Judge Denies Preliminary Injunction for Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott: Your Texas Roundup

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I definitely made lots of trips to Whataburger, and I asked them for extra cups, plastic bags and apple pie containers.”

—Renee Fujii, of Fort Worth, to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. For Halloween, Fujii dressed as “Whatawoman,” like Wonder Woman but with honey butter chicken biscuits. Her costume went viral. Now that there’s a superhero out there spreading the joy of Whataburger, hopefully the haters will be able to appreciate Texas’s obsession with the restaurant, and accept that no fast food joint will ever replace it in our hearts.

BIG NEWS

Back in Action
Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott will likely serve his six-game suspension from the NFL after a federal district judge denied his legal team’s push for a preliminary injunction on Monday, according to the Dallas Morning News. U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla did stay her decision for 24 hours, allowing Elliott’s attorneys to consider their appellate options, but the ruling means Elliott will probably be out of action for a while. If the suspension stands as-is, he’ll miss the upcoming games against the Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Chargers, Washington Redskins, and New York Giants before returning on December 17 for the team’s last three games of the regular season. In her ruling, Failla said, “the NFLPA [NFL Players Association, which is representing Elliott] has failed to demonstrate a substantial question warranting the extraordinary remedy of injunctive relief or a balance of hardships that decidedly weighs in its favor,” according to ESPN. Elliott never faced criminal charges for domestic violence allegations involving a girlfriend in 2016, but the NFL found his actions warranted a suspension in August. Last month, a federal judge in Texas, siding with NFLPA attorneys who claimed the investigation process was unfair to Elliott, issued an injunction blocking the suspension and allowing him to play earlier this season. In early October, Elliott seemed ready to serve his suspension after a federal appeals court ruled in favor of the NFL, before another federal judge allowed a temporary restraining order that held through Monday’s hearing in New York.

MEANWHILE, IN TEXAS

Earning History
The Houston Astros have the chance to win the World Series tonight. According to ESPN, Houston will hand the ball to its postseason ace, Justin Verlander, who has allowed just seven runs and nineteen hits in thirty innings so far in the playoffs, while striking out twenty nine. He’ll face off against the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Rich Hill, who allowed one run and struck out seven over four innings against the Astros in game two. If the Astros win, it will be the franchise’s first-ever World Series title—but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Houston has a 3-2 lead and the Dodgers will look to force a game seven. Although the Astros seem to have the momentum after a thrilling eleven-inning victory on Sunday, it’s been a back-and-forth series so far. One thing is certain: Tonight’s game is a must-watch, even on Halloween.

Big Day
Three former campaign officials for President Donald Trump were indicted on Monday, amid Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. The bombshell news drew only cautious reactions from most of Texas’s congressional delegation, according to the Texas Tribune. “Special counsel’s got his own responsibilities, and it doesn’t involve us,” Senator John Cornyn told the Washington Post. “I think he knows what to do and he’s doing it.” Senator Ted Cruz told the Dallas Morning News that the indictments “are undoubtedly serious” and that he wants to see the “strength of the factual predicate behind them.” He added, “That’s why we have a judicial process. We’ll have to see if the facts back up the charges.” U.S. Representative Joaquin Castro, a San Antonio Democrat and a member of the House Intelligence Committee, called out White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders after she said the indictments “had nothing to do with the president” and suggested the charges were against Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. “Sarah Huckabee Sanders should resign as @PressSec,” Castro tweeted. “She lacks any credibility, outright lies to the American people.” Meanwhile, unnamed Democratic leadership sources told the Tribune that no one is ready to talk about impeachment yet.

Bad Gas
After jacking up prices to take advantage of customers during Hurricane Harvey, some Texas gas stations are now in trouble. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s Consumer Protection Division sent violation notices on Monday to 127 Texas gas stations accused of price gouging, according to the Dallas Morning News, after complaints were made against those that allegedly charged $3.99 or higher per gallon of unleaded gas. “At the outset of Harvey, I made it clear that my office would not tolerate price gouging of vulnerable Texans by any individuals or businesses looking to profit from the hurricane,” Paxton said in a news release. “We’ve given 127 alleged offenders an opportunity to resolve these issues with our office or face possible legal action for violating state law. Our investigation of other businesses into price gouging remains ongoing.” The office received around 5,500 complaints accusing businesses of price gouging during Harvey.