Ted Cruz, a US senator from Texas, faced criticism for flying to Mexico on Wednesday after his home state was battered by historic winter storms.
He returned to Houston on Thursday night after reportedly moving up his flight following a public outcry over his apparent neglect of the humanitarian crisis.
Mr Cruz defended the trip, saying it was for his daughters.
"With school cancelled for the week, our girls asked to take a trip with friends," he said through his office on Thursday afternoon.
"Wanting to be a good dad, I flew down with them [to Cancun] last night and am flying back this afternoon.”
Images started circulating on Wednesday evening showing Mr Cruz at Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport boarding a flight to Cancun.
United flight UA1020 departed Houston for Cancun at 4.44pm, exactly 34 minutes after the photos were posted, an ABC local affiliate channel reported.
Millions of Texans are without power and heat as snow and ice storms ravage the state. At least 10 people died.
"My staff and I are in constant communication with state and local leaders to get to the bottom of what happened in Texas," Mr Cruz said on Thursday.
Former MSNBC host David Shuster on Wednesday night tweeted another photo showing Mr Cruz on the flight.
Mr Shuster said Mr Cruz and his family “flew to Cancun tonight for a few days at a resort they've visited before”.
The temperature in Cancun is expected to reach a high of 29°C on Thursday. Temperatures in some areas of his home state fell to minus 12°C this week.
AP confirmed the trip with a source who said the family holiday had been planned for a long time.
Many took to Twitter to criticise the senator, showing food lines and images of Texans lined up for groceries.
"We want our power back, our water on, and our homes warm," Mr Cruz said.
"My team and I will continue using all our resources to keep Texans informed and safe."
The Texas Democratic Party called on Mr Cruz to resign.
“Texas, you deserve so much better. Upgrade your representation starting in '22!” Democratic National Committee chairman Jaime Harrison tweeted.
A Thursday flight from Cancun to Houston listed the name Cruz among those on standby for a seating upgrade.
ABC reported on Thursday that the senator's staff contacted the Houston Police Department to offer assistance on his return to the state.
The aviation news website Skift reported that Mr Cruz had rebooked his ticket on United airlines today at 6am, moving his departure up by two days.
Mr Cruz was seen boarding alone in the Cancun airport without his family, pulling a black suitcase.
He is expected to land in Houston at 4.05pm local time.
Social media focus on his flight travel is a reminder of other flights that have caught public attention over the past decade.
It pales in comparison with British politician Priti Patel's return flight to the UK from Kenya in 2017 after it was rumoured that she would be fired from the Cabinet.
Former prime minister David Cameron was also criticised for going on holiday in Ibiza a short time after his country suffered terrorist attacks in 2013.
There was also the 2013 flight from South Africa to New York that carried Justine Sacco, a public relations staffer at media company IAC at the time, who tweeted a racist remark before departing.
The post led to her firing after her tweet went viral on social media with the hashtag #HasJustineLandedYet.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
LOVE%20AGAIN
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The specs
Engine: 0.8-litre four cylinder
Power: 70bhp
Torque: 66Nm
Transmission: four-speed manual
Price: $1,075 new in 1967, now valued at $40,000
On sale: Models from 1966 to 1970
Company%C2%A0profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Fixtures
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EWednesday%2C%20April%203%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EArsenal%20v%20Luton%20Town%2C%2010.30pm%20(UAE)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EManchester%20City%20v%20Aston%20Villa%2C%2011.15pm%20(UAE)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EThursday%2C%20April%204%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ELiverpool%20v%20Sheffield%20United%2C%2010.30pm%20(UAE)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Results
5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m; Winner: Mcmanaman, Sam Hitchcock (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)
6.05pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Bawaasil, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson
6.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (Dirt) 1,400m; Winner: Bochart, Fabrice Veron, Satish Seemar
7.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Mutaraffa, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
7.50pm: Longines Stakes – Conditions (TB) Dh120,00 (D) 1,900m; Winner: Rare Ninja, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
8.25pm: Zabeel Trophy – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Alfareeq, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
9pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 2,410m; Winner: Good Tidings, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
9.35pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Zorion, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi, Helal Al Alawi
Monster
Directed by: Anthony Mandler
Starring: Kelvin Harrison Jr., John David Washington
3/5
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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Company%20profile
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Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Zayed Sustainability Prize
