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Kamala Harris delivers speech in Houston as her election campaign kicks off

Indira Zaldivar
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Kamala Harris delivers speech in Houston as her election campaign kicks off
Vice President Kamala Harris addressed hundreds of public education staff at the American Federation of Teachers Union convention in Houston on Thursday as her election campaign kicked off.
Credit: Edward Saenz / Que Onda Magazine.

By Indira Zaldivar & Edward Saenz

Houston  (Que Onda Magazine) – Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive new Democratic candidate for the upcoming presidential election, addressed hundreds of public education staff at the American Federation of Teachers Union convention in Houston on Thursday as her election campaign kicked off.

Kamala, immediately endorsed by President Joe Biden after the 81-year-old ended his presidential bid, outlined her campaign points before a crowd of more than 1,500 people at George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston.

“We are not going back,” Harris said in reference to calls to limit freedoms such as book banning, change public education’s curriculum including limiting teacher’s freedoms in the classroom, restricting reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, and more.

“A proud product of public education,” Harris thanked AFT for being the first union to endorse her presidential bid. 

“It is because of Mrs. Wilson and so many teachers like her that I stand before you as vice president of the United States of America,” Harris said. “And that I am running to become president of the United States.”

The vice president condemned “a full-on attack on hard-won, hard-fought freedoms.”

“We want to ban assault weapons, and they want to ban books,” Harris said. “Can you imagine?”

“There are those who are really trying to take us backward,” she warned, referencing the Project 2025 policy agenda that drew boos from the crowd. 

Harris emphasized how this election comes down to choosing between “two very different visions.”

“A country of freedom, compassion and rule of law, or a country of chaos, fear and hate?” she said. 

“The beauty of our democracy is that we each have the power to answer that question when we vote.”

If Harris is successful in her election campaign against former U.S. President Donald Trump, 59-year-old Harris would become the first woman, Indian American, second African American, elected to that position. 

The 2024 U.S. presidential election is set for Tuesday, Nov. 5.

“Our country faces a question,” Harris asked. “What kind of country do we want to live in?”

Boeing finalizes plea deal with DOJ over misleading FAA during 737 MAX evaluation

ABC13 Houston
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Boeing finalizes plea deal with DOJ over misleading FAA during 737 MAX evaluation
This picture taken on November 13, 2023 shows a view of the fuselage and one of the engines of a Boeing 777-9 jetliner aircraft on the tarmac during the 2023 Dubai Airshow at Dubai World Central – Al-Maktoum International Airport in Dubai. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)

The Department of Justice and Boeing have finalized their plea agreement, the manufacturer will plead guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and pay a fine of $243.6 million, according to a court filing.

Boeing will also serve a three-year term of organizational probation; invest $455 million in compliance, quality and safety programs; and the board of directors will meet with the families of victims of the two MAX crashes. An independent compliance monitor will also be appointed.

This is not a done deal until it is approved by US District Judge Reed O’Connor in the Northern District of Texas, who can either approve the deal or reject it.

Picture Alliance/dpa/picture alliance via Getty I

The Boeing company logo (Photo by Patrick Pleul/picture alliance via Getty Images)Picture Alliance/dpa/picture alliance via Getty I

According to court documents, “the plea agreement will not provide Boeing with immunity for any other conduct, including any conduct that may be the subject of any ongoing or future Government investigation of the Company.”

In a statement, Boeing said, “Boeing and the Justice Department have filed a detailed plea agreement in federal court, which is subject to court approval. We will continue to work transparently with our regulators as we take significant actions across Boeing to further strengthen our safety, quality and compliance programs.”

Lawyers representing the families of MAX crash victims have voiced their displeasure to ABC News.

Paul Cassell, who represents 15 MAX crash victim families, said: “The proposed plea has all the problems in it that the families feared it would have. We will file a strong objection to the preferential and “sweetheart” treatment Boeing is receiving within seven days with Judge O’Connor. We will strongly urge him to reject this proposed plea.”

