Five stories that have North Texas talking: Ted Cruz opposes Graham-Cassidy bill; the new cultural plan in Dallas depends on you; a longhorn estimated at $500,000 sold for a “bargain”; and more.
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz said Sunday that he’s against the latest Republican bill that aims to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.
Speaking at The Texas Tribune Festival in Austin, Cruz said of the health care bill, crafted by GOP Sens. Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy: “Right now, they don’t have my vote.” He said the same likely goes for Utah GOP Sen. Mike Lee, too.
.@TedCruz on #GrahamCassidy: “Right now they don’t have my vote, and I don’t think they have Mike Lee’s either." #TribFest17
— Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) September 24, 2017
He also said the Sept. 30 deadline to vote on the matter is “bogus.”
Tough scene: Cornyn makes Graham-Cassidy sales pitch to Texans — then Cruz continues to sound undecided and calls Sept. 30 deadline "bogus."
— Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) September 24, 2017
If Cruz sticks to that stance, Republican Senate leaders will have little hope that their bill will pass; it would lose if three GOP senators vote "no" this week.
Republican Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Kentucky's Rand Paul said they oppose the bill. GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said Sunday it's "very difficult" to think she'd vote "yes." [The Texas Tribune, The Associated Press, NPR]
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- Dallas is revamping its cultural plan for the first time since 2002 and wants your input to decide the shared priorities and how to allocate funding for the arts. The huge undertaking starts Monday, with a series of kick-off events. [Art&Seek]
- Denton County commissioners on Tuesday will consider approving a committee to discuss the fate of the Confederate Soldier Memorial on the Courthouse-on-the-Square Lawn. A simple majority vote is needed to approve the committee. [Denton Record-Chronicle]
- An impressive longhorn bull Cowboy TuffChexwas sold for $165,000 at the Hudson Valentine auction in the Fort Worth Stockyards. His horns are the longest in the world for a bull, measuring about 101 inches from tip to tip. [Fort Worth Star-Telegram]
- Taking a gorilla’s blood pressure isn’t easy to say the least. In fact, primate specialists at the Dallas Zoo have been trying for years to get an accurate reading. They’re participating in a national effort to better understand the cardiovascular health of great apes. [KERA News]
The High Five is KERA’s daily roundup of stories from Dallas-Fort Worth and across the state. Explore our archives here. And sign up for our weekly email for the North Texas news you need to know.
