Cowboys loss, Barton's political future, Black Friday tips: Your morning news roundup

Good morning. Here is a look at the top headlines as we start the day. [Good morning. Here is a look at the top headlines as we start the day.] November 24,  2017 By Tara Bryant and Holly Rusak Good morning! Here is a look at the top headlines as we start the day. 🌞 Weather: [Mostly sunny and warmer](. High: 76 degrees. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [here](. [Texas Republican Congressman Joe Barton listens as Chuck Dandridge asks questions during a town hall meeting at Mansfield City Hall on April 13. (David Woo/Staff Photographer)]( Texas Republican Congressman Joe Barton listens as Chuck Dandridge asks questions during a town hall meeting at Mansfield City Hall on April 13. (David Woo/Staff Photographer) Politics Texas Rep. Joe Barton might be a victim, but he's also politically vulnerable, strategists say Legally, Republican Texas Rep. Joe Barton might be a victim of a crime after a nude and lewd photo and video of him were posted online this week. Morally, his judgment is up for interpretation. Politically, he might be toast. "It's a very sad story. It's sad to see, potentially, his career end this way. It's sad for him and his family," said Matt Mackowiak, an Austin-based Republican strategist. "But I don't know that this story is over. There's probably a couple more twists and turns here and things we're going to learn. Ultimately, my guess is he's going to retire." But Mackowiak and other political experts say Barton, who has been in Congress for nearly 33 years, [still could survive after getting caught with his pants down.]( As long as he can endure the embarrassment, that is. Previously: Barton said [U.S. Capitol Police have launched an investigation into how a sexually explicit photo]( of him was released online this week. Crime: An eBay label, cat hair and salad dressing [led feds to a woman accused of mailing explosives]( to Gov. Greg Abbott and former President Barack Obama. SPECIAL OFFER [special offer unlimited digital access]( Shopper Daisy Ventura picks up a coffee maker at Kohl's at Medallion Center in Dallas on Thanksgiving. (Jae S. Lee/Staff Photographer) REtail Five tips for Black Friday shopping Thanksgiving Day.  Some shoppers like to head out right after the turkey is eaten. Some wait until the day after Thanksgiving — Black Friday — to snap up savings. And some skip the crowds and settle in front of their computers to click on bargains online. Nowadays, of course, Black Friday is really a week at least. The day itself is still important to retailers; it's still the biggest shopping day of the year, according to ShopperTrak. But it's different. Online sales have blurred it into a full week of heavy promotions. Whatever kind of shopper you are, [here's some advice from retail reporter Maria Halkias who's covered her share of Black Fridays](. Hit the stores: Check out our [2017 holiday gift guide for tech ideas]( for anyone on your list. Shopping weekend: It's “showtime” for [holiday shoppers who will make some retailers stars]( on Black Friday. Thankful: President [Trump doles out food with a side of Thanksgiving praise]( to troops at home and abroad. Everybody loves a parade: [New York delivers with the annual Macy's extravaganza](. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) walks off the field after a 28-6 loss against the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday at AT&T; Stadium. (Ashley Landis/Staff Photographer) Dallas Cowboys Cowboys-Chargers recap: Dallas loses third straight by at least 20 points Philip Rivers threw for 434 yards and three touchdowns in his first Thanksgiving game in the NFL and the Los Angeles Chargers beat the fading Dallas Cowboys 28-6 on Thursday. The defending NFC East champion Cowboys (5-6) [lost their third straight by at least 20 points](, all without star running back Ezekiel Elliott, in a damaging defeat for their fading playoff hopes. Dallas, playing its 50th Thanksgiving game, finally ended a touchdown drought at a team-record 10 quarters on Rod Smith's 2-yard run early in the fourth quarter. Analysis: Staff writer Jon Machota [says the Cowboys’ playoffs hopes are over]( and offers four more thoughts on the loss. Too soon? [Fans called for Tony Romo to come out of retirement to save the Cowboys](. Social media: “They’re trying to find a pulse,” and other [Twitter reactions to the loss](. Advertisement (Smiley N. Pool/Staff Photographer) Photo of the Morning Tom the Tailgate Turkey had photos taken in front of AT&T Stadium before the Dallas Cowboys-Los Angeles Chargers game on Thanksgiving. Around The Site - Crime: A [Texas state trooper was fatally shot]( Thursday afternoon in Freestone County. - Election time: [The Democratic primary for the Dallas County DA hinges on trust](. - Crime: A trucking company owner has been charged in connection with an alleged bribery scheme [involving paying off a Texas trooper for inspection stickers](. - Editorial: The Gainesville State School crisis requires Texas to [consider shuttering the remaining youth lockups](. Finally... Wiping out history City Columnist Robert Wilonsky asks: [Why even have historic districts if Dallas City Hall's just going to raze century-old houses anyway?]( There's a house on Malcolm X Boulevard, in the heart of sunny South Dallas, with a municipal court order tacked to its front entrance. It says what the eye can plainly see: The vacant, apparently abandoned house at 3708 Malcolm X is "dilapidated, substandard, unfit for human habitation." It warns that the house, built in 1892, must be repaired immediately lest it become a pile of splinters, courtesy Dallas City Hall. Despite the decay, the small piles of trash and smell of urine, this house — this 125-year-old house, once occupied by a tinsmith's widow and her dressmaking daughter and horseshoeing son-in-law  — looks salvageable. Drive around the surrounding neighborhoods near Fair Park, and you'll find far worse. I asked Ben Collins, second-in-command in code compliance, how this house in the Wheatley Place Historic District, among all the countless boarded-up structures in the city, got called out for demolition. He said it was because of an anonymous phone call. AdVERTISEMENT 👋 That's all for this morning! For up-to-the-minute news and analysis, check out [DallasNews.com](. 💖 Share the love! If you like this newsletter, please forward this email to a friend and [check out our other newsletters here](. 📧 Do you have feedback? 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