*By Carlo Versano*
Texas Democrats find themselves in an odd position two months before a major election: running a competitive statewide race.
Optimism that Rep. Beto O'Rourke could unseat Republican incumbent Ted Cruz in the Senate is palpable in Democratic circles, said Texas Monthly's politics editor Carlos Sanchez. The race is now a "toss up," according to [Real Clear Politics] (https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2018/senate/tx/texas_senate_cruz_vs_orourke-6310.html).
O'Rourke, who was elected to the U.S. House in 2013, has been surfing a wave of positive national press and an unorthodox, social-media-savvy campaign that found him traveling to all 254 counties of the deep red state and streaming his journey online.
All summer he's been gaining on Cruz who, compared to the charismatic O'Rourke, suffers from a "likability issue," Sanchez said. After all, Cruz's Republican colleague Lindsey Graham once famously [said](http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/313969-graham-to-cruz-i-want-to-apologize-to-ted-for-saying-he-should): "If you killed Ted Cruz on the floor of the Senate, and the trial was in the Senate, nobody would convict you."
Sanchez said that kind of sentiment may work in O'Rourke's favor: "The base for Cruz seems to be crumbling a bit."
But there are still challenges. While O'Rourke has out-raised Cruz by a wide margin, mostly from small-dollar donors, Cruz is better organized and allied with the powerful Koch network of donors. Sanchez said that "formidable" campaign infrastructure could pose a threat to the Democrat.
And the issue of Donald Trump looms large.
The president accepted an invitation to campaign for Cruz after Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick [reportedly](https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/09/ted-cruz-reelection-trump-813354) pleaded with him to throw his support behind Cruz, a man he incidentally referred to as "Lyin' Ted" on the campaign trail.
Though that may end up working against the incumbent, Sanchez said. O'Rourke, who is popular with young and minority Democrat voters, needs those blocs to turn out on Election Day. A fiery Donald Trump rally weeks before may compel them to do just that.
O'Rourke "is the national Democrat of Texas right now," Sanchez said.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/republicans-go-into-crisis-mode-as-democrat-beto-orourke-closes-in-on-ted-cruz-in-texas-senate-race).
The recent crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border isn't that different from the injustices committed against the transgender community, says actress and transgender rights activist Angelica Ross. "We, as a country and as a global society, have lost touch with our humanity," she tells Cheddar.
Mike Corbat, head of the fourth biggest bank in the U.S. with $1.84 trillion in assets, said that, while many of the current trade agreements in place need to be updated to reflect the modern economy, it's 'unfortunate' that progress from other policies, like tax reform, could be hampered by the threat of trade wars.
Employees of big tech companies hold their leaders to a high moral standard and force them to speak out, says Dana Wollman, executive editor at Endgadget. Microsoft staff recently protested against letting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which has been criticized for its treatment of migrant children at the border, use the company's Azure cloud technology.
The president said he will sign an executive order as soon as Wednesday to prohibit officials from separating children and parents at the southern border, after days of standing by the zero tolerance policy. His changed stance may stem from national backlash in the political and private sectors, says Jack Crowe, news writer at the National Review.
President Trump on Tuesday again deflected blame for tearing apart families at the U.S. border and suggested deporting entire family units, and Republicans scrambled to come up with a legislative fix for the crisis.
The former president of Mexico, a long-time advocate of legalizing cannabis globally, joined the board of the cannabis culture company. Adam Levine, CEO of High Times, said his addition will lend support to its efforts.
Markets opened sharply lower on Tuesday after President Trump directed his administration to identify an additional $200 billion worth of Chinese goods that could be hit with taxes, upping the ante in the potential U.S.-China trade war. Trump's announcement comes in response to China's threats to retaliate against an original round of tariffs, targeting $50 billion worth of U.S. imports.
Suraj Patel, a former Obama campaign staffer, is trying to boost voter turnout in New York's 12th District by collaborating with coffee carts, taking workout classes with voters, and engaging with people on the streets. He's running to unseat 25-year incumbent Rep. Carolyn Maloney in the Democratic primary next week.
The president on Monday said the U.S. "will not be a migrant camp," responding to concern over families being separated at the southern border. Trump also blamed the situation on the Democrats because he realizes that the emotional images of children at processing centers are "unspinably bad right now," says Republican strategist Rick Wilson.
Google is investing $550 million in Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com. Now, JD.com products will be featured on Google's shopping service. JD.com is China's second largest e-commerce company, just behind Alibaba.
Audi CEO Rupert Stadler was arrested on Monday in Germany. Authorities detained him for fear that he would interfere with the ongoing investigation into Volkswagen over its emissions testing scandal. Volkswagen is the parent company of Audi.
Pressure is mounting on President Trump to end the zero-tolerance immigration policy that's separating children and parents at the border. Mike Allen, executive editor at Axios, weighs in on the controversy.
