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    <title>Texas Voter ID Law Blocked • Transgender Military Ban Memo • Potential Hurricane Harvey: Patch Morning Briefing | Across America, US Patch</title>
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      Texas Voter ID Law Blocked • Transgender Military Ban Memo • Potential Hurricane Harvey: Patch Morning Briefing    </h1>
          <h2 class="h4">Also: A snarky resignation letter to the president, a dominatrix extortion scheme, a strutting octopus and more.</h2>        <div class="clearfix summary-additional">
      <span class="h6">By <a href="https://patch.com/users/cody-fenwick">Cody Fenwick, <span class="text-neutral">Patch National Staff</span> </a> | <time datetime="2017-08-24 01:56:51">Aug 24, 2017 1:56 am ET</time> | Updated <time datetime="2017-08-24 08:36:16">Aug 24, 2017 8:36 am ET</time><a href="https://my.patch.com/article/27232001/edit" target="_blank" title="Moderate Content." class="edit-p soft-hide gray-subtle-link" rel="nofollow"><span class="separator"></span> <span class="fal fa-paragraph fa-xs" aria-hidden="true"></span></a></span><div class="flag-fb-like-wrapper air-xs-t"><div class="fb-like" data-href="https://patch.com/us/across-america/texas-voter-id-law-blocked-transgender-military-ban-memo-potential-hurricane" data-layout="button_count" data-action="like" data-share="true"></div></div>    </div>
  
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    <p><strong><em>Good morning! It's Thursday, and the weekend is just around the corner. Here's what you need to know to start your day.</em></strong></p> <hr /><p><strong><strong></strong>Federal Judge Tosses Out Texas Voter ID Law </strong></p> <p>Texas Republicans continue to defend the state's voter ID law after a federal judge tossed out the controversial legislation. The law requires residents to show a government-issued ID in order to cast their ballots. The judge deemed it unconstitutional and a violation of the Voting Rights Act on Wednesday. It's the latest blow for Republicans controlling the state government who've long fought for the restrictive measures placed as conditions on people wanting to exercise their right to vote. (<a href="https://patch.com/texas/downtownaustin/federal-judge-tosses-out-texas-voter-id-law-unconstitutional-voting-rights-act" target="_blank">Patch</a>)</p> <hr /><p><strong>Transgender Military Ban Could Start In 6 Months: Report</strong></p> <p>The New York Times reports that a White House memo will give the Pentagon six months to implement the total ban on transgender people serving in the military. President Trump originally announced the decision last month on Twitter, which dumbfounded military leaders, according to multiple reports. The Pentagon said it would not enforce the tweet-based order until it was made official. (<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/23/us/politics/trump-military-transgender-ban.html?hp&amp;action=click&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;clickSource=story-heading&amp;module=first-column-region&amp;region=top-news&amp;WT.nav=top-news&amp;_r=0" rel="nofollow">The New York Times</a>)</p> <hr /><p><strong>Hurricane Harvey May Be On Its Way</strong></p> <p>A hurricane watch has been issued for part of the southern coast while storm surge "Harvey" has developed into a tropical depression in the Western Gulf of Mexico. The National Weather Service said Harvey may strengthen to a tropical storm or hurricane before landfall by Friday and that it may stall or meander for a few days, leading to a dangerous flood threat in parts of Texas and Louisiana. The NHC says that the center of the storm is located about 470 miles southeast of Port Mansfield, Texas, and is moving northwest at 9 mph. (<a href="https://patch.com/texas/meyerland/hurricane-watch-issued-texas-coast-san-luis-pass-near-galveston" target="_blank">Patch</a>)</p> <hr /><figure class="r-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">We tested an economic theory by trying to buy people's Powerball tickets for much more than they paid <a href="https://t.co/QOj3EBbvJa" rel="nofollow">pic.twitter.com/QOj3EBbvJa</a><br />— Business