Weather News

Sen. Ted Cruz scuttles back to Texas after getting busted on Cancun getaway

Ted in line at Houston airport with police escort.

Twitter

In the midst of a historically awful winter weather event in which millions of people across Texas were without power, Texas Senator Ted Cruz was caught trying to make a tropical getaway to Cancun.

Cruz and his family were photographed by fellow travelers at the George Bush Airport in Houston on February 17, as well as onboard United Airlines flight #1020.

"The confirmation is from multiple eye witnesses of @tedcruz and @heidicruz in Cancun," noted journalist David Shuster, while Fox News reported that it was true.

According to the New York Times, not only did Cruz and his family make the flight but a member of Cruz's staff contacted the Houston Police Department personnel at George Bush Intercontinental Airport on Wednesday afternoon requesting "assistance upon arrival" — while the city of Houston was gripped by freezing weather.

Cruz's trip caught the attention of Dan Rather, who tweeted "There's an old Texas saying: When the going gets tough, the tough go to Cancun. (No, there actually is no such saying)."

Some wondered whether Cruz's abandoning Texas with 6+ counties declared disaster areas, people freezing, without power, drinking water, burst pipes flooding homes, and dying wasn't cause for a charge of malfeasance.

Cruz was definitely aware of the crisis. On February 16, he tweeted "A blizzard strikes Texas & our state shuts down. Not good."

Cruz criticized Austin Mayor Steve Adler when he went to Cabo in 2020, tweeting that Democrats were "complete and utter hypocrites."

By Februry 18, Cruz was saying he did it for his kids.

"With school canceled for the week, our girls asked us to take a trip with friends," he said. "Wanting to be a good dad, I flew down with them last night and am flying back this afternoon."

However, the flight showed he was on Standby, and a source at United Airlines said that Cruz was originally scheduled to return on Saturday but rebooked his flight back to Houston on Thursday morning at 6 am.

The skeptical comments responding to a theory that he would claim he planned all along to fly back the next day are fun:

CinPA @Cinder_Blue2020
Sure. I always fly to Cancun in the middle of the night, then fly right back the next day.

Andrew Smith @andosmith
Yeah when my family goes on vacation without me I always fly there with them to make sure they get there safely, then fly home. Who doesn't?

Jonathan Cornick @jonathancornick
His wife is a Goldman Sachs executive. Surely she’s been on a plane before?

Mass for Shut-ins (Podcast) @edburmila
Sounds extremely plausible to me, a person who was born an hour ago

Rachel Barkow @RachelBarkow
He deliberately flew there up and back to burn extra fossil fuel and dunk on the Green New Deal.

Mrs. Betty Bowers @BettyBowers
"The enormous roller bag was for Mr. Cruz's one pair of fresh underwear and the enormous duffle bag was for his toothbrush."

b-boy bouiebaisse @jbouie
who among us doesn’t immediately blame our kids when we get roasted for a bad decision

"One imagines there will be some reporters waiting for this arrival flight today back in Houston," Shuster tweeted. "Please post photos of Cruz with his tail between his legs. As for Heidi and the kids, enjoy the rest of your Cancun vacation."

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Death Penalty

Tarrant County man gets death for murder of convenience store owner

Tarrant County Sheriff's Office

Christopher Turner

A man received the death penalty for his 2020 cold-blooded execution of a convenience store owner.

According to a release from the office of Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney Phil Sorrells, a Tarrant County jury sentenced Christopher Karon Turner, 48, to death on November 20 for executing convenience store owner Anwar Ali during a robbery. Tarrant County Assistant District Attorneys Charles Boulware and Allenna Bangs represented the state.

On March 27, 2020, at around 6:15 am, Turner, a convicted felon, wore a surgical mask and a glove and entered the Super Big Country Mart in an unincorporated area of Tarrant County south of Fort Worth. There, he held a gun to the back of Anwar Ali, the 62-year-old store owner, and walked him through the store.

Ali did everything Turner demanded, including opening the cash register to give him money. And yet Turner forced Ali into the bathroom and onto his knees, and shot him in the neck. Ali was discovered, dead in the bathroom, about an hour later.

Turner fled the store in Ali's Toyota minivan with the money from the register and Ali's wallet. In the van, he found more than $50,000 cash in a black bag. Over the next few days, Turner went on a shopping spree, buying cars, jewelry, drugs, clothes, and more. He and others used cash and a credit card that belonged to Ali.

Turner fled to Colorado where U.S. Marshals arrested him. On his body they found a firearm which was determined to be the murder weapon.

"This was a premeditated, cold-blooded murder," Boulware told the jury. "From the moment he was charged with this crime, he has tried to escape responsibility."

Bangs noted that before this trial began, Turner obtained the names of jurors and their telephone numbers, and gave them to an inmate charged with murder. At the trial on November 20, as Bangs addressed the jury, Turner tried to hold up a sign to the jury but was handcuffed by Sheriff's deputies who removed him from the courtroom, while he yelled out "she lied."

Ali came to the United States from Pakistan decades ago to pursue the American dream. Ali's son, Hussein, spoke in the courtroom after the death penalty was announced. "Thank you for giving us justice," Ali said. "I hope there are no more devils like this person."