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Military response to Harvey could soon expand Rescue and recovery efforts have been limited due to weather, flooding By Robert Burns A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
WASHINGTON— The military’s role in Harvey rescue and recovery efforts have been limited by weather and flooding but could soon expand by
tenfold or more, a senior National Guard officer said Tuesday. Air Force Maj. Gen. James Witham told reporters there currently are about 3,500 National Guard troops involved, including about 3,000 from the
Texas National Guard. He estimated that the Texas guard number could rise to 8,000 to 10,000 in coming days, possibly joined by 20,000 to 30,000 from other states. Witham is the director of domestic operations for the
National Guard Bureau. He said the military is providing everything that has been requested by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, although the response is constrained by the stormy weather and by floodMilitary continues on A10 Drew Perine / AP
TROPICAL STORM HARVEY
TRUMP OFFERS TEXANS IN-PERSON SUPPORT
This 2015 file photo shows Capt. Jennifer Peace, a transgender soldier, holding a flag as she stands for a photo near her home in Spanaway, Washington.
Lawsuits filed over transgender soldier ban White House receives suits from Baltimore and Seattle By Erik Larson BL OOMBERG
Jim Watson / AFP/Getty Images
U.S. President Donald Trump holds the state flag of Texas outside of the Annaville Fire House after attending a briefing on Hurricane Harvey in Corpus Christi, Texas on Tuesday.
President gives optimistic reassurances after briefing in Corpus Christi By Ken Thomas A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Eager to show he’s on the job and taking action, President Donald Trump offered upbeat reassurances Tuesday to Texans who felt the wrath of Harvey, promising local residents, “We are going to get you back and operating immedi-
ately.” Starting his visit to Texas in wind-whipped but sunny Corpus Christi, Trump’s motorcade passed broken trees, knocked-down signs and fences askew as it made its way to a firehouse for a briefing with local officials. “This was of epic proportion,” the president declared as he pledged to provide model
recovery assistance. “We want to do it better than ever before. We want to be looked at in five years, in 10 years from now as, ‘This is the way to do it.”’ Afterward, Trump stood on a ladder between two fire trucks and spoke to a crowd of hundreds of people gathered outside. “What a crowd. What a turnout,” Trump said, thank-
ing Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn. “This is historic. It’s epic what happened, but you know what, it happened in Texas, and Texas can handle anything.” Trump’s optimistic reassurances stood in contrast to the more measured assessments coming from emergency manSupport continues on A10
President Donald Trump was sued twice on Monday over his plan to ban transgender soldiers from the U.S. military, setting the stage for more bruising court battles about a directive from the White House. The suits by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Human Rights Campaign, filed in federal courts in Baltimore and Seattle, claim Trump’s plan violates the Equal Protection clause of the Constitution. The groups seek court orders barring enforcement of the ban and preventing transgender service members from being discharged, blocked from promotion or denied medical care. The ban is “purely political,” the ACLU said, “reflecting a desire to placate legislators and advisers who bear animus and moral disapproval toward men and women who are transgender.” An Aug. 25 White House memo gave Defense Secretary James Mattis six months to return to the military’s previous policy barring transgender soldiers. Trump ordered the military to immediately stop paying for transition-related Lawsuits continues on A10
WHITE HOUSE
President responds to NKorea missile launch By Darlene Superville and Matthew Pennington A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump sought Tuesday to reassert an American military threat against North Korea, saying that “all options are on the table” in response to its launch of a missile over close U.S. ally Japan. In a terse, written statement, Trump said that North Korea’s missile launch “signaled its
contempt for its neighbors, for all members of the United Nations and for minimum standards of acceptable international behavior.” “Threatening and destabilizing actions only increase the North Korean regime’s isolation in the region and among all nations of the world,” Trump said. “All options are on the table.” Trump later told reporters, “We’ll see, we’ll see” when asked what he would do. Trump, accompanied by first
lady Melania Trump, was departing the White House to survey storm damage in southeast Texas. North Korea on Tuesday fired a midrange ballistic missile designed to carry a nuclear payload. It flew over Japan and splashed into the northern Pacific Ocean, officials said, as Washington and South Korea were conducting war games nearby. While the tone of Trump’s statement was tough, it was far less bombastic than his tweets
and threats earlier this month. Three weeks ago, he warned of “fire and fury” if North Korea persisted in threatening the United States. A military solution, he added days later, was “locked and loaded.” But last week, the Trump administration suddenly adopted a more conciliatory tone. It praised the North for not launching any missiles for nearly a month and suggested its newfound restraint could point the way toward new negotiations. The hiatus ended when
the North tested three shortrange missiles off its eastern coast last Friday. The president has repeatedly declined to discuss in any detail the potential for a pre-emptive strike on the North, telling reporters that any such deliberations must be kept private to avoid ceding any leverage to Pyongyang. Still, Tuesday’s statement implied that U.S. military action remains an option for resolving the standoff over North Korea’s Missile continues on A10
Zin brief A2 | Wednesday, August 30, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
CALENDAR
AROUND THE WORLD
TODAY IN HISTORY
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 30
ASSOCIATED PRE SS
First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 10 a.m. - noon. 1220
Today is Wednesday, Aug. 30, the 242nd day of 2017. There are 123 days left in the year.
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.
Today's Highlight in History: On August 30, 1997, Americans received word of the car crash in Paris that claimed the lives of Princess Diana, her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed, and their driver, Henri Paul. (Because of the time difference, it was August 31 where the crash occurred.)
THURSDAY, AUG. 31 Spanish Book Club. 6 p.m.-8 p.m.
Joe A Guerra Public Library off Calton Road. For info, call Sylvia Reash 763-1810, SATURDAY, SEPT. 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. WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 6 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 10 a.m. - noon. 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. WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 13 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 10 a.m. - noon. 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. WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 20 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 10 a.m. - noon. 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. WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 27 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 10 a.m. - noon. 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.
Jung Yeon-Je / AFP/Getty Images
People watch a television news screen showing file footage of a North Korean missile launch, at a railway station in Seoul on Tuesday.
NKOREA LAUNCHES MISSILE OVER JAPAN SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said Wednesday that leader Kim Jong Un was present as it fired for the first time a ballistic missile designed to carry a nuclear payload that flew over Japan and splashed into the northern Pacific Ocean. Tuesday’s aggressive missile launch over the territory of a close U.S. ally sends a clear message of defiance as Washington and Seoul conduct war games nearby. Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency said it was a Hwasong-12 intermediate range missile that the North first successfully tested in May and
threatened to fire into waters near Guam earlier this month. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile traveled around 2,700 kilometers (1,677 miles) and reached a maximum height of 550 kilometers (341 miles) as it flew over the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. The launch seemed designed to show that North Korea can back up a threat to target the U.S. territory of Guam, while also establishing a potentially dangerous precedent that could see future missiles flying over Japan. — Compiled from AP reports
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 4 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 10 a.m. - noon. 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, OCT. 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. WEDNESDAY, OCT. 11
Mexico agents faulted for treating teen citizen as migrant MEXICO CITY — The governmental human rights commission said Tuesday that immigration agents violated the rights of a Mexican teen who was stopped at a checkpoint because they thought she was Guatemalan. She was 17 at the time and did not have identification
First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 10 a.m. - noon. 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. WEDNESDAY, OCT. 18 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 10 a.m. - noon. 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. WEDNESDAY, OCT. 25 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 10 a.m. - noon. 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. WEDNESDAY, NOV. 1 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 10 a.m. - noon. 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, NOV. 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. WEDNESDAY, NOV. 8
proving her nationality. She was pulled off a bus, interrogated by agents and released. She missed her bus and disappeared and has not been seen since. The rights commission said the incident occurred in 2015 in the southern border state of Chiapas, where many residents are of Mayan Indian ancestry as are many Guatemalans. The commission said a witness told the victim’s brother the agents thought she was Guatemalan. The agents said
they let her go later, but she wandered off. The commission said the case must be investigated as a “forced disappearance,” a crime defined as the disappearance of a person who was taken away by authorities. Also Tuesday, the federal Attorney General’s Office said it had rescued 133 migrants from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras who were being held against their will at a ranch in the southeastern state of Tabasco. — Compiled from AP reports
AROUND THE NATION Police ID teen suspect in fatal New Mexico library shooting CLOVIS, N.M. — Authorities on Tuesday identified the gunman accused of opening fire inside a New Mexico public library, killing two employees and seriously wounding four other people, as a 16-year-old high school student. They said he had two guns during the rampage in the small city of Clovis and that they plan to charge him as an adult. Nathaniel Jouett will face two counts of first-degree murder, four counts of assault with intent to commit a violent felony, four counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and one count of child abuse, said Clovis Police Chief Douglas Ward. The Associated Press generally does not identify juveniles accused of crimes but is identifying Jouett because of
Tony Bullocks / AP
An injured woman is carried to an ambulance in New Mexico on Monday as authorities respond to a shooting inside a library.