Mark Lindquist, who also represents victim families, said: “Most importantly this plea agreement fails to acknowledge that the charged crime of Conspiracy to Defraud caused the death of 346 people. This is a sore spot for victim families who want accountability and acknowledgment.

Boeing was accused of misleading the FAA about aspects of the Max before the agency certified the plane for flight. Boeing did not tell airlines and pilots about the new software system, called MCAS, that could turn the plane’s nose down without input from pilots if a sensor detected that the plane might go into an aerodynamic stall.

Max planes crashed in 2018 in Indonesia and 2019 in Ethiopia after a faulty reading from the sensor pushed the nose down and pilots were unable to regain control. After the second crash, Max jets were grounded worldwide until the company redesigned MCAS to make it less powerful and to use signals from two sensors, not just one.

Court reporter says she filed judicial complaint against Judge Kelli Johnson after DWI arrest

ABC13 Houston
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Court reporter says she filed judicial complaint against Judge Kelli Johnson after DWI arrest

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Harris County District Judge Kelli Johnson’s court reporter, Gail A. Rolen, says she’s filed a judicial complaint following months of troubling behavior.

Rolen told Eyewitness News on Wednesday that she filed the complaint on July 11 because of a “significant decline in Judge Johnson’s behavior,” which she said predates her highly publicized April traffic stop and June DWI arrest.

Rolen has been Johnson’s official reporter for the 178th District Court since January 2017 and was there for high-profile trials, including that of A.J. Armstrong.

The complaint comes weeks after Johnson was arrested on a DWI charge when she reportedly admitted that she was on duloxetine, an antidepressant.

Records state the officer determined her to be under the influence of a controlled substance based on her slow movements, emotionless demeanor, and dilated pupils.

As ABC13 first reported, Johnson was absent from the 178th District Court for most of May.

Amanda Cain, communications director for the Administrative Office of the District Courts, initially told ABC13, “No comment,” when asked about the judge’s absence. Nine days later, though, she said, “Judge Johnson is out for personal matters.”

ABC13 broke the story of Judge Johnson’s April traffic stop in which Harris County deputies said they suspected her of DWI.

Although she failed parts of a field sobriety test in a dash camera video obtained exclusively by Eyewitness News, deputies determined she had passed enough of the test. Johnson was let go with a warning for speeding.

Rolen’s full statement to Eyewitness News can be read below:

“Since January of 2024 there has been a significant decline in Judge Johnson’s behavior both professionally and personally in and out of court.

Many professionals have been involved due to the nature of her actions and behavior. However, due to an ethical duty to protect the integrity of the judicial system, attorneys and their clients, as well as the public who elected her, I felt I had no alternative but to file a judicial complaint outlining the specifics of her conduct before the traffic stop and June arrest.

Her troubling behavior is ongoing, which has resulted in me filing FMLA to protect my job, until, or if, action will be taken by the Judicial Commission.”

ABC13 asked Johnson about the judicial complaint Wednesday.

“I have lots of comments, but I’m not gonna talk to Channel 13,” she responded.

ABC13 also reached out to the administrative judge, but she said she has no comment.

Kamala Harris in Houston on Thursday to speak at teachers union convention

Que Onda Editorial
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Kamala Harris in Houston on Thursday to speak at teachers union convention

Vice President Kamala Harris, who quickly has become the Democratic party’s presumptive nominee for president, will make a campaign stop in Houston on Thursday.

A White House statement says Harris will be in Houston to serve as the keynote speaker at the American Federation of Teachers national convention. Delegates for the teachers’ union voted Monday to endorse Harris’ bid to succeed President Joe Biden and become the first woman and second African American to serve as president of the United States.

Harris last visited Houston in November and was in Dallas earlier this month to deliver a keynote speech at an Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority event.

The 81-year-old Biden announced Sunday he was ending his reelection bid after a poor debate performance against former President Donald Trump, the 78-year-old Republican nominee, and mounting pressure from fellow Democrats. Biden immediately endorsed Harris to be his successor, and the 59-year-old vice president has since rallied support from across the country.

Texas delegates to the Democratic National Convention, scheduled for next month in Chicago, voted Monday night to support Harris. So have delegates from other populous states, with a survey from the Associated Press showing Harris has secured enough support from party delegates to become its presidential nominee.

