Bad blood in the Texas Senate race and errors with license plate readers Flock: Morning Rundown

Why some Ken Paxton allies think he was sabotaged in the Texas Senate race. Mistakes made by Flock license plate readers lead police to arrest the wrong people. And Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers redeems himself in a win over the Colts.

Here’s what you need to know today.

Bad blood flows in Texas Senate race

It’s been a difficult time for Texas Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton.

Damaging leaks of his private conversations. Details of his past romantic relationships. Jabs at his physical appearance. And at least some of his allies are convinced that the sabotage comes from within his own party.

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The wounds have not healed from the contentious primary in which Paxton defeated Sen. John Cornyn. Many in Paxton’s corner are convinced that those aligned with Cornyn are trying to hurt his chances. Others in the Republican Party say Paxton’s negatives are so high that few people want to associate with him.

Interviews with more than a dozen Texas Republicans involved in the crossfire make clear there is no hope of a truce before Election Day — or perhaps ever. Some say the fissures threaten to sideline the Republican Party’s efforts as a crucial election approaches.

Learn more about bad blood.

Meanwhile, Paxton’s Democratic rival James Talarico discussed his recent absence from the campaign trail yesterday, saying it was just a “nasty case of the flu.”

More election news:

• Analysis: Trump rallies are designed to pump up enthusiasm in a base showing signs of fatigue and dissatisfaction. Although the president can still gather a crowd like no one else in the Republican Party, he speaks in smaller rooms and often stares at empty seats. Some say he may not be getting as much bang for his buck as he used to.

• Republican Sen. Darline Graham of South Carolina and Democratic challenger Annie Andrews clashes over Iran, AI and Trump during their first debate.

• Abortion is not a priority for voters, but Democrats are I bet that could motivate their base.

• In both parties, Black candidates want to make history in gubernatorial races.

Mass ‘false flags’ lead to frightening encounters between motorists and police

Danny Brooks, an electrician from Indiana, was sitting in his company truck when police officers surrounded the vehicle with guns drawn. They handcuffed him and said the truck had been reported stolen, but they had not identified the correct man.

An error from a Flock license plate reader caused the confusion.

These readers indiscriminately capture a photo of every car that passes its cameras. If any of the plates photographed by Flock appear on a “blacklist,” a law enforcement log of plate numbers suspected of being related to a crime, the police are notified. But the system is not perfect.

NBC News spoke with five people who were arrested or detained after Flock’s system triggered false alerts, including one who was jailed for nearly two weeks.

We also analyzed logs showing officers searching and adding license plates to a system containing wanted vehicle lists. Some officers intentionally added wrong plate numbers to compensate for Flock’s errors.

Read the full story here.

NFL Week 5 Recap: Don’t Count Out Aaron Rodgers for now

Week 5 of the NFL season featured the latest chapter of a legendary rivalry and a resurgent performance from a 42-year-old quarterback. Here’s what you missed yesterday:

• After looking like one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL to start the season, Steelers starter Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdown passes for the third straight game, this time in a 34-22 win over the Colts.
• The Packers restored some balance to their rivalry with the Bears, beating the team without Caleb Williams 31-7.
• The commanders had a few seconds left to achieve victory… and I blew it up. They tied the Giants 27-27 after Jayden Daniels’ poor decision to pass the ball left the entire NFL in disbelief.
• In one of the craziest endings, the The Eagles lost 19-17 to the Jaguars.

Read the full recap here.

Staff choice: Frustrated by slowing economy, young Chinese turn to Mao Zedong for advice

Fifty years after his death, former Chinese leader Mao Zedong is finding renewed appeal among young Chinese, who flock to his former residences and monuments to learn about his past and turn to his books for inspiration. They draw inspiration from his ideas for managing everyday challenges, from work to school to video games.

Some believe that China’s tightly controlled history textbooks and heavily censored Internet might lead to an incomplete understanding of him, but that is not the only or main reason for this call.

We traveled to Shaoshan, Mao’s hometown in southern China, to talk with young visitors and find out what they felt like seeing the site in person. We also spoke with two Chinese history experts to explore why Mao strikes a chord with a younger generation facing an economic slowdown and growing social pressures.

— Erin Tan and Dawn Liuresearchers based in Beijing

Read all about it

• Kelly Clarkson says Brooklyn store snubbed her. The store said the item she wanted was not for sale.
• American-born economists Robert E. Hall and Michael Woodford won the Nobel Prize in economics for their work on models that helped governments and central banks manage economic shocks.
• A man whose toddler was among eight people killed in a mass shooting in Erie, Pennsylvania, said the shooter was a grandfather who I never seemed distressed or something out of the ordinary.

• To thwart a scary economy, America is preparing to spend on Halloween candy.

NBC Selected: online shopping made easy

We don’t always have time to prepare a fresh cup of coffee every morning, which is exactly why we turned to coffee concentrates. Not only are they stronger and more powerful, but it takes half the time and effort to complete. But which ones are actually worth your money? We tried over a dozen to find out.

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