Lead Stories

Political turbulence engulfs the Fed as Trump pushes to assert control

President Donald Trump’s aggressive steps to reshape the Federal Reserve could play out dramatically at this week’s Fed policy meeting, marking an extraordinary moment of political tension at an institution designed to operate independently from White House influence. While financial markets fully expect a quarter-point interest-rate cut at the conclusion of the central bank’s two-day meeting on Wednesday, the gathering will be fundamentally different from those in the immediate past, as the Fed navigates unprecedented pressure from the White House, Congress and the courts that could shape the future of the central bank. “The meeting is happening in this political maelstrom,” said Mark Spindel, an investment manager who co-wrote a history of Fed independence. “We’ve never seen that before.” For consumers, the stakes extend far beyond Washington power struggles. Lower short-term rates could mean mortgages and other types of loans get somewhat cheaper, potentially providing relief to consumers facing higher borrowing costs.

But there’s also the potential for long-term loans to become more expensive if the Fed’s independence erodes over time and markets lose confidence in the central bank’s ability to raise rates to control inflation. Investors, in other words, could demand higher yields to compensate for that risk. “There’s no guarantee whatsoever that longer term rates will come down even if the Fed makes cuts to the short-term rate that they control,” said David Wilcox, an economist at Bloomberg Economics and the Peterson Institute. One of Trump’s top economic advisers, Stephen Miran, is expected to be confirmed in time to participate in the deliberations, after the Senate moved at breakneck pace to green-light his nomination ahead of the meeting. It’s an unusual twist for the Fed, which hasn’t had a sitting member of a presidential administration involved in its decision-making in decades. It also marks a sea change among Senate Republicans, who generally moved to shield the Fed from Trump’s influence during his first term. Miran says he will take an unpaid leave of absence as chairman of the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers, but he does not plan to resign from the role, prompting objections from congressional Democrats that he would remain beholden to Trump while serving at the central bank.

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Long-term unemployment at post-pandemic high, straining workers and economy

More Americans are facing stretches of unemployment of six months or more, a worrisome sign for the U.S. economy. More than 1 in 4 workers without jobs have been unemployed for at least half a year, new data shows. That number is a post-pandemic high and a level typically only seen during periods of economic turmoil. In all, more than 1.9 million Americans had been unemployed “long term” in August, meaning they have been out of work for 27 weeks or more, a critical cliff when it comes to finding a job. That’s more than double the 1 million people who were in a similar position in early 2023. “We have a low-hire, low-fire environment — and that stagnancy means there aren’t a lot of new positions for people to move into,” said Laura Ullrich, director of economic research at the jobs site Indeed. “The probability of becoming unemployed has not gone up that much, but if you become unemployed, it’s much harder to find a job.”

Six months of unemployment often signals a turning point in a person’s job search, according to economists. They’ve likely run out of unemployment insurance benefits and severance payments by then, leaving them on shakier financial ground. People who have been unemployed for more than six months are also more likely to become discouraged and stop looking for work altogether. Since 1950, the long-term unemployment rate has exceeded 25 percent in only a few other instances and always after a recession: for one month, June 1983, after an inflation-fueled recession; for an eight-year stretch following the Great Recession in 2009; and for about a year and half during the coronavirus pandemic. The pickup in months-long unemployment coincides with broader cooling in the labor market. Although the overall unemployment rate, 4.3 percent, is near longtime lows, many employers have frozen hiring as they wait to see how new tariffs and other economic policies will affect business. Layoffs are rising, too, with weekly claims for unemployment insurance reaching the highest level since October 2021.

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Driverless semis are taking over Texas roads, but regulations struggle to keep pace

On a recent July afternoon, Sasko Cuklev’s eyes swept over a color-coded map of the United States. Just outside, a black Volvo semi — hitched to a bright yellow DHL trailer — idled in the dirt-and-gravel lot, still muddy from the previous night’s downpour. Cuklev, who heads the on-roads solutions unit for Volvo Autonomous, eyed a large light-blue outline toward the bottom center of the map. “Of course, Texas [is a] very friendly regulatory environment, and that is one of the reasons why we started here,” Cuklev told a group of reporters gathered nearby. For the occasion, executives from Volvo and partner Aurora had invited journalists from across North Texas to witness the deployment of a driverless semi from its launch center in Palmer. By that time, it was a familiar sight.

