Trump-Cruz rally, Botham Jean lawsuit: Your Tuesday morning roundup

October 23,  2018 By Dom DiFurio and Nataly Keomoungkhoun Good morning! Here is a look at the top headlines as we start the day. 🌥️ Weather: Partly cloudy. High of 69. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [here](. People wait for the start of President Donald Trump's rally in support of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Loren Elliott/Getty Images) Elections Big night for 'Texas Ted' Cruz as Trump leads Houston rally, hits Beto O'Rourke as 'stone cold phony' President Donald Trump and other friends of Sen. Ted Cruz [turned Rep. Beto O'Rourke into a piñata Monday night, revving Texas Republicans to form a firewall for the national party]( -- and block Democrats from transforming Texas into a political extension of California. "Ted's opponent in this race is a stone-cold phony named Robert Francis O'Rourke, sometimes referred to as Beto. And he pretends to be a moderate, but he's actually a radical open borders left-winger," Trump said. "O'Rourke voted against your tax cuts and he went against oil workers. ... O'Rourke supports a socialist takeover of health care. You're going to triple your taxes and it won't be enough." Trump marveled at O'Rourke's "F" rating from the National Rifle Association. "An F means he wants to take away your guns," he said at a noisy, rollicking rally in downtown Houston, with supporters waving red "Make America Proud Again" signs, many in red "Make America Great Again" caps. "If Ted doesn't win, your Second Amendment's going to be in trouble." Over the course of a 76-minute stem-winder on the same day early voting began in Texas, Trump drew cheers for demands for a border wall, boos at mentions of O'Rourke and of the "caravan" of Central American migrants marching through Mexico toward the United States. Also: Justin Nelson held a sparsely attended news conference a block from the attorney general's office. Behind him, [a larger than life-size version of Texas AG Ken Paxton's 2015 mugshot.]( Commentary: A McKinney man is suing Beto O'Rourke's campaign [over unwanted text messages.]( Courts 'When will it stop?': Parents of Botham Jean want lawsuit to focus on better-trained Dallas officers Attorneys for the parents of a 26-year-old man shot and killed in his own apartment by an off-duty Dallas police officer in uniform say [they are close to filing a lawsuit against the city in federal court.]( Although Amber Guyger wasn't on the clock, a court could find the city liable if she used her authority as a police officer when she shot Botham Jean. But the city will certainly argue Guyger acted as a startled resident returning to what she thought was her home. Attorneys Daryl Washington and Lee Merritt, who represent Jean's parents, Allison and Bertrum Jean, said the Dallas Police Department's initial handling of the Sept. 6 shooting shows that Guyger, 30, was treated as a police officer and not an average resident. In Jean's death, much of the focus has been on Guyger's actions, Washington said. But the courts and the public should examine what the Jean's attorneys say is [a lack of training by the department.]( Also: Residents of Austin are being ordered [to boil their tap water]( before drinking after flooding. And: Hoping November will be drier than October? This forecast [may disappoint you](. dallas How $184k in campaign cash took down another public official in Dallas County school-bus scandal A $70 million corruption scandal involving an agency that ran Dallas-area school buses has taken down another public official. This time it's Larry Duncan, former board president of the now-defunct school bus agency and the third public official to plead guilty in connection with the scandal. Duncan pleaded guilty Monday to a single count of tax evasion in connection with payments he received from a Louisiana vendor. The sudden resolution of his case signals [a shift in how federal authorities are approaching public corruption]( after last year's failed prosecution of Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price. Officials say they are being more strategic in what charges to seek, and they are investigating such cases quietly, without the publicity that large raids can bring. Also: A federal judge gave Dallas County [extra time to make court-ordered changes]( to its cash bail system. And: Here are [11 places to get a discount]( with your 'I Voted' sticker in Dallas-Fort Worth. EDITORS' PICKS - Drones: Dallas police hope to be flying drones by 2019 — and [here's why they say you shouldn't be afraid.]( - Feeling lucky: A Dallas single mother joins the numbers who see [Mega Millions drawing as a life changer.]( - Weather: Moisture from Hurricane Willa [will help bring a ‘soaking’]( to Dallas-Fort Worth on Wednesday. - Jobs: A European company [will relocate its U.S. headquarters to San Antonio](, creating nearly 1,500 jobs. - Politics: A Democrat [hopes to flip a Dallas district]( in a Texas House race against a staunch GOP Trump backer. - Crime: A man used [a note that warned 'not to scream']( to rob a check-cashing store in Fort Worth. People walk into the George L. Allen, Sr. Courts Building in Dallas for early voting. (Irwin Thompson/Staff Photographer)  Finally... More than 55,000 Dallas County residents have voted early so far, surpassing last midterm election in 2014 On the first day of early voting in Texas, voters have been showing up to the polls in force, leading to long lines and wait times. [After 7 p.m. Monday, 55,384 ballots had been cast in Dallas County](, according to the county elections department. That surpasses the 29,217 from the first day of early voting for the last midterm election in 2014. The numbers include mail-in ballots. Longer than usual lines were recorded at voting locations across the state. In Dallas County, you can [see how long the wait times are on this map](. 👋 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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