Dallas motorcycle officer killed, Jeffers defends Trump, heat wave rolls on: Your weekend roundup

July 22,  2018 By Holly Rusak and Wayne Carter Good morning! Here is a look at the top headlines of the weekend so far. 🌞 Weather: So hot. So very very hot. High: 108 degrees. Partly cloudy. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [here](. Dallas police officers, joined by Chief U. Renee Hall (at right) salute as they transport the body of Senior Cpl. Earl Jamie Givens, who was killed early Saturday when his motorcycle was struck by an SUV on Interstate 20. (Nathan Hunsinger/Staff Photographer) fallen officer Motorcycle officer dies in crash with DWI suspect on I-20 in southeast Dallas A 32-year [Dallas police veteran was killed by a drunken driving suspect]( early Saturday while accompanying the funeral escort of a fellow officer on Interstate 20. Senior Cpl. Earl "Jamie" Givens, 55, was blocking the ramp at Bonnie View Road in southeast Dallas with his emergency lights on about 6 a.m. when a Kia Sportage hit him at high speed and then crashed into the concrete wall dividing the highway. The SUV's 25-year-old driver was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. He was not identified. He was taken to Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. "We stand here today with our hearts broken," Chief U. Renee Hall said outside Baylor hospital following the police escort. 'It's too much': Motorcycle officer's death leaves [a shrinking Dallas force strained by grief and stress.]( Hazardous duty: In a high-risk profession, police 'motor jocks' [are especially vulnerable.]( Politics Robert Jeffress defends Trump compares him to 'known womanizer' Reagan Rev. Robert Jeffress went on Fox News Friday night to defend President Donald Trump amid the news that the president's longtime lawyer, Michael Cohen, recorded him discussing payment of a Playboy model. [The First Baptist Dallas senior pastor compared Trump to Ronald Reagan](, pointing out how evangelicals in 1980 chose to support him even though Reagan was twice-married and a "known womanizer." "The reason we supported President Reagan was not because we supporting womanizing or divorce," Jeffress told Fox News' Ed Henry. "We supported his policies." The pastor said the same is true today for Trump: evangelicals choose to support him despite knowing less-than-holy details from his past. "We're not under any illusion that we were voting for an altar boy when we voted for President Trump. We knew about his past," he said. "And by the way, none of us has a perfect past. We voted for him because of his policies." Who is Robert Jeffress? [A guide to the Dallas pastor's controversies](. Commentary: What Americans don’t understand [about Russia, Putin and the U.S. relationship.]( Weather 'Life-threatening heat' keeps hospitals and paramedics busy across D-FW [Hospitals and paramedics are treating an especially high number of heat-related illnesses]( as triple-digit temperatures set records across Dallas-Fort Worth. "This is life-threatening heat," MedStar spokesman Matt Zavadsky said, "even for a hearty North Texan." Ambulances responded to 19 heat-related calls Thursday, nearly topping the 2011 record of 22 such calls in one day. Hospitals are feeling the strain, too. On two days this week, Texas Health Resources saw more patients with heat-related illnesses than on any single day from the previous two years. But whhhyy? [Here's why it's hotter than hell in Texas]( for the foreseeable future. Read more: How and where to [stay safe as summer temperatures soar](. Advertisement (Louis DeLuca/Staff Photographer) Photo of the WEEKEND The electronic sign at Prince of Peace Lutheran School in Carrollton displays a temperature of 113 degrees at 6 p.m. Saturday. The official high for the day was "only" 109, but that still was a record, and [tomorrow's high is expected to set a record as well]( as the 100-degree heat wave rolls on. OPINION ROUNDUP - Editorial: On race, racism and economic success, ["Nothing can be changed unless it is faced."]( - Commentary: How do you learn to be a father [if you didn’t have one](? - Editorial: Your sidewalk [is more important than you think.]( - Commentary: [Did we win the War on Poverty?]( - Editorial: It is possible to eradicate malaria, [if we remain engaged in global health initiatives.]( - Commentary: If NAFTA is so great, [how come it's under siege?]( Around The Site - Do not enter: [As raw sewage pours into Tenmile Creek in DeSoto](, residents are warned to stay away. - Fatal accident: Cyclists mourning the hit-and-run death of a friend said that the [road to safer bikeways lies in paths and laws already on the table](. - Convicted: Anthony Paz Torres, [a murderer with anti-Muslim vendetta](, was convicted Friday in a Dallas tire shop shooting. - "Let us play": Dallas Wings All-Star Liz Cambage [sounds off on WNBA officiating.]( - Concert reviews: Big shows this weekend from [Niall Horan]( and [Sam Smith](. Finally... Star IBM inventor fears emails can be brutal, so she built a tool to fix it Romelia Flores is one of IBM’s top technologists worldwide. The 57-year-old distinguished engineer and master inventor of IBM Corp. holds 38 patents, including several “high-value patents” that have had a sustained impact on IBM’s revenue stream. She has another 30 patents pending. "Email can be brutal and very impersonal," she says. [So she came up with what she calls a "tone analyzer."]( "So before I hit send on my email, it flags to me, 'Hey, Romelia, you didn't put any courtesy verbiage at the front,' or 'Gee, Romelia, you were pretty direct at giving orders, so you might want to add a please here.' " 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? Send your thoughts, questions, praise and corrections to [newsletter-feedback@dallasnews.com](mailto:newsletter-feedback@dallasnews.com?subject=). STAY CONNECTED WITH US  [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Twitter]( [LinkedIn]( [Tumblr]( [Google]( [Reddit](  [OTHER NEWSLETTERS]( [SUBSCRIPTION OPTIONS]( [Unsubscribe](  |  [Manage Preferences](  |  [Privacy Policy](  |  [Contact](  |  [Advertise]( You received this message because you signed up for this Dallas Morning News newsletter or it was forwarded to you. Copyright 2018 - [The Dallas Morning News]( | [1954 Commerce St., Dallas, TX 75201](#)