the seriousness of the crime and because authorities said they plan to file a motion requesting the case’s transfer from the juvenile system to adult court. Ford said it was not immediately clear how Jouett obtained the weapons. The chief also
said it is still unclear what prompted the violence Monday afternoon at the Clovis-Carver Public Library, saying investigators are still gathering evidence and conducting interviews to piece together what happened. — Compiled from AP reports
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 15 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 10 a.m. - noon. 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.
Ten years ago: In a serious breach of nuclear security, a B-52 bomber mistakenly armed with six nucleartipped cruise missiles took off from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota and flew to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana; the Air Force later punished 70 people. Five years ago: Twin satellites were launched by NASA on a quest to explore Earth's treacherous radiation belts and protect the planet from solar outbursts. One year ago: Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and Democratic U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy each easily won their Florida Senate primaries; Rubio won the election the following November. U.S. Sen. John McCain beat back an Arizona primary challenge from a Republican tea party activist, Kelli Ward, to win the right to seek a sixth Senate term in November (McCain went on to defeat Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick and Green Party candidate Gary Swing). The European Union ordered Apple to pay nearly $15 billion in back taxes to Ireland, plus billions more in interest (both Apple and Ireland are fighting the ruling). Today's Birthdays: Actor Bill Daily is 90. Actress Elizabeth Ashley is 78. Actor Ben Jones is 76. Cartoonist R. Crumb is 74. Olympic gold medal skier Jean-Claude Killy is 74. Actress Peggy Lipton is 71. Comedian Lewis Black is 69. Actor Timothy Bottoms is 66. Actor David Paymer is 63. Jazz musician Gerald Albright is 60. Actor Michael Chiklis is 54. Music producer Robert Clivilles is 53. Actress Michael Michele is 51. Country musician Geoff Firebaugh is 49. Country singer Sherrie Austin is 46. Rock singer-musician Lars Frederiksen (Rancid) is 46. Actress Cameron Diaz is 45. Rock musician Leon Caffrey (Space) is 44. TV personality Lisa Ling is 44. Rock singer-musician Aaron Barrett (Reel Big Fish) is 43. Actor Raul Castillo is 40. Actor Michael Gladis is 40. Rock musician Matt Taul (Tantric; Days of the New) is 39. Tennis player Andy Roddick is 35. Singer Rachael Price (Lake Street Dive) is 32. Rock musician Ryan Ross is 31. Actress Johanna Braddy is 30. Actor Cameron Finley is 30. Thought for Today: "My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not." — Proverbs 1:10.
CONTACT US AROUND TEXAS
First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 10 a.m. - noon. 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.
On this date: In 1861, Union Gen. John C. Fremont instituted martial law in Missouri and declared slaves there to be free. (However, Fremont's emancipation order was countermanded by President Abraham Lincoln). In 1862, Confederate forces won victories against the Union at the Second Battle of Bull Run in Manassas, Virginia, and the Battle of Richmond in Kentucky. In 1905, Ty Cobb made his majorleague debut as a player for the Detroit Tigers, hitting a double in his first at-bat in a game against the New York Highlanders. (The Tigers won, 5-3.) In 1945, U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur arrived in Japan to set up Allied occupation headquarters. In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, which was intended to promote private development of nuclear energy. In 1963, the "Hot Line" communications link between Washington and Moscow went into operation. In 1967, the Senate confirmed the appointment of Thurgood Marshall as the first black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1983, Guion S. Bluford Jr. became the first black American astronaut to travel in space as he blasted off aboard the Challenger. In 1984, the space shuttle Discovery was launched on its inaugural flight. In 1986, Soviet authorities arrested Nicholas Daniloff, a correspondent for U.S. News and World Report, as a spy a week after American officials arrested Gennadiy Zakharov, a Soviet employee of the United Nations, on espionage charges in New York. (Both men were later released.) In 1989, a federal jury in New York found "hotel queen" Leona Helmsley guilty of income tax evasion, but acquitted her of extortion. (Helmsley ended up serving 18 months behind bars, a month at a halfway house and two months under house arrest.)
Sheriff proposes sending inmates to help with Harvey damage A Massachusetts sheriff who proposed sending county jail inmates to help President Donald Trump build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border is offering to send inmates to Texas
to help clean up damage from Hurricane Harvey. WGBH-FM first reported Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson wants to send inmate “volunteers” to help rebuild Houston. Hodgson says 10 inmates have expressed interest in the project. He says he hopes federal disaster relief funds can cover inmates’ transportation and housing costs.
The plan would need approval from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, local sheriffs involved and the National Sheriffs’ Association. Hodgson says he has been in contact with the sheriffs association. The association’s executive director said Tuesday that the idea is innovative. Hodgson and Trump are both Republicans. — Compiled from AP reports
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THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, August 30, 2017 |
A3
STATE
Houston opens more shelters to Harvey victims
Joel Osteen opens church to Harvey victims after criticism By Jonah Engel Bromwich NEW YORK TIME S NEWS SERVICE
By Nomaan Merchant and Juan Lozano A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
HOUSTON — Louisiana’s governor offered Tuesday to take in Harvey victims from Texas, while Houston officials planned to open two to three more mega-shelters to accommodate people who continue to arrive at the overflowing George R. Brown Convention Center seeking refuge from Harvey’s record-breaking flooding. Gov. John Bel Edwards said he expects Texas officials to decide within 48 hours whether to accept the offer, which comes as Louisiana is also helping its own residents who were rescued from Harvey’s floodwaters overnight. About 500 people were evacuated Monday night and early Tuesday from flooded neighborhoods in southwest Louisiana, and about 200 spent the night in area shelters, Edwards said. The Houston center already held more than 9,000 people, almost twice the number officials originally planned to house there, Mayor Sylvester Turner said. The crowds included many from areas beyond Houston. More than 17,000 people have sought refuge in Texas shelters and that number seemed certain to increase, the American Red Cross said. Volunteers and donors lined up outside the Toyota Center, the downtown arena that is home to the Houston Rockets, in anticipation that it will be
one of the new shelters, and . While details of the new shelters were expected later Tuesday, Charles Maltbie, a Red Cross shelter manager, said volunteers have done a “preliminary walk through” of the Toyota Center and are working to configure it for evacuees. The mayor said the city has asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency for more supplies, including cots and food, for additional 10,000 people, which he hopes to get no later than Wednesday.
