Eye on Politics: Senator Cornyn on the standoff between governments at the border
NORTH TEXAS — Amid the escalating tensions between the State of Texas and the Biden Administration over the southern border, Jack went one-on-one with Senator John Cornyn. In this episode of Eye on Politics (original air date: January 18), we also look ahead to the Republican presidential primary in New Hampshire, and in one of the biggest races in the upcoming Texas primary in March, Jack asked Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, Roland Gutierrez, about the differences between him and frontrunner Colin Allred.
Every week, CBS News Texas political reporter Jack Fink breaks down some of the biggest political stories grabbing headlines in North Texas and beyond. Watch the latest episode of Eye on Politics in the video player above and stream new episodes live every Thursday at 6 p.m. on CBS News Texas.
One On One With Senator John Cornyn
Jack asked Senator John Cornyn about the standoff between the state and federal governments in Eagle Pass. The Texas National Guard isn't allowing U.S. Border Patrol agents into Shelby Park, which sits along the Rio Grande.
Late last week, Mexico told the U.S. that a woman and two children drowned in the Rio Grande near the park an hour earlier, around 8p-m, and that two other migrants were in distress in the same general area. Mexican authorities told the U.S. the two people made their way back to the Mexican side and were rescued. Border Patrol said the Texas National Guard refused to let them into Shelby Park to respond. Cornyn also discussed the negotiations between the Senate and the White House over changing asylum laws as a way to reduce the record number of migrants crossing into Texas and the southern border.
The Senator also correctly predicted Congress would avoid a partial government shutdown this week. Jack also asked him about a case that made national headlines: Kate Cox, a Dallas woman who had to leave the state of Texas, so she could get an abortion.
Watch the full interview here:
Next up: New Hampshire
Former President Donald Trump is hoping for a repeat win this Tuesday in the New Hampshire Republican presidential primary. He had a big victory in the GOP Iowa caucuses Monday, but unlike the Hawkeye State where he enjoyed a 30-percentage point margin over second place, the race in the Granite State is much closer. Trump has a 13.5 percentage point lead over former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who's in second place, 46.8 percent to 33.3 percent. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is far back in third place with 6.0 percent. After Iowa, tech billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson both dropped out. Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie dropped out of the race before the Iowa caucuses.
'Cascading Failures': U.S. Justice Department Report On The Law Enforcement Response To The Deadly Mass Shooting In Uvalde
On Thursday, the U.S. Justice Department released a nearly 600-page report on the botched law enforcement response to the active shooter case at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, where 19 students and two teachers were killed, and 17 others were hurt. The DOJ found 'cascading failures' in leadership, urgency, training, and communication took place on May 24, 2022. The Justice Department also issued 273 recommendations to improve law enforcement response in the future.
Governor Greg Abbott thanked the Justice Department in a statement. "The State of Texas has already adopted and implemented some of the recommendations proposed by the DOJ in this review. We will continue to evaluate all possible means of making our schools safer, and we will carefully review all other recommendations the Department has offered to prevent future tragedies across our state."
One-on-one with Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Roland Gutierrez
One of the biggest races in Texas this year is for U.S. Senate, where Republican incumbent Ted Cruz is seeking his third term.
Nine Democrats are running in the Super Tuesday primary March 5th. We went one-on-one with State Senator Roland Gutierrez of San Antonio, who spoke about the differences he has in policy and style with the frontrunner in the race, North Texas Congressman Colin Allred.
Watch the full interview below:
