The State of Texas: Is El Paso a reminder of President Trump’s failures?

What Texas is talking about today No Images? [Click here]( [Shop the Texas Monthly General Store!]( [Texas Monthly]( February 11, 2019 QUOTE OF THE DAY "Life is pretty tumultuous right now for all of us, and I feel like because of that, art is really thriving and it’s been really beautiful to see that. Thank you for championing mine." —Album of the Year winner Kacey Musgraves. [The Texas native swept the 2019 Grammy Awards](, winning all four categories she was nominated in, including Best Country Album and Best Country Song. THE LATEST [El Paso Has Been a Reminder of President Trump’s Failures On the Border. Now He’s Campaigning There. ]( ROBERT MOORE In a political rally scheduled for Monday, Trump is expected to once again push for a border wall. [Read more.]( THE TEXANIST The Texanist: What Are the Ten Best Texas Movies? DAVID COURTNEY Q: I’m a newcomer to Texas. What are the ten films set here that I should see? Tom Ricks, Austin A: “This is Texas—mighty colossus of the Southwest. A land of infinite variety and violent contrasts; a land where today’s ranch hand can become tomorrow’s multi-millionaire. But more than a state, here is a state of mind: manners, morals, emotions. Of people who are often as exhilarating, exasperating, exciting as the land they belong to. Out of this fabulous and tempestuous panorama comes a story of magnificent scope and great personal charm, a cavalcade that spans a quarter-century…. A mighty monument of memorable entertainment.” Welcome to Texas, Tom Ricks! Good on you for wanting to learn about your new home. And what better way to do so than a festival’s worth of moving pictures? [Read more.]( Look here every Monday for the latest from the Texanist, or [peruse his archives here.]( Tomorrow, and every Tuesday, you’ll find a selection from our archives. OUR TOP STORIES [Texas Has Been Just a Prop for Trump From the Beginning ]( Our state is accustomed to deference from Republican administrations—deference it has earned. Why are our Republican leaders letting him create our narrative? [Read more.]( [The Best Thing in Texas: A Scottish Mountain Man Was Rescued—After His Distress Signal Was Picked Up in Houston ]( 70-year-old Ken had been living off the grid for 25 years when he fell ill. [Read more.]( [Texas Monthly Recommends: Selena and David Byrne Recorded a Song Together and It’s So Good]( Plus, rap from San Antonio, essays from Houston, and landscape photography from across the state. [Read more.]( THE STATE OF TEXAS Golden Hour Golden, Texas native Kacey Musgraves won big at last night’s Grammys, where she [took home four awards—including the top honor of the night](, Album of the Year, for her third studio album, Golden Hour. But Musgraves wasn’t the only Texan representing at the award ceremony: [nine other nominees with roots in the Lone Star State]( were up for awards across multiple categories and genres. Beyonce won Best Urban Contemporary Album for Everything is Love, her surprise collaboration with her husband Jay-Z. Fort Worth singer Leon Bridges was nominated for two awards, and tied for his first Grammy win: Best Traditional R&B Performance for his song “Bet Ain’t Worth the Hand.” Alternative artist St. Vincent won Best Rock Song for “Masseduction,” but lost to Beck in the alternative album category. Dallas/Fort Worth area natives Post Malone and Maren Morris were up for multiple awards, but lost out, along with fellow Texan nominees Demi Lovato, Kelly Clarkson, Margo Price, and Travis Scott. Crisis of Faith Nearly [400 Southern Baptist church leaders and staff members face allegations of sexual assault]( in a joint report from the San Antonio Express-News and the Houston Chronicle. The allegations date back to 1998 and include those who were credibly accused, sued, and those who confessed. They also involve more than 700 victims, some as young as three years old. The story is the first of a three-part investigation sourced from records in more than 20 states, although more accused church officials worked in Texas than any other state. It was revealed that of the 380 leaders and workers who faced allegations, many faced no consequences from higher-ups in the church and were allowed to transfer parishes, while their victims were often shunned or asked to forgive their abusers. David Pittman, who was assaulted by a youth minister in Georgia when he was 12, discussed the long-term effects of the abuse in an interview with the Houston Chronicle. “This is the greatest tragedy of all,” he said. “So many people’s faith is murdered. I mean, their faith is slaughtered by these predators." Hitting a Wall Up against a February 15 deadline, congressional negotiators are approaching a [deal for the U.S.-Mexico border that’s far below the $5.7 billion sought by President Trump](. According to The Washington Post, two sources familiar with the negotiations say the offer will be closer to $2 billion to fund border barriers, though Democrats are disputing the number, believing it’s still too high. If the lawmakers don’t come to a consensus before February 15, the country may be facing another government shutdown. Whatever the final amount is, it’s still unclear what type of barrier would be funded along the border or whether the funding would go toward the construction of a wall or toward replacing existing fencing. Representative Henry Cuellar, a Democrat from Laredo and a member of the 17-member committee tackling the border wall negotiations, disputed that a $5.7 billion budget would go solely toward building a wall. “It’s not $5.7 billion for the wall," he said. "It’s not anywhere close. We want to add money for technology, ports, and all of that, yes. There’s a lot of money. But is there money for $5.7 [billion] just for the wall? No. not even close." NEWS & POLITICS [Best and Worst Legislators in Real Time: Senator Kirk Watson ]( CARLOS SANCHEZ The Austin senator grilled the secretary of state to get to the bottom of the controversial elections advisory. [Read more.]( [The Good Newscast]( [The Good Newscast]( News ever get you down? Try listening to the Texas Optimism Project's latest series, the Good Newscast—a podcast about good news in the world sponsored by Frost Bank. [Read More]( [Shop the Texas Monthly General Store!]( MORE FROM TEXAS MONTHLY [“If the Police Aren’t Safe Here, What About Us?” Asylum Seekers Fear “Remain in Mexico” Policy ]( ROBERT MOORE [With Syrupy Sauces, Brett’s Backyard Bar-B-Que Finds the Sweet Spot ]( DANIEL VAUGHN [Listen to ‘Talk,’ a Killer Single From Khalid’s Upcoming Second Album ]( DAN SOLOMON [Subscribe to Texas Monthly and save!]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Website]( Texas Monthly PO Box 1569 Austin, TX 78767 Texas Monthly has sent you this alert because you signed up to receive it either online at texasmonthly.com, at the website of one of our business partners, or when you filled out a reader response card. You may opt-out from Texas Monthly newsletters at any time. Please see our Privacy Policy. If you would like to manage which Texas Monthly Editorial newsletters you are receiving, click Preferences, below. To unsubscribe from our Editorial newsletters, click Unsubscribe. 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