The leader of a Houston-based megachurch said Tuesday that it would open its doors to victims of Hurricane Harvey, after its initial statements about the storm met with strong criticism online. Joel Osteen, a prominent televangelist and the leader of Lakewood Church, had not said whether the church would be offering shelter when he tweeted Saturday to express his prayers for those affected by the storm. “Victoria & I are praying for everyone affected by Hurricane Harvey. Please join us as we pray for the safety of our Texas friends & family,” Osteen tweeted, re-
ferring to his wife. Criticism of Osteen intensified after the church, which holds services in a 16,000-seat arena that used to house the Houston Rockets basketball team, posted on Facebook Sunday that the building was inaccessible because of “severe flooding.” “We want to help make sure you are safe,” the post said, before providing a list of shelters in the area. Those two messages tipped off a days-long backlash as social media users questioned why the church was not doing more to help those affected by a storm that has left tens of thousands seeking shelter from rising floodwaters. Many others rushed to the de-
fense of the church, which is home to one of the nation’s largest congregations. “If you guys at Lakewood cared half as much about your own people as you do your Sunday offerings, you’d definitely have those doors open,” said a Facebook user, Gary D. Coleman, in a comment that was representative of hundreds of others that were left on the post. “You all do realize that it takes a significant staff to open the doors and keep a church running as a shelter?” said another Facebook commenter, Laurie Marie Campbell. “It could very well be that pastor Osteen’s staff can’t get there, because the roads are flooded.”
Zopinion
Letters to the editor Send your signed letter to editorial@lmtonline.com
A4 | Wednesday, August 30, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
COMMENTARY
OTHER VIEWS
On disaster relief, Republicans go beyond hypocrisy By Paul Waldman WA S H INGT ON P O ST
Whenever an extraordinary event such as Hurricane Harvey occurs, there will be those who implore us not to “politicize” it. But this impulse is exactly wrong, because politics is the process we use to decide how we will collectively approach challenges and problems. So there’s never been a better time to ask how our government responds to natural disasters, and how the two parties react when confronted with immediate public demands for help. Today, many people — both Democrats and Republicans from the Northeast — have noticed that Republican politicians in Texas are asking for immediate federal help for their constituents in the Houston area, yet five years ago when Hurricane Sandy battered the Northeast, those very same Republicans were unwilling to help. This looks like gardenvariety parochialism and hypocrisy, of the kind both parties are guilty of from time to time, right? Wrong. Here’s the truth: There are some kinds of hypocrisy both Democrats and Republicans engage in, but this isn’t one of them. When there’s a natural or human-made disaster and people are crying out for aid, virtually all Democrats say, “The government should help.” Lots of Republicans, on the other hand, say, “Is this happening to our people? If so, then yes, the government should help. If not, screw ‘em.” The background is that after Sandy left its path of destruction up the east coast, Congress put together a $50 billion recovery package that passed in January 2013. But many Republicans, including most of those from Texas, decided that the bill was “pork” and opposed it. In the House, it passed by 241-180, with only one Democrat voting against it and 192 voting in favor. Among Republicans, however, 49 voted yes and 179 voted no. In the Texas delegation, 23 of 24 Republicans voted no. The vote was similar in the Senate: All the Democrats voted yes, while 36 Republicans voted no and only 8 voted yes. Among those 36 were Ted Cruz and John Cornyn of Texas. It’s true that there were some other versions of the bill floating around that some Republicans preferred, including one that would have offset the aid with cuts to domestic programs - in other words, using the
relief bill as a vehicle to achieve some of their longstanding policy goals — but when the final vote came, they showed where they stood. If you look at the response to these two hurricanes, it’s tempting to use the word “hypocrisy” to describe the Republican reaction as many are doing. “The congressional members in Texas are hypocrites, and I said back in 2012 they’d be proven to be hypocrites,” said New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie yesterday. That’s true as far as it goes. But the problem is that we tend to believe that everyone in Washington is a hypocrite they like filibusters when they’re in the minority but hate them when they’re in the majority, they hate the courts meddling with legislation when the laws they pass get struck down but beg the courts to strike down the other side’s laws, and so on. That runs the risk of making us believe that it will only be a matter of time before a similar situation comes up and Democrats (and those moderate Northeastern Republicans) show how they’re just as prone to narrowly serve their own constituents’ interests. But that won’t happen. Just you watch: When they finally pass a bill to help rebuild Texas after these floods, there will be debate about the provisions, but when the final vote comes, nearly all Democrats will be in favor of it, because they think that the government should help its citizens, even if most of those particular citizens in this case live in a red state. “Republicans must be ready to join Democrats in passing a timely relief bill that makes all necessary resources available through emergency spending,” Nancy Pelosi said Monday. Of course the two parties have different ideas about the proper scope of government. But only one party is being consistent in how it applies its philosophy. Whatever else you might say about Democrats, they don’t play into the juvenile belief so many Americans have that government should be as small and light as possible, stepping gingerly aside as we go about our lives, and yet it should also solve all our significant problems. Republicans appear to believe that disaster relief is one of the important things government should do but it depends on where the disaster hits and which Americans are affected. That’s more than just hypocrisy. And it’s not something both sides are guilty of.
COMMENTARY
Soldiers know inclusiveness creates a better fighting force By Douglas Bristol Jr. WASHINGTON P O ST
On Aug. 25, President Donald Trump signed a memo banning transgender people from enlisting in the military. He justified his decision by citing concerns about military effectiveness, the disruption of unit cohesion and the cost of medical treatment. Yes, it is step backward in terms of civil rights, as LGBTQ activists have pointed out. But both transgender veterans and military leaders have challenged Trump’s rationale for different reasons: It obscures the reality of military service. Trump’s policy reveals a troubling disconnect between the commander in chief and the experiences of the troops who serve under him. In combat, troops’ lives depend on the actions of their comrades. Whether that person is black, female, gay or transgender does not matter so long as he or she is a good soldier. Since World War II, the military has succeeded in part because of its ability to prioritize merit over social assumptions about racial inferiority or sexual deviance. And these changing outlooks came not from military or political leaders - they came from the battlefield experiences of enlisted personnel. By arguing that military success depends on performance rather than racial or sexual identity, ordinary soldiers have tipped the balance in favor of integration and equality. African Americans have a long tradition of seeking to prove their equality and merit on the battlefield, serving in every war since the American Revolution. When the United States entered World War I, most African Americans enthusiastically supported President Woodrow Wilson’s effort to “make the world safe for democracy.” How-
ever, military leaders, conforming to social ideas about racial inferiority, limited their efforts to serve. In World War I, black troops made up only 3 percent of American combat forces. Out of military necessity, World War II recast who was fit to serve, albeit unequally. Because the United States fought the war on two fronts, the number of people mobilized dwarfed earlier wars. Sixteen million Americans served in the armed forces, including one-sixth of the male population. The scope of the war was so big that the military recruited 350,000 women, as well. Since African Americans formed 10 percent of the population, the United States could not mobilize without them, and 1 million black men and women served in the military during World War II. Military leaders, however, sought to preserve race and gender relations through segregation. And even though the all-black 92nd and 93rd Infantry Divisions, along with the Tuskegee Airmen, fought the enemy in battle, only 20 percent of black troops were in combat units, and military leaders were reluctant to send them to the front. Combat was still primarily reserved for white men, at least until the Battle of the Bulge. After suffering 125,000 casualties in the first month of European combat in 1944, Lt. Gen. John C.H. Lee, commander of the Communications Zone of the European Theater, persuaded Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower to let black service troops volunteer as infantry replacements. Forty-five hundred black soldiers stepped forward. The Army sent 2,500 of these volunteers to combat training and then assigned them to various white units invading Germany in 1945. Initially, American
military leaders had justified segregation because they said adding black soldiers to white units would hurt morale. But the realities of the battlefield challenged and then changed this assumption. Army Research Bureau surveys revealed that the experience of fighting alongside black troops in Germany changed the attitudes of white troops. Before the experiment with integration, only 33 percent of the white soldiers had a positive opinion about having black soldiers in their companies. After the experiment, 77 percent of the white soldiers said their opinion of serving with African Americans had become more favorable. What had changed? Enlisted men saw how well black troops performed in combat. This record of the attitudes of ordinary soldiers toward integration had a direct effect on desegregating the military. In 1947, the President’s Committee on Civil Rights issued a landmark report, “To Secure These Rights,” which called for desegregating all federal agencies and facilities. It publicized the survey results, which had been suppressed by Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Marshall, to justify calling for the end of segregation in the military. President Harry S. Truman responded to the report by announcing that he intended to issue an executive order desegregating the U.S. military in 1948. Since Sept. 11, 2001, the U.S. military has been engaged in combat with a volunteer force, and its diversity has continued to be its strength. In fact, the need to recruit soldiers in wartime for often highly technical duties has further motivated military leaders to adopt the soldier’s focus on performance and expand who can serve. In 2010, the
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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.
