrados con una población de 1,2 millones de cabezas. Chris Boleman, Director Ejecutivo de Agricultura de la organización, destacó que la presencia de la delegación tamaulipeca demuestra el compromiso de autoridades y productores con esta industria.
García Cabeza de Vaca reiteró la importancia que Tamaulipas y Texas mantengan una coordinación en temas de interés común como la ganadería y la agricultura. “Es un honor haber recibido la invitación y quiero decirles que el estado de Tamaulipas está deseoso de trabajar de manera conjunta en beneficio de nuestra gente en los dos lados de la frontera”, dijo el Gobernador. García Cabeza de Vaca fue presentado ante los asistentes del Comité Internacional del Rodeo, presidido por Julie Shannon con quien intercambió presentes y saludó al Comisionado de Agricultura de Texas, Sid Miller. Durante la tarde de este viernes, el Gobernador formó parte de la comitiva encargada de la apertura de las actividades del Rodeo, realizado en las instalaciones del Parque NRG. El Rodeo de Houston es un evento que se realiza desde 1932 y que además de servir de muestra ganadera y agrícola, promueve la educación de esta industria y aporta más de 750 becas anuales para estudiantes en Texas.
Sports&Outdoors
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, March 7, 2018 |
A7
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: DALLAS COWBOYS
Cowboys tag DeMarcus Lawrence Dallas keeps DL for next year, working on deal with OL Martin By Clarence E. Hill Jr. FO RT WORT H STAR-T E LE GRAM
The Dallas Cowboys placed their franchise tag on free agent defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence as expected, a source firmed Monday. The deadline to place franchise tag on players was 3 p.m. Tuesday. The Cowboys submitted their paperwork Monday. They made no headway on a long-term deal following conversations with Lawrence’s agent, David Canter, at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis over the weekend, according to sources. With no deal, the plan all along was to tag Lawrence while continuing to work on a long-term deal, ensuring that he will be with the Cowboys in 2018 one way or another following his breakout season with 14.5 sacks in 2017. Vice president Stephen Jones said as much and owner Jerry Jones confirmed that the team was comfortable with paying Lawrence the tag number of $17.5 million in 2018. "We won’t let D-Law not be a Dallas Cowboy next year," Stephen Jones said last week at the NFL scouting combine. "We’ll do everything we can to try to make something
work, and if we don’t get it done then we’ll franchise him. Then we’ll go back to work." Cowboys owner Jerry Jones talked about the team’s approach to Lawrence on Saturday. "There are advantages that the franchise tag gives you," Jerry Jones said. "It creates some leverage to get a longterm deal done. You certainly have some ambiguity as a player when you have a one-year deal. You have it as a club, too. But you can read some tea leaves during that year. I’m satisfied at where the numbers are, both Lawrence and the Cowboys are getting value here. I see it both ways. But it’s an acceptable value for the Cowboys as well to be able to do a one-year deal." The Cowboys have until July 16 to sign Lawrence to a long-term deal in an effort to lower his 2018 cap hit. With roughly $20 million in cap room on the 2018 cap of $178 million, Lawrence’s number gives the Cowboys limited flexibility in free agency. The plan to put first- or second-round tender on defensive tackle David Irving will eat up another $3 million, at least. The Cowboys will have to restructure contracts to create room. Center
Max Faulkner / Fort Worth Star-Telegram file
DeMarcus Lawrence received the franchise tag from the Cowboys Monday. Lawrence led Dallas with 14.5 sacks in 2017.
Travis Fredericks is a prime target. They already have a plan in place to ask receiver Dez Bryant to take a pay cut from his $12.5 base salary. They also plan to get more room to hopefully come to terms with guard Zack Martin on a long-term contract extension. It is one of their primary focuses of the offseason and, according to a source, the Cowboys would like to get a deal done with Martin before the start of free agency on March 14. As of now, Martin has a 2018 cap hit of $9.3
million. A contract extension would lower that number, but it won’t be cheap. Martin, a three-time Pro Bowler, is looking for a deal that will make him the highest paid guard in the league and the highest paid player on the Cowboys. Left tackle Tyron Smith is the midst of an eight-year, $97,600,000 contract with an average annual salary of $12,200,000. Kevin Zeitler of the Cleveland Browns tops all guards in the NFL with a five-year, $60 million that included a $12
million signing bonus, $31.5 million guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $12 million. The Cowboys would prefer to get cap room by extending Martin to a long-term deal even if it breaks the bank rather than having to turn to contract restructures for aging tight end Jason Witten and linebacker Sean Lee and add more dead money at the end of their deals. The Cowboys are saving cap room by declining to offer fullback Keith Smith the restricted free agent tender of $1.9 million. While they
value his play on special teams and as a lead blocker, that number is too high for a fullback who plays limited snaps in the regular offense. The Cowboys talked to Smith’s agent over the weekend about signing a multi-year contract extension lower than the restricted tender to give him some security. But Smith is going to be patient with the process and weigh his options in free agency. The Atlanta Falcons are a team that will be in the market for Smith’s services, according to a source.
