*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).
ABC is canceling its hit show 'Roseanne' after the sitcom's star Roseanne Barr made racist comments on Twitter. The company released a statement saying, "Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show." Disney CEO Bob Iger chimed in to voice his support for ABC's decision. Barr has apologized for her comments about former Obama aide Valerie Jarrett.
Facebook is reportedly getting ready to launch its WhatsApp Pay service in India. The company could introduce the payment service across the country as soon as next week, according to Bloomberg. WhatsApp Pay was launched in February of this year and has received rave reviews. Around 200 million people already use WhatsApp's messaging service in India.
Budweiser is introducing a new beer to its Reserve Collection. Proceeds from the new Budweiser Freedom Reserve Red Lager will go towards helping veterans. Ricardo Marques, VP of marketing at Budweiser, joins Cheddar to explain why this is an important mission for the company.
Disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was arrested last week on charges of rape and a criminal sex act but the New York District Attorney's office may have a difficult time convicting him, says former U.S. prosecutor Jonna Spilbor.
Political turmoil in Italy and U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports dragged down the Dow Jones and the S&P 500 by more than 1 percent on Tuesday. "It's kind of been the one-two punch," says Daniel Ives, chief strategy officer and head of technology research at GBH Insights.
The host of 'The Daily Show' says he loves covering President Trump's proposed wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. "It's just like a fun exercise," he tells Cheddar's Baker Machado.
The host of Comedy Central's 'The Opposition' says he finds opportunities in the paranoia being touted by the fringe right. "We try to embody and show that chaos and kind of live in it," he told Cheddar in an interview.
North Korean General Kim Yong-chol, often referred to as Kim Jong-un's right-hand man, will meet with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in New York later this week. This shows "a sense of willingness" on both ides to make the historic U.S.-North Korea summit happen, it's just a question of when, says Martyn Williams, a journalist at IDG News Service.
An Austrian privacy activist filed lawsuits against the tech giants as soon as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) went into effect at midnight, accusing the companies of failing to comply. "This is a very hard reality check for companies, not just abroad, but in the U.S.," says Andrew Rossow, internet attorney and Forbes contributor.
Kayleigh McEnany confirms to Cheddar's J.D. Durkin that Michael Cohen remains as Deputy Finance Chair of the RNC, despite being under criminal investigation. "We'll take it step by step, day by day," she says.
A day after President Trump canceled the North Korea summit, Kim Jong-un said he is still willing to sit down with the U.S. president "at any time." This outcome is what "good negotiating looks like," says Kayleigh McEnany, spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee.
Though President Trump abruptly canceled his planned meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong-un, there's still a possibility the summit could take place in the future if the two sides can tamp down their antagonism and agree to a framework for denuclearization.