CLASSIC DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU
Defense Department released its own study of how repealing the ban on openly gay men and women might affect the military, with the conclusion that “the risk of repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell to overall military effectiveness is low.” Again, surveys of enlisted men and women provided the key evidence. When troops with combat experience were asked about the effect that repealing the gay ban would have in “intense combat situations” or “when a crisis or negative event happens that affects your unit,” about 70 percent said it would have a positive, a mixed or no effect on their unit’s effectiveness. As had been the case with enlisted white men supporting racial integration, a positive assessment of combat performance generated support in the ranks for allowing gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the military. For over 70 years, troops have repeatedly argued that merit, not identity, matters most on the battlefield. Recent interviews with transgender veterans who served honorably show that they are capable of performing their duties well. In addition, there is evidence that allowing transgender soldiers to serve openly would improve the overall effectiveness of military units. In a Rand Corp. study examining transgender people in foreign militaries, Canadian commanders said increased diversity gave “units the tools to address a wider variety of situations and challenges.” Inclusiveness, therefore, makes a better fighting force. That is a soldier’s perspective. The commander in chief should listen to it. Douglas Bristol is an associate professor of history at the University of Southern Mississippi.
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, August 30, 2017 |
A5
NATIONAL
Judge rejects Palin’s Mexican smuggler jailed lawsuit against The for assaulting US agent New York Times ASSOCIATED PRE SS
By Larry Neumeister A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
NEW YORK — A federal judge on Tuesday tossed out a defamation lawsuit by Sarah Palin against The New York Times, saying the former Alaska governor failed to show the newspaper knew it was publishing false statements in an editorial before quickly correcting them. The written ruling by Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan said the lawsuit seeking unspecified damages “fails on its face to adequately allege actual malice.” “What we have here is an editorial, written and rewritten rapidly in order to voice an opinion on an immediate event of importance, in which are included a few factual inaccuracies somewhat pertaining to Mrs. Palin that are very rapidly corrected,” the judge said. “Negligence this may be; but defamation of a public figure it plainly is not.” The decision came weeks after the onetime Republican vice presidential nominee sued over an editorial titled “America’s Lethal Politics.” The editorial was published in June after a gunman opened fire on Republican lawmakers in Virginia, wounding U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise. The Times’ editorial was corrected twice when readers complained that it appeared to blame a political action committee belonging to Palin for “political incitement”
Eric Thayer / NYT
This 2016 file photo shows Sarah Palin campaigning on behalf of Donald Trump in Ames, Iowa.
after it distributed a map depicting Democratic lawmakers beneath crosshairs before the 2011 shooting of Democratic U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords in Arizona. The editorial originally was published online late in the evening. The newspaper issued corrections online the next morning and in print editions the day after that to remove those references and note the map showed electoral districts, not people, in crosshairs. The judge, known for philosophical asides, wrote: “Nowhere is political journalism so free, so robust, or perhaps so rowdy as in the United States. In the exercise of that freedom, mistakes will be made, some of which will be hurtful to others.” He said if political journalism is to achieve its constitutionally endorsed role of challeng-
ing the powerful, lawsuits by public figures must be limited to when there is a “plausible factual basis for complaining that the mistake was made maliciously.” Lawyers for Palin did not immediately comment. “Judge Rakoff’s opinion is an important reminder of the country’s deep commitment to a free press and the important role that journalism plays in our democracy,” the newspaper said. The judge had previously heard testimony from James Bennet, the Times’ editorial page editor, saying he thought the editorial was accurate when he approved its publication but later learned otherwise. The judge dismissed an argument by Palin’s lawyers that the newspaper might have been trying to boost sales by attacking Palin.
SAN DIEGO — A notorious Mexican human smuggler who hit a U.S. Border Patrol agent in the face with a rock two years ago after a foiled smuggling attempt in Southern California was sentenced Monday to more than eight years in prison. Agents spotted Martel Valencia-Cortez as he smuggled 14 people through rocky terrain in the mountains of eastern San Diego County in November 2015. As agents moved in, Valencia-Cortez ran to higher ground. He hurled a softball-sized rock, striking an agent in the face, the U.S. Border
Patrol said. Valencia-Cortez ran back across the U.S.Mexico border and escaped but turned himself in to authorities six months later at the San Ysidro border crossing that connects San Diego to Tijuana. The agent was disoriented and thought he would pass out. He received treatment for cuts and bruises, according to court documents and trial testimony. Valencia-Cortez, 39, was convicted in May of assault on a federal officer and three counts of human smuggling for financial gain. A federal judge handed down a sentence Monday of eight years and
three months in prison, the San Diego UnionTribune newspaper reported. During his time as a fugitive, Border Patrol officials called ValenciaCortez one of San Diego’s most dangerous human smugglers. He was known for assaulting agents, threatening and intimidating people he smuggled, and driving the wrong way on streets and freeways to evade arrest, officials said. Less than two months before the rock assault, Valencia-Cortez was deported to Mexico after serving a sentence of nearly three years in prison for human smuggling.
Zfrontera A6 | Wednesday, August 30, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
RIBEREÑA EN BREVE SOCIEDAD GENEALÓGICA 1 La Sociedad Genealógica Nuevo Santander invita a su reunión el sábado 9 de septiembre a las 2 p.m. en el Museo de Historia del Condado de Zapata. Moisés Garza, Somos Primos/ We Are Cousins, presentará: “Recursos para obtener el máximo de su ADN”. Admisión 5 dólares. Evento gratuito para miembros de la sociedad.
RETIRO RELIGIOSO 1 Grupo de Oración del Divino Niño Jesús invita al mini-retiro por el 12avo. aniversario Divino Niño Jesús el sábado 9 de septiembre, de 12 p.m. a 5 p.m. en la Iglesia La Sagrada Familia de Los Sáenz, Texas
NOCHE MEXICANA 1 La Ciudad de Roma invita a la Noche Mexicana que se celebrará el 14 de septiembre de 7 p.m. a 11 p.m. Disfrute de bailes folclóricos y antojitos mexicanos en la Plaza Guadalupe de la Ciudad de Roma.
FESTIVAL NUEVO SANTANDER 1 La Sociedad Genealógica Nueva Santander invita al Festival Nuevo Santander el 13 y 14 de octubre de 10 a.m. a 4 p.m. en el Museo de Historia del Condado de Zapata.