PROFESSIONAL BOXING
CANELO TESTS POSITIVE
Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images file
Canelo Alvarez, left, tested positive for a banned drug and blamed contaminated meat. Alvarez is scheduled to rematch with Gennady Golovkin on May 5.
Alvarez fails drug test before Triple G rematch, blames meat A S S O CIAT E D PRE SS
LOS ANGELES — Middleweight boxer Canelo Alvarez has tested positive for a banned drug, and his promoters blame contaminated meat. A voluntary test showed Alvarez had traces of clenbuterol. A statement from Golden Boy Promotions said the
amount was consistent with meat contamination that has impacted athletes in Mexico and China. Daniel Eichner, director of the World AntiDoping Agency-accredited laboratory that conducted the test, wrote Monday: “These values are all within the range of what is expected from meat contamination.”
Alvarez is scheduled for a rematch with middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin on May 5 in Las Vegas, a highly anticipated fight after their draw last year. Alvarez will move his training camp from Mexico to the United States and submit to additional tests, Golden Boy said. Clenbuterol, often used by asthmatics, has fat
burning properties and athletes have been known to use it to help them drop body fat and weight quickly. Among those who have tested positive for it are baseball players Raul Mondesi and Guillermo Mota, champion cyclist Alberto Contador, and a number of participants in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. “I am an athlete who respects the sport and this surprises me and bothers me because it had never happened to me,” Alvarez said. “I will submit to all the tests that
require me to clarify this embarrassing situation and I trust that at the end the truth will prevail.” Alvarez, 27, of Mexico, and Golovkin, from Kazakhstan, are among the best active boxers. Alvarez, whose given name is Saul, is 49-1-2 with 34 knockouts. He relinquished his previous belts before meeting Golovkin last September, when Alvarez won on one card 118-110, lost 115-13 on another and third judge had it 114-114. “It’s tough to comment on it, we’re waiting for
the Nevada commission to do their due diligence,” Tom Loeffler, Golovkin’s promoter, told The Associated Press. “We would like the fight to continue if there is any way for that to happen. “Triple G always has wanted to undergo testing because he hits so hard and is so well-conditioned, he didn’t want there to be any questions on his side. He had wanted both fighters to undergo testing to make for a level playing field as much as possible.”
A8 | Wednesday, March 7, 2018 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
STATE
Democrats hopeful as Texas opens midterm primary season By Will Weissert A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
AUSTIN — Texas Democrats turned out in force ahead of the firstin-the-nation primary Tuesday in what could be an early hint of a midterm election backlash against President Donald Trump, but their party remains a longshot to make much of a dent in Republican political dominance of the state. Democratic early voting across Texas’ 15 mostpopulous counties, the only figures available, more than doubled that of the last non-presidential cycle in 2014, while the number of Republican early ballots cast increased only slightly. Total Democratic early votes exceeded Republican ones roughly 465,000 to 420,000, though those figures combined accounted for less than 9 percent of the state’s total registered voters. Democrats haven’t won any of Texas’ 29 statewide offices since 1994, the nation’s longest losing streak. That’s expected to continue this cycle despite any possible “Trump effect” because Democrats fielded littleknown candidates against top Republicans such as Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Even Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has been indicted on felony securities fraud charges, remains favored for reelection. A record six Texas Republicans and two Democrats are leaving Congress, meaning the state will be losing clout on key House committees. But none of those open seats are expected to flip. They’ve drawn so
Michael Minasi / Houston Chronicle
Melisa Miller, candidate for Montgomery County district clerk, campaigns on Tuesday at the Far Hills Utility District Building.