Delegates still have the option to vote for another Democratic candidate during next month’s convention, according to the AP.

Harris also has been endorsed by the Texas House Democratic Caucus, which includes state lawmakers from the Houston area.

Political scientist Cassandra Khatri of Lone Star College-University Park says the address could help her shore up support with unions ahead of the Democratic National Convention.

“Going towards unions is, especially teachers’ unions, is something that is pretty traditional for Democratic politics, and it helps sort of mobilize voters and consolidate power across the country,’” Khatri said. 

Khatri says Harris is also likely to use her visit to meet with state and local Democratic leaders to gauge the groundwork laid by President Biden’s campaign.

“It’s more about shoring up the support of interest groups that would help her to go a long way to being successful at actually clinching the nomination once the convention is held.”

Gen Z is ‘coconuts’ for Kamala: Experts explain how social media could impact 2024 election

ABC13 Houston
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Gen Z is ‘coconuts’ for Kamala: Experts explain how social media could impact 2024 election

SAN FRANCISCO — Young voters are keeping up with political news on social media and the emergence of Vice President Kamala Harris as a likely presidential nominee is generating memes and references that are going viral.

Marianna Pecora is the communications director for Voters of Tomorrow, a Gen Z-led organization reaching out to young voters on social media where Vice President Kamala Harris so far appears to be trending after pop artist Charli XCX called Harris the embodiment of “brat” spirit. “Brat” is the title of her latest album, hailed as a soundtrack for young feminists.

The campaign’s Instagram account is on theme, with Brat neon green.

MORE: ‘Kamala IS brat’: How Kamala Harris’ campaign is embracing the memes

“If this idea of brat wasn’t something people could see in her, it wouldn’t have become an Internet sensation right?” Pecora said. “That same part of her that can go up on a stage with the anecdote about falling out of a coconut tree and giggling about it in the middle of a speech, that energy, that willingness to do that is what makes her brat.”

Harris gave the speech last year referencing what her mother used to tell her. Harris said, “I don’t know what’s wrong with you young people. You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?”

“The fact that these memes are getting such positive engagement right now means this is a conversation young people are going to be having with each other,” Pecora said.

MORE: Beyoncé gives Kamala Harris permission to use her song ‘Freedom’ for presidential campaign

That’s backed up by political science professor Melinda Jackson at San Jose State University. She said, “I think social media is definitely the primary source of most information, including political information for Gen Z. I think the smart thing for the Harris campaign to do is get some young Gen Z folks to be working the social media channels.”

Jackson also thinks the misinformation circulating on social media puts the responsibility on users to filter out fake news. “We are making more of an effort here at the college level and I think this is happening in high schools as well, to talk about how to verify information, how to fact, check, how to distinguish good information from bad,” Jackson said.

This newfound enthusiasm online could translate to voter turnout.

Several people arrested, taken to NRG facility as part of FBI operation in Houston, officials say

ABC13 Houston
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Several people arrested, taken to NRG facility as part of FBI operation in Houston, officials say

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — FBI Houston announced Wednesday morning that several people were in custody at an NRG facility as part of a federal investigation.

The agency said it’s leading the operation targeting numerous alleged criminals throughout Houston and Harris County.

Authorities did not tell ABC13 what the operation was about but confirmed those arrested and taken to NRG were from that investigation.

FBI agents partnered with Houston police officers, Harris County sheriff’s deputies, U.S. Marshals Service deputies, and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers to conduct the arrests at multiple locations. FBI tactical teams from New Orleans and San Antonio also assisted.

Officials said there is no threat to public safety, adding that more information will be released soon.

Kamala Harris is coming to Houston on Thursday

Indira Zaldivar
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0
Kamala Harris is coming to Houston on Thursday

By Indira Zaldivar & Edward Saenz

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic party’s likely new nominee for president, will be in Houston on Thursday.

