The State of Texas: April 25, 2016

Quote of the Day

“Justice 1, Hollywood 0.”

—Shanna Nugent to reporters outside a Henderson courthouse late on Friday, according to KLTV. Nugent’s grandmother, Marjorie, was murdered by Bernie Tiede in 1999. Since then, Tiede became a sort of cultural icon after getting a somewhat favorable portrayal in a movie about the murder by Richard Linklater. When Tiede was convicted, he was sentenced to life in prison. Tiede was again given life in prison in the re-sentencing trial that ended Friday.

Daily Roundup

BFFs—In a move that seems like a better fit for professional wrestling than democracy, mortal enemies Ted Cruz and John Kasich are teaming up to take down the seemingly unstoppable Donald Trump. But instead of smashing folding chairs over the real estate mogul’s yellow-haired dome, Cruz and Kasich have reached an agreement to cede “certain, strategically chosen” states to each other in an attempt to curtail Trump’s climbing total delegate count ahead of July’s Republican National Convention in Cleveland. According to the Dallas Morning News, the campaigns for both Cruz and Kasich released statements “within minutes” of each other Sunday night outlining the scheme: “Cruz will focus on the Indiana primary on May 3. Kasich will focus on Oregon on May 16 and New Mexico on June 7, and on other western states.” While Cruz and Kasich aren’t exactly exchanging friendship bracelets here, it’s still great to see these guys working together, as things had been pretty nasty between them for a while. Whether the GOP’s incarnation of Thelma and Louise can truly make a dent in Trump’s delegate lead remains to be seen.

Johnny Indicted—According to CBS DFW, Johnny Manziel has been indicted by a Dallas County grand jury on a misdemeanor assault with bodily injury charge. The indictment comes after the grand jury heard evidence regarding allegations of domestic violence made by Manziel’s ex-girlfriend, Colleen Crowley, who told police Manziel attacked her during a car ride, hit her so hard that she ruptured her ear drum, and threatened to kill her and himself. Now, Manziel will face criminal charges related to the alleged incident. This news isn’t particularly surprising considering that it was reported last week that an indictment was likely coming, or if you take a step back and look at the downward-spiral Manziel’s life has taken since he starred as a quarterback for Texas A&M. But it’s still mildly shocking to actually see him fall this far from the “superstar athlete pedestal” at only 23-years-old. Since March, Manziel has lost his job, his agent, and all of his endorsement deals. According to the Dallas Morning News, the district attorney’s office is expected to officially announce the criminal charges against Manziel on Monday.

Name Game—When the Austin school board voted in favor of changing the name of Robert E. Lee Elementary in March and asked the community for recommendations, they likely did so thinking that suggestions (submitted on the school district’s website) for the new name would be a lot less controversial. But nope. The community’s recommendations were released late on Friday, and the leading vote-getters, according to KXAN, are Donald J. Trump Elementary (45 nominations) and Robert E. Lee Elementary (34). But wait, there’s more! “Adolf Hitler School for Friendship and Tolerance” got eight votes, while the following suggested names were also nominated: “Adam Lanza’s School of Fun; Bee Movie; Bleeding Heart Liberal Elementary; Boaty McBoatface Elementary School; Forgetting the Past Dooms You to Repeat It Elementary; Garfunkel; Hypothetical Perfect Person Memorial Elementary School; John Cena Elementary; and Schooly McSchoolerson.” Wow. Of course, those names are too ridiculous to slap on the front of a school (or any other building, really), and the board will eventually get the final say. But it’s clearly a contentious issue—according to KXAN, “security has been increased at the school as a precaution.”