many hopefuls from each party, that most primary races won’t have anyone winning a majority of Tuesday’s votes, meaning runoff elections May 22 will determine who will be on November’s general election ballot. Democrats have a better shot in November of unseating three Republican congressional incumbents — Rep. Pete Sessions in Dallas, Rep. John Culberson in Houston and Rep. Will Hurd in a district stretching hundreds of miles from San Antonio to El Paso. Hillary Clinton beat Trump in all three districts in 2016, but primary runoffs are likely in each of those races. One of the Democrats
leaving his House seat, former punk rock guitarist Beto O’Rourke, has generated national buzz in his uphill bid against Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. Neither faced serious primary challengers but O’Rourke has outraised Cruz and the incumbent has warned conservatives against complacency, suggesting that liberals will “crawl over broken glass in November to vote,” against Trump and the GOP. The Democrats have had their own internal strife in Texas over congressional hopeful Laura Moser, who moved from Washington to her native Houston to try and unseat Culberson. The
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, fearing Moser may be too liberal to win the general election, blistered her for comments from a 2014 Washingtonian magazine article in which Moser said she’d “rather have her teeth pulled out” than live in rural Paris, Texas. Strategists will be watching if she advances to a runoff despite attacks from fellow Democrats. Despite that, Texas Democratic Party chairman Gilberto Hinojosa has remained optimistic, noting that Trump beat Clinton by fewer than 10 percentage points in Texas in 2016, the smallest margin of victory for a Republican White
House candidate since 1996. “Texas is the fastest growing state in the country, we’re getting younger and increasingly diverse,” Hinojosa said. “These demographic shifts are a positive trendline for a big-tent progressive political party.” Republican political consultant Derek Ryan noted that only about 3 percent of those casting ballots early in the Democratic primary were first-time voters, meaning most Texans participating “were probably voting Democrat in general elections in previous cycles.” “Three percent, that could make a difference in some smaller races,
but in a statewide election I don’t think that’s enough to sway anything,” Ryan said. “Democrats are showing up in the primary election, does that mean more are going to show up in the general election?” A close Republican primary race Tuesday could be for land commissioner, where George P. Bush was the first member of his family to win his first election four years ago but drew an unlikely challenger in Jerry Patterson, a former Bush supporter who preceded him as land commissioner. Another key contest is the Democratic gubernatorial primary, where the top two contenders in a crowded field are former Dallas County Sherriff Lupe Valdez, backed by the party’s establishment, and Andrew White, who opposes abortion and whose father, Mark, was governor in the 1980s. Neither White nor Valdez may win a majority of Tuesday’s votes, though. Abbott has an eyepopping $43 million in campaign cash, tops among gubernatorial hopefuls nationwide, and isn’t expected to be seriously challenged by any Democrat. Instead, he’s focused on attempting to unseat members of his own party, endorsing the Republican primary challengers to three state House incumbents who backed past ethics reform measures that might have limited gubernatorial power. That includes state Rep. Sarah Davis, a suburban Houston Republican who supports abortion rights. Davis counters that her district’s residents “will not be told for whom to vote.”
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, March 7, 2018 |
A9
FROM THE COVER
Trump, Ryan face off in clash over tariffs By Ken Thomas A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
WASHINGTON — In a remarkably public confrontation, House Speaker Paul Ryan and other Republican allies of President Donald Trump pleaded with him Monday to back away from his threatened international tariffs, which they fear could spark a dangerous trade war. Trump retorted: “We’re not backing down.” The president said U.S. neighbors Canada and Mexico would not be spared from his plans for special import taxes
PLEA From page A1 immigrants were dead and two later succumbed from the ordeal of being locked in the rig driven by trucker James Matthew Bradley. The remainder were treated at area hospitals for several days. Several immigrants were picked up by sportutility vehicles before police arrived, prior court documents said. Immigrants interviewed by investigators said that anywhere from 70 to 200 people were crowded into the overheated trailer, with only one small vent for air, according to the previous court documents. Bradley, 61, pleaded guilty in October to one count of conspiracy to transport aliens resulting in death and one count of transporting aliens resulting in death. Bradley, of Clearwater, Florida, is awaiting sentencing. Silva’s plea deal provides some new details about the matter. A factual basis within the plea agreement said many of the immigrants in the trailer were kept in stash houses in Laredo before being loaded in the trailer, including a house in the 1100 block of Reynolds Street run by Silva. During the investigation, federal immigration agents pulled video surveillance from the Blue Beacon car wash in Laredo and saw Bradley’s tractor-trailer park there about 8:30 p.m. July 22. At about 9 p.m., several vehicles arrive, stop behind Bradley’s trailer and deliver people who are loaded into the back of the trailer, the factual
SHORTAGE From page A1
region. As one of only a few nursing schools in Texas to offer this certificate, we will offer six prospective students, identified by TAMIU faculty, the opportunity to enroll in our PostGraduate Certificate Program for psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners. With this certificate, our graduates will be qualified to offer leadingedge mental health care services in diverse settings in this underserved area.” The partnership hopes to recruit, enroll and educate a closed cohort of six nurse practitioners from Webb and surrounding counties into the UT Health Post-Graduate Certificate Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program. The program includes 23 course hours, and 600 clinical hours at four approved regional clinical supervision sites. A memorandum of agreement was signed by TAMIU and UT Health representatives earlier this month. The program will begin in Spring 2019. Tom Mitchell, TAMIU provost and vice president for academic affairs, said the two universities working together attests to the urgency of need.
