Cruz and Cornyn slam Kavanaugh hearing, mistrial declared for Mesquite cop: Your Friday morning roundup

September 28,  2018 By Dom DiFurio and Carla Solórzano Good morning! Here is a look at the top headlines as we start the day. 🌤️Weather: Mostly sunny skies. High 84 degrees. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [here](. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz deferred to a GOP-hired attorney during questioning of Christine Blasey Ford and Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. (Tom Williams/AP) politics Cruz calls Kavanaugh hearing 'shameful.' Cornyn says worst embarrassment for Senate since McCarthy hearings Texas Sen. Ted Cruz [called Thursday's confirmation hearing for Judge Brett Kavanaugh "shameful"]( and defended the judge against sexual assault allegations from three decades ago that he characterized as a political smear. "This has been one of the most shameful chapters in the history of the United States Senate," he said, accusing Democrats of a "profoundly unfair process" by sitting on the allegations for months. And Texas's other senator, John Cornyn, said the hearing was the Senate's worst embarrassment since the red scare era of the Cold War. "I can’t think of a more embarrassing scandal for the United States Senate since the McCarthy hearings," Cornyn said. "When the comment was about the cruelty of the process toward the people involved, and the question was asked, 'Have you no sense of decency?' And I’m afraid we’ve lost that, at least for the time being." Editorial: [Give the FBI 72 hours](, then move on the Kavanaugh confirmation. Commentary: Christine Blasey Ford's [testimony changed everything and nothing](. courts & crime Judge declares mistrial for Mesquite cop who shot man he mistook for burglar A Dallas County judge [declared a mistrial Thursday in the case of a former Mesquite police officer who shot an unarmed man twice]( in the back last November. Derick Wiley, 36, was charged with aggravated assault by a public servant. He shot Lyndo Jones after mistaking him for a burglar. A Dallas County jury deliberated for nearly 10 hours before telling Judge Carter Thompson on Thursday afternoon that they were hopelessly deadlocked on a verdict in the Nov. 8 shooting. Meanwhile: A Tarrant County CPS caseworker [is accused of seeking out kids online for sex](. And: [A man was shot during a high school football game]( at Hebron High School, Carrollton police said. state fair Will high school football games and opening weekend of the State Fair be safe from rain? For the first time in three weeks, Dallas-Fort Worth won’t kick off its weekend with rain — [but the chance of storms will increase before it's over](. And though North Texans enjoyed lower temperatures Wednesday and Thursday, the fall feeling will not last into the weekend. “While these 36 hours or so are a nice glimpse of fall, the north winds and cooler, drier air are not here to stay,” said Matthew Stalley, a National Weather Service meteorologist. Also: Why is it [so wrong to put ketchup on your State Fair corny dog](? Asking for a friend. And: A Dallas bar [is joining the State Fair frenzy]( with Corn Dog cocktails and Cotton Candy Old-Fashioned drinks. (Michael Hogue / Staff Artist) 2018 ELECTION 11 days left until the Oct. 9 deadline to participate in the Nov. 6 elections The stakes are high for Democrats and Republicans as Texans head to the polls in November to decide this year’s midterm elections. Do your part to have a say in what happens next in your town, your state and your nation. [Find more on the process, what's up for you to consider and if you're eligible with our primer on voting in the midterm elections.]( EDITORS' PICKS - Politics: At the first Senate debate, Beto O'Rourke got details wrong in [his anecdote to illustrate the plight of "Dreamers.](" - Energy: [Used nuclear fuel could pass by downtown Fort Worth]( on its way to a high-level radioactive waste dump in West Texas. - Sports: This Dallas-area kicker [embodies the rise in girls playing high school football](. - Work it out: Southern Fried Circus Fest has classes for [beginning aerialists to experts and everyone in-between](. - Robert Wilonsky: Baker's Ribs is closing for a bank in Deep Ellum, [as 'wildcatters' of old make way for boomtown](. - Weather: [How to protect your lawn from an armyworm invasion]( this wet September. Austin Perine, 4, stopped in Dallas as part of his cross-country tour to help feed and raise awareness for the homeless.  (Shaban Athuman/Staff Photographer) Finally... A 4-year-old superhero in a cape is helping feed homeless in Dallas — and beyond Like many 4-year-olds, Austin Perine regularly dresses as a superhero — red cape, matching sneakers and all. He hums a theme song, pumps his fist into the air and jumps off tall objects. [Austin's superpower? Feeding the homeless, he says.]( The Alabama boy fed more than 300 people Thursday in Dallas on the second stop of a 10-city tour. He's traveling the country with his father, handing out sandwiches along the way. He started filling empty bellies in his Alabama hometown several months ago when he first learned about homelessness while watching a TV program about a panda leaving her cubs. Austin wanted to know where the bear was going.  "I guess she's going to be homeless for a while," T.J. Perine remembers telling his son. 👋 That's all for this morning! For up-to-the-minute news and analysis, check out [DallasNews.com](. Share the love! 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