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Cuellar sets funds to fight cattle fever ticks
Trump fires Comey
An extra $3.7M will be added for the cause S P ECIAL T O T HE T I ME S
Washington, DC – Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX-28) announced an additional $3.7 million in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) funding to fight cattle fever ticks in areas like Starr, Zapata, and Webb Counties. This is in addition to the $8.5 million already allocated for fiscal year 2017, bringing the total to $12.2 million. “Cattle producers are an important part of our econo-
my, and our way of life, here in Texas,” said Cuellar. “With their hard work, they feed America and the world, so controlling cattle fever ticks is a priority. As a member of the Appropriations Committee, it is my job to make sure the USDA has the funding to protect this industry and our food supply. That is why I have consistently fought for significant funding for the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s
(APHIS) Cattle Health program, which received $91.5 million in the Fiscal Year Cuellar 2017 Omnibus Appropriations Act. This program helps improve the quality, productivity, and economic viability of the U.S. cattle industry. “I would like to thank the Texas Farm Bureau, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, and the South Texans’ Property Rights Association for their ad-
vocacy on this issue. I also thank my colleagues Rep. Filemon Vela and Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, as well as House Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee Chairman Robert Aderholt and Ranking Member Sanford Bishop for their support on this issue.” Susan Kibbe, the Executive Director of the South Texans’ Property Rights Association (STPRA), said, “South Texans’ Property Rights Association (STPRA) applauds Congressman Cuellar’s quick response in securing additional funding to help fight cattle fever tick in the recent outbreaks in Cuellar continues on A11
ANTI-ABORTION MOVEMENT
ABORTION FOES CHEER ADVANCES; OPPONENTS PROTEST
President will get to nominate new director By Chris Strohm and Margaret Talev BL OOMBERG NEWS
President Donald Trump fired FBI Director James Comey late Tuesday on the recommendation of the attorney general and his top aide, who cited the bureau’s handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of private email while secretary of state. “Today, President Donald J. Trump informed FBI Director James Comey that he has been terminated and removed from office,” according to a White House statement. “President Trump acted based on the clear recommendations of both Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Comey Attorney General Jeff Sessions.” Comey, who has led an investigation into Russia’s meddling during the 2016 election and possible links to Trump aides and associates, is only the second FBI chief to have been fired. In 1993, President Bill Clinton and Attorney General Janet Reno dismissed William Sessions. Trump’s decision means that he will get to nominate Comey’s successor while the agency is deep into the Russia inquiry and has been counted on by the intelligence committees in Congress to aid their separate investigations. The move may further intensify Democratic calls for a special prosecutor. The White House statement made no direct mention of the Russia probe in announcing Trump’s decision and instead focused on Comey’s handling of the Clinton inquiry last year. ‘Wrong to Usurp’ FBI continues on A11
TEXAS SENATE
Anti-hazing bill approved Proposal criminalize harsh initiations J. Scott Applewhite / AP
In this March 8 file photo, activists voice their objections as House Republicans work on their long-awaited plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Planned Parenthood: the world’s worst week for women’s health By David Crary and Clarice Silber A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
P
HOENIX — From the U.S. Capitol and the White House to far-flung battlegrounds in Arizona, Iowa and elsewhere, it's been a dramatic fortnight in the debate over access to abortion and birth
Under the GOP-backed health care bill that cleared the House last week, people who rely on Medicaid would be unable to get subsidized preventive care ... including birth control, cancer screenings and testing for sexually transmitted diseases.
control. Foes of abortion celebrated a series of advances and claimed new momentum, as abortion rights supporters mounted protests to try to blunt it. Planned Parenthood, the anti-abortion movement's prime target, called it "the world's worst week for women's health." Among the developments in recent days: House Republicans passed a health care bill that would halt most federal funding to Planned Parenthood for a
year and expand restrictions on private insurance coverage of abortion. President Donald Trump issued an executive order on religious liberty that will likely make it easier for employers to drop coverage of contraceptives from their health care plans. The secretary of Health and Human Services, conservative physician Tom Price, said he would act swiftly "to safeguard the deeply held religious beliefs of Americans who provide health insurance to their emAbortion continues on A11
ASSOCIATED PRE SS
AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Senate has approved a bill expanding the definition of hazing in civil and criminal cases. Laredo Democratic Sen. Judith Zaffirini’s measure is designed to curb hazing at universities. It spells out as hazing those cases involving coerced consumption of alcohol and drugs — which can be common during fraternity pledges and other campus Zaffirini situations. Zarririni said current state statue on hazing is often too vague. Her bill further bars those who carry out hazing incidents from seeking immunity from prosecution when reporting their own hazing. It was approved by a vote of 24-7 on Tuesday and now heads to the state House. A similar bill passed the Senate unanimously in 2015 but stalled in the House without reaching a floor vote.