on steel and aluminum, but he held out the possibility of later exempting the longstanding friends if they agree to better terms for the U.S. in talks aimed at revising the North American Free Trade Agreement. “We’ve had a very bad deal with Mexico; we’ve had a very bad deal with Canada. It’s called NAFTA,” he declared. Trump spoke shortly after a spokeswoman for Ryan, a Trump ally, said the GOP leader was “extremely worried” that the proposed tariffs would set off a trade war and urged the
basis said. On July 24 — a day after the immigrants were discovered at the South Side Walmart in San Antonio — agents saw Silva at the Reynolds Street property in Laredo, moved in and found 18 undocumented immigrants there. According to court documents filed in another case in Laredo that was later dismissed, Silva is originally from Mexico and does not have legal permission to be in the U.S. Silva later admitted that he operated the stash house and that approximately five immigrants left that house the night of July 22 and were taken to Bradley’s truck to be transported to San Antonio, the factual basis said. “Silva was paid for his role in the smuggling operation and received numerous wire transfers related to his activities,” the factual basis said. Shane Folden, the special agent in charge for Homeland Security Investigations in San Antonio, said the structure of human smuggling organizations is often “fluid,” sometimes involving a “looser conglomeration of smaller groups.” “It can be one tractortrailer load of individuals involved from a couple different criminal organizations,” Folden said. “You can have people come across (the border) and show up at stash houses on different days at different times using different smuggling methods, and then they get co-mingled into one tractor-trailer and brought farther into the United States.”
“This is what universities do best: We provide the educational opportunities that can address the needs of our city, region, state, nation and world. Having two universities join forces for this program underscores the urgency for this need to be addressed,” Mitchell said. María A. Sánchez, executive director of the Border Region Behavioral Health Center in Laredo, affirmed the need for the program and its importance. “There is an incredible shortage of psychiatrists and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners. This program will help to fill the gap. The ... program would benefit Border Region Behavioral Health Center by our having the ability to recruit and retain graduates of the program. This program adds value when serving an evergrowing client population that suffers from mental illness and other behavioral health disorders,” Sánchez said. The Canseco School of Nursing offers a master of science in nursing, family nurse practitioner program and a master of science in nursing administration focused on the critical role of nursing in health care management. A baccalaureate nursing program is also available.
White House “to not advance with this plan.” Likewise, Republican leaders of the House Ways and Means Committee circulated a letter opposing Trump’s plan, and GOP congressional leaders suggested they may attempt to prevent the tariffs if the president moves forward. Trump’s pledge to implement tariffs of 25 percent on steel imports and 10 percent on aluminum imports has roiled financial markets, angered foreign allies and created unusual alliances for a president who blasted unfavorable trade deals
during his 2016 campaign. Union leaders and Democratic lawmakers from Rust Belt states have praised the planned tariffs, joining with advocates within the administration including Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and White House trade adviser Peter Navarro. But the president has been opposed internally by Defense Secretary James Mattis and White House economic adviser Gary Cohn, who warned against penalizing U.S. allies and undercutting the economic benefits of the president’s sweeping tax overhaul.
Likewise, the statement from Ryan’s office said, “The new tax reform law has boosted the economy, and we certainly don’t want to jeopardize those gains.” Asked about that public rebuke, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, “Look, we have a great relationship with Speaker Ryan. We’re going to continue to have one, but that doesn’t mean we have to agree on everything.” Canada is the United States’ No. 1 foreign supplier of both steel and aluminum. Mexico is the No. 4 supplier of steel and No. 7 for aluminum.
Expansion of services firms slows By Christopher Rugaber ASSOCIATED PRE SS
WASHINGTON — U.S. services firms grew more slowly in February compared with the previous month, but still expanded at a healthy clip. The Institute for Supply Management said Monday that its services index slipped to 59.5, from 59.9 in January. The January reading was the highest since 2005. Any reading above 50 signals expansion. A sharp drop in a gauge of employment, suggesting that companies are hiring workers at a much slower pace, pushed the index lower. The employment index fell to 55 from 61.6. Despite the small decline, the overall index points to an economy growing at a healthy pace. Consumers are increas-
ingly confident and ramped up their spending in the final three months of last year, though they pulled back a bit in January. Solid job gains have pushed the unemployment rate to 4.1 percent, a 17-year low. “The index has been overstating the trend in growth recently, but ... the data continue to suggest strengthening,” Jim O’Sullivan, chief economist at High Frequency Economics, said. The services index measures sales, hiring and other activity among companies in a range of industries, including finance, construction, retail, health care and hotels. A measure of sales rose to 62.8, the highest in a year. A measure of new orders increased, a sign that growth would likely continue. Companies said that steel and aluminum prices
Steven Senne / AP
A sales associate places items on shelves at a Lowe's retail home improvement and appliance store in Framingham, Mass. On Monday, the Institute for Supply Management issued its index of non-manufacturing activity for February.
were already rising last month, before the Trump administration said it would oppose tariffs on imports of both goods. Costs for lumber, transportation, gasoline, and chemicals also rose. Anthony Nieves, chair of the ISM’s services index committee, said trucking companies are facing shortages of both workers and rigs, which has created transportation bottle-
necks. That has slowed down shipments of raw materials and raised transportation costs. “I think we’re going to see some inflation, just not very sharp,” Nieves said. The ISM surveys about 325 companies each month. Last week its separate survey of manufacturing firms also found a healthy level of expansion.