TAMAULIPAS
HARVEY
Llamadas abruman Rescatistas se encuentran sobrepasados LA VOZ DE HOUSTON Foto de cortesía
Los rescatistas que ayudan en Texas, sobrepasados por los miles de llamadas de auxilio durante una de las peores tormentas en la historia de Estados Unidos, han tenido poco tiempo para buscar a otras posibles víctimas de Harvey. Las autoridades temen ahora que lo peor esté aún por llegar. Más de tres días después de que Harvey asolara la costa de Texas como huracán de categoría 4, las autoridades temen ahora que la tormenta tropical – asentada ahora sobre el Golfo de México – pueda regresar y dar el golpe de gracia a la región de Houston, ya devastada tras recibir una cantidad de lluvia que suele verse una vez cada más de 1.000 años. Algunos temen que esto sea más de lo que la cuarta ciudad del país puede soportar. El Centro Nacional de Huracanes prevé que las fuertes lluvias de Harvey empeoren las inundaciones en el sureste de Texas y en el suroeste de Luisiana. En su aviso de las 04:00 horas, el centro dijo que las carreteras anegadas seguirán dificultando el tránsito y advirtió a los residentes que busquen refugio. El centro de la tormenta estaba a 217 kilómetros (135 millas) al sur-suroeste
De izquierda, el Comisionado de Energía de Tamaulipas Andrés Fusco Clynes y el Gobernador de Tamaulipas Francisco García Cabeza de Vaca durante una reunión con representantes de siete empresas dedicadas al desarrollo de parques de energía eólica.
David J. Phillip / Associated Press
Negocios y vecinos cerca de Addicks Reservoir se encuentran inundados por la lluvia de la Tormenta Tropical Harvey el martes 29 de agosto en Houston.
de Port Arthur, Texas, y se movía en dirección este a seis kilómetros por hora (3 mph) con vientos sostenidos de hasta 75 kph (45 mph). Se espera que la tormenta dé un ligero giro al noreste el martes, situando su centro ante la parte central y superior de la costa texana del Golfo de México el martes por la noche antes de volver a adentrarse en el estado. Harvey podría dejar entre 25 y 50 centímetros (de 10 a 20 pulgadas) de lluvia en la parte superior de la costa y en el suroeste de Luisiana hasta el jueves, con tormentas aisladas que alcanzarían los 127 centímetros (50 pulgadas) sobre la zona de HoustonGalveston y en la parte alta de la costa texana. Recuerdos de Katrina Un sistema cargado de
fuertes lluvias se trasladaba hacia el norte desde el Golfo de México, amenazando a Nueva Orleáns el martes. Las ominosas imágenes de las ráfagas contenidas en la periferia de la tormenta Harvey dominaban los radares la mañana del martes, en el 12do aniversario del impacto del huracán Katrina en Nueva Orleáns. El Servicio Meteorológico Nacional advirtió de posibles inundaciones en todo el sudeste de Luisiana, en el sudoeste de Mississippi y en la costa de Mississippi sobre el Golfo de México. Se estima que por lo menos caerán 20 centímetros de lluvia (8 pulgadas) en esa zona. Existe la posibilidad también de tornados aislados en Luisiana especialmente en las zonas cerca
de la costa. Trasladan a reclusos Dos cárceles de Texas cercanas al río Brazos están siendo evacuadas debido a los efectos de la tormenta Harvey. El Departamento de Justicia Penal dijo que los 1.400 reclusos de las unidades Vance y Jester 3 en Richmon, unos 50 kilómetros (30 millas) al suroeste de Houston, están siendo transportados a otras cárceles en el sur de Texas. Con esto son casi 6.000 los presos desplazados por la tormenta tropical Harvey. Previamente, el departamento trasladó a 4.500 presos de las unidades Terrell, Stringfellow y Ramsey en el condado de Brazoria, al sur de Houston, a prisiones en el este del estado.
ZAPATA COUNTY ISD
REGRESAN A CLASES
CAMINATA CONTRA CÁNCER 1 Walk All Over Cancer! en su cuarta caminata anual. Inscripciones en el Ayuntamiento llamando al 956-849-1411 x 9241 o en el 956844-1428. Caminata iniciará en Citizens State Bank o en el Centro Comuniario de Roma el sábado 21 de octubre.
PAGO DE IMPUESTOS 1 Pagos de impuestos prediales de Ciudad de Roma se harán en Oficina de Impuestos.
PAGO EN LÍNEA 1 La Ciudad de Roma informa a sus residentes que a partir de ahora el servicio del agua puede pagarse en línea a cualquier hora las 24 horas del día.
Foto de cortesía
Estudiantes de Zapata South Elementary School sonríen a la cámara durante el primer día de clases el lunes 28 de agosto.
GUERRERO AYER Y HOY
Enseñan música, arte e inglés Por Lilia Treviño Martínez TIEM P O DE ZAPATA
Nota del editor: Esta serie de artículos sobre la historia de Ciudad Guerrero, México, fueron escritos por la guerrerense Lilia Treviño Martínez (1927-2016), quien fuera profesora de la escuela Leoncio Leal. La educación preescolar, tan importante en el desarrollo de funciones psicomotoras, se inició en Guerrero en 1929, con el Kind-
er Garden dirigido por la maestra y profesora de piano Mercedes Leal. Por esos mismos años, el gran maestro guerrerense, profesor Leoncio Leal, Director de la Escuela de Varones “Miguel Hidalgo” impartía a jóvenes y adultos clases nocturnas de pintura, inglés y otras especialidades. Escuelas particulares reforzaban la educación adquirida en las instituciones primarias, y gozaban de gran prestigio por su desempeño: la escuela que dirigía Vidalita Pérez, y más tarde, la
particular de Rosario Mascorro, así como las clases de solfeo y piano que impartía Aurora Martínez Cuéllar. El profesor Felipe Aguilar impartía clases de música y formaba grupos de jóvenes que participaban en festivales campestres y en los salones de fiestas. El talento musical de Manuel Flores dio como producto la formación de la gran orquesta “Flores”, que fue famosa en esta región. Academias de comercio y administración, y de corte, confec-
ción y bordado funcionaron por varios años dando preparación a gran número de jóvenes. Un maestro distinguido fue el profesor José María Martínez y Martínez, quien realizó gran labor educativa en este Municipio y en Nuevo Laredo. En años más recientes, Marcos Vargas fundó una escoleta de música con jóvenes aficionados y con sus hijos, los Vargas Martínez, nos han deleitado durante años con sus interpretaciones musicales.
Planean aumentar energía eólica E SPECIAL PARA TIEMP O DE ZAPATA
CIUDAD DE MÉXICO— El Gobernador de Tamaulipas Francisco García Cabeza de Vaca se reunió el jueves 24 de agosto con representantes de siete empresas dedicadas al desarrollo de parques de energía eólica, con el propósito de explorar los planes de crecimiento en este rubro en la entidad, promover el contenido local en las cadenas de valor de las inversiones y fortalecer la confianza y compromiso entre las compañías y el Gobierno de Tamaulipas. Acompañado del Comisionado de Energía de Tamaulipas Andrés Fusco Clynes, el Cabeza de Vaca dialogó con los representantes de las empresas Engie México, Oak Creek México, Gemex, Vestas, Zuma, Ener AB y Acciona México. Durante el encuentro, el gobernador destacó la disposición e interés del Gobierno de Tamaulipas en contribuir a facilitar la instalación de estas compañías en la entidad, a fin de garantizar una operación exitosa en la que todas las partes involucradas resulten beneficiadas. También, el mandatario se comprometió a impulsar el desarrollo de la industria local alrededor de este sector, a través de la implementación y desarrollo de una Estrategia Integral del Sector Energético que permita desarrollar la proveeduría estratégica elevando la competitividad de los bienes y servicios que lo integran. “Parte fundamental del contenido de la Reforma Energética, que parte de la inversión se quede en el estado, para contribuir con una economía más robusta, más empleos, más desarrollo y por consecuencia una mejor calidad de vida para las familias tamaulipecas, que es el objetivo de este Gobierno”, precisó García Cabeza de Vaca. Las siete empresas representadas en ese encuentro representan 10 proyectos de generación de energía eólica que suman una inversión de 2.000 millones de dólares, 444 de los cuales ya fueron ejecutados con la construcción de los Parques Tres Mesas, Mesa y Victoria, ya en operación. La construcción de los parques eólicos representa la generación de más de 7.400 empleos en Tamaulipas y en un plazo aproximado de 2 años, el estado estará generando 1361 mega watts en energía.
