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HARLINGEN, Texas (AP) Just weeks before Election Day in Texas, once again there is big money, new signs of shifting voters and bold predictions of an upset that will turn heads across the U.S.

But this time, its coming from Republicans.

We are going to turn the Rio Grande Valley red, said Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, kicking off a rally in the Texas border city of Harlingen.

As Democrats embark on another October blitz in pursuit of flipping Americas biggest red state, Republicans are taking a swing of their own: making a play for the mostly Hispanic southern border on Nov. 8 after years of writing off the region that is overwhelmingly controlled by Democrats.

The task like Democrat Beto ORourke s underdog campaign to unseat Abbott is an uphill climb. But it is another way Republicans are putting plenty at stake on the Texas border, given that they are already refocusing the final sprint of the 2022 midterms on portraying the 1,200-mile boundary as rife with escalating danger and disorder as record number of migrants enter from Mexico.

Border Democrats say dramatic moves to bus and fly migrants across the country will backfire with voters, but also acknowledge they can no longer coast into office.

Still, the rare sight of contested races on the Texas border has widened cracks in an important Democratic stronghold two years after former President Donald Trumps significant gains with Hispanic voters during the 2020 election caused both parties to scramble in unexpected ways.

This is the first time weve ever had this many competitive races where the Democrats are like, What are we going to do? said Republican Carlos Cascos, a onetime border Democrat who switched parties and later served as Abbotts first secretary of state.

Hes doesnt see Republicans sweeping races in the Rio Grande Valley, home to roughly 1.5 million people. But, he says, I think this area has been taken for granted a lot. In the Valley, youre born two things: a Catholic and a Democrat. Things are changing.

Democrats still hold advantages in South Texas decades of incumbency, a culture of residents voting Democratic, and more moderate candidates who are less vulnerable to GOP attacks on the left and more critical of President Joe Biden when his approval ratings remain low and inflation is still high.

But Republican Rep. Maya Flores victory in a special election this year, becoming the first Texas Latina in the U.S. House, reflected the shifting ground. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, a South Texas Democrat, switched districts to more favorable territory and is hoping to unseat her for a full term in November.

Democrats have dismissed dramatic moves by Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, two potential 2024 presidential contenders, to send migrants to places like Washington, New York and Marthas Vineyard. But Republicans counter that more liberal voters in big cities far from the border are ignoring problems that are hitting largely working-class South Texans.

Running for Texas most competitive House seat, which stretches from east of San Antonio to border communities including McAllen, Republican Monica de la Cruz blamed an elite class that just does not get it because illegal immigration has virtually no impact on their lives.

Wall Street bankers dont have to worry about a poor Central American migrant undercutting their wages, de la Cruz told reporters recently.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is set to campaign with Flores and de la Cruz on the border Monday an unusual display of national GOP political force for South Texas.

Those efforts to control the political narrative coincides with the Republican Party opening 38 minority outreach community centers around the country, including in McAllen and another border city, Laredo, as well as in heavily Hispanic Houston and San Antonio.

Some offer services like tutoring for U.S. citizen classes and tax advice. Theyve also hosted movie nights, pot-luck dinners and business roundtables, as well as courses on topics like crypto currency. Some have been open for more than a year.

The GOP says it has spent millions on Hispanic outreach nationwide, including 30-plus ad buys in Spanish-language media encompassing digital, TV, radio and print. It also has a record 32 Hispanic Republican nominees on House ballots around the country, although many are underdogs.

Democrats, for their part, opened a national field office in McAllen in April and have three staffers working on the areas congressional race, the partys first such investment in recent memory.

Richard Gonzales, Democratic Party chair of Hidalgo County, which includes McAllen, said party officials hold weekly Zoom calls with ORourkes campaign to coordinate efforts that have focused on boosting turnout, especially among non-active voters. He said gains in 2020 by Trump and the Republicans were real but very candidate specific and unlikely to translate to future races.

ORourke, who in the past ran unsuccessfully for Senate and president, also heads a nonprofit called Powered By People. In 2020, he organized phone banking that saw volunteers contact voters in Webb County which includes Laredo, where less than 40% of eligible voters cast ballots in the 2018 Senate race hoping to boost turnout for Biden.