Danny Zaragoza / Laredo Morning Times
Members from the Laredo Immigration Alliance, students from Walsh University in Ohio and residents from San Antonio participate in a march to show their support for DACA on Monday along McPherson Avenue.
DACA From page A1 job. So it’s taking away a lot of the urgency.” Since 2012, the program has provided twoyear renewable work permits to some young immigrants who are in the country illegally. But while the judicial victories allow DACA recipients to renew their permits, hopes that Congress would pass a permanent pathway to legal status for them have faded. And it’s not clear if the judicial rulings will stay in place. After Attorney General Jeff Sessions wrote a memo declaring DACA unconstitutional, Homeland Security Department officials in September announced that anyone whose DACA permit expired before March 5 had one month to apply for a renewal. Beginning Monday, as DACA permits expired, recipients would not have a chance to renew them. In January, a federal judge in California
blocked the Trump administration’s cancellation of the program, allowing DACA recipients to renew their permits. Last month, the Supreme Court refused to hear the government’s appeal of that decision, leaving it to wend its way through the appellate courts. Meanwhile, a court in New York has ordered the government to leave DACA in place. DACA permits can be renewed up to six months in advance of their expiration, so U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is accepting renewal requests from existing DACA recipients for up to six months from every day the judge’s ruling is in place. “Anybody who is a current DACA holder whose status is going to expire in the next six months should file to renew as soon as possible in order to preserve their eligibility based on the injunctions that are still in place,” said Erica Schommer, a law professor who teaches a human rights clinic at St. Mary’s
University. “If you already have DACA, they’ve already got your information. Not renewing, in my opinion, doesn’t protect you in any way at all.” A decision from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco is not expected until fall at the earliest, but there’s no guarantee the courts will leave DACA in place for the long term. “That window could close this fall or next spring,” said Azua, whose permit expires next year. Meanwhile, many young immigrants who would have been eligible for new DACA permits cannot apply. Unless a DACA-eligible immigrant is in deportation proceedings, they can’t apply for DACA until they’re 15 years old. The Migration Policy Institute estimates that 120,000 young immigrants would have been eligible for the program but weren’t old enough to apply when the government stopped accepting new applications last year.
Hopes for a congressional fix died last month when the Senate failed to pass any of the bills that would provide legal status to so-called Dreamers, young immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally, including one that would have given a path to citizenship to 1.8 million people. Speaking last week in San Antonio, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, said he thinks it’s unlikely the House will vote on a measure that has a chance of passing the Senate. “Congress works on crisis and deadlines,” Cuellar said. “We’re not very proactive. I wish we would be more proactive. And I’ve always said, Dreamers are only a slice of the whole issue, only a little slice, and it’s become very, very difficult.” “We still feel the urgency,” Azua said. “Maybe members of Congress don’t feel the urgency, but we’re the ones that are still in limbo. I know my DACA is going to expire next year, but I don’t know if I’ll have the chance to renew.”
A10 | Wednesday, March 7, 2018 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
NATIONAL
US attorney general to talk sanctuary policy in California By Don Thompson A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Attorney General Jeff Sessions will travel to California to make a major announcement about sanctuary policies that limit local and state cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Sessions is expected to speak Wednesday to law enforcement officials at an annual gathering of California law enforcement organizations in Sacramento. Trump administration officials have promised to crack down on policies that keep local law enforcement from advising federal agents when they release immigrants living in the country illegally. The administration has heavily criticized California, home to sanctuary cities such as San Francisco. In addition, Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation last year imposing limits statewide on cooperation with federal immigration officials, although there are exceptions. ICE has said it will increase its presence in California, and Sessions wants to cut off funding to jurisdictions that won’t cooperate. His announcement comes after Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf warned of an immigration sweep in advance. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said hundreds of immigrants eluded detention because of her warning. Agents still arrested more than 200 people during a four-day sweep. White House spokesman Sarah Huckabee
Sanders said Schaaf’s tweet was an “outrageous” attempt to circumvent federal authorities and was under review by U.S. Justice officials. Sessions has blamed sanctuary city policies for crime and gang violence and announced in July that cities and states could only receive certain grants if they cooperate. California is suing to force the administration to release one such grant. His audience Wednesday includes members of the California Peace Officers’ Association and groups representing police chiefs, sheriffs, dis-
trict attorneys, narcotics investigators and the California Highway Patrol. The groups’ members have often been split on sanctuary policies. None of the groups favored the state law restricting cooperation with immigration officials, but only the California State Sheriffs’ Association was actively opposed and some individual officials voiced support. State Attorney General Xavier Becerra is speaking to the same law enforcement organizations later Wednesday. Becerra, a Democrat
Carolyn Kaster / AP
Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks to federal, state and local law enforcement officials about sanctuary cities and efforts to combat violent crimes. A federal judge in San Francisco will not immediately require the Trump administration to award California a law enforcement grant that the administration has held over concerns the state does not comply with immigration law.
who is up for election in November, has been sharply critical of Republicans Trump and Sessions, particularly on immigration policies. He has said federal
authorities need to have warrants before collecting information from state employers or entering nonpublic areas. He and other defenders say sanctuary policies
increase public safety by promoting trust between immigrant communities and law enforcement, while allowing police resources to be used to fight other crimes.
