Presidential quiz, how Ted Cruz wants to pay for the border wall, fate of Dallas Confederate memorial

Good morning, and Happy Valentine's Day! If you love politics, this is the newsletter for you.

Here are the top political headlines from Austin, Washington and Dallas, as well as our new Presidents Day quiz.

Presidents Day quiz

1. With Presidents Day coming up Monday, we thought it would be fun to test our readers' knowledge of the four presidents with Texas connections.

All claim Texas as home in some fashion, though two were born here and two weren't. We can't tell you which ones, otherwise we'd be giving away one of the quiz answers!

If you can't see the portal below, click here to take the quiz.

Points from Austin

1. David Whitley is in damage control mode. Gov. Greg Abbott's choice for secretary of state, battered from the fallout over his office's controversial voter fraud inquiry, needs the support of Senate Democrats to be confirmed. But it's unclear whether they'll wield their power to deny him.

The Dallas Morning News reached out to the 12 Democrats in the Texas Senate to find out how they're going to vote. Here's what we found.

2. We asked @dallasnews Instagram followers what they'd like to see happen to the Confederate plaque that was removed from the Capitol. Here's what they said.

1. "Have it be repurposed and reclaimed as an art piece by a black artist." - Jackson Scoggins (@jacksonscoggins)2. "Put it in a museum. Even when it's ugly, the reality of our history should be documented." - Brittany (@bis4brit)3. "I don't think it should be melted down because if you don't remember history, you repeat it." - Brittney Dumas (@brittney.fgiiifineart)4. "Melt it and turn it into new history dedicated to acknowledging needed change." - Jasmine (@hasminnee)5. "Melt the sucker down, honestly. I'm a conservative Republican too. The plaque is wrong." - Andy Rittler (@ritty360)6. "Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. Can't erase everything that people don't like." - Jacob Wiley (@jakecwiley)7. "Send it to the Smithsonian Museum of African American History, include it in an exhibit." - Will Pendleton (@wkpendleton)8. "Place it in a museum of Texas history as a remembrance to confederate creed and ideology." - Andaleeb Iqbal (@andaleebsi)9. "Melt it and make a n MLK head bust." - Sal Rivas (@salrivas28)10. "Preserving or destroying are not options. We must reimagine -- correct the mistake." - Roselle Tenorio (@roselletenorio)

The most unique suggestion? "Melt it, make a kitten statue." - Joel and Carla Gunnels Murphy (@joelandcarlagunnels)

3. Have you visited our legislative coverage site yet? On the Texas Tracker: Your Guide to the State Legislature, you'll find stories, analysis and more from the Capitol. If you're a Dallas Morning News subscriber, you can customize your feed. Sign in, click the issues you want to follow, and you'll see only posts matching those topics.

Points from Washington

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, attends a rally with Preside nt Donald Trump in El Paso, Texas, Monday, Feb. 11, 2019. . (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

(Susan Walsh/AP)

1. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is on fire this week, making news on several fronts. Here's why:

He called the "Green New Deal" a sign of "just how nutty Democrats are getting," telling donors in a conference call Tuesday night that it's a "kooky" approach that would entail bans on cars, planes, trains and cattle. "I would say it was half-assed, but that probably gives it more credit than it deserves," Cruz said, before dropping a reference to "unicorns and daisies floating in the sky."

He also voted against the most sweeping conservation legislation in a decade, which sailed through the Senate 92-8. His office provided an explanation Wednesday.

After Tuesday's conviction of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, Cruz once again sought support for a bill that would make the drug kingpin pay for a border wall.

And finally, the question has dogged Cruz for years: Is he the Zodiac killer? In case there were any doubt, he's not. But that hasn't stopped him and Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse from having fun with the conspiracy theory. What's the latest thread in this never-ending punchline?

2. The National Butterfly Center filed for a restraining order in U.S. District Court in Washington to keep federal agents and contractors -- who plan to build a border wall through the popular nature preserve -- off its property.

The center, located in the small Texas town of Mission in the Rio Grande Valley, has tried for more than a year to stop the border barrier, which Congress approved last March. But the current debate over the Trump administration's demands for billions more dollars in border wall funding has focused national attention on the butterfly preserve's plight.

Todd's take

Todd Gillman is the Washington bureau chief for The Dallas Morning News. He has covered government and politics for decades, from Dallas to D.C., and is a White House Correspondents' Association board member. Todd appeared on The 11th Hour with Brian Williams on MSNBC last night, and here are some of the points he made.

If Beto O'Rourke isn't going to run for president, it's hard to understand why he's showing so much ankle. Between the interview with Oprah and the rally in El Paso on Monday, he's living his life out in public a lot. I would bet that he will run.

On his weeklong solo road trip, he was introspective, poetic even, expressing the kind of self-description that you never hear, not just from Trump, but really from anyone running for president. In one of his first blog entries he wrote that he was in a funk after losing to Ted Cruz. That's not something politicians say out loud. And he goes into small-town America - not Iowa, not New Hampshire - with no apparent agenda or political calculus. This is not the usual way people run for president, but he was also writing about it and taking selfies with people he met along the way - drawing attention to himself.

Trump gave him an opportunity by coming to the border. The one issue Beto is really passionate about, his signature issue, is that the border is not as unsafe as Trump says it is, and the wall is a dumb idea. If he was wavering about running, Trump got him juiced up.

Points from Dallas

Dallas City Council member Jennifer Staubach Gates listens during a Dallas City Council meeting at Park In the Woods Recreation Center in Dallas on Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019. 

(Shaban Athuman/Staff Photographer)

1. The Confederate War Memorial near Dallas City Hall must come down, the City Council decided Wednesday.

In an 11-4 vote, the council declared that the monument was "a non-contributing structure for the historic overlay district." Corbett Smith reports about the next step in the process, who voted against taking it down and how much it will cost to remove it.

2. Dallas police are investigating allegations that a City Council member was involved in a car accident with someone riding a motorized scooter near Fair Park.

3. While everyone in Dallas appears to be running for mayor, when the filing period closes Friday, the list won't include the candidate who could've been the person to beat, writes columnist Sharon Grigsby. It's too early to say whether she would have voted for Jennifer Staubach Gates in the crowded field of candidates, but Sharon is sorry her name won't be on the ballot. Here's why.

4. Another Dallas-area school district has been sued in federal court over allegations that it's making it hard for residents of color to get elected, adversely affecting the education of minority and low-income children. Find out which district the lawsuit alleges has board members who are all from affluent, predominantly white neighborhoods.

Tell us

Curious Texas, an ongoing project from The Dallas Morning News, invites you to join our reporting process. We want to report stories that help you better understand how politics affects your money and your life. Tell us: What do you wonder about politics, the Texas Legislature or elections? No question is too big or too small.

👋 That's all for this morning! For up-to-the-minute news and analysis, check out DallasNews.com.

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