Chad’s Morning Brief: David Dewhurst and Ted Cruz Accuse Each Other of Lying, No VP Pick Yet By Romney, & More
Here is your Morning Brief for the morning of July 17, 2012. Give us your feedback below and tune in to Lubbock’s First News with Chad Hasty for these and many more topics from 6-9 am.
1. Liar? (link)
Both candidates for U.S. Senate are now accusing each other of lying. Ted Cruz will join me at 8:40am this morning to discuss his campaign.
The two Republicans vying for Texas' U.S. Senate seat accused each other of lying about their records Monday on the eve of a debate that could feature even more mudslinging as the bitter campaign roars into its final two weeks.
Tea party favorite and former state Solicitor General Ted Cruz said his opponent, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, lied about his record of cutting taxes while overseeing the Texas Senate since 2003 and accused him of attempting to cover up his past support of a guest worker program for illegal immigrants. Dewhurst countered that Cruz is misstating his legislative record and branded his opponent as a Washington-trained lawyer financed by Beltway insiders.
More fireworks were expected Tuesday at a debate hosted by WFAA in Dallas, when the candidates face off for their second and likely final debate.
What are your thoughts about this race?
2. A Deadly Love Triangle (link)
This story didn't take long to go national. In fact, there will probably be a TV movie about what happened in Lubbock. Unbelievable what some people will do.
Lubbock police have arrested two men in connection with the murder of a local doctor.
48-year-old Dr. Thomas Michael Dixon (left), a plastic surgeon from Amarillo, and 51-year-old David Neal Shepard have been taken into custody.
The two have been arrested in connection with the death of 57-year-old Dr. Joseph Sonnier, who served as the chief pathologist for Covenant Health System.
Sonnier was found dead on July 11th at his home in the 4600 block of 21st Street.
The suspects are in custody in Amarillo, and the Lubbock Police Department is holding a press conference this afternoon with more details.
The arrest warrant states that an interview with one of Sonnier’s coworkers yielded the information that Sonnier had told her that his “girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend would not leave her alone,” and the girlfriend stated that her ex-boyfriend was Dr. Thomas Michael Dixon, who apparently insisted on still seeing her, despite her relationship with Sonnier.
An interview with the roommate of David Neal Shepard allowed police to discover that Shepard had reportedly been watching Dr. Sonnier for weeks, and had texted Dixon multiple times while watching him.
According to the warrant affidavit, Shepard had told the roommate that he had shot Sonnier several times after entering his home through a window, and had been paid three silver bars worth roughly $3,000 each by Dixon. The roommate said he believed that Shepard had attempted to commit suicide around July 13th by cutting his wrists, and was treated by Dixon.
Sadly, this is real life but it's made for TV.
3. Bane vs. Bain (link)
The Democrats are now turning to Batman to help them in November.
This summer's much-anticiapted Hollywood blockbuster, "The Dark Knight Rises," is getting an unusual boost from Democrats and other foes of Mitt Romney who are eager to tie the Gotham crushing villain to the GOP presidential candidate. Their angle: the mask-wearing, "Venom" gas breathing bad guy has a name that sounds just like Romney's former investment firm that President Obama has been blasting as a jobs killer.
"Bane" is the terrorist in the new movie who drives the caped crusader out of semi-retirement in the final Batman movie. Democrats, who believe they have Romney on the ropes over the president's assault on his leadership at Bain Capital, said the comparisons are too rich to ignore.
"It has been observed that movies can reflect the national mood," said Democratic advisor and former Clinton aide Christopher Lehane. "Whether it is spelled Bain and being put out by the Obama campaign or Bane and being out by Hollywood, the narratives are similar: a highly intelligent villain with offshore interests and a past both are seeking to cover up who had a powerful father and is set on pillaging society," he added.
As the Friday release date has neared, liberal blogs were the first to connect Batman's toughest foe with Romney's firm. But now even some conservatives, concerned Romney isn't fighting the Bain attacks hard enough, see a similarity in the epic DC Comics fight and the political campaign.
Conservative commentator Jed Babbin told Secrets, "Now we have the new Batman movie with super-villain Bane, the comic book bad guy who broke the Bat's back. How long will it take for the Obama campaign to link the two, making Romney the man who will break the back of the economy? Romney can't win if he's constantly on the defensive," he said.
Dear Democrats and Republicans, don't screw up this movie by politicizing it. Signed, America.
4. No VP Pick Yet (link)
Remember how the media was buzzing yesterday that Mitt Romney had made his pick for VP? They might have jumped the gun a bit on that.
Mitt Romney hasn’t yet decided on a vice presidential pick, a senior adviser said Monday.
While speculation is swirling that the GOP presidential hopeful is nearing a decision, and a fundraising lottery to win a meeting with the running mate wrapped up Sunday evening, Mr. Romney hasn’t made the choice, senior adviser Eric Fehrnstrom said Monday.
“No decision’s been made on V.P.,” he said.
Let the speculation continue though.
5. Dumb Story of the Morning (link)
A "Gender Neutral" Carrier with no urinals. Hello political correctness.
The U.S. Navy's new class of carriers will be the first to go without urinals, a decision made in part to give the service flexibility in accommodating female sailors, the Navy says.
The change heralded by the Gerald R. Ford class of carriers – starting with the namesake carrier due in late 2015 – is one of a number of new features meant to improve sailors' quality of life and reduce maintenance costs, Capt. Chris Meyer said Wednesday.
Omitting urinals lets the Navy easily switch the designation of any restroom – or head, in naval parlance – from male to female, or vice versa, helping the ship adapt to changing crew compositions over time, Meyer said.
The Navy could designate a urinal-fitted area to women, of course, but the urinals would be a waste of space. Making the areas more gender-neutral is a relatively new consideration for the service, with most of its current carriers commissioned before it began deploying women on combat ships in 1994.
Guests Appearing on Today’s LFN:
8:40am: US Senate Candidate Ted Cruz
Other Top Stories:
These and many more topics coming up on today’s edition of Lubbock’s First News with Chad Hasty. Tune in mornings 6-9am on News/Talk 790 KFYO, streaming online at kfyo.com, and now on your iPhone and Android device with the radioPup App. All guest interviews can be heard online in our podcast section after the show at kfyo.com.
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