The group registered thousands of Webb County voters, and eventually saw turnout climb to 50% of eligible voters in the 2020 election. But Trump sharply increased his support in Webb County, taking nearly 26,000 votes, about double his 2016 raw vote total and captured about 38% overall support there, compared with about 23% in 2016.

People want to say that the Democrats are done down here, that the Republicans are taking over. That is not true, Gonzales said. What this has done is it has woken up the Democrats down here and made us realize, Hey, we cant take this for granted anymore.

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Weissert reported from Washington.

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Find more AP coverage of the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections and https://twitter.com/ap_politics

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GOP makes push to weaken Democrats' grip on Texas border - The Associated Press

AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer, File

A new study from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention shows that more than 2.5 million middle and high schoolers have used an e-cigarette in the past month.

In the study released Thursday, the CDC reports that of the 2.5 million students, nearly half of the students surveyed used e-cigarettes on 20 or more of the past 30 days.

Dr. Pushan Jani, an associate professor at the McGovern Medical School at UTHealth, said hospital admissions in Houston reflect these numbers, and that it is believed 1 in 5 kids in Houston have tried vaping.

"We are taking care of more and more patients with EVALI," Jani said.

EVALI, or E-Cigarette or Vaping use-Associated Lung Injury, is defined by the American Lung Association as a newly named disease after the increase in severe lung illness cases related to e-cigarette and vaping products.

Jani said that over the past few years, many newer e-cigarette brands are cheaper and can be used for longer periods of time.

"They are available online without any legal repercussions from any government agencies," he said. "Even though there are laws in place for in-person sales."

Jani added that many websites that sell e-cigarettes do so without requiring any age documentation. He said parents should talk to their kids to make sure they understand the risks of e-cigarettes.

However, Jani also warned that confrontation may not always be the answer. He said some kids may need therapies to help them quit these products.

"Sometimes they may need Quit Therapies that we use for cigarettes," he said. "Nicotine can be very addictive. Kids can get hooked onto this within 2 or 3 days of using it."

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Over 2 million teens have tried vaping leading to more lung-related diseases, according to CDC - Houston Public Media

How did Pat McAfee start the transition from relatively unknown Colts punter to a media mogul who now is part of ESPNs College GameDay crew, hosts a wildly popular show on YouTube and both performed and worked as a commentator for World Wrestling Entertainment?

With a drunken, late-night swim in the not-so-pristine waters of the Broad Ripple Canal in Indianapolis almost exactly 12 years ago.

It had been a really long night in an endless stretch of really long nights for the then-23-year-old. While celebrating life at Old Pros Table, he bought a hundred shots of tequila for the patrons in the bar.

At some point, McAfee thought it would be a tremendous idea to walk outside and jump into the nearby canal. After doing the backstroke, or maybe it was the breaststroke, McAfee emerged. A passing motorist later saw the wet, shirtless McAfee strolling about and called the police.

Soon, his blotchy face and wild hair were splattered all over the TV, both locally and nationally. As mugshots go, it was a classic. But Tim McAfee, Pats father, was not at all amused. When Pat called him from jail, Tim acknowledged he had seen the news and hung up on his son.

Pat was mortified. The Colts, led by general manager Bill Polian, were incensed, and while some of us dismissed it as a silly stunt by a kid whose night spiraled out of control, his reputation took something of a beating in his adopted hometown.

Shortly thereafter, he started getting calls from Bob Kevoian, the now-retired host of the Bob & Tom Show, a fabulously successful national morning radio show that emanated from Indianapolis.

Read the rest here:
How Pat McAfee went from Colts punter to media superstardom: He has the gift - The Athletic

Police have been hit by a new WhatsApp controversy, with a control room worker accused of sharing a picture from the scene where a teenager died after being struck by a train.

The accused worker was employed by British Transport Police (BTP) at the time.

The photograph was taken by police investigating the death of Lewis Williams, 18, after he was hit by a train in Slough in June 2022. It is claimed it was later shared via social media.

Williams father, Paul, told the Guardian that news of a gruesome picture of his sons death being shared had left him sickened and had exacerbated his grief.

