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Illegal Immigration Is ‘Like A Disease,’ Rick Perry Tells Fox News

Fox News screengrab
Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry appeared on Fox News on Tuesday.

Five stories that have North Texas talking: NorthPark turns 50; American will fly to Cuba later this year; one of the country’s best new restaurants is in Texas; and more.

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, running for president, told Fox News on Tuesday that illegal immigration is “like a disease.” “We’ve got to secure the border,” Perry said in a heated interview. “The American people want to see the border secure. It’s like a disease. If you’ve got a disease, you get to the absolute core of what it is. You stop the illegal immigration that’s coming into America and a lot of these other issues go away.” Perry has said U.S.-Mexico border security is a priority and that he has the most experience of all Republican presidential candidates in tackling the matter. Perry, who has had to stop paying staff and has been struggling to raise money, says he’s in the campaign for the long haul. “Most of us have had challenges with finances from time to time,” Perry told Fox News. “I’m like a small business or a guy who has his own personal challenges with our campaign. We cut our spending. We cut back. I know how to have a small footprint.” The Dallas Morning News has more details. Meanwhile, the Texas Tribune reports Perry’s campaign is in “triage mode.” Watch the Fox News interview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN4I2cCuRmg

  • American Airlines plans to begin charter service from Los Angeles to Havana later this year. Fort Worth-based American says such charters will be the first nonstop flights from the West Coast to Cuba since travel restrictions to the island nation were eased. American said Tuesday that flights from Los Angeles International Airport will run on Saturdays, starting Dec. 12. They will be sold by Cuba Travel Services. Americans still must meet certain requirements for travel to Cuba, such as visiting family. Trips that are strictly for tourism are not yet legal. American has operated charters to Cuba since 1991 and now flies there about 20 times a week from Miami and Tampa, Florida. The U.S. Embassy in Havana reopened last week amid improving relations between the United States and Cuba. [Associated Press]

  • One of the country’s top new restaurants is in Austin. Bon Appétit has released its annual Hot 10 list, a look at the country’s top places to eat, and Dai Due is on the list. “At Dai Due, meat is king,” the magazine declares. “Chef Jesse Griffiths is also a butcher but unlike most of his pork-obsessed brethren, his favorite meat to work with is also America's favorite to eat: chicken.” The top three restaurants are in California: Petit Trois in Los Angeles was No. 3; Gjusta in L.A. was No. 2; and AL’s Place in San Francisco is No. 1. Check out the list here.

  • A major art work has been dismantled in the Dallas Arts District. KERA’s Anne Bothwell reports on Art&Seek: “The towering red sculpture [was] at Woodall Rodgers and Pearl. The piece by Mark di Suvero is called Proverb, and it’s been on the lawn next to the Meyerson Symphony Center since 2002.  It was supposed to be a three-year loan, part of a partnership between the Nasher family and The Dallas Symphony Foundation. It’s being removed now because the Symphony sold the land earlier this year to the developer Lincoln Property, which plans an office tower on the site. Di Suvero was on site, advising the work crews. The piece will be returned to him.” 
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.