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, March 7, 2018 |
A11
ENTERTAINMENT Oscars dance between honoring, correcting the past By Lindsey Bahr A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
LOS ANGELES — Held one year ago, the 90th Academy Awards would have very likely been a rose-colored nostalgia fest. But this year, with a culture-wide reckoning over decades of sexual misconduct, a film business in decline, a volatile political climate and the fact that last year the esteemed show couldn’t even manage to present its biggest award correctly, the film academy and host Jimmy Kimmel on Sunday staged a complex and sometimes incongruous dance of attempting to both honor and atone for the past. In many ways, the show inside the Dolby Theatre went exactly as planned — scripted, tight, full of past-looking montages, forward-thinking speeches and produced to appeal to all. Presenters Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty got a best picture redo, ("What happened last year is Waterhouse under the bridge,” Kimmel quipped) and 86-year-old Rita Moreno got to wear her dress from the 1962 ceremony again. The Walt Disney Co. sneaked a fair amount of promos ("A Wrinkle in Time,” and “Mary Poppins Returns”) and selfcongratulations (for “Black Panther”) into its ABC broadcast and the production did its best to appeal to the “regular moviegoer” by trotting out Gal Gadot and other stars to literally give can-
Patrick T. Fallon / The New York Times
Jimmy Kimmel hosted the 90th Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday.
dy to a theater full of people. The awards also effectively skirted the awkwardness of having an accused man in the spotlight by shifting around long-held presenter traditions and having Jodie Foster and Jennifer Lawrence present the best actress award instead of Casey Affleck. Emma Stone got her Natalie Portman moment, presenting the directing award to “four men and Greta Gerwig.” Activists like (hash)MeToo creator Tarana Burke were included in a song segment. And three Harvey Weinstein accusers, Ashley Judd, Salma Hayek and Annabella Sciorra, were given a moment to themselves on stage for nothing more than the fact that they were brave enough to speak up before a hopeful video played highlighting a
changing industry, post (hash)MeToo and more diverse. The video highlighted Greta Gerwig, the fifth woman to ever be nominated for best director, Yance Ford, the first transgender nominee for “Strong Island,” Dee Rees, whose “Mudbound” scored a historic cinematographer nomination and the Pakistanborn Kumail Nanjiani, nominated for “The Big Sick.” The nominees signaled a renaissance. The winners told a slightly different story. With a more diverse, more international and younger infusion of voting members into the film academy, the movie in love with movies still won the top awards. Guillermo del Toro’s fantasy romance “The Shape of Water,” won best picture, director, score and pro-
duction design. “Growing up in Mexico, I thought this could never happen,” del Toro said. “It happens.” The acting awards, which have been locked for three months, went to the expected winners — all esteemed veterans and three of whom had never been nominated before: Frances McDormand won best actress for “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” and her co-star Sam Rockwell won for his supporting performance. Gary Oldman picked up the best actor prize for transforming into Winston Churchill in “Darkest Hour” and Allison Janney for becoming Tonya Harding’s mother in “I, Tonya.” At 89, James Ivory became the oldest Oscarwinner for his adapted screenplay for “Call Me By Your Name.” And
Christopher Nolan’s ambitious World War II nail-biter “Dunkirk” picked up three technical awards. But Gerwig’s “Lady Bird” left empty handed, Rachel Morrison did not become the first female cinematography winner (the long-snubbed Roger Deakins got that honor finally for “Blade Runner 2049” after 14 nominations) and Ford was not the first transgender Oscar-winner. There were glimpses of progress, in Chile’s “A Fantastic Woman,” which starred the transgender actress Daniela Vega, won best foreign film. Disney and Pixar’s celebration of Mexican culture, “Coco,” took best animated feature, as well as best song for “Remember Me.” “The biggest thank you of all to the people of Mexico,” said director Lee Unkrich to loud applause. “Marginalized people deserve to feel like they belong. Representation matters.” And Jordan Peele became the first AfricanAmerican to win best original screenplay for his horror sensation “Get Out.” Peele said he stopped writing it “20 times,” skeptical that it would ever get made. “But I kept coming back to it because I knew if someone would let me make this movie, that people would hear it and people would see it,” said Peele. “So I want to dedicate this to all the people who raised my voice and let me make this movie.”