Autonomous trucking companies have been strategically relocating their headquarters to Texas to test driverless long-haul trucks across the region. They cite what industry giants describe as the state’s laissez-faire approach to the next frontier of trucking. But state lawmakers have recently signaled they’re paying more attention to the flock of driverless trucks that increasingly traverse Texas roadways — and changes are coming. Driverless companies have been testing their tech on Texas roads for years. Back in 2021, Kodiak Robotics celebrated their first Dallas-to-Houston trips relying on their proprietary driving system, more than a year after the company’s first initial freight delivery. It’s since partnered with other major transportation players like Martin Brower and U.S. Xpress to deploy freight from its base in North Texas. Pittsburgh-based Aurora Innovations recently began regular customer deliveries between Dallas and Houston, using a driverless truck in May along Interstate 45, though it had long been testing the tech in the area. It made Aurora the first company to operate a commercial self-driving service with heavy-duty trucks on public roads without a safety driver — a human behind the wheel who can take over if things go wrong.

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More than 13% of Texas kids don't have health insurance. Experts warn it could get worse

Texas saw the largest increase in the rate of uninsured children in the country between 2022 and 2024 — and experts warn it will likely get worse. Texas once again had the worst rate of uninsured children last year, with more than 13% of kids without coverage. That’s more than double the national average and about 5% higher than the next two closest states, Florida and Oklahoma, according to a new analysis from Georgetown University. What’s behind the significant increase in Texas? Joan Alker, a research professor and executive director of the Georgetown Center for Children and Families, said the way Texas handles Medicaid was part of the reason the state saw a 29% increase in the number of uninsured children between 2022 and 2024.

In 2023, the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency also meant the end of the continuous coverage period for Medicaid. States were tasked with checking the eligibility of everyone in the program. Nationally, almost 15 million people were disenrolled — about a third of whom were children. In the process of disenrolling about 1.8 million people, Alker said Texas “barely” used a type of redetermination that helps prevent eligible people from losing coverage. Ex parte, or procedural renewals, involve the state using information and data it has already to determine if someone is still eligible for Medicaid coverage. “If all states had done as poorly as Texas did with the unwinding, we would have seen a much higher jump in the uninsured rate of children nationally,” Alker said. While the national uninsured rate for children went from about 5% to 6%, Georgetown's analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey found there was an almost 20% increase in the number of uninsured children nationally. Experts noted that increase is statistically significant.

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State Stories

'Tech takes that soul away': Central Texas emerges as data center hotspot, raising rural concerns

Every morning since she was 7 years old, Torrie Martin has watched the sunrise unfurl across her family’s 20-acre ranch. It’s here in eastern Hays County, where Martin has swum in the pond on her property and raised horses. But after 25 years, she feels betrayed as the land just beyond her pond may soon become home to a data center 10 times the size of her family’s farmstead. “I feel like, with these data centers, I’m about to start hating my life here and I’m not going to live here forever like I thought I would,” she said. “I’m going to have to really reevaluate where I would like to move to in the future and where I would like to raise kids.” Fueled in large part by a boom in artificial intelligence, data centers are multiplying nationwide as technology companies race to find space to store the vast amounts of data that power everyday life.

These facilities support everything from AI chatbots and Google searches to electric vehicles and household appliances. With federal incentives and backing from the Trump administration, developers are rushing to build — often even without customers lined up. Central Texas, with its business-friendly regulations, available land and access to water and transmission lines, is emerging as one of the nation’s hottest new markets. The stretch of counties from Bell to Bexar has become prime ground for these massive industrial buildings. But in Hays County, residents like Torrie Martin and sisters Abigail and Jennifer Lindsey fear the centers’ enormous demands for power and water will drain the region and transform once-rural communities. “These data centers are going to ruin this entire area. It’s going to ruin it for everyone and all their families,” Martin said. “It’s going to take away everyone’s everything, everyone’s peace of mind.” What most people know as the “cloud” is actually a network of data centers — vast buildings filled with servers that store and distribute information for Fortune 500 companies, government agencies and universities. From phones and smartwatches to household appliances, the average home now has about 21 connected devices, each dependent on data centers. “This is everything we do every day,” said Dan Diorio, senior director of state policy for the Data Center Coalition. “If you wear a smartwatch while you sleep, you’re generating data in your sleep. All of that requires digital infrastructure. It’s innovative technologies. It’s innovative solutions, autonomous vehicles. It’s managed EV charging. And it is AI.”

Read this article at San Antonio Express-News - Subscribers Only

Texas Republicans want to close the state’s primaries. Is it a good idea?

The Texas Republican Party wants to close its primaries to all but registered members, a move that would consolidate power among the state’s most conservative activists. Leaders inside the Texas GOP had urged lawmakers to change Texas law to allow Republicans to close their primary elections, but legislation to restrict candidates from primaries unless they are declared Republicans was a non-starter during this year’s legislative session. Now, a Republican on behalf of the state GOP is suing Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson in the Amarillo division of U.S. District Court to make it happen. The Secretary of State can’t close primaries without authorization from the Legislature. “What we want to do is to empower every Republican to choose the nominee that the party puts on the November ballot, but we do not want any Democrats to be able to make that choice. Why would we?” said Texas Republican Party Chairman Abraham George during a joint interview with The Dallas Morning News and KXAS-TV (NBC5).

