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Top Stories: Cruz Suggests He Asked For D'Souza Pardon; The Sweet Tooth Motel

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The top local stories this evening from KERA News: 

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz on Friday explained his role in asking President Trump to pardon conservative writer and filmmaker Dinesh D'Souza. The Texas Tribune reports that Cruz says he raised the issue with Trump while they traveled together last month in Texas.

Cruz's account is at odds with what the president and the White House have said about the pardon. Trump said Thursday that nobody asked him to do it. D'Souza was sentenced to probation in 2014 after pleading guilty to violating federal election law. Cruz says he believes D'Souza's conviction was politically motivated.

Other stories this evening:

  • Computers are better than humans at many things. They can complete complex math equations in seconds and beat us at chess. And yet, there's still one simple thing computers can't answer the question 'why?' Today on Think, Krys Boyd talked with computer scientist Judea Pearl about why it's hard for computers to understand meaning. 

  • Thousands of people have been checking into The Sweet Tooth Motel in Dallas. They’re not looking for a good night’s sleep, they’re paying $20 for an immersive experience made by local artists that will only be there until July. In our weekly State of the Arts conversation, KERA’s Anne Bothwell talks with Jencey Keeton, one of the hotel’s creators, about making art for the Instagram set.

You can listen to North Texas stories weekdays at 8:22 a.m. and 6:20 p.m. on KERA 90.1 FM.

Gus Contreras is a digital producer and reporter at KERA News. Gus produces the local All Things Considered segment and reports on a variety of topics from, sports to immigration. He was an intern and production assistant for All Things Considered in Washington D.C.