The State of Texas: Immigration officials have stopped force-feeding asylum seekers on hunger strike in El Paso​

What Texas is talking about today No Images? [Click here]( [University of Houston: Learn more!]( [Texas Monthly]( February 15, 2019 QUOTE OF THE DAY "Declaring a national emergency would be a lawless act, a gross abuse of the power of the presidency and a desperate attempt to distract from the fact that President Trump broke his core promise to have Mexico pay for his wall." —U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in a joint statement. The Democrats were responding to a White House announcement that President Trump would [declare a national emergency to fund the border wall.]( THE LATEST [Immigration Officials Have Stopped Force-Feeding All Asylum Seekers on Hunger Strike in El Paso ]( ROBERT MOORE In an extraordinary hearing that involved public and private testimony, a federal judge expressed legal support for the practice of force-feeding. [Read more.]( #TMWANDERS READER PHOTOS Photograph by Brandi Graves • [@bngraves]( We love seeing how our readers enjoy Texas. Want to join the fun? Tag your best Texas photos #TMwanders on Instagram, and we'll reach out if yours is chosen! We'll feature a new reader post here each Friday. QUIZ ANSWERS We’ll feature a news quiz every Thursday, with answers posted in Friday’s newsletter. Below are the answers for yesterday’s quiz: 1. In 1982, Beaver Aplin opened his first Buc-ee's in Lake Jackson, Texas. 2. At his first rally in El Paso, President Trump claimed a crowd of 35,000 came to watch him speak, though local officials put the number closer to 12,000. 3. Kacey Musgraves's album Golden Hour sold 141,000 copies, making it the lowest-selling album to win Album of the Year at the Grammys in a decade. 4. Robert Rodriguez was approached by director James Cameron to helm Alita: Battle Angel. 5. One of Selena's final recordings was a collaboration with David Byrne called "God’s Child (Baila Conmigo)." [University of Houston: Learn more!]( OUR TOP STORIES [Buc-ee’s: The Path to World Domination ]( Beaver Aplin built the quirky convenience chain into a Texas empire. Will his tactics translate outside the state? [Read more.]( [Texans Sure Like to Pack Guns in Their Carry-On Bags ]( The TSA would like to remind you not to bring your firearms through the security checkpoint. [Read more.]( [The Best Thing in Texas: A Baker Made Valentines Out of a Canceled Order ]( When life handed Mary Lee of Magnolia Lee Baking dinosaurs, she made dino-valentines. [Read more.]( THE STATE OF TEXAS State of Emergency President Trump is expected to sign a border security deal today before [declaring a national emergency to spend an additional $6.6 billion for the border wall](. The $1.375 billion bipartisan compromise, which passed 82-16 in the U.S. Senate, came in far below the $5.7 billion Trump had originally demanded. And while Trump was keen to avoid another government shutdown by signing the agreement, according to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the president is considering using an executive order to finance the border wall. Under the current agreement, the $1.375 billion cannot be used to build a wall but does allow for other types of barriers. By using his executive authority, Trump could circumvent this regulation by tapping into the budgets of certain Treasury and Defense Department programs to fund the wall. This move has prompted outrage and concerns about presidential overreach among Democrats, including Representative Joaquin Castro of San Antonio, who said Thursday that he was prepared to introduce a measure that would eliminate Trump’s ability to declare an emergency over the wall. Even Republican Senator John Cornyn agreed the declaration may not be the best move for Trump. “I think it’s a dangerous step," he said. "One, because of the precedent it sets. Two, because the president is going to get sued and it won’t succeed in accomplishing his goal, and three, because I think [Speaker Nancy] Pelosi will then introduce a resolution which will pass the House, then come over here and divide Republicans.” Social Media Suit A former Dallas DART officer injured in the 2016 police ambush is [suing Facebook, Twitter, and Google, alleging that the platforms knowingly allowed terrorist networks to operate on their sites]([.]( The lawsuit claims Micah Johnson, the gunman who killed five officers in the attack, was in part radicalized by the terrorist group Hamas and its extremist propaganda online. Jesus Retana and his husband Andrew Moss filed the lawsuit in federal court this week. Their attorney, Keith Altman, has filed several similar lawsuits on behalf of the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting and the victims of the 2015 Paris attacks—the lawsuits have so far been unsuccessful. Altman says the purpose of the lawsuit is to hold Facebook, Twitter, and Google accountable for terrorist content on their platforms, and encourage them to “act reasonably.” Refuge Secured [Five major Rio Grande Valley landmarks will be protected from border fencing]( if President Trump signs the 1,159-page compromise border security bill before midnight tonight. U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar, a Democrat and the only border-area member of the congressional committee, says he added language to the bill in order to protect historic chapel La Lomita, Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, the National Butterfly Center, and a tract of land expected to become a spaceport for Elon Musk’s SpaceX company. “This is a big win for the Rio Grande Valley,” said Cuellar in a statement. “I worked hard to include this language because protecting these ecologically-sensitive areas and ensuring local communities have a say in determining the solutions that work for them is critical.” LONGFORM [Kacey Musgraves Has a Surprise for Nashville ]( SKIP HOLLANDSWORTH The country music provocateur and East Texas native talks growing up, “getting weird” onstage, and taking risks with her new album. [Read more.]( [How Texan Are You? Take the Quiz!]( [How Texan Are You?]( From legendary barbecue to celebrities as big as their home state, Texas is known for its distinct culture and history. Put your Texan-ness to the test and celebrate Texas Independence Day early by taking this quiz created in partnership with Lone Star Beer. How much do you know about our state? [Read More]( [University of Houston: Learn more!]( MORE FROM TEXAS MONTHLY [BBQ News Roundup: Killen Teams Up with Papa John’s, Kiwis Love Houston, and a Texas Legend Lost ]( DANIEL VAUGHN [Could ‘Alita: Battle Angel’ Be Robert Rodriguez’s Return to the A-List? ]( DAN SOLOMON [The Texan Food Diaries: Chef “Hori” Horiuchi, of Houston’s Kata Robata ]( TEXAS MONTHLY [Subscribe to Texas Monthly and save!]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Website]( Texas Monthly PO Box 1569 Austin, TX 78767 Texas Monthly has sent you this alert because you signed up to receive it either online at texasmonthly.com, at the website of one of our business partners, or when you filled out a reader response card. You may opt-out from Texas Monthly newsletters at any time. Please see our Privacy Policy. If you would like to manage which Texas Monthly Editorial newsletters you are receiving, click Preferences, below. To unsubscribe from our Editorial newsletters, click Unsubscribe. 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