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Rick Perry Implies Obama Administration ‘Conspiracy’ On Border Crisis

ABC News
Gov. Rick Perry says the Obama administration members “either are inept or don’t care” about what’s happening along the U.S.-Mexico border.";s:3:"u

Five stories that have North Texas talking: Rick Perry on the border crisis; an open-carry guitar rally; life goes on in Dublin without Dr Pepper; and more.

Gov. Rick Perry is standing by his claim that the Obama administration could be part of a conspiracy behind the influx of unaccompanied minors coming into the United States. Perry recently implied that during a Fox News interview. He didn’t back away from that claim on Sunday during an interview on ABC’s “This Week.” Perry says the Obama administration members “either are inept or don’t care” about what’s happening along the U.S.-Mexico border. He added: “You are either inept, or you have some ulterior motive of which you are functioning from.” Perry says he’s been bringing the immigration issue to the president’s attention since 2010. Perry told ABC he doesn’t think Obama cares whether the border is secure. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection have launched a new advertising campaign to try to slow the number of immigrants crossing the U.S. border.) More than 50,000 children have entered the country illegally in recent months – many of them from Central America who are trying to escape violence and drug cartels. Dallas County has announced three potential sites that could shelter 2,000 immigrant children. Perry testified last weekthat those who cross the border must be sent back. Read more from KERA here and here. Here's the ABC video:

  • The days appear to be numbered for the University of Texas at Austin president. The Dallas Morning News reports: “UT System Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa has told [President Bill] Powers … to resign before Thursday’s meeting of the Board of Regents or be fired during it, sources say. According to a report, Powers has refused to do so but is open to discussing a timetable for his exit.” Powers and university regents have been fighting over “structural changes at the university,” The News reports. Relations between the regents and Powers have been strained for some time. Cigarroa has told The News that issues “stemmed from a lack of communication.”

  • A Dallas musician’s idea for an open-carry rally with guitars instead of guns drew a crowd on Friday. The guitar-themed event served as a sort of parody of the controversial open-carry gun movement. KERA's Lyndsay Knecht reportsthat Barry Kooda, a local musician, came up with the idea, which exploded on Facebook. On Friday, 300 folks showed up at the Continental Avenue Bridge park. They ranged from Vietnam War veterans to babies in strollers. “And everywhere: guitars, tambourines – and even clarinets.”Read more from WFAA-TV.

  • Life without Dr Pepper isn’t that swell for the Central Texas town of Dublin. The Associated Press reports: “More than two years after Dr Pepper cut ties with the local bottler over a licensing dispute, the town is trying to stabilize its economy by promoting its lesser-known claims to fame, from a festival highlighting its debatable Irish roots, to Dublin’s bygone rodeo glories, to its location within the county Dairy Capital of Texas.” During the town’s Dr Pepper glory days, about 90,000 tourists flocked there. Today, tourism has dropped by two-thirds and many businesses have shut down, The Associated Press reports. Karen Wright, executive director of the Dublin Economic Development Corporation, told the AP: “Our new reality is not Dublin Dr Pepper. It’s something different. We’ve got to define it. It’s up to us.”

  • So we’re only six months through 2014, but the Dallas Observer has come up with a list of the top North Texas music videos of the year (so far). The list includes “Young” by Air Review; “Frozen Echo” by Blackstone Rangers; “Bad Seed” by Buffalo Black and “Salty Disciple” by Centro-matic. Check out the entire list here.
Eric Aasen is KERA’s managing editor. He helps lead the station's news department, including radio and digital reporters, producers and newscasters. He also oversees keranews.org, the station’s news website, and manages the station's digital news projects. He reports and writes stories for the website and contributes pieces to KERA radio. He's discussed breaking news live on various public radio programs, including The Takeaway, Here & Now and Texas Standard, as well as radio and TV programs in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.