George added, “we’re not stopping anyone from registering as a Republican” and the nomination process isn’t about giving everyone in the state a vote. “The nomination process is about choosing the strongest conservative who will stand for the Republican principles and the party’s priorities,” he said. The move to close primaries is the latest push by Republican insiders to have more control over the electoral process. A closed primary, even as it seeks to guard against participation by independents and Democrats, would potentially weed out casual or infrequent voters who may have dissenting views about elements of conservative politics. That’s just fine for most staunch conservatives who say they are frustrated that some moderates and non-Republicans are in the way of them getting more of their agenda approved. In closed primaries, candidates on the wrong side of the state’s most conservative activists would be at a disadvantage. That’s not much different than the dynamic under the current system, which has poor voter participation.

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Texas A&M jumps to No. 10 in the AP Top 25

Texas A&M made a big jump into the top 10 of The Associated Press college football poll Sunday after its dramatic win at Notre Dame, and the Irish became the first team since 1988 to stay in the Top 25 with an 0-2 record. Ohio State, Penn State and LSU remained the top three teams, with Miami moving up to No. 4 and Georgia to No. 5 even after a close call at No. 15 Tennessee. Texas A&M was promoted six spots after it overcame a scary injury to safety Bryce Anderson, a blocked punt returned for a touchdown and 13 penalties to win 41-40 on Marcel Reed’s fourth-and-goal pass to Nate Boerkircher with 11 seconds left. The Aggies, who opened with solid wins over UTSA and Utah State, are 3-0 for the first time since 2021 and have their highest ranking since they were No. 10 entering November last season.

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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones compares Charlie Kirk’s murder to MLK, JFK

Before the Dallas Cowboys’ home opener against the New York Giants on Sunday, the team held a moment of silence for Charlie Kirk, who was killed Wednesday at Utah Valley University at an event for his organization Turning Point USA. Turning Point USA advocates for conservative values on college and high school campuses and has become one of the most powerful political groups in the country. Kirk was a controversial figure who was lambasted by his critics for his rhetoric, which some saw as being racist and divisive. After the game, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones compared Kirk’s murder to political murders in the 1960s, such as those of Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy, in explaining why the team chose to honor such a divisive figure.

“Well, we just all abhor violence, and it’s impacting us all, and certainly we all stand together on any front relative to the threat of violence,” Jones said. “And we just all hope that we’ll go through a time. I was involved, a young guy, but aware in the ‘60s when we had huge violence. Lost President Kennedy, his brother, and many, many others, Martin Luther King. And so it’s something that we really all need to just be aware of, support our law enforcement, and do everything we can to keep the violence in check.” The Cowboys were not the first sports team to honor Kirk. The New York Yankees also held a moment of silence before one of their games, and the NFL did so before the Thursday night game between the Green Bay Packers and the Washington Commanders. The NFL put out a statement after the game explaining its decision. “There have been a variety of moments of silence and tributes in-stadium and on air in all games or a game immediately following events that rise to a national level,” the NFL said. “Clubs also often hold moments following a tragic event that affects their community. “There have been moments following school shootings or an attack on a house of worship such as the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018. There also have been moments following major international incidents such as Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023 and weather-related incidents such as major hurricanes and fires.

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Roaming pack of wild dogs — as many as 40 — terrorizes Texas city

Who let the dogs out? A pack of dozens of wild dogs have been roaming a northern Texas city, growing bolder and sparking fears that children may not be safe on the streets — with local officials claiming they can’t do much. The city of Godley has been besieged by a group of strays, with residents warning city officials that the animals are no longer just prowling the streets at night, but are now out and about throughout the day. “At this point, we now have dogs — feral dogs, obviously sick, obviously having issues trying to find food — that are out and about at the same time that my children and our children are on the streets,” local Bruce Moats told NBC 5. “The dogs are going to look for food, and I don’t want my children to be that dog food,” he added.

Unsettling footage of the dogs roaming the streets shows the problem began months ago, with the strays now becoming accustomed to the neighborhood and prowling together in broad daylight. Moats said that what was once an oddity in the city has now become a genuine safety concern, with the pack growing to as many as 40 dogs, which left his family frightened after a recent encounter. “We’re getting the kids out of the car, we start hearing barking, and then we see dogs running from that corner, running to our house,” he told the local outlet. “As that was happening, my wife rushed my daughter inside the house, my son locked himself up in my Tahoe, and I went to the house to retrieve my firearm,” he recalled Moats said that while he hopes never to use his gun on the dogs, he’s prepared to have to make that decision if it becomes necessary.