He said his son was smart, had great potential and a really big heart. Williams wanted to be in the Royal Air Force, had previously done a reading before the royal family and was keen on history.

BTP said the image of Williams had been shared from the forces control room.

A former BTP employee, Joshua Tilt, 31, appeared on Friday at Birmingham magistrates court, charged with misconduct in public office.

The court heard he was accused of taking a photo on his personal mobile phone of a deceased member of the public and distributing it to others, between 20 June and 1 July this year.

The district judge David Wain granted Tilt bail until 4 November, when he will appear at Birmingham crown court.Paul Williams told the Guardian his son died under a train in Slough on 21 June.

Days later police came to visit the family: We were as a family trying to come to terms with the death of our son, and initially we had some comfort that he was at peace, but on 2 July all of that changed when the chief superintendent of British Transport Police told us a photo of his dismembered body [was] shared in a WhatsApp chat group.

I immediately felt sick. This was the first time that we were given the horrific detail about the state of Lewiss body. It is incomprehensible to us that someone would share such a picture, or how they were able to. When I think of Lewis now, all I can think of is that gruesome photo that has been shared, and we will have to live with this image for the rest of our lives.

In a statement, BTP, which operates on Britains transport network, said Tilt was charged with misconduct in a public office, following an investigation by BTPs professional standards department. The charges are in connection to an incident involving the sharing of an image from the forces control room. As is routine, the force referred itself to the IOPC [Independent Office for Police Conduct] who deemed the matter suitable for local investigation.

Williams said that in March 2022 his son was diagnosed with an emotionally unstable personality disorder: Lewis was popular, funny and kind. He had a really big heart and would always put other peoples problems ahead of his own. He touched so many peoples lives.

He was also incredibly smart, and his knowledge of history and the world was second to none. His teachers would always say how much potential he had. He would spend hours reading and researching any topic.

He was chosen to do a reading at the RAF 100 at Windsor Cathedral in front of members of the royal family. Lewis had dreams of joining the RAF one day.

Williams said his son had joined the air cadets when he was 12 and had risen to the rank of flight sergeant: He was very empathetic and great at reading other peoples feelings. His school friends, college friends and those from the squadron did tributes for him after his death. At the squadron they have his hoodie with the squadron number and a plaque placed on the wall in his memory.

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Police worker accused of sharing photo of dead teenager on WhatsApp - The Guardian

The governments push for threat sharing and collaboration, with the uptick in alerts directed to the healthcare sector, are a welcomed shift in the longstanding efforts to curtail cybersecurity challenges with overall awareness and cyber posture in the industry.

But awareness doesnt always translate into a viable solution, particularly when it comes to tackling the minutiae of medical devices. Due to the sheer complexity of the device ecosystem, resource constraints, and knowledge gaps, even the largest health systems struggle to solve the risk management challenges.

I think medical devices and biomed in general are really kind of the redheaded-stepchild of healthcare organizations because they're complex, and nobody really knows how to deal with them, said Ben Denkers, CynergisTeks chief innovation officer.

Consider the FBI alert on legacy medical devices, which resounded the bullhorn on risks associated with leveraging legacy tech in devices directly tied to patients. For many in healthcare, the messages rang familiar: groups like CHIME have long-warned of patch management issues and the impossibility of a real-time inventory in the healthcare environment. Similarly, the recommendations were rather vanilla: basic blocking and tackling at the end of the day.

Certainly, such reminders do no harm encouraging some healthcare entities to leverage technology as a safeguard to defend against a specific threat or to reduce overall risk. But some argue that the challenges facing many providers cant be boiled down into a singular problem or solution, and that the current assessment of risk could leave a vulnerable market unable to see the forest through the trees.

SC Media spoke to Denkers about this quandary, and how the market can better address multiple and sometimes conflicting hurdles to cybersecurity.

When the onslaught of ransomware attacks against healthcare began in 2016, the rallying cry was that there was no silver bullet to solve cybersecurity challenges. The sentiment remains, for both overall infrastructure and device security vulnerabilities.

As its likely always been in healthcare, the crux of its issues is actually a combination of resource and knowledge constraints, which are needed to truly have an effective security and privacy program, Denkers explained. Providers need a combination of people, processes, and technology to have a successful privacy and security program, even before its applied to a specific area like medical devices.