Harris will be in Houston to speak at the American Federation of Teachers national convention, according to a White House statement. Delegates for the teachers’ union voted Monday to endorse Harris’ bid to succeed President Joe Biden and become the first woman, first Asian American, and second African American to serve as president of the United States.

Harris last visited Houston in November for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and was in other Texas cities earlier this month.

President Joe Biden announced Sunday he was ending his reelection bid after a poor debate performance against former President Donald Trump, the 78-year-old Republican nominee, and mounting pressure from fellow Democrats. The 81-year-old Biden immediately endorsed 59-year-old Harris to be his successor, who’s quickly rallied support across the country and from local officials like Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, the Texas House Democratic Caucus, former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, and more. 

Texas delegates to the Democratic National Convention, scheduled for next month in Chicago, voted Monday night to support Harris. In addition, Harris has secured enough support from party delegates to become its presidential nominee, according to a survey by the Associated Press. 

However, delegates may still vote for another Democratic candidate during next month’s convention, according to AP.

4 years ago, Brittany Guidry was shot to death: Crime Stoppers, HPD offer $5000 for information on her killer

Indira Zaldivar
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4 years ago, Brittany Guidry was shot to death: Crime Stoppers, HPD offer $5000 for information on her killer
Brittany Guidry’s uncle Ronald Love, speaks at a press conference on July 23 joined by Brittany’s family to ask for public’s help in identifying Guidry’s killer. Photo by Indira Zaldivar / Que Onda Magazine.

By Indira Zaldivar & Edward Saenz

Crime Stoppers and HPD need the public’s help in identifying the suspect who shot 25-year-old Brittany Guidry, more than four years ago. 

Those who provide information may receive up to $5,000 cash for information leading to the charge and arrest of the suspect, believed to be a Black male in his 20s. 

“It must be very hard for you to walk around every day,” Juana Johnson said to her daughter’s killer during the July 23 press conference in the Crime Stoppers Building.

“Anything you do wrong; it does come back.”

The crime happened on Wednesday, April 22, 2020, at approximately 12:00 p.m., Brittany Guidry and another individual were shot in the 7400 block of Calhoun Road in Houston, Texas. 

Guidry and the other victim were inside of a parked vehicle in front of a convenience store. 

An unknown Black man approached the driver’s side of the vehicle and opened fire shooting Guidry multiple times, and the other victim in the leg. Unfortunately, Guidry died on the scene. 

The suspect fled in an unknown vehicle in an unknown direction of travel. 

“Brittany Rena Guidry, my cousin, my first best friend, my sister, I could write a book on the kind of person she was,” said Brittany’s cousin, Teara Ketchum-Rouse during the press conference on July 23. 

“It’s been four years and three months since she was violently taken from us. That’s 1,550 days that the person responsible has been able to walk around freely and enjoy four years worth of holidays with their family and friends while we are stuck with the memories.” 

Tips may be reported anonymously in three ways.

Man indicted for allegedly importing 2 tons of chemicals from China to make fentanyl-laced pills

ABC13 Houston
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Man indicted for allegedly importing 2 tons of chemicals from China to make fentanyl-laced pills

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Federal officials said their agents took down the man leading one of the largest drug operations in the history of the United States, hailing it as a big step forward in the fight against fentanyl.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas announced during a press conference Monday afternoon that Minsu Fang, 48, was indicted on July 17 for four counts of conspiracy to import, export, and manufacture fentanyl.

According to federal charging documents, Fang and his associates sent raw materials used to make fentanyl from China to the United States. The fentanyl precursors eventually ended up in Mexico, where they would be made into laced pills and then sent back to the U.S. for sale and distribution.

Investigators said Fang and his co-conspirators avoided law enforcement interdiction by mislabeling packages, lying about the contents, and mixing them with other products. As a result, the shipments were allegedly admitted into the U.S. without a detailed inspection of the individual contents.

Between August and October of 2023, federal officials said agents seized approximately 100 shipments in Laredo, Texas, containing more than two tons of raw materials, enough to make millions of pills. Fang was arrested in New York on June 19 on an arrest warrant.

