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Defending Stanley Cup Champion Knights and Top-Seed Stars Set for a Not-Unexpected Game 7
DALLAS (AP) — There is one more game to go between the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights and the top-seeded Stars. A deciding Game 7 on Sunday night in Dallas. They have split wins at home since the visiting team won each of the first four games. Vegas extended the series to the limit with a 2-0 win in Game 6 on Friday night. This will be the fourth Game 7 in Knights franchise history, the first since 2021 when Pete DeBoer was their coach. DeBoer is 7-0 as a coach in Game 7s, with one for Dallas last year. The winner advances to the second round to play Colorado.
(Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving Carry Mavs Past Clippers 114-101 to Advance to Second Round
DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic had 28 points and 13 assists, Kyrie Irving scored 28 of 30 points in a second-half surge and the Dallas Mavericks advanced to the second round of the playoffs with a 114-101 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. Doncic pushed through another rough shooting night with his ailing right knee to do what the Slovenian superstar couldn’t three years earlier — close out the Clippers in Dallas in Game 6 of a first-round series. The fifth-seeded Mavericks beat the Clippers for the the first time in three first-round tries over the past five seasons. Dallas will play top-seeded Oklahoma City in the Western Conference semifinals. Paul George had 18 points and 11 rebounds as the Clippers lost in the first round for the second consecutive season.
(Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
Congressman Cuellar of Texas Indicted
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas and his wife were indicted on conspiracy and bribery charges and taken into custody Friday in connection with a U.S. Department of Justice probe into the couple’s ties to the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan.
From 2014 to 2021, Cuellar, 68, and his wife accepted nearly $600,000 in bribes from an Azerbaijan-controlled energy company and a bank in Mexico, and in exchange, Cuellar agreed to advance the interests of the country and the bank in the U.S., according to the indictment.
Among other things, Cuellar agreed to influence legislation favorable to Azerbaijan and deliver a pro-Azerbaijan speech on the floor of the U.S. House, the indictment states.
The Department of Justice said the couple surrendered to authorities on Friday and were taken into custody. They made an initial appearance before a federal judge in Houston and were each released on $100,000 bond, the DOJ said.
The longtime congressman released a statement Friday saying he and his wife, Imelda Cuellar, 67, “are innocent of these allegations.”
“Everything I have done in Congress has been to serve the people of South Texas,” Cuellar said. “Before I took action, I proactively sought legal advice from the House Ethics Committee, who gave me more than one written opinion, along with an additional opinion from a national law firm.
“Furthermore, we requested a meeting with the Washington D.C. prosecutors to explain the facts and they refused to discuss the case with us or hear our side.”
Neither Cuellar nor his attorney immediately responded to calls seeking comment on the matter.
In addition to bribery and conspiracy, the couple face charges including wire fraud conspiracy, acting as agents of foreign principals and money laundering. If convicted, they face up to decades in prison and forfeiture of any property linked to proceeds from the alleged scheme.
The payments to the couple initially went through a Texas-based shell company owned by Imelda Cuellar and two of the couple’s children, according to the indictment. That company received payments from the Azerbaijan energy company of $25,000 per month under a “sham contract,” purportedly in exchange for unspecified strategic consulting and advising services.
“In reality, the contract was a sham used to disguise and legitimate the corrupt agreement between Henry Cuellar and the government of Azerbaijan,” the indictment states.
Imelda Cuellar sent a falsified invoice to the Azerbaijan energy company’s Washington, D.C., office under the agreement, stating her work was complete.
“In fact, Imelda Cuellar had performed little or no legitimate work under the contract,” the indictment says.
The indictment also alleges an Azerbaijani diplomat referred to Henry Cuellar in text messages as “el Jefe” or “boss,” and also that a member of Cuellar’s staff sent multiple emails to officials at the Department of State pressuring them to renew a U.S. passport for an Azerbaijani diplomat’s daughter.
Cuellar was at one time the co-chair of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus.
The FBI searched the congressman’s house in the border city of Laredo in 2022, and Cuellar’s attorney at that time said Cuellar was not the target of that investigation. That search was part of a broader investigation related to Azerbaijan that saw FBI agents serve a raft of subpoenas and conduct interviews in Washington, D.C., and Texas, a person with direct knowledge of the probe previously told The Associated Press. The person was not authorized to discuss it publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Cuellar, one of the last anti-abortion Democrats in Congress, narrowly defeated progressive challenger Jessica Cisneros by fewer than 300 votes in a primary race in 2022.