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Arch Manning says he must play better after boos from Texas fans - ESPN

Arch Manning scuffled through another shaky performance in Texas' 27-10 victory over UTEP. This time, Longhorns fans let Manning hear their frustration. Manning and the vaunted Texas offense were booed loudly by the crowd at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium at one point Saturday during the first half. Despite the Longhorns' victory, Manning admitted that his play must improve. "I've got to play better," Manning said. "A lot of quarterbacks -- a lot of players -- want to be great. I know I'm better than this." The preseason Heisman Trophy favorite, Manning struggled in Texas' season-opening road loss at Ohio State that started a wave of national criticism and questions of whether he was overrated and was anointed too soon.

Saturday's poor outing will only bring more. Manning was 11-of-25 passing for 114 yards and a touchdown against the Miners in a game where Texas (2-1) was heavily favored. He had a string of misfires with 10 consecutive incompletions in the second quarter, tossed an end zone interception and never looked comfortable as he side-armed some throws and missed open receivers on others. The Longhorns led 7-3 with 1:36 remaining in the second quarter when Manning's errant third-down throw was nearly picked off, prompting boos by the home crowd as the offense left the field. "I felt like he pressed some. He knew he missed some throws," Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. "I feel like we've done enough with him to have a pretty good understanding of who he is as a player and what he's capable of. I know there's a lot of football in him that's high-level football." Manning said he agonized over some of the incompletions on throws he said he normally makes. "All my life I've been an accurate passer," he said. "I've just got to get back to it."

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Four city council members buck Mayor Jones in latest policymaking fight

Members of the San Antonio City Council are bucking Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones once again. Four members of the council signed a memo on Friday calling for a vote by September 18 to enshrine certain rules regarding council members’ primary policymaking tool, the council consideration request (CCR), in response to an attempt by Jones to prevent an animal abandonment ordinance from receiving a vote last week. Jones has said all CCRs proposed before the current council was sworn in should be considered expired and gave this as the rationale for her removal of the animal abandonment ordinance from last week’s agenda.

“The current CCR process as outlined in the current CCR ordinance does not address the expiration of CCR’s,” the council members said in their memo. “Accordingly, and despite the language used by the Mayor regarding 'expired CCR’s', all CCR’s should continue through the committee process regardless of whether a new Council has been elected.” The memo calls for a vote to make clear in the CCR ordinance language that it can only be amended by a full council vote, and that CCRs do not expire even after an election. Jones has in the past cited other legislative bodies like the Texas Legislature and the U.S. Congress which must refile bills every session, even if they were filed previously, as examples she is following. The council members’ memo said there was no such “precedent” in San Antonio and emphasized that the mayor lacks the authority to make unilateral changes to the council’s policymaking process. Friday’s memo, signed by District 5 Councilmember Teri Castillo, District 7 Councilmember Marina Alderete Gavito, District 9 Councilmember Misty Spears, and District 10 Councilmember Marc Whyte, is now the third time the procedural tool has been used against Jones and is a signal of the ongoing turmoil in City Hall between the council and the mayor largely surrounding its legislative process.

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Goose Creek CISD teacher under fire for comments about Charlie Kirk's death

An online campaign to fire a Goose Creek Consolidated ISD teacher has gone viral following her comments regarding the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, one of several teachers facing backlash for their response. Screenshots of Jennifer Courtemanche’s Facebook post surfaced on multiple platforms Wednesday afternoon, garnering calls for her dismissal from the school district. By late Wednesday, Courtemanche’s page had been made private, and posts initially made public could no longer be viewed on Facebook. However, screenshots show she questioned the motive behind Kirk’s shooting, asking, “Could this have been the consequences of his actions catching up with him?”

“I’ll bet if the victim had been Black or brown or a Democrat influencer, he’d have been singing a different tune,” wrote Courtemanche on Facebook. “Could Kirk have baited just one too many people?” Courtemanche could not be reached for comment early Thursday. However, Superintendent Randal O'Brien sent out a memo to staff and families addressing the incident. "We expect staff to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, so that their words and actions, both in person and online, reflect our district’s values," O'Brien said. "Goose Creek CISD does not tolerate hateful or violent rhetoric from anyone representing our schools. Such language is inconsistent with our mission and has no place in our learning community." O'Brien declined to speak on "personal matters," but ensured the public he would "address any behavior that undermines the safety and well-being of students or staff in accordance with district policies and procedures."

