Good morning Her Campus! With a break-neck news cycle, there is no possible way for you to stay on top of every story that comes across your feeds—we’re all only human, after all.
But, life comes at you fast. So grab a cup of coffee and settle in for this quick and dirty guide to stories you might’ve been sleeping on (like, literally. It’s early.)
All 19 Black Women Running as Judges in a Texas County Won on Tuesday
History was made in Harris County, Texas on Tuesday night when a group of 19 black women who ran for different judicial seats all won their races. With a population of more than 4 million people, the county — which encompasses a majority of Houston — is the largest in Texas, and the third largest in the US. The new judges include: Sandra Peake, Judge Ramona Franklin, Judge Maria Jackson, Germaine Tanner, Angela Graves-Harrington, Cassandra Holleman, Tonya Jones, Dedra Davis, LaShawn Williams, Latosha Lewis Payne, Linda Dunson, Toria Finch, Erica Hughes, Lucia Bates, Ronnisha Bowman, Michelle Moore, Sharon Burney, Shannon Baldwin, and Lori Chambers Gray, according to BuzzFeed News.
People on social media have been celebrating the win — dubbing the group the #Houston19 — especially since Texas was home to the devastating loss of Democrat Beto O’Rourke to Republican incumbent Ted Cruz in the Texas senate race.
In total, 38 district judges were elected in the county — all of which were Democrats. Harris County also elected Lina Hidalgo, a 27-year-old immigrant, over Republican incumbent Ed Emmett who’s been in office for more than 10 years.
CNN’s Jim Acosta Loses Press Badge After Face-Off with Trump
The White House revoked the press credentials of CNN’s Chief White House Correspondent Jim Acosta on Wednesday, just hours after he and Trump had a tense exchange during a press conference. Press secretary Sarah Sanders said Acosta would be losing his “hard pass,” which gives him access to the White House grounds. According to The Washington Post, this isn’t the first time the Trump administration has banned a CNN reporter from attending an open press event; however, it is the first time a hard pass credential has been revoked.
Sanders specifically cited Acosta “placing his hands on a young woman just trying to do her a job as a White House intern,” referring to a tussle for the microphone when Acosta was trying to question the president. Trump became particularly angry with the CNN reporter after he asked the president if he had “demonized immigrants” by calling the carivan “an invasion.” The two went back and forth until the intern tried to take the microphone. Acosta attempted to hold onto it, eventually raising his arm to prevent the intern from taking the microphone. “Pardon me, ma’am,” he said as the two made contact.
Afterward, Trump told Acosta that CNN “should be ashamed of itself having you working for them. You are a rude, terrible person. You shouldn’t be working for CNN … You’re a very rude person. The way you treat Sarah Huckabee is horrible. And the way you treat other people are horrible. You shouldn’t treat people that way.”
Sanders’ statement that announced Acosta’s suspended press access echoed Trump’s sentiment. “The fact that CNN is proud of the way their employee behaved is not only disgusting, it‘s an example of their outrageous disregard for everyone, including young women, who work in this Administration,” she said.
CNN issued its support for Acosta in a statement on Wednesday night, explaining that the revocation of his pass “was done in retaliation for his challenging questions” at the press conference. “In an explanation, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders lied,” the statement continued. “She provided fraudulent accusations and cited an incident that never happened. This unprecedented decision is a threat to our democracy and the country deserves better. Jim Acosta has our full support.”
Brian Kemp Declares Victory in Georgia but Stacey Abrams Refuses to Concede
The race for governor in Georgia appears to still be up in the air. Brian Kemp and Republicans claimed victory on Wednesday night, but with the election still too close to call, the Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams is not only refusing to concede, but also “considering legal action,” CNN reported. “Our opponent has had his office declare himself the victor and we do not accept that,” the Abrams campaign told reporters.
Separately, a group of Georgia voters represented by Protect Democracy filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking that Kemp recuse himself from supervising the election. The New York Times reported that a hearing is scheduled for Thursday.
In the meantime, votes are still being tallied. Kemp is reportedly ahead of Abrams by more than 60,000+ votes, which comes to 50.3 percent of the vote compared to Abrams’ 48.7 percent. In Georgia, if no candidate receives 50 percent of the vote, there will be a runoff in early December.
But according to Kemp’s campaign, based on the ballots that still have to be counted, it’s now “mathematically impossible for Stacey Abrams to win or force a run-off election.” Abrams office, however, is demanding more information.
What to look for…
It’s National Cappuccino Day! Here’s where you can score a free cup.