U.S. Attorney Alamdar Hamdani said it’s possible drugs manufactured by Fang’s team could have ended up in Houston but emphasized that there was no way for them to know for sure. Their goal is to encourage parents to have a conversation with their children about the dangers of fentanyl.

“You’ve got children who think they’re taking Percocet, Oxycodone, or Adderall. They have no idea that those pills are laced with fentanyl because a friend gave it to them. What ends up happening is those kids don’t wake up the next day. Our plea to parents is that one pill shouldn’t be a death sentence. This is part of trying to cut that out,” Hamdani said.

Fang, a Chinese national, is scheduled to appear before a U.S. magistrate Tuesday morning. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison on each count of conviction and a $10 million fine.

Kamala Harris wins enough support to clinch Democratic nomination

Que Onda Editorial
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Kamala Harris wins enough support to clinch Democratic nomination

Vice-President Kamala Harris has secured the support of a majority of Democratic delegates to become the party’s nominee for president.

A survey by the Associated Press on Monday evening said she had received the endorsement of more than the 1,976 delegates needed to win the nomination in the first round of voting.

That means Ms Harris is on course to be crowned the party’s standard bearer and take on Republican Donald Trump in November’s presidential election.

It becomes official when party delegates hold a roll call vote ahead of next month’s Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago.

Delegates are people who are selected to represent their electoral area. Their pledges of support are non-binding until the vote but unlikely to change.

No-one has publicly stepped forward to challenge Ms Harris since President Joe Biden left the race on Sunday.

He found himself under mounting pressure from senior members of his party following his stumbling debate performance against Trump.

If the total holds between now and when delegates cast their votes, scheduled to take place from 1-7 August, Ms Harris would formally clinch the party’s nomination. 

The survey by AP is an indication of the groundswell of support for Ms Harris after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race on Sunday.

Since Mr Biden’s announcement, millions of dollars in donations have poured into her campaign and leading Democrats have lined up to support her bid as the Democratic nominee. 

Ms Harris is due to appear in the key swing state of Wisconsin on Tuesday, at a rally in Milwaukee that marks her first campaign event since Mr Biden made his decision and said he was endorsing his deputy.

Meanwhile, Mr Biden will return to the White House after spending a period of time in isolation with a Covid-19 infection. He is due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week, during the other leader’s visit to Washington. 

Ms Harris will meet Mr Netanyahu separately, but an aide of the vice-president told the BBC that a previously-scheduled event meant she would be unable to preside over a planned address by Mr Netanyahu to a joint session of Congress.https://polling.bbc.co.uk/ws/av-embeds/articles/c51ywewzpz2o/p0jczvtg/en-GB/amp#amp=1Video caption, Kamala Harris: ‘I know Donald Trump’s type’

Speaking to staff at her campaign’s headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, on Monday evening, Ms Harris had Trump in her sights.

Referring to her early career as a prosecutor in California who took on predators and fraudsters, she added: “I know Donald Trump’s type.”

She said the Biden-Harris campaign had always been about two different versions of the future of the country – theirs and Trump’s.

“One focuses on the future, the other focuses on the past,” she said. “Donald Trump wants to take our country backwards… we believe in a brighter future that makes room for all Americans.”

She also noted Mr Biden’s accomplishments, saying her time serving as his vice-president was “one of the greatest honours of my life”. 

Before Ms Harris took to the stage, Mr Biden made his first comments since dropping out of the 2024 election via phone call while isolating after contracting Covid-19.

He thanked aides and told them to “embrace” Ms Harris because “she’s the best”. 

“I know yesterday’s news was surprising and hard for you to hear, but it was the right thing to do,” Mr Biden told them. 

He vowed to remain fully engaged in the campaign because democracy was at stake. 

Meanwhile Trump’s new running mate, Senator JD Vance, attacked both Ms Harris and Mr Biden while campaigning in Virginia.

“History will remember Joe Biden as not just a quitter, which he is, but as one of the worst presidents in the history of the United States of America,” he said. 

“But my friends, Kamala Harris is a million times worse and everybody knows it. She signed up for every single one of Joe Biden’s failures, and she lied about his mental capacity to serve as president.”

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