Man arrested for stealing Oscar trophy By Michael Balsamo A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
LOS ANGELES — A man was arrested and is accused of stealing Frances McDormand’s Oscars trophy after the Academy Awards on Sunday night, Los Angeles police said. Terry Bryant, 47, was arrested on suspicion of felony grand theft, said Officer Rosario Herrera, a police spokeswoman. “After some brief time apart, Frances and her Oscar were happily reunited. They celebrated the reunion with a double cheeseburger from In-N-
McDormand
Out Burger,” McDormand’s publicist, Simon Halls, told The Associated
Press. McDormand received the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.” The Oscar statuette was allegedly stolen during the Governors Ball after party, authorities said. Bryant had a ticket
for the event, Herrera said. The two-time Oscar winner, who swept trophies at the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild, Independent Spirit and BAFTA ceremonies, beat out Sally Hawkins of “The Shape of Water,” Margot Robbie of “I, Tonya,” Saoirse Ronan of “Lady Bird,” and 21-time nominee Streep of “The Post” at Sunday’s Oscars. In “Three Billboards,” McDormand played Mildred Hayes, a hardened woman seeking justice for her daughter’s murder in the crime dra-
ma. Her first Oscar came for the 1996 film “Fargo,” directed by her husband Joel Coen and his brother Ethan. Bryant was being held on $20,000 bail Monday morning, police said. A telephone number for Bryant couldn’t immediately be located and it wasn’t clear if had an attorney who could comment on his behalf. A video that posted live on a Facebook page that appeared to belong to Bryant showed him kissing and flaunting a statuette during the Gover-
nor’s Ball. “Look it, baby. My team got this tonight. This is mine,” he said, turning the trophy toward the camera, before kissing it on the head. As he spun around in a circle, Bryant solicited congratulations from those around him. “Who wants to wish me congratulations?” he asked fellow revelers who were walking by, before posing for several selfies. “You know what, I can’t believe I got this.” No one named Terry Bryant won an Oscar on Sunday.
Oscar ratings plunge By John Koblin NEW YORK TIME S
LOS ANGELES — The doomsday ratings scenario has hit the Oscars. A record low 26.5 million people watched Sunday night’s telecast, a nearly 20 percent drop versus last year. It also represents a startling drop-off: As recently as four years ago, the Academy Awards had an audience of 43.7 million viewers. The previous record low was in 2008 when 32 million viewers watched a hastily organized ceremony that proceeded just days after the Writers Guild of America’s strike had ended. Moving the ceremony up to 8 p.m. Eastern time Sunday on ABC — a half-hour earlier than its 8:30 p.m. slot — did little to aid the show’s rapidly declining audience. ABC executives were concerned enough before the ceremony that they said publicly that Oscar winners should not feel compelled to make fiery political speeches. Keeping things frothy and fun would do just fine. And the show, for the most part, stayed away from the industry’s concerns over the Trump administration (a contrast from a politicsheavy Golden Globes and Emmys), though it did emphasize the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements. Television executives often point to a lackluster slate of performers or movies as a reason for disastrous ratings. But with $57.4 million in ticket sales, “The Shape of Water” was the biggest best picture winner in five years since “Argo” won best picture in 2013. Ratings for live award shows have plummeted in the past six months. The Grammys saw a quarter of its audience plunge in January, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards saw a 30 percent drop. This is true of almost all live events: Ratings for both the Super Bowl and the Olympics this year also saw considerable declines.
‘Black Panther’ is box-office king again By Andrew Dalton A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
LOS ANGELES — Wakanda’s reign shows no signs of waning. “Black Panther” is king of the box office for the third straight weekend. The release from Marvel and Disney brought in $65.7 million domestically this weekend, easily outpacing new releases “Red Sparrow” and “Death Wish,” according to studio estimates Sunday. “Black Panther” has now grossed $500 million domestically after three weeks of release. It’s the third fastest film to reach the $500 million plateau. “Disney is clearly on a roll with ‘Black Panther’ showing incredible strength as it posts the third biggest third-weekend gross of all time,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for comScore, “and most notably becomes the 10th highest grossing movie of all time in North America after just 17 days in theaters.” Fox’s “Red Sparrow,” featuring Jennifer Lawrence as a Russian ballerina-turned-super-spy, earned $17 million in its first weekend. Another new release,
Matt Kennedy/Marvel Studios-Disney / AP
Chadwick Boseman is shown in a scene from Marvel Studios' “Black Panther.” “Black Panther” is king of the U.S. box office for the third straight weekend. Studio estimates Sunday say the Marvel movie brought in $65 million in the U.S. this weekend, easily outpacing new releases “Red Sparrow” and “Death Wish.”
