The State of Texas: Terrorist Attack In France Kills Texas Father And Young Son

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Don’t eat your weed.”

—Waco lawyers Will Hutson and Chris Harris in a musical public service announcement, according to the Houston Chronicle. The two lawyers croon legal advice while strumming acoustic guitars to remind you that if you’re caught with weed, it’s a more serious offense if you try to conceal it. Or digest it, we guess.

BIG NEWS

The police look for evidence near a truck on the Promenade des Anglais on July 15, 2016 in Nice, France. An attack in Nice where a man rammed a truck into a crowd of people left 84 dead.Patrick Aventurier/Getty

Texans Killed In Nice
A father and son from Lakeway were killed in an attack in Nice, France yesterday. According to the Austin American-Statesman, 51-year-old Sean Copeland and his 11-year-old son, Brodie, were among the victims killed when a truck drove into a massive crowd gathered to celebrate France’s national Bastille Day holiday. At least 84 people were killed in what France’s president has called a terrorist attack, according to Agence France-Press. Reuters reports that U.S. officials have confirmed that two of the victims are American, and the family of the Copelands said on social media that Sean and Brodie had died. The Copelands were on vacation in Europe and were celebrating the birthday of a relative in Nice when tragedy struck. Sean Copeland worked for technology company Lexmark Corporation. Brodie played little league baseball. “We are heartbroken and in shock over the loss of Brodie Copeland, an amazing son and brother who lit up our lives, and Sean Copeland, a wonderful husband and father,” the Copeland family said in a statement. “They are so loved.” Details are still emerging about what happened in the coastal French city last night, but it appears as though one man drove the truck through a dense crowd before he stopped, brandished a gun, and was shot and killed by police. The man has not yet been officially identified. The attack was similar in nature to previous terrorist attacks in Paris, for which the Islamic State claimed responsibility. According to the New York Times, ISIS has yet to make any official claims for the Nice attack.

MEANWHILE, IN TEXAS

Texas-Style Town Hall
During a nationally televised town hall discussion on race and policing on Thursday, organized by ABC and featuring President Barack Obama, a few Texans were among the speakers selected to ask the president questions. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick asked Obama to reiterate his support of law enforcement and to turn the White House blue. Patrick also cautioned the president to think before he speaks. “Words matter, your words matter,” Patrick said, according to the Dallas Morning News. “…I would ask you to consider being careful when there is an incident of not being too quick to condemn the police without due process and until the facts are known.” This advice, remember, came from the same man who made national headlines by calling protesters in Dallas “hypocrites” for seeking protection from the police during the sniper attack last week, before walking those comments back and saying it was “maybe the wrong choice of words.” Obama responded by saying that he has always condemned hateful rhetoric toward police, and has always called for due process. “So I appreciate the sentiment,” Obama added, according to the Texas Tribune. “I think it’s already been expressed. But I’ll be happy to send it to you in case you missed it.” The twelve-year-old son of a Dallas woman injured during the sniper ambush also spoke, telling President Obama that he hopes to be a police officer one day.

Pokemon D’oh!
People all over the country are a little obsessed with Pokemon Go, a new smart phone app which, as Vox explains, “uses your phone’s GPS and clock to detect where and when you are in the game and make Pokémon ‘appear’ around you (on your phone screen) so you can go and catch them.” Problem is, the game is so fun that it can be a little distracting. Pokemon Go players have stumbled over dead bodies, been robbed and wandered off of cliffs, and North Texans seem particularly vulnerable to the dangers of the game. According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, an eighteen-year-old was bitten by a venomous snake in Flower Mound because he was too busy concentrating on the game to notice that he was about to step on what is believed to have been a copperhead. The teen “saw something on the walkway in his peripheral vision and thought he was perhaps stepping on a stick—until it bit him on the right big toe,” writes the Star-Telegram. He’ll be fine. Meanwhile, the Dallas Observer reported that a Garland man was beaten and robbed while playing the game. According to the Star-Telegram, helipads at hospitals in Denton and McKinney have for some reason become “hotspots” for Pokemon Go players, prompting hospital officials to ask folks to please stay away.

Speak No Evil
Senator Ted Cruz has been conspicuously silent as his Republican supporters try to move-and-shake their way to free up Republican delegates, an attempted coup that, they hope, would keep Donald Trump from earning the party’s presidential nomination during the Republican National Convention, which officially kicks off next week. According to the Associated Press, Cruz’s refusal to call off the dogs in their attempt to unbind delegates from voting for Trump has “irked Trump allies and Republican leaders alike.” It’s a weird spot for Cruz, considering Trump is both his mortal enemy and the guy who asked him to speak on his behalf at the convention. And whatever Cruz may want—deep in his heart—to say, Trump reportedly has the right to approve and re-write his remarks. Alas, the minor revolt was ruthlessly squashed by way of vote, according to the New York Times. The standoff is over, and the delegates whose state primaries went to Trump must also vote for Trump in Cleveland, all but guaranteeing him the party’s nomination. But the awkwardness between Cruz and Trump will undoubtedly continue.