Shane nahley communications

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz caused a buzz online early Tuesday morning after eagle-eyed Twitter users noticed that his official Twitter account had “liked” a pornographic video posted by an account with handle @SexuallPosts late Monday night. Per Washington Post reporter Ed O’Keefe , Cruz addressed the scandal to reporters Tuesday morning, saying that “a ‘staffing issue’ led to” the account’s “liking” the tweet in question. “Cruz told reporters: ‘There are a number of people on the team who have access to the account. It appears that someone inadvertently hit the ‘like’ button and when we discovered the post… we pulled it down,'” O’Keefe tweeted, quoting Cruz. “‘We’re dealing with it internally but it was a mistake, it was not malicious conduct.'” Continued O’Keefe: “Cruz wouldn’t name the staffer; nor what discipline they might face; it is ‘still being discussed’ whether person will access the account. Cruz quips: If he’d known it would trend so quickly, ‘perhaps we should have … [Read more...] about Ted Cruz: ‘Staffing Issue,’ ‘Mistake’ Led to Porn Tweet Liked by Account

When Donald Trump ’s stumbling campaign blew into Texas for a three-city tour last week, its literature described its second and last rally in the state as an event in Houston, one of the most diverse cities in the United States. But it wasn’t. Trump’s rally was held in The Woodlands, a too-clean and vaguely menacing compound of glass, steel and well-manicured lawns some 35 miles north of Houston’s downtown. Instead of a city council, The Woodlands, founded by George Mitchell, the pioneer of shale fracking, has an executive board. Residents of The Woodlands are more than 92 percent white. It’s easy to see why Trump went there: The few protesters who drove in from out-of-town were easily kept in check by the horse cops providing picket defense for oil company headquarters and chain restaurants. Trump’s rallies and fundraisers in the state were chock-a-block with the color we’ve come to expect. He didn’t make a lot of sense . He said some provocative things . He swore, and … [Read more...] about Trump’s Bigotry Is a Drug to Texas Republicans

A little over a year ago, a mentally ill Dallas-area man named James Lance Boulware, angry over losing custody of his son, bought an armored van on eBay, marketed as a “Zombie Apocalypse Assault Vehicle.” The van had gun ports under each of its blacked-out windows. Just after midnight one Saturday morning, with a few homemade pipe bombs and a semi-automatic rifle in-hand, he drove the van to the headquarters of the Dallas Police Department and started firing at squad cars. Many hours later, the cops, with the aid of specialized weaponry, disabled the van and killed Boulware, spending much of the day dealing with the explosive devices he left behind. One of the strangest things about Boulware’s bizarre and brief reign of terror in Dallas is how little attention it warranted by that Monday. Having happened in the wee hours of the weekend, it fell into a news hole. And Boulware’s failure to successfully shoot any of the police he targeted made it easier for people to shrug it off. … [Read more...] about Texas’ Gun Culture and Politics Made Dallas Shooting Inevitable

A few years ago, as filmmaker Roger Ross Williams contemplated founding his own production company, he experienced a Field of Dreams kind of vision: “If you build it, they will come.” The revelation took place far from the Iowa cornfields of the movie. “I was actually walking by this big, empty office space in Brooklyn,” Williams recalled, “and I thought, ‘Wow, that’s a great office space. I should rent it to start my company.’ I thought that renting the office space would force me to fill it.” Fill it he did, first with edit bays, then with staff. One Story Up has become a thriving enterprise and one of the industry’s few African American-owned production companies. The company name doesn’t refer to a physical location, but to an idea. “I loved the word ‘story’ being in the name and lifting ‘up’. The two things: lifting up filmmakers of color and telling stories,” Williams says. “I said to myself, I need to use the production company as a vehicle for helping … [Read more...] about Roger Ross William’s One Story Up Is A Powerhouse Production Company Giving Hope To BIPOC Talent — Deadline Disruptors

The hard right’s takeover of the Supreme Court is real, and is having real consequences. But despite that leaked decision that would overturn Roe, this takeover isn’t just about abortion, and it’s not just about the Supreme Court. In fact, Trump-appointed judges at all levels of the judiciary are remaking nearly every aspect of American law, from voting rights to environmental regulations, police accountability to LGBTQ and women’s equality. There are also a lot of these judges. In four years, the Trump administration put a record 226 life-tenure federal judges on the bench. And while these judges don’t make the headlines like the Supreme Court does, they are already transforming our country, a little bit at a time. Perhaps most important, they will be there many, many years. Because Trump’s minions chose the youngest cohort of judges in recorded history, some of these people are in their thirties and forties. That means they could still be on the bench in 40, even 50 years — … [Read more...] about MAGA Law: How the Trump Judges Twist U.S. Justice

To begin anew, Harry Styles returned to where he last left things off. The consummate rock star finished the North American leg of his Love On Tour trek at Long Island’s new UBS Arena in November; he was also the first artist to grace the venue’s stage. On the same day he launched his third album Harry’s House , he returned to play the whole new batch of songs in full, and then some. After an afternoon of pouring rain, the thousands of lucky fans who miraculously got the highly sought-after Ticketmaster pre-sale codes to the event entered the sold-out show covered in soaked boa feathers. The weather (and long commute from New York City proper) didn’t dampen the thrilled energy in the crowd. The general admission floor was like a class reunion, with girls in sequins and velvet running around to say hi to each other. The last time they may have met up was likely the last UBS event. Once the well-memorized pre-show playlist ran its course (including an audience-wide … [Read more...] about Harry Styles Brings the Pop to UBS Arena for ‘One Night Only’ Show

Harry Styles knows how to make you feel right at home. Harry’s House , his third and best album, gives a welcoming pop vibe. Harry’s House is a place where he invites you in, sits you down in the kitchen, cooks you pancakes and hash browns, opens a bottle of wine, serves bubblegum and edibles, then whisks you out to the garden to listen to your whole life story. It’s an idyllic place to spend an hour. But the centerpiece of the album is “Matilda,” a real heartbreaker, an acoustic-guitar ballad about someone learning how to build a new life after a traumatic past. It’s a new peak for Harry—one of the most emotionally powerful songs he’s ever done. He wrote “Matilda” with Amy Allen (who also cowrote “Adore You”) along with his trusty collaborators Tyler Johnson and Kid Harpoon. It comes halfway through the album, surrounded by glam-pop gloss—a deep breath of a song. He listens to Matilda tell this painful story, responding, “ You don’t have to be sorry for leaving … [Read more...] about ‘You Can Let It Go’: Why Harry Styles’ ‘Matilda’ Is His Heartbreak Masterpiece