If you don't have enough resources, it's going to be problematic. If you don't have the right technology, you're going to have issues. And if you don't have the right processes to make sure all of those are working and effective, it doesn't do you any good, said Denkers.

That's the problem. It's not a singular issue of, hey, we don't have the right technology to stop the attack, he continued. Let's say, magically, you can wave your wand and put in some sort of endpoint protection on all the medical devices. Great. But what happens if you don't have the people to monitor the alerts or have to deal with a device being compromised? It doesn't really do you any good.

That means that even when a problem is identified, it still cant be remediated without the effective processes or controls. And if the problem persists, it can create downstream effects when the device remains in use, which could still cause patient safety impacts.

Further, if hospital leadership doesnt know how to use the actual security technology, its not going to do a whole lot, said Denkers. Others are struggling without the resources to manage or monitor the tools, or even tweak them to make it effective in the environment.

I've had countless conversations with individuals at healthcare organizations, and similarly where they've invested a lot of money in technology for it to sit in the corner because they don't have the resources or the know-how, or the physical resources to take the device and implement it, he added.

And they certainly don't have the resources to validate that it's working. Medical device security is important, it absolutely is. But you're also talking to organizations that probably, I would venture to guess, don't even have endpoint protection.

Some resource issues are financially driven; organizations dont have the money to make investments in the technology stack, or afford to hire the right people. Hiring challenges also persist for rural providers, who may not be able to physically get people into the organization.

Many rural hospitals face staffing challenges based on location alone, he said. Healthcare is facing all of these problems, not just with medical devices and the higher level of risk due to the direct attachment to care. But if you really start to unpeel the layers, you'll start to see that healthcare in general still isn't isn't necessarily the poster child for security and privacy programs.

Denkers posed an important question: if a car manufacturer had vehicles on the road that generally did what they were supposed to do, but passengers were at risk due to a faulty airbag, or malfunctioning brakes, what would happen? The manufacturer would be forced to make changes.

The reason why we're having to deal with these problems is because [medical devices] weren't properly developed from the beginning, he mused. It all starts with the software development life cycle, and where does SDLC start? It's whoever is developing the product or the solution.

If issues aren't properly vetted at the beginning of the development cycle, risks emerge. As Denkers sees it, it's the responsibility of the vendor to have a better product.

It's a snowball effect: you're never really actually going to catch up because it's just going to continue to get worse and worse and worse every time you have outdated software or end-of-life hardware and products.

It's interesting, those types of risks wouldn't be accepted in any other organization. But for some reason, we're dealing with people, which arguably have the highest rates of consequences, and it's okay, said Denkers.

The FBI alert was likely intended to reflect the current threats facing vulnerable platforms, warning that bad actors are increasingly using unpatched medical devices to gain a foothold on the network.

But the alert should instead serve as a guidepost: An exploit could ultimately impact the integrity and confidentiality of data, or even worse, cause disruptions in operational functions and impact patient safety.

Use this as a compass or a North Star, Denkers recommended, and review the guidance to verify just how well medical devices are being protected. Many in healthcare are in situations where they think they have certain safeguards in place, or some version of recommended safeguards, inadvertently miss the most important element amid the noise.

As Denkers plainly puts it, The question then really becomes: How effective is that control?

An entity may have endpoint protection or access controls, but be unaware of potential gaps in the environment, or unclear whether tools adequately address vulnerabilities. Some organizations generally don't have a mechanism in place to validate how effective controls are whether it be people, processes, or technology, he explained.

Segmentation is one of those areas where an entity might decide to separate certain devices from the main network, but then management of those devices is handled by another department. They set security and forget it. But as noted by Denkers, if they're connected to the network, they're still connected to patients.

And such oversights bring grave consequences. If a device or supporting infrastructure were to be compromised, and the device needs the internet to function or access certain portions of the environment, the medical devices cant function for patient care.

Depending on the organization's requirements, there can be many downstream effects from general compromises on the IT environment that become problematic quickly.

See the original post here:
Why healthcare's medical device challenges will never be addressed in isolation - SC Media