Sports&Outdoors THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, August 30, 2017 |
A7
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: HOUSTON TEXANS
San Antonio offers Alamodome as host site for Texans game Houston hosts Jacksonville during Week 1 By Cody McCrary SA N A NT ONI O E XPRE SS-NEWS
In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, the Houston Texans relocated their Thursday night preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys to AT&T Stadium in Arlington and are currently working out at the Cowboy’s practice facility, The Star, in Frisco. The Texans are scheduled to open the regular
season against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 10 at NRG Stadium. There is no damange to NRG Stadium, so the Texans are hoping they'll be able to host that game, but San Antonio has offered up the Alamodome as a host site under a worst-case scenario. After Hurricane Katrina hit the city of New Orleans in 2005, the Saints played three of their “home games” in
San Antonio at the Alamodome. In the wake of Harvey, San Antonio has once again offered up the Alamodome, Michael Sawaya, director of the convention and sports facilities department, said on Tuesday. “The Alamodome has not been contacted about the possibility of moving the Texans season opener to the Alamodome, however we have made NRG
Stadium management and the Texans aware that we could host the game if they should need to relocate for Sunday, Sept. 10,” Sawaya said. On Monday evening, ESPN reported that the Alamodome also offered to host the relocated BYULSU football game, which was scheduled to be play at NRG Stadium on Saturday. The game will now be played at the Superdome in New Orleans.
Associated Press file photo
San Antonio has offered up the Alamodome as a host site for Houston’s home opener against Jacksonville on Sept. 10 under a worst-case scenario.
NCAA FOOTBALL: TEXAS LONGHORNS
AFTER MONTHS OF ANTICIPATION, IT’S SHOWTIME FOR TOM HERMAN AND UT
Tim Warner / Getty Images file
Texas head coach Tom Herman and the Longhorns are looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2016 season where they finished with a 5-7 record.
The Longhorns open the season hosting Maryland on Saturday By Chuck Carlton TH E DALLAS MORNI NG NEWS
AUSTIN — After all the buildup and culture building and countless media interviews and a questionable Top 25 ranking, people will see what Tom Herman has brought to Texas. Herman is just as anxious to raise the curtain. "We talked Saturday," Herman said of his team. "We’re a week away from showing the world what we’ve been doing the last nine months." The team that Texas puts on the field Saturday against Maryland isn’t a finished product, far from it. While the media and his fellow FBS coaches have bought into the notion of
Texas as a Top 25 team to start the season, Herman has not. Until proven otherwise, Texas remains a team with plenty of talent that somehow finished 5-7 last season while losing to Kansas. When things get hard, which Texas is going to surface? "That’s the one thing I don’t know right now," Herman said. "If we have a couple three-andout drives to start the game, how are we going to respond? If we give up an early touchdown, how are we going to respond?" In recent years, the results haven’t always - or even usually - been positive. "The biggest test is when we face some adversity, do we respond the way we’re trained,
or do we respond by falling back into bad habits?" Herman said. "That will be a big, big crossroads for us to go through." Unlike previous Mondays going back at least a couple of decades, Herman was the sole voice Monday. Citing NCAA rules mandating one day off a week from football, Texas made no players available, what is expected to be a season-long practice. Herman did release a depth chart with very few surprises. To no one’s surprise, sophomore Shane Buechele is the starting quarterback, holding off freshman Sam Ehlinger. To no one’s surprise, Herman declined to provide an unqual-
ified endorsement. "Shane is the starter today," Herman said, with the last word having a special importance. He did acknowledge that Buechele had put together three very good days of practice. Kyle Porter and Chris Warren were listed as co-starters at running back. Herman said if Porter (shoulder) had been healthy throughout preseason camp, he probably would have been the unquestioned No. 1. Asked for a strength, Herman singled out the offensive line, suggesting that outside of right tackle Texas’ group could compare favorably with his offensive line at Ohio State that delivered a College Football Playoff title.
Herman is also praising the defensive line, the same defensive line that he singled out for criticism in the spring, and especially defensive tackle Poona Ford. "I’m not sure I’ve heard Poona Ford say more than 10 words," Herman said, "but he’s the hardest practicing player on our team. It’s not even close." Herman has acknowledged the difficulty and demands of his practices, so much so that the games become fun - with a caveat. "Let’s make no mistake, the fun is in the winning, too," Herman said. "This game is inherently fun, but it’s a lot more fun when you win. They understand that."
CANADIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE
CFL rejects team's hiring of Art Briles By Reid Laymance H OUSTON CHRONICLE
Art Briles didn't last long with his job as an assistant coach with the Hamilton Ti-
ger-Cats of the Canadian Football League Less than 12 hours after the team announced that the former Baylor coach would be joining the team, the league
and team said no as it faced public backlash over the hiring. Briles was fired in May 2016 by Baylor after an investigation by a law firm found that
over several years the school mishandled numerous sexual assault allegations, including some against football players. Baylor has already settled at least two federal Title IX law-
suits against the school, though Briles had been removed as a defendant in one that was resolved earlier this month.
A8 | Wednesday, August 30, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
ENTERTAINMENT
Actor backs out of ‘Hellboy’ reboot after criticism
The Weather Channel mobilized around the clock for storm By David Bauder
By Herman Wong WA S H INGT ON P O ST
Ed Skrein responded Monday to backlash against his casting in the movie “Hellboy”by relinquishing the role, saying, “ I must do what I feel is right.” A week ago the 34-yearold British actor tweeted that he would be playing Major Ben Daimio, a character that was AsianAmerican in Mike Mignola’s “Hellboy” comics. The news was met with complaints that Hollywood was once again “whitewashing” an Asian character. In a message posted to Twitter and Instagram Monday, Skrein, whose credits include last year’s “Deadpool” and “Game of Thrones,” said he had been unaware of the character’s heritage in the comics when he accepted the role. “It is clear that representing this character in a culturally accurate way holds significance for people, and that to neglect this responsibility would continue a worrying tendency to obscure ethnic minority stories and voices in the Arts. I feel it is important to honour and respect that.” Nancy Yuen, who has written about the barriers minorities face in Hollywood, said “most of the actors who have been in the crossfires of these whitewashing uproars usually give excuses,” Yuen said. Skrein appears to be “listening and reading what people are complaining about so it was definitely beyond a ‘yay diversity’ kind of a message.” The movie was scheduled to begin filming in
October, according to Variety. The movie’s producers said in a Skrein statement to Hollywood Reporter that Skrein had approached them about leaving. “Ed came to us and felt very strongly about this. We fully support his unselfish decision. It was not our intent to be insensitive to issues of authenticity and ethnicity, and we will look to recast the part with an actor more consistent with the character in the source material.” The pushback against casting white actors as characters that originally were Asian stems in part from what many AsianAmerican actors say is the dearth of significant parts in an industry where a vast majority of characters on-screen are white.