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Longtime Friendship-West pastor Frederick Haynes III to take medical leave, church says

The senior pastor at Friendship-West Baptist Church has announced a temporary leave of absence after a medical diagnosis, according to a news release Sunday from the church. Frederick Douglas Haynes III has served at the church in Dallas for over 40 years, according to the church website. The 64-year-old pastor is scheduled to undergo surgery and will spend the coming weeks in recovery, the release said. Officials did not specify the exact medical condition Haynes will be treated for. The Rev. David Malcolm McGruder, executive pastor of the church, will assume pastoral and ministry responsibilities while Haynes is on leave, according to the church. The church did not provide information on when Haynes will return, but said the pastor will be focused on his recovery following the medical procedure. “Dr. Haynes and his family are just asking for privacy regarding the specific details of his health,” said church spokesperson Alisha Trusty.

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Could high-speed rail ease future Fort Worth traffic congestion? Data suggests benefits

Fort Worth-area motorists could face increasingly longer commute times in the future as North Texas’ population is projected to boom by 4 million people within the next 25 years. But experts differ on whether the proposed bullet train route that includes Fort Worth and Arlington could be a solution to ease traffic congestion that is expected to worsen by 2050. Motorists traveling from the high-growth areas in the northern, southwestern and western parts of the city could face commutes of up to 120 minutes as they head east toward a Dallas high-speed rail station, data from the North Central Texas Council of Governments shows. Officials from the government policy group, which distributes federal and state transportation dollars, along with the related but independent Regional Transportation Council, are studying and planning transportation projects as part of a $217.3 billion long-range plan.

While a proposed Dallas-to-Houston bullet train route could aid morning commuters on the eastern side of the metro region by 2050, a passenger route from Fort Worth would have a broader impact — even lessening commutes from now-booming parts of adjacent Denton, Johnson, Wise and Parker counties, according to the council of governments. Regional officials are studying four economic impact reports related to a bullet train proposal by Texas Central Railway. The company is led by Fort Worth businessman John Kleinheinz, the principal investor. Brendon Wheeler, a senior program manager for the council of governments, said data shows anticipated traffic benefits from high-speed rail in the decades to come. “We’re trying to leverage planning for high-speed rail connectivity between major metros — like the Dallas-to-Houston line — and extend that service across the region,” Wheeler said. “If it’s just in one part of the region, that’s good, but it doesn’t give access to the full 8 million people (in North Texas) today, let alone 12 million people by 2050.” Even with $217.3 billion in investments approved by the Regional Transportation Council, Wheeler said, “it’s going to put a severe strain on our infrastructure.” “That not only has impacts to regional travel, but intercity travel,” Wheeler said. “Just getting out of the city for, say, a road trip, (time in traffic) can almost feel like half your road trip.” Traveling by car across North Texas will be worse in 25 years. “It will take you a good hour to two hours to drive to wherever you wish to go in the metroplex in 2050 just because of traffic,” Wheeler said. “So you’ve spent more time in traffic in Dallas-Fort Worth than going 240 miles between Dallas and Houston (on high-speed rail).”

Read this article at Fort Worth Report - Subscribers Only

AdWeek writer examines why Hearst is buying up newspapers

About a week and a half before the deadline for shareholders to vote on the sale of the Dallas Morning News to Hearst, AdWeek’s Mark Stenberg asked out loud why Hearst is buying up all these newspapers. In Texas alone, Hearst owns the Austin American-Statesman (which Stenberg says the company purchased last year from Gannett for about $55 million), the San Antonio Express-News, the Houston Chronicle, San Antonio Magazine, and Austin Magazine. It also owns the digital-only Chron.com. Why is the company buying newspapers at a time when so many are selling or closing?

Stenberg says: “For starters, it helps to understand that while the Hearst name might be synonymous with newspapers and magazines—it owns heavyweights like Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, and Esquire—the vast majority of its revenue now comes from a series of deeply boring, incredibly lucrative businesses far removed from the media world.” Its B2B portfolio generated a great deal of the $13 billion in revenue Hearst earned last year. The bond ratings group Fitch alone, for instance, earned about $2.5 billion last year. That diversification allows newspapers to be a bit of a loss-leader if necessary. But Stenberg says the company is also doing smart things to cross-pollinate by noting what a particular online reader is gravitating to. “If you had shown an interest in the lifestyle section of the Chronicle, for instance, you might receive a targeted promotion to subscribe to Cosmopolitan,” he says. It will be interesting to see how it utilizes the same strategies in Dallas, should the sale go through. Earlier this week, DallasNews Corp., the holding company of The Dallas Morning News and Medium Giant, sent out a press release sharing that not one but two independent proxy advisory firms have recommended shareholders approve its sale to Hearst—Institutional Shareholder Services, and Glass, Lewis & Co. If shareholders approve the offer, they’ll get $15 a share. Before news of the merger broke out in July, it was trading for a little more than $4.