Insider (@businessinsider) <a href="https://twitter.com/businessinsider/status/900525576384987136" rel="nofollow">August 24, 2017</a></blockquote> </figure><hr /><p><strong>Quick Hits </strong></p> <p>Hooter's Manager Helps Take Down 'Violent' Suspect: Video (<a href="https://patch.com/florida/brandon/hooter-s-manager-helps-take-down-violent-suspect-video" target="_blank">Patch</a>)</p> <p>Watch Octopus Strut Its Stuff On SoCal Pier (<a href="https://patch.com/california/redondobeach/octopus-takes-romantic-stroll-pier-watch" target="_blank">Patch</a>)</p> <p>Florida Veterinarian Arrested On Animal Cruelty Charges (<a href="https://patch.com/florida/lakeland/florida-veterinarian-arrested-animal-cruelty-charges" target="_blank">Patch</a>)</p> <p>Hillary Clinton: Donald Trump Made My Skin Crawl During Presidential Debate (<a href="https://patch.com/us/white-house/hillary-clinton-donald-trump-made-my-skin-crawl-during-presidential-debate" target="_blank">Patch</a>)</p> <hr /><p><strong></strong></p> <p><strong>UC Berkeley Professor Spells 'IMPEACH' In State Department Resignation Letter</strong><br /></p> <p>The professor resigned his position as a Science Envoy for the U.S. State Department over President Donald Trump's response to the deadly "Unite the Right" rally earlier this month in Charlottesville. (<a href="https://patch.com/california/berkeley/uc-berkeley-prof-spells-impeach-state-dept-resignation-letter" target="_blank">Patch</a>)<strong><br /></strong></p> <hr /><p><strong>Dominatrix 'Temptress Nirvana' $10K Extortion Scheme Exposed: FBI</strong></p> <p>The FBI said in a criminal complaint in Detroit federal court that an Atlanta dominatrix used red underwear and threats to extort $10,000. (<a href="https://patch.com/michigan/detroit/dominatrix-temptress-nirvana-10k-extortion-scheme-exposed-fbi" target="_blank">Patch</a>)</p> <hr /><p><strong>As Nation Grapples Over Confederacy Symbols, Texas Fiercely Protects Theirs</strong></p> <p>Ambitiously sculpted monuments honoring Confederacy figures dot the Capitol grounds, and portraits inside rotunda lionize them further. (<a href="https://patch.com/texas/downtownaustin/nation-grapples-over-confederacy-symbols-texas-fiercely-protects-theirs-tribute" target="_blank">Patch</a>)</p> <hr /><p><strong>Terror Threat Forces LA Folk Band Allah-Las To Cancel Netherlands Concert</strong><br /></p> <p>Allah-Las, a Los Angeles folk band, was forced to cancel a concert in the Netherlands after authorities uncovered a terrorist threat. (<a href="https://patch.com/california/northhollywood/terror-threat-forces-la-folk-band-allah-las-cancel-netherlands-concert" target="_blank">Patch</a>)<br /></p> <hr /><figure class="r-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">Here's how the light from your smartphone impacts your brain and body <a href="https://t.co/sqAnm4kl8E" rel="nofollow">https://t.co/sqAnm4kl8E</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/health?src=hash" rel="nofollow">#health</a> <a href="https://t.co/pSQ3ikZemq" rel="nofollow">pic.twitter.com/pSQ3ikZemq</a><br />— World Economic Forum (@wef) <a href="https://twitter.com/wef/status/900568370852114432" rel="nofollow">August 24, 2017</a></blockquote> </figure><hr /><p><strong>This Day In History</strong></p> <p>79 CE — Mount Vesuvius, one of the world's most dangerous volcanoes, erupts (date disputed)</p> <p>1995 — The iconic operating system Windows 95 is released to the public</p> <p><strong>Famous Birthdays</strong></p> <p>1922 — Howard Zinn, a prominent socialist activist and historian, best known for authoring "A People's History of the United States"</p> <p>1929 — Yasser Arafat, the first president of the<span class="redactor-unlink"> Palestinian National Authority</span></p> <p><em>Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images</em><br /></p><div id="in-article-boxed-recirc"><div class="text-center air-md"><a href="/" category="subscribe" trigger="article_button_click" class="btn btn-lg btn-cta-alt pill sans in-article-subscribe l-bold">Subscribe<span class="fal fa-angle-right fa-lg air-xs-l" aria-hidden="true"></span></a></div></div>  </div>

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