Cruz Weighs In on Kaepernick National Anthem Protest

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is weighing in on the controversy surrounding Colin Kaepernick, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback who is refusing to stand at games during the National Anthem.

TMZ asked Cruz about Kaepernick’s protest, which the player said is about racial injustice, as the senator returned this week to Washington, D.C. following the congressional recess.

“It’s sad when you see rich, spoiled athletes that don’t recognize what an incredible blessing this country is,” Cruz said. "It’s very easy when you’re sitting there rolling in millions of dollars to disrespect this country.”

Cruz also criticized President Barack Obama’s response to Kaepernick’s protest. Obama said Monday that Kaepernick was “exercising his constitutional right” to advocate for racial justice.

“I was disappointed to see President Obama stand with Kaepernick and say, ‘That’s right. Disrespect the flag,’” Cruz said. “That’s not the job of the president."

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Vice President Joe Biden is coming to Texas to promote his efforts to boost cancer research.

Biden will speak about the White House Cancer Moonshot initiative Sept. 16 at Rice University, the Houston school announced Thursday afternoon. The event will also include remarks from Biden's wife, Jill Biden, and James A. Baker III, the former secretary of state who has a namesake institute at Rice.

The vice president's remarks will roughly coincide with the 54th anniversary of the speech former President John F. Kennedy gave at Rice in which he declared, "We choose to go to the Moon."

Biden's speech at Rice is scheduled for 3-4 p.m. Sept. 16 at the school's Tudor Fieldhouse, 6100 Main St. 

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Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is adding another event to his trip next week to Texas.

Trump is set to speak Sept. 17 in Houston at the national conference for The Remembrance Project, a group that draws attention to killings by people in the country illegally. Trump was already scheduled to be in Houston that day for a fundraiser.

Trump's appearance at the conference will mark his fourth public event in Texas since he became the presumptive nominee. It is unusual for a presidential nominee to publicly campaign so much in Texas, a reliably red state that candidates typically visit during the general election only to raise money.

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Bill Metzger announced Monday he has resigned as the Victory chairman of the Dallas County GOP, where Phillip Huffines recently took the helm.

Metzger, a Dallas County justice of the peace, had been tapped by former Chairman Mark Montgomery to serve as Victory chairman, overseeing the party's efforts in November. But with Huffines' election to replace Montgomery last month, it appears Metzger's service was no longer needed.

"I knew that when Mr. Montgomery decided to step down for personal reasons that whoever would be elected would have the ability to go in any direction they choose to go in," Metzger said in a statement. "With that in mind, I resigned as Victory Chairman so that Mr. Huffines could chart his course for victory this fall. I look forward to helping our party out in any way that I can moving forward. I wish Mr. Huffines all the success in the world."