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Rapid fundraisers and rabid comments: What’s going on at Cheer Up Charlies?

Austinites are invested in the future of Cheer Up Charlies, financially and emotionally. The proof is in their wallets and their social media feeds. When co-owners Maggie Lea and Tamara Hoover announced on Aug. 21 that they’d be locked out of their queer bar and performance venue by the end of the month if they didn’t pay over $58,000 in back rent debts, more than 11,000 people donated to two separate fundraisers. By the next evening, the clearly beloved venue had reached its donation goal. At the same time, many took to Instagram – and the Chronicle inbox – to voice questions and concerns. Citizens, including parody account-gone-guerrilla journalist @kuc_bignews, noted packed crowds and publicly available profit numbers, questioning how the bar could be in such dire straits. Others aired grievances about personal interactions with ownership, revealing what they felt to be shoddy management.

Lea and Hoover shared images of their overdrafted bank account on Instagram a few days later, followed by screenshots showing the donated amount clearing the majority of their expenses, which had increased to include rent due for the month of September. They shared with the Chronicle that the leftover money helped pay off tax debt and create a payroll nest egg to support staff in slower months. For a private business, this transparency is unusual – but dipping their toes into public funding led many community members to demand financial clarity from the colorful bar. “Cheer Ups is a very special little place,” Lea acknowledges a week after the fundraiser, as the dust began to settle. “It never was meant to function like a bar bar. People feel like, ‘I’m part of a community, I invested. If it wasn’t my money, it was my time, my energy, my creativity.’” Lea and Hoover have done their best to make good on the promise of transparency, laying out some of the financial challenges they’ve faced since the pandemic, including rising insurance expenses and merchant cash advance loans that have zapped their profits at varying times. According to publicly available Mixed Beverage Gross Receipts, Cheer Up Charlies reported a revenue of $82,988 in January 2025. Reading from a Profits and Losses document from that month, Lea and Hoover listed their expenses. They report their rent as $18,000 per month. Liquor liability and event liability insurance, mandatory for all venues, was disclosed as a bundled $5,000 a month. Utilities and waste removal, which vary month to month, were reported for January as a rounded $2,000 and $1,000, respectively. Maintenance, which includes cleaning and groundskeeping, is a set weekly expense which adds up to $4,400 per month. For the following figures, the co-owners disclosed the percentage of revenue each expense accounted for. Payroll fluctuates in response to event sizes and staff needed. The co-owners reported their payroll expense as 28.7% of that month’s total revenue. This comes out to $23,817.56. Goods can also oscillate, depending on seasonal menus and bar needs. They stated that 23% of their monthly revenue went toward paying for bar goods – largely alcohol and mixers – for a total of $19,087.24.

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Kerbey Lane Cafe celebrates 45 years in Austin

For more than four decades, Kerbey Lane Cafe has continued to thrive in Austin. “Extraordinarily proud that we have had 45 years of longevity here in Austin,” said Kerbey lane Cafe Owner, Mason Ayer. “That is not an easy thing to do.” Ayer says his parents started the business in 1980 at the original location on Kerbey Lane in West Austin — he even used to live at the location. “There used to be a little apartment in what’s now a dining room in the other part of the building and that is where I lived as a baby,” said Ayer. Over the last 45 years that Kerbey Lane Cafe has been operating, there has been quite a bit of change in Austin, but Ayer says the success of the business has revolved around keeping up with the growth. “We have been doing well for many, many years, but it is because we are evolving,” said Ayer.

“If I was to introduce someone to Kerby Lane for the first time and I said you want to get a dish that you are going to be really happy with? I would say get the eggs Francisco with cinnamon roll pancakes,” Ayer said. “Can’t go wrong there.” The menu has evolved over time as well. While you will find all the favorites, there are a lot of new and revolving menu items. Ayer said the success of the business also relies on the people who work there. “I originally came here because Kerbey Lane is like, the place to come eat and to meet up with friends, family, out-of-towners, but I have stayed here just because I love it so much,” said Erica Frammolino. “I love the people I work with, I love my customers.” As Austin continues to grow, Ayer says they will continue to make sure they are serving up breakfast, lunch and dinner for years to come. “It’s a testament to staying fresh and relevant in our community, and giving back and really trying to put our best foot forward,” said Ayer. To celebrate their 45th anniversary, Kerbey Lane Cafe is offering a limited-time $45 dinner for two.

