President Donald Trump’s ongoing criticism of four liberal congresswomen of color has sparked chants of “Send her back! Send her back!” during a rally in North Carolina. Trump showered invective Wednesday on Somali-born Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, the only one of the four American citizens not born in the U.S. The congresswomen have called Trump a bully and say he’s dishonoring the office of the president.
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The Pentagon says an additional 2,100 troops will be sent to the U.S.-Mexican border to help with security. Among them are 1,100 active-duty troops who will perform a variety of missions, including aerial surveillance and logistical and administrative support. The Pentagon says the new acting defense secretary, Richard V. Spencer, approved the deployment. Also deploying are 1,000 members of the Texas National Guard.
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If the frequency of calls to 3-1-1 is any indication, Austin’s homeless crisis is not sitting well with a whole lot of people. According to KXAN, the number of 3-1-1 calls made about homeless issues since January almost equals the total number made in all of 2018, with many coming just this month. There were 2830 calls last year. 2737 have been made this year.
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Capital Metro continues to tout an uptick in ridership following an overhaul of the transit network last year. Cap Metro’s numbers show an increase of 4.5-percent since June of last year. While the agency attributes much of that to modifying or adding new routes, the numbers may also be inflated somewhat by the growing number of people and groups who are now allowed to ride buses for free.
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Another longtime Austin mural has been defaced by vandals. Similar the the numerous incidents of vandalism on the iconic “I Love You So Much” mural in South Austin, the equally iconic “Greetings from Austin” mural on the side of Roadhouse Relics was spray painted with the words “Welcome to Austin. Don’t forget to leave.” The graffiti has since been removed.