(Copyright 2024, The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
April Jobs Report Shows Employers Pulling Back on Hiring
(WBAP/KLIF) — WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s employers pulled back on their hiring in April, adding a modest 175,000 jobs in a sign that persistently high interest rates may be starting to take a bigger toll on the world’s largest economy.
Friday’s government report showed that last month’s hiring gain was down sharply from the blockbuster increase of 315,000 in March. And it was well below the 233,000 gain that economists had predicted for April, suggesting that the Federal Reserve’s aggressive streak of rate hikes may finally be cooling the pace of hiring.
Even with the slowdown, last month’s job growth amounted to a decent increase, though it was the lowest monthly job growth since October. With the nation’s households continuing their steady spending, many employers have had to keep hiring to meet their customer demand.
The unemployment rate ticked up 3.9% — the 27th straight month in which it has remained below 4%, the longest such streak since the 1960s.
The state of the economy is weighing on voters’ minds as the November presidential campaign intensifies. Despite the strength of the job market, Americans remain generally exasperated by high prices, and many of them assign blame to President Joe Biden.
America’s job market has repeatedly proved more robust than almost anyone had predicted. When the Fed began aggressively raising rates two years ago to fight a punishing inflation surge, most economists expected the resulting jump in borrowing costs to cause a recession and drive unemployment to painfully high levels.
The Fed raised its benchmark rate 11 times from March 2022 to July 2023, taking it to the highest level since 2001. Inflation did steadily cool as it was supposed to — from a year-over-year peak of 9.1% in June 2022 to 3.5% in March.
Yet the resilient strength of the job market and the overall economy, fueled by steady consumer spending, has kept inflation persistently above the Fed’s 2% target. As a result, the central bank is delaying any consideration of interest rate cuts until it gains more confidence that inflation is steadily slowing toward its target.
Fed rate cuts, which would, over time, reduce the cost of mortgages, auto loans and other consumer and business borrowing. Most economists envision no rate cuts before fall at the earliest.
The job market has been showing some signs of eventually slowing. This week, for example, the government reported that job openings fell in March to 8.5 million, the fewest in more than three years. Still, that is nevertheless a large number of vacancies: Before 2021, monthly job openings had never topped 8 million, a threshold they have now exceeded every month since March 2021.
On a month-over-month basis, consumer inflation hasn’t declined since October. The 3.5% year-over-year inflation rate for March was still running well above the Fed’s 2% target.
(Copyright 2024 WBAP/KLIF Newsroom News. All rights reserved. Contains material from the Associated Press.)
Opal Lee to Receive Presidential Medal of Freedom
(WBAP/KLIF) — In 2021 President Joe Biden designated Juneteenth as a national holiday, realizing the efforts of Fort Worth resident Opal Lee.
Now, the 97-year-old has been selected to be one of 19 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, announced Friday by the White House. Lee is best known for her decades-long campaign to establish Juneteenth as a national holiday.
During an interview with our media partner WFAA, Lee says a single dream of everyone working together to make this country the greatest in the world has been a beacon to her life…and the movement doesn’t end with her as she believes the rising generation needs to carry the torch.
Others selected to receive the honor include Nancy Pelosi, Phil Donahue, Katie Ledecky, Jim Thorpe, Al Gore, and John Kerry.
Listen to WBAP/KLIF report:
(Copyright 2024 WBAP/KLIF Newsroom News. All rights reserved.)
Johnson County Jury Sentences Jerry Elders to Death Row for Shooting Burleson Cop, Killing Carjacking Victim
JOHNSON COUNTY (WBAP/KLIF News ) – The North Texas man convicted of shooting a Burleson police officer and killing a woman he carjacked in 2021 has been sentenced to death row.
A Johnson County jury found 31-year-old Jerry Elders guilty of capital murder for the death of 60-year-old Robin Waddell last week.
He shot Officer Joshua Lot three times during a traffic stop, fatally shot Wadell and left her body outside the Joshua Police Department.
Elders’ defense attorneys had pushed for life in prison without parole arguing his actions were the result of life-long drug addiction and numerous incarceration stints. However, the jury sided with the prosecution’s request for the death penalty.
After Elders learned his fate on Thursday, the judge told him about how the execution would be carried out.
“This sentence shall be executed at anytime after the hour 6 p.m. on the date that this court sets for the execution by intravenous injection,” she said.