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National Stories

Mexico's first female president completes first year with high approval, but challenges loom

Each September, Mexico's president appears before a crowd of tens of thousands in the nation's central square to perform the grito, the shout of independence commemorating the country's break from colonial rule. This year, for the first time, a woman will lead the masses in chants of "Long live Mexico!" Monday's ceremony in Mexico City's main plaza will be a historic moment for the nation and for President Claudia Sheinbaum, who, in her first year as the country's first female leader, has maintained remarkably high marks despite a spate of domestic and international challenges.

Sheinbaum, 63, who took office last Oct. 1, boasts approval ratings above 70% and has notched multiple victories: winning passage of major constitutional reforms, overseeing unprecedented judicial elections and deftly negotiating with President Trump, making concessions on immigration and security to avert the worst of his threatened tariffs on Mexican goods. She has also overseen a 25% drop in homicides, an impressive feat in a country exhausted by drug violence that she chalks up to her administration's aggressive new crackdown on organized crime. "We're doing well and we'll get better," Sheinbaum said this month during a speech to Congress, where members of her political party, which controls both houses of the legislature, cheered her with shouts of "Long live Claudia!" But perhaps Sheinbaum's biggest feat has been emerging from the long shadow cast by her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, a hero among the working class whose support was crucial to her election. As a candidate for López Obrador's Morena party, Sheinbaum promised to continue his populist project, which sought to reduce poverty and shift power away from traditional economic and political elites. After she won in a landslide, she faced criticism that she would be his "puppet," a discourse she dismissed as sexist.

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Charlie Kirk helped Republicans break through to young people

When Olivia Hubbard left Iowa to attend college, she thought she was going to get a break from the conservatism her dad was always touting. Instead, she was politically awakened. Hubbard, now 19 years old, was convinced by a roommate to see Charlie Kirk last year when he visited Grand Canyon University, 20 minutes from the headquarters of Kirk’s organization, Turning Point USA. Listening to Kirk speak, Hubbard said, was like hearing all of her beliefs articulated clearly. “I thought it was supercool that there’s someone younger who was going to all these universities, and who did believe in God and really made that known,” said Hubbard, who is Christian. From that moment on she was hooked, staying up late watching videos of Kirk debating liberal students on other college campuses. Kirk was killed Wednesday during a visit to Utah Valley University. The 31-year-old had become a standard-bearer of the MAGA movement and has been credited by President Trump for building his support with young people and helping ensure his return to office.

A master of 21st century mass media, Kirk accomplished what Republicans had failed to do for decades: break through with younger generations. Regardless of whether they supported him or not, it was nearly impossible for college students to open social media without being served a video of Kirk. For a generation of young conservatives, he inspired them to proudly tout their views, including opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage. Countless others said his views were discriminatory and offensive. Love him or hate him, Kirk was ubiquitous. Kirk also used social media to connect directly with young people whose views he wanted to elevate, messaging people directly to offer mentorship and launch careers. He boosted a new class of young conservative influencers, political aides and lawmakers, successfully lobbying Trump to pick JD Vance as his vice president. “Charlie is the reason why I’m in Congress today,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, (R., Fla.) said in an interview. Kirk recruited Luna, 36, to work at his grassroots conservative organization, Turning Point USA, as director of Hispanic engagement in 2018. She went on to become the first federally elected alumni of his organization. Luna said Kirk was successful in part because he knew how to use social media “to connect with the generation that’s grown up in a digital age.” Kirk’s Instagram account had more than 12 million followers.

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2025 Emmys: 'The Pitt' and ‘The Studio’ win top awards

“The Studio” won best comedy series at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday night, breaking an Emmys record, as “Adolescence” and “The Pitt” took the night’s other top prizes. But the night’s most popular winner was likely Stephen Colbert. He received a prolonged and rousing standing ovation for his talk series win, which comes after CBS announced it is canceling “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.” Seth Rogen’s Apple TV+ series “The Studio” set a record for the most wins by a comedy series in a single season, and finished the night by nabbing the top award. “I’m legitimately embarrassed by how happy this makes me,” Rogen said.

In a competitive year, “The Pitt” took home the best drama series award while star Noah Wyle won best actor in a drama. “Adolescence” took home six trophies including best limited series, and Jean Smart won her fourth leading actress in a comedy award for HBO’s “Hacks”. Host Nate Bargatze’s diabolical — yet altruistic — scheme to keep winners’ speeches short ultimately netted a $350,000 donation to Boys & Girls Clubs of America, after some creative math and rushed thanks on the part of winners.

