Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• It was weird seeing Republican senators standing up to Trump yesterday after getting a very poor military briefing.  But they forgot that they don't question The Party and that The Party is now Donald Trump. (Mike Pence was doing damage control on Fox and Friends this morning with the "just trust us" defense.)
  
• Oh, my.
  
• The Tarrant County DA is taking a leave of absence for an unknown length because of an unknown medical condition.
• Speaking of, 2020 didn't start off too well for the Tarrant County DA Misdemeanor section.
  
• TCU's basketball program has received a Notice of Infractions from the NCAA which is weird because the program hasn't been very good.
• I'm want this former Bridgeport gal's press agent. Story.
  
• Who would have thought that a totally unqualified politician would be appointed to the head the Department of Energy, would then do nothing at that job for two years, then resign, and then start profiting off of the gig?
  
• That Houston drug raid, where cops made up information to get a search warrant and then murdered an innocent couple and their dog while executing it, continues to break new ground. I have never heard of a grand jury visiting a crime scene. 
  
• The Southlake twitter feed is doing bits again this year.  I'll say it again: It's funny and clever, but one of these days they are going to get it wrong and simply slapping "allegedly" in one tweet isn't going to cost their ampletaxpayer base a pretty penny. Complete thread here. (But I'll agree those are good security cameras, though.) 
  
  
  
  
• In more serious Southlake news, a high school senior was struck and killed by a car last night. 
• Puerto Rico has been rocked by earthquakes that have left 2/3 of the island without electricity. Trump has tweeted about it once. I don't have to state the obvious reason why.  
• I always dog the Texas criminal defense organization's "Trial Tip Thursday" and they didn't disappoint today. Sure, your guy has just been found guilty and the victim is now testifying about the impact of the crime as the jury is about to decide punishment, but, go ahead, tell her she's not "healing" the right way. That couldn't possibly backfire, right? 
  
• A New York Times columnist raised some eyebrows yesterday when he tweeted the following. He later deleted it, but the Internet didn't seem to believe his claim.
  
• This license plate was issued to a Fort Worth man and then revoked. 
  
• I didn't mention that the contempt proceeding against the Dallas DA for allegedly violating the "gag order" in the Amber Guyger trial was dismissed because, quite frankly, I don't understand any of it. I don't understand why it has to be prosecuted by outside counsel, and I don't understand why the DA's office couldn't fight it themselves but had to bring in a ridiculously high priced lawyer at taxpayer's expense. And I don't understand how "gag orders" are constitutional -- an issue currently before the Texas Supreme Court, by the way.