ASSOCIATED PRE SS
NEW YORK — The Weather Channel plans to tally at least 188 consecutive live hours on Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath into this weekend — and the network’s coverage is not just for people fascinated by eye walls and occluded fronts. TWC has distinguished itself with its coverage of the unfolding humanitarian disaster, in no small part because it hasn’t been satisfied with weather forecasting. Its meteorologists are hip-deep in flood waters like reporters at the general news networks, showing rescues and alerting viewers to the worst of the flooding from the record-shattering tropical system. “What I’ve tried to do is not cede the story to anyone else once the forecasting has been done,” said Nora Zimmett, senior
vice president of programming at The Weather Channel. The cable network has covered the story live around the clock since 5 a.m. ET on Friday and plans to continue until 1 a.m. Saturday, if it has wound down by then. Zimmett, a veteran news producer who worked at Fox News Channel during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and was in the control room at CNN when Sandy devastated the New York metropolitan area in 2012, has brought a newswoman’s sensibility as well as personnel from news operations with her when she joined The Weather Channel in 2014. She’s also offered training to staffers who are already fascinated and expert in weather. With the help of Rick
Knabb, former director of the National Hurricane Center, TWC had mentioned the possibility of an epic rain event as early as last Tuesday, she said. That helped the network plan the logistics of deploying people in and around Houston early, at a time rivals were most concerned about where Harvey would make landfall from the Gulf of Mexico. Landfall was significant for people in Rockport, Texas, but Zimmett said she knew the real story of Harvey was likely to be the ensuing floods. Since Paul Goodloe began reporting from Corpus Christi last Thursday, TWC has sent its crew of stars in the weather world — people like Jim Cantore, Stephanie Abrams, Mike Seidel and
Mike Bettes — with its total of 13 crews around the area. Social media has changed the nature of disaster coverage since Katrina and Sandy, Zimmett said. It enables crews to keep on top of developing situations like rising floodwaters and rescues, and sometimes helps the reporters get there before harried public safety officials. She’s embraced the public service role of The Weather Channel in helping people through difficult situations. “Fox News taught me how to do great television,” she said. “CNN taught me how to be a great journalist and The Weather Channel taught me to be a better humanitarian. I have never felt my motives have been more pure.”
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, August 30, 2017 |
A9
BUSINESS
Tech, industrial companies Tribes say pipeline lead stocks back from losses overstates shutdown impact By Marley Jay A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
NEW YORK — North Korea’s latest missile launch jolted the U.S. stock market Tuesday, but major indexes pulled back from those early losses and mostly finished higher as the weakening dollar gave technology and industrial companies a boost. Investors bought bonds, which are traditionally considered safe assets, after North Korea fired a midrange ballistic missile that crossed over northern Japan and fell into the Pacific Ocean. It’s believed to be the first time the country has sent a missile over Japan, and it seemed designed to show that North Korea can back up a threat to target the U.S. territory of Guam. Energy and insurance companies continued to feel the ef-
fects of Tropical Storm Harvey, which is dumping record amounts of rain on the Gulf Coast. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 134 points when the market opened. “It was a double whammy for investors,” said Karyn Cavanaugh, senior market strategist at Voya Investment Strategies. But she said investors are unlikely to sell and remain on the sidelines because much of the global economy is growing in sync. That will help company results. “Buying on the dips is going to continue as long as earnings continue to move forward because investors know the market is going to continue to follow those earnings,” she said. And investors’ fears eased as the day went on. As the dollar declined to two-and-a-half-year lows, companies that do a lot of
business outside the U.S. climbed. A weaker dollar boosts their sales and helps their profits when they are converted back into dollars. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 2.06 points, or 0.1 percent, to 2,446.30. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 56.97 points, or 0.3 percent, 21,865.37. The Nasdaq composite added 18.87 points, or 0.3 percent, to 6,301.89. The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks picked up 1.45 points, or 0.1 percent, to 1,383.68. Still, most of the stocks on the New York Stock Exchange fell. The dollar has weakened in part because a lot of economies in other regions are getting stronger, which boosts their currencies. The dollar is down almost 10 percent in 2017, at its lowest point in more than a year and the euro is at two-year highs.
By Blake Nicholson ASSOCIATED PRE SS
BISMARCK, N.D. — American Indian tribes hoping to persuade a federal judge to turn off the Dakota Access oil pipeline maintain in lastminute court filings that the project’s developer has overstated the potential impacts of a shutdown. Standing Rock Sioux attorney Jan Hasselman and Cheyenne River Sioux attorney Nicole Ducheneaux also argue that Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners brought potential problems on itself by forging ahead with construction despite the uncertainty of final federal approval. ETP “made reckless choices, and it must accept the consequences,” the attorneys wrote in documents filed Monday,
the deadline for arguments imposed by U.S. District Judge James Boasberg in Washington, D.C. The $3.8 billion pipeline began moving North Dakota oil through South Dakota and Iowa to Illinois on June 1, after President Donald Trump pushed for its completion. The Army Corps of Engineers, which permitted the project, had decided to do more environmental study, but dropped that plan after Trump took office. The judge ruled in June that the Corps didn’t adequately consider how an oil spill under Lake Oahe in the Dakotas might affect the Standing Rock Sioux, one of four tribes that have challenged the pipeline in court. He ordered the Corps to reconsider certain areas of its
environmental analysis, and could decide to shut down the 1,200-mile pipeline while this work is done over the next several months. ETP has maintained in court documents that a shutdown would cost it $90 million monthly, and significantly disrupt the broader energy industry as well as state and local government tax revenue. “There is no legitimate basis for arguing that suspending DAPL will cause havoc,” Hasselman and Ducheneaux wrote. “Suspension of DAPL undoubtedly will have some impacts, but they will be more modest and manageable than DAPL contends.” Company spokeswoman Vicki Granado on Monday declined comment, citing the ongoing litigation.
Harvey is pushing gasoline prices higher as oil remains cheap By Thomas Heath WA S H INGT ON P O ST
Gas prices could rise 25 cents a gallon or more for several weeks in some parts of the country as the energy industry climbs out of hurricane Harvey’s epoch rainfall in southeastern Texas. The nation is heading into the busy Labor Day weekend, which marks the end of the summer driving season. The flooding has completely or partially shut down 13 refineries, erasing more than 10 percent - about 2 million barrels a day — of U.S. gasoline production capacity. “Gas prices will go up,” said Patrick DeHaan, a senior petroleum analyst with GasBuddy, which provides retail fuel pricing information. “The national average will rise 5 to 15 cents a gallon over the next two weeks. It’s up a penny already since yesterday. Areas of the Gulf of Mexico will see prices go up between 20 and 35 cents. “ The national average price for a gallon of gasoline measured across 150,000 service stations is $2.38, DeHaan said. Gasoline prices jumped 40 cents in the wake of Hur-
F. Carter Smith / Bloomberg
Vehicles sit while being fueled at a Buc-ees gas station in Texas City, Texas on Aug. 25.
ricane Katrina, which struck New Orleans in 2005. Things could get worse if the storm makes its way east along the Gulf Coast, to New Orleans. The coastal swath from Corpus Christi to New Orleans is one of the most industrialized petroleum regions in the world. One-third of the U.S. refining capacity is based there. “Oil prices are going down, and the kink in the hose is the refinery,” DeHaan said. “If you have no refinery, you got no gasoline, no jet fuel, no diesel fuel.” DeHaan said eight of
those refineries were shut down and another five or so were partially shut down. Refiners still open are running like mad to close the gasoline deficit and the higher prices that come with that demand. Low oil prices and a gasoline shortage create a sweet spot for refiners known in the industry as “the crack spread” - that has widened in the aftermath of Harvey. “If you are a refiner, you are pretty happy,” DeHaan said. “Refiners not affected by Harvey are probably turning out supplies as best they can. They are seeing the high-
est crack spreads of the year.” Before Harvey hit, gasoline prices had been heading lower as they do toward the end of every summer, thanks largely to an over abundance of gasoline stockpiled for summer drivers. That overhang usually gets burned off in early fall, barring a wildcard like a hurricane. “We were cruising into fall with gas prices declining, and the only reason that is interrupted is geopolitical tensions and hurricane season,” DeHaan said. “It’s always a caveat. The eight-ball can’t predict geopolitics
and hurricanes.” The gasoline shortage arrives even though U.S. crude oil production remains near historic highs at more than 9 million barrels of oil a day. That has contributed to a worldwide glut that has tamped down crude prices - and the profits at big oil producers. Lower profits have translated into lower stock prices for oil supermajors such as Chevron, Exxon and BP. Crude oil prices were down slightly Tuesday, hovering around $46 per barrel. The price threatened to go below $40 earlier this summer.
