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Today’s Big Stories
Jerry Patterson loves guns. He carries a gun on him almost everywhere he goes, and when he doesn’t, it’s because the places don’t allow it. In 1995, as a state senator, he authored the law that allowed Texans to carry a concealed handgun in response to a deadly shooting at a Luby’s in Killeen that killed 23 people and left 27 others wounded.
But Patterson, a retired Republican state senator and land commissioner, is speaking out against the deadly shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti in Minneapolis by federal immigration agents who said he was shot because he had a gun.
2. A Texas man is facing execution for fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend
A Texas man who at one time escaped from custody and was on the run for three days after being sentenced to death for fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend nearly 27 years ago was scheduled on Wednesday to be the first person executed in the U.S. this year.
Charles Victor Thompson was condemned for the April 1998 shooting deaths of his ex-girlfriend, Glenda Dennise Hayslip, 39; and her new boyfriend, Darren Keith Cain, 30, at her apartment in the Houston suburb of Tomball.
3. Federal cuts hinder senior access to Social Security help, advocates say
Long lines and lengthy wait times at Social Security Administration (SSA) offices are a nightmare for Texas seniors, and advocates are blaming federal job cuts.
“Our seniors deserve better. Our nation deserves better,” said Rev. Frederick D. Haynes III, one of the speakers who attended a protest with members of the Texas Alliance for Retired Americans (TARA) in early January.
Along with a rallying cry to save Social Security from what they call government sabotage, advocates demanded better service for seniors who have had trouble reaching SSA representatives with their concerns.
Notes for Tomorrow
Thursday, Jan. 29
Washington, D.C., National Guard shooting suspect in court
40th anniversary of the Challenger disaster
Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing on alleged fraud in Minnesota’s Somali community
In Case You Missed It
Senior U.S. Border Patrol official Greg Bovino speaks to Associated Press reporters during an interview Monday, Nov. 3, 2025, in Rosemont, Ill. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Man wounded after exchanging gunfire with Border Patrol agents near U.S.-Mexico border
A man who authorities say was involved in a human smuggling operation was shot Tuesday in an exchange of gunfire with the U.S. Border Patrol and after firing at a federal helicopter near the U.S.-Mexico border, authorities said.