Jurors heard emotional testimony from Wadell’s adult children during victim impact statements.
The defense is planning to appeal the death sentence.
Copyright 2023. WBAP/KLIF News. All Rights Reserved.
Police Not Filing Charges Against Cowboys QB Dak Prescott
(WBAP/KLIF) – Last February, a woman filed a lawsuit accusing Dak Prescott of sexually assaulting her in 2017, and then filed a report seven years later with Dallas Police seeking charges. Prescott’s legal team stated that the woman first sent a letter demanding $100 million dollars in exchange for not reporting it to police. In response, Prescott’s attorneys filed a counter suit claiming extortion. The Dallas County District Attorney’s office stated that since the Dallas Police Department had not forwarded a case to them, the criminal matter is now closed.
(Copyright 2024 WBAP/KLIF. All Rights Reserved)
Traffic Delays: Crane Rolls off Truck Dallas North Tollway Southbound at Bush Turnpike
DALLAS – (WBAP/KLIF) If rush hour weren’t bad enough, DFW drivers who plan to use the southbound Dallas North Tollway are likely to run into delays and possibly traffic diversions near the George Bush Turnpike.
Crews are responding to reports a construction crane has rolled off a truck on the southbound tollway road near the Bush Turnpike, though no injuries are reported. Further, authorities tell us no other vehicles have been reported involved.
However, if you travel in the area, you should expect delays. Listen to 820 WBAP and now on 93.3 FM for traffic updates and advice on how to get around delays in this area.
(Copyright, All Rights Reserved, WBAP/KLIF 2024)
2 Northwest ISD Students Arrested After Officials Learn of Violent School Attack Plot with Classmate Watch List
TARRANT COUNTY (WBAP/KLIF News ) – The Northwest Independent School District will have additional security and counselors on hand for the rest of the week, after two students were arrested for creating an online document outlining an attack plan a school in far north Fort Worth.
The district said a parent alerted Wilson Middle School of a concern that led to the discovery of the disturbing document.
It contained a “watch list” of 25 students and seven staff members. Northwest ISD technology staff were able to gather forensic evidence to assist in the investigation.
The district said the language used in the document mirrors similar terrorist threats issued at schools across the country.
Northwest ISD’s technology team has identified all individuals and school leaders are currently in the process of alerting the families of each student on the list.
Fort Worth police arrested the two students with felony charges pending.
Northwest ISD said any student found to be involved with the document but not arrested will be punished through the district’s code of conduct.
Officials said it is standard practice to assign three days of out-of-school suspension, pending investigation, for allegations of engaging in serious misconduct such as terroristic threats.
The district is also investigating whether other Northwest ISD students had access to the document. Officials told the school community they’re grateful of the parent who spoke up.
“We are also appreciative of the parent of who alerted us of this concerning document, as that allowed us to immediately respond. Our district values transparent communication, and we will continue to keep families informed about the process of this investigation as new details become available.”
Anyone with additional details about this situation is encouraged to contact the Fort Worth Police Department at 817-392-4222.
This incident marks the second time a school in Tarrant County was impacted by a threat. On Wednesday, Southlake Carroll High School and Carroll Senior High School were closed due to a school shooting threat.
Copyright 2023. WBAP/KLIF News. All Rights Reserved.
Fort Worth Police Investigating Drive-By Shooting That Left 6 People, Including 4 Children, Injured
FORT WORTH (WBAP/KLIF News ) – Fort Worth police are searching for the gunman who shot up an apartment complex along the 3600 block of Las Vegas Trail just north of Camp Bowie Boulevard Wednesday night.
Investigators said at least six people were shot, including four children, outside the Miramar Apartments and Townhomes.
Officers arrived at the scene around 7:38 p.m., and found several victims with gunshot wounds in the parking lot. The victims’ age ranges from three to 19 years old.
Their injuries range from minor to severe. One person refused to be taken to the hospital after suffering a minor injury.
At a news conference, Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes said this type of violence makes him sick to his stomach.
“There’s absolutely no reason that anybody should be conducting themselves in such a violence, careless way that children should be shot,” he said.
According to a news release, Fort Worth PD confirms that a suspect vehicle was seen driving by the complex and at least one or more individuals fired the shots.
The Gang Violence Unit is investigating what’s believed to bean isolated incident and said there’s no threat to the community at large.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Fort Worth Police Department at 817-392-4222.
Copyright 2023. WBAP/KLIF News. All Rights Reserved.