That’s compared to more than $100 per barrel just three years ago. Some of that oil, temporarily at least, has nowhere to go because of the refinery shutdowns. It may be shipped overseas for refining. “While U.S. refining capabilities are currently diminished, overseas refiners can pick up some of the slack,” said Pavel Molchanov, an energy analyst at the investment firm Raymond James. “This is what happened after Katrina in 2005.” Molchanov said the crude oil prices will be unaffected by the hurricane over the long run. “The fear is that oil demand will be weakened,” Mochanov said. “But this is a misconception. Weather-related disruptions such as these are immaterial over the long run for oil market fundamentals.” DeHaan said gasoline prices at the pump will eventually recede, but not before the flood waters tell the full story. “Once we see how much damage there is when the water recedes,” DeHaan said, “that will be directly proportionate to how long prices stay elevated.”
A10 | Wednesday, August 30, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
FROM THE COVER MISSILE From page A1 development of nuclear weapons that could eventually strike the American mainland. Still, a U.S. military strike against North Korea is considered highly unlikely. Even Trump’s own strategic adviser, Steve Bannon, dismissed the threat as a bluff shortly before he was dismissed earlier this month. North Korea has the world’s largest standing army and a massive conventional weapons arsenal that can easily target the South Korean capital of Seoul and its metropolitan area of about 25 million people. While Democrat and Republican presidents have routinely
LAWSUITS From page A1 medical expenses, unless a service member’s health was in jeopardy. The Maryland suit was assigned to U.S. District Judge Marvin J. Garbis, an appointee of President George H. W. Bush. The Seattle case hasn’t been assigned yet. No hearings have been scheduled. “We do not comment on active or pending litigation,” Ninio Fetalvo, a White House spokesman, said in an email seeking comment on the suits. The dispute was triggered by a three-part Tweet by Trump on July 26, in which the president said he needed to reverse his predecessor’s transgender policy to protect military readiness and reduce waste. “After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military,” Trump tweeted. “Our military must be focused on the decisive and overwhelming victory
offered the “all options on the table” formulation, U.S. officials have long assessed that the North would likely respond to any U.S. strike by attacking its southern neighbor or nearby Japan. The result could be a war with mass casualties on both sides. Hundreds of thousands of Americans in Northeast Asia, military and civilians, would be endangered. Despite the heated rhetoric of recent weeks, the U.S. administration has been emphasizing it wants to use economic and diplomatic tactics to pressure North Korea into concessions. Earlier this month, the U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted its toughest sanctions yet on North Korea after it test-
and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you.” The HRC, a gay-rights group, said in its complaint that Trump’s policy was “unsupported by any compelling, important, or even rational justification.” The ACLU’s suit seeks to address each of Trump’s stated concerns, using government-backed studies, an analysis of transgender-related costs and the apparent readiness of several U.S. allies that allow transgender soldiers to serve openly. Trump has inflamed U.S. cultural wars since his election victory, pushing back on his predecessor’s liberal polices and pleasing his conservative base. His executive orders have targeted immigration, while his Justice Department started a review of affirmative action in colleges and joined a suit to halt the spread of gay rights in the workplace. The president’s policy proposals have also hinted at fights over abortion and doctor-assisted suicide.
ed two intercontinental ballistic missiles that put the U.S. mainland in range. The U.S. and its partners have been urging China, the North’s traditional ally and main trading partner, to help in intensifying the pressure. Trump and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan conferred by telephone over the latest missile test, agreeing that North Korea poses “a grave and growing direct threat” to their countries, South Korea and others around the world, according to a White House statement. They vowed to increase pressure on the North. “Japan’s and the U.S. positions are totally at one,” Abe added in a statement, adding
SUPPORT From page A1 agement officials, who are cautioning about a long, difficult road ahead. Brock Long, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, who appeared with Trump, warned, “This recovery is going to be frustrating.” “Recovery is a slow process but rest assured we’re doing everything we can,” Long said. Trump drew cheers as he waved a Texas flag before the Corpus Christi crowd. He told the residents they were “special” and “we love you,” but didn’t directly reference those who had died or
MILITARY From page A1 ing that limits use of roadways. He said weather has limited the use of military helicopters over the past two or three days, so the Guard has instead used boats and ground vehicles to rescue
that Trump expressed his “strong commitment” to defending Japan. The U.N. Security Council was expected to hold an emergency meeting on the North Korean missile launch later Tuesday. The test rattled nerves in the region. Within minutes, residents on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido were alerted on their cellphones, and with loud alarms and an email telling them to stay indoors. Speakers broadcast an alert saying “missile is passing, missile is passing.” The latest tests punctured hopes the tensions might subside after reaching their highest levels in years with Trump’s
“fire and fury” warning and the North’s counterthreat to launch missiles into the sea close to the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam. Trump and his top diplomat, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, went out of their way last week to credit the North’s leader for days of relative restraint. Noting that no missiles had been launched for three weeks, Tillerson had said further restraint could provide a path toward dialogue in the near future. “Kim Jong Un, I respect the fact that I believe he is starting to respect us,” Trump said at a campaign rally. “I respect that fact very much. Respect that fact. And maybe, probably not, but maybe something positive can come about.”
were displaced by the storm’s fury. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters traveling with Trump that his visit was focused on coordination among different levels of government and laying the groundwork for what is expected to be a lengthy recovery effort. “The president wants to be very cautious about making sure that any activity doesn’t disrupt the recovery efforts that are still ongoing,” she said aboard Air Force One shortly before it touched down in Corpus Christi. Trump traveled with first lady Melania Trump and Cabinet secretaries who will play key roles
in the recovery. The president, who wore a black rain slicker with the presidential seal on his chest and a white cap that said “USA,” was briefed in Corpus Christi on relief efforts. He later flew to meet with state officials at the emergency operations center in Austin. Mrs. Trump, who traded in her usual stiletto heels for a pair of white sneakers, wore a black baseball cap that read “FLOTUS,” an acronym for “first lady of the United States.” The Cabinet secretaries were to meet with their Texas counterparts during Trump’s visit. Trump has embraced the role of guiding the nation’s response to Harvey, which made landfall
along the Gulf Coast on Friday night as a Category 4 storm near Corpus Christi, and moved northeast along the Texas coast over Houston. The storm has dumped more than 30 inches of rain in parts of Texas and authorities have rescued thousands of people left stranded by the storm. Trump’s vow of swift action on billions of dollars in disaster aid is at odds with his proposed budget, which would eliminate the program that helps Americans without flood insurance rebuild their homes and cut grants to states that would allow them to take long-term steps to reduce the risk of flooding before disaster strikes.
stranded residents in the Houston area. Besides the additional National Guard troops from other states, there are about 1,000 activeduty military forces in position to provide assistance if called up by civilian authorities, he said. Asked whether Texas authorities recognized
the magnitude of the disaster quickly enough, Witham said, “That’s debatable.” He said in some respects the need was recognized quickly. But the extraordinary amount of rainfall and flooding exceeded what state planners could have foreseen. “So if you’re looking at
an event that only occurs every few hundred years, the planning that would have normally occurred for that probably wasn’t here,” Witham said. “So, in many cases, the request for assistance, not only for the National Guard but federal forces, may not have been anticipated quickly enough.”