“Death Wish,” MGM’s reboot of the Charles Bronson action franchise starring Bruce Willis, was third with $13 million. “Both newcomers performed to expectations but had to compete in a marketplace totally dominated by ‘Black Panther,”’ Dergarabedian said. The totals come on a
weekend when all industry eyes are on the Academy Awards, which were handed out in Hollywood on Sunday. None of the major nominees remain in the box office top 10, though some continue to bring in receipts. “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” reached $52 million
domestically through Sunday, and “The Shape of Water” passed $57 million. “Black Panther,” directed by Ryan Coogler and starring Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan, has become a groundbreaking cinematic phenomenon, giving unprecedented repre-
sentation for a film of its kind to Africans and African-Americans while winning over every corner of the culture. It should soon shoot past the billion-dollar mark worldwide. Wakanda’s king may finally be knocked from his box-office throne next weekend with the release
of director Ava DuVernay’s “A Wrinkle in Time,” another Disney film that gives groundbreaking representation to African-Americans on both sides of the camera. “Disney wins no matter how you slice it with that film expected to have a strong debut as ‘Black Panther’ continues to draw big crowds,” Dergarabedian said. Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Where available, the latest international numbers also are included. Final three-day domestic figures will be released Monday. 1. “Black Panther,” $65.7 million. 2. “Red Sparrow,” $17 million. 3. “Death Wish,” $13 million. 4. “Game Night,” $10.7 million. 5. “Peter Rabbit,” $10 million. 6. “Annihilation,” $5.6 million. 7. “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” $4.5 million. 8. “Fifty Shades Freed,” $3.3 million. 9. “The Greatest Showman,” $2.6 million. 10. “Every Day,” $1.5 million.
A12 | Wednesday, March 7, 2018 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
BUSINESS
WHY DO I HEAR... BUT NOT UNDERSTAND? Study by Cambridge University in England Reveals Key Answer
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Stocks power higher in latest shift for markets By Stan Choe A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
This research reveals that amplifying dead cells is a mistake which will result in poorer speech understanding in noise. A new type of digitally programmable microcircuit is now being released from Audibel – one of the world leaders in nanoScience technology – that can be programmed to bypass the dead cells. As a result, the patient’s usable hearing cells receive amplification, thereby improving speech understanding in noise. “We are employing a like method in our diagnostic sound booths using a sound field speech in noise procedure”, said Randy Schoenborn of NewSound Hearing Centers. “ This test simulates hearing in a noisy crowd. We are able to determine maximum speech understanding by frequency shaping
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Boeing offered a good example of how quickly the market shifted. The aerospace giant got the majority of its revenue from outside the United States last year, so it would be hurt if countries put up more barriers to global trade. Boeing was down as much as 2.3 percent in the morning before ending the day up 2.3 percent. From its low point of the day to its high, the S&P 500 index carried investors through a swing of 1.9 percentage points. It’s the fifth straight day with a gap of more than 1.5 percentage points, as trading has become much more wild since the market’s placid, record-setting run from 2017 into January. During that period, the typical day saw the S&P 500 drift just 0.5 percentage points from its low point to high. The biggest gain in the S&P 500 came from XL Group, which surged after AXA said that it will acquire the insurance and reinsurance company for $15.3 billion. Investors will get $57.60 per XL Group share, and XL Group stock surged $12.62, or 29.1 percent, to $55.92.
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NEW YORK — Stocks shook off morning losses on Monday and surged in the afternoon to send the Standard & Poor’s 500 index to its best day in a week. It’s the latest turn for a market suddenly prone to quick shifts not only day to day but also hour to hour, as investors question whether President Donald Trump will really risk a trade war. The S&P 500 lost as much as 0.6 percent shortly after trading began, only to finish the day 1.1 percent higher after rising 29.69 points to 2,720.94. It’s reminiscent of what happened Friday, when stocks reversed course on speculation that Trump was only making an opening bid when he promised to impose stiff tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, rather than a final offer. The Dow Jones industrial average jumped 336.70, or 1.4 percent, to 24,874.76, and the Nasdaq composite gained 72.84, or 1 percent, to 7,330.70. Both came back from early-morning losses. Trump took to Twitter again on Monday to de-
fend the tariffs, which have riled trading partners around the world and already sparked talk of retaliation to heighten the worries about a possible trade war. He highlighted trade deficits with Canada and Mexico, and he said tariffs “will only come off if” a new freetrade agreement between the three countries is signed. Later in the day, House Speaker Paul Ryan said that he is “extremely worried” about the consequences of a global trade war and urged the White House “to not advance with this plan,” according to a statement issued by his office. “It’s incredibly difficult to try to understand the whims of this current administration and to try to make forecasts,” said Emily Roland, head of capital markets research for John Hancock Investments. If a trade war does occur, it would hurt the global economy and the healthy profit growth that companies have been producing, two of the big drivers for the market. “But right now, we think the impact should continue to be modest, as long as it’s all talk and no action,” she said.
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In this file photo, morning commuters walk on Broadway in New York's Financial District.
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Richard Drew / Associated Press File
ntil recently, there was no practical way to identify dead regions of hearing cells in the ear. However, a new British-developed procedure using standard test equipment now allows for identification of dead hearing cell regions. The study suggests that the presence or absence of dead regions may have serious implications in thefitting of hearing aids.
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