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Two Americans arrested in assassination of Haitian president.
• VOL. 120, NO. 269
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GOP renews efforts for voting restrictions Basics remain in bills, but judges overturning elections, fewer Sunday hours not included By Taylor Goldenstein and Jeremy Wallace AUST I N BU RE AU
AUSTIN — The Republican-led Texas Legislature is wasting little time in advancing legislation to further restrict voting procedures — the dominant issue that
prompted Gov. Greg Abbott’s call for the special session that started Thursday. The House and Senate will hold public hearings on Saturday at 8 a.m. and 11 a.m., respectively, on their new proposals. Lawmakers in both chambers have filed bills that resemble the
sweeping GOP-backed measure that failed to pass during the regular session that ended May 31. But several of the most hotly debated provisions have been eliminated, including one that would have made it easier for judges to overturn elections and another limiting early voting hours on Sundays. Democrats were outraged in the spring when Republicans proposed banning early voting
before 1 p.m. on Sundays, a move they said was aimed at the African American tradition of “Souls to the Polls” drives after Sunday worship. The new measures would not affect those voting drives, allowing voting start times of 9 a.m. in the House version and 6 a.m. in the Senate version. It was those provisions that sparked a dramatic late-night walkout by Democrats in the Tex-
Outrage remains after fixes at Katy pet shelter
as House that blocked the legislation. The walkout drew national attention to the state’s fight over voting rights. Abbott announced shortly thereafter that he’d call legislators back to try again to pass what he calls election integrity measures. “The voting bill, as filed, is a product of the last set of debates, and there are items taken out Voting continues on A8
Constable allegations draw feds’ attention FBI probing claims of sexual assault in ‘bachelor party’ sting By St. John Barned-Smith STA F F W R I T E R
Photos by Karen Warren / Staff photographer
A dog sits in a kennel at Katy Animal Control, which had been accused of mistreating the animals at the shelter.
Animal advocates not satisfied with changes made after reports of abuse
Video » Go online to see footage depicting conditions at the animal shelter. HoustonChronicle.com/ KatyAnimalControl
By Rebecca Hennes STA F F WRIT E R
Katy Animal Control Department director David Brown sat at his desk on a recent July day reviewing a log of more than 8,000 calls from animal advocates across the country. He played one of the messages: “I watched that cat suffer,” a woman from Seattle screams into the phone. “I am so angry. A lot of us are angry. And it’s only just begun.” The outrage was triggered by a
Katy Animal Control director David Brown, left, watches animal control officer Spencer Antinoro wash down a patio.
December video that went viral of a cat suffering for at least two hours after being euthanized at the Katy shelter — one of dozens of pieces of evidence gathered by KACD employee Chelsea Gerber, who blew the whistle on her boss and co-worker after witnessing what she considered animal abuse since starting part time at the shelter in May 2019. Gerber said she was asked to throw dead animal bodies in city dumpsters and saw animals left in Animals continues on A7
Federal investigators are probing the Harris County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office after several current and former female employees accused superiors of sexually exploiting them during undercover anti-human trafficking operations, a lawyer for the women confirmed Thursday. Attorney Cordt Akers, who is representing several of the women, acknowledged Thursday that federal investigators had subpoenaed his clients to learn more about their allegations. “Our clients have been in full cooperation with the federal authorities in their investigation into the horrible misconduct in the Precinct 1 Human Trafficking Unit,” he told the Houston Chronicle. “The serious nature of these crimes deserves serious attention, and we are happy that this conduct will no longer go unchecked.” FBI spokeswoman Christina Garza declined to comment on the case. “Per Department of Justice policy, the FBI does not confirm or deny the existence of any investigation,” she said. The women made the allegations in late May, in a bombshell lawsuit in which they said they’d been exploited and molested by their superiors during undercover “bachelor party” stings held allegedly to fight human trafficking. Undercover deputies pretended to be partying, with the hope of convincing escorts to agree to sex for cash — so they could try to build cases against the women’s pimps. But female deputies in the covert unit said they received little training before being thrown into “booze-fueled playFBI continues on A7
Biden sets Aug. 31 as ‘overdue’ date to pull troops from Afghanistan By Zeke Miller and Aamer Madhani A S S OC IAT E D PRE SS
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said Thursday that the U.S. military operation in Afghanistan will end Aug. 31, delivering an impassioned argument for exiting the nearly 20-year war without sacrificing more American lives even as he bluntly acknowledged there will be no “mission accomplished” moment to celebrate. Biden pushed back against the notion that the U.S. mission has failed but acknowledged that the
Afghan government likely won’t control all the country after the U.S. leaves. He urged the Afghan government and the Taliban, which he said remains as formidable as it was before the start of the war, to come to a peace agreement. “We did not go to Afghanistan to nation build,” Biden said in a speech from the White House’s East Room. “Afghan leaders have to come together and drive toward a future.” The administration in recent days has sought to frame ending the conflict as a decision Biden
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made after concluding it’s an “unwinnable war” and one that “does not have a military solution.” On Thursday, he amplified the justification of his decision even as the Taliban make rapid advances in significant swaths of the country. “How many more, how many more thousands of American daughters and sons are you willing to risk?” Biden said to those calling for the U.S. to extend the military operation. He added, “I will not send another generation of Americans to war in AfghaniAfghanistan continues on A8
Saul Loeb / AFP via Getty Images
“I will not send another generation of Americans to war in Afghanistan,” President Joe Biden said Thursday.