The Brief: Trump Continues to Divide His Party

The Big Conversation

Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, continues to prompt controversy with his remarks on immigration — enough to alarm some members of his party and make Texas lawmakers hesitant to comment on him.

The Tribune’s Abby Livingston and Annie Daniel reviewed the stances of the 27 Texas Republicans in Congress, concluding that “Getting Texas Republicans in Congress to say whether they’re backing Donald Trump is a bit like pulling teeth.” Several won’t say if they’ll vote for him.

Trump, meanwhile, is running into trouble ahead of a planned campaign stop in North Texas later this week. Two locations have declined to host him, citing logistical concerns, reports the Dallas Morning News.

In Washington, some Republicans have joined Democrats in denouncing the GOP standard-bearer for his reaction to last weekend’s mass shooting in Orlando, after which Trump reiterated his proposal of a Muslim immigration ban and called for President Obama to resign. Politico reports that some Republican insiders “wondered whether he failed to harness a moment to elevate himself and pass what one Republican called the 'desk test' — the ability to picture Trump in the Oval Office in a time of crisis.”

The Houston Chronicle reports that some prominent former supporters of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz are involved in a “fledgling movement to throw open the Republican convention to rein in the presumptive nominee or find an alternative general election candidate.”

Steve Lonegan, Cruz’s former New Jersey state director, acknowledged to the Chronicle that freeing delegates to vote against Trump at the party’s national convention in Cleveland next month would be extreme.

“Call it whatever you want. It’s a revolt. It’s an uprising,” Lonegan said. “The fact is, our delegates have a moral obligation to nominate the candidate best suited to defeat Hillary Clinton and also carry the banner of the Republican Party.”

Trib Must Reads

Analysis: In Texas, the Loyal Opposition is Dysfunctional, by Ross Ramsey — The Texas Democratic Party’s convention lands at a moment when the state’s Republicans are feverishly manufacturing topics for the opposition party to talk about. Will it matter?

State Scrambles to Fund Border Security Project, by Julián Aguilar — Wiping out the tall stands of Carrizo cane that give drug and human smugglers easy cover along the Rio Grande was deemed a border-security priority by Gov. Greg Abbott in 2015, but the program wasn't funded. 

University of Houston Settles Suit Over Basketball Arena Name, by Matthew Watkins — The University of Houston has agreed to resolve a legal fight over its basketball arena, currently named after former Houston mayor Roy Hofheinz, by erecting a statue of and renaming a street after the deceased school booster.

Misdemeanor Charge Against Anti-Abortion Activist Dropped, by Alexa Ura — A Harris County judge has dropped one of the criminal charges against an anti-abortion activist who was indicted after making undercover recordings of a Houston Planned Parenthood facility.

Elsewhere

(Links below lead to outside websites; content might be behind paywall)

Is Texas a battleground state? Don’t count on it, Garry Mauro says, Austin American-Statesman

No STAAR test means more confusion, fewer summer school days, The Dallas Morning News

Adler facing roadblocks to his $720 million transportation proposal, Austin American-Statesman

Massive city sewer struggles will mean higher water bills, Houston Chronicle

Cruz strategist: Trump has a math problem, Politico

Dallas police prepared for any Orlando-like attack, The Dallas Morning News

How to address the 'affordability crisis,' Houston Chronicle

FBI is investigating another North Texas-based hospice company, The Dallas Morning News

Baylor regents did not vote on Art Briles employment status, Austin American-Statesman

Quote to Note

“It’s pretty mind-boggling that there isn’t a solution that can be easily done. It’s kind of sad that 10 years later, we’re talking about the same thing.”

 — Monica Weisberg-Stewart, chairwoman of the Texas Border Coalition’s immigration and border security subcommittee, on efforts to secure the border

Today in TribTalk

In school finance decision, the poor people have lost again, by David G. Hinojosa — To ensure that the "poor people lost again," the Texas court changed the meaning of the Texas Constitution and attempted to change the facts — mortal sins for a supreme court.

Trib Events for the Calendar

•    The Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 23-25 at the University of Texas at Austin