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Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade apologizes for “just kill them” comments about mentally ill homeless people

Brian Kilmeade apologized for comments he made about homeless individuals during a segment on Fox & Friends last week. Kilmeade, co-host of Fox & Friends, appeared on Fox & Friends Weekend on Sunday, telling viewers, “In the morning, we were discussing the murder of Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte, North Carolina and how to stop these kinds of attacks by homeless, mentally ill assailants, including institutionalizing or jailing such people so they cannot attack again. Now during that discussion, I wrongly said they should get lethal injections. I apologize for that extremely callous remark. I am obviously aware that not all mentally ill, homeless people act as the perpetrator did in North Carolina, and that so many homeless people deserve our empathy and compassion.”

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In first interview, Pope Leo XIV takes on billionaires, polarization and war

On Sunday (Sept. 14), the Catholic news website Crux published excerpts of Pope Leo XIV’s first extended interview with any media outlet, giving the first look at his perspective on the papacy and the challenges facing the church and society. Leo talked about his concerns about income inequality, polarization and the need for peace. “We have to continue to remind ourselves of the potential that humanity has to overcome the violence and the hatred that is just dividing us more and more,” Leo said in the interview. “We live in times when polarization seems to be one of the words of the day, but it’s not helping anybody. Or if it’s helping anyone, it’s very few when everyone else is suffering.” The interview, conducted over two sessions in recent weeks and published on the his 70th birthday, offer a first glimpse into Leo’s personality and priorities. In his conversation with Crux’s senior Vatican correspondent, Elise Ann Allen, Leo signaled continuity with his predecessor Pope Francis and the late pontiff’s vision for dialogue and full participation in the church, known as synodality.

Already positioning himself as a pope of reconciliation, Leo reflected on the reasons behind the deep polarization in society and the church today. He pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic, but also a sense of loss of the value of human life as partly responsible for sectarianism and division. “Add on top of that a couple of other factors, one which I think is very significant is the continuously wider gap between the income levels of the working class and the money that the wealthiest receive,” he said. Shortly after his election on May 8, the pope said he took the name Leo because he was inspired by Pope Leo XIII, who addressed the stresses put on society by the Industrial Revolution in the late 18th century. Leo XIII’s encyclical “Rerum Novarum” (On Revolutions) laid out the reasons for the church’s support of the working class, fair wages and the right to unionize, while opposing communism and unbridled capitalism. In the Crux interview, Leo XIV questioned the disproportionate difference in the incomes of modern CEOs and those of their workers, and challenged the extreme wealth of billionaires – and trillionaires such as Elon Musk. “What does that mean and what’s that about? If that is the only thing that has value anymore, then we’re in big trouble,” Leo said. The pope called synodality, whose its roots are in Latin American church, the “antidote” to the deep divisions in the church and society, describing it as “an attitude, an openness, a willingness to understand.” He said that some church leaders feel “threatened” by synodality, because of what Leo called a mistaken understanding of their authority. He said a synodal church allows each member to play and role and contribute based on their respective vocations as bishop, priest, missionary, lay person or family member.

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The House Republican risking GOP backlash to save Obamacare subsidies

Among all the troublemaking members House Republican leaders have to deal with, Rep. Jen Kiggans isn’t on their list of problem children. That might be changing. A former Navy helicopter pilot, nurse practitioner and mother of four, the 54-year-old Virginian is seen in the Republican Conference as something of a model member, hailing from one of the toughest swing districts in the country. She is viewed by her peers as personable and a team player. Of all the places Mike Johnson might have gone on the eve of the 2024 elections, the speaker chose to spend time with Kiggans — a strong show of leadership support for a freshman.

But Kiggans, now in her second term, has decided to stick her neck out on what’s shaping up to be one of the most politically explosive policy fights of the fall: the battle over extending boosted Affordable Care Act insurance subsidies that are due to expire on Dec. 31. Congressional budget forecasters are predicting major premium hikes if the subsidies sunset, which would force millions of people to drop health insurance coverage. Twelve Republicans and seven Democrats are backing legislation that would enact a one-year extension of the subsidies, which are implemented in the form of enhanced tax credits. Kiggans is the lead sponsor and the GOP face of the effort. In an interview, she called an extension good politics — and good for her constituents. “In six weeks or so, people will get a notice that their health care premiums are going to go up by thousands of dollars,” said Kiggans. “And at the end of the year ... for people that either have this type of insurance and work in small businesses, are self-employed, you know, I worry about their access to health care.” The latest Capitol Hill clash over preserving health care policies enacted by Democrats, however, is shaping up to be a central battle in government funding negotiations ahead of a Sept. 30 shutdown deadline — and driving a rift inside the GOP in ways that echo party infighting over scaling back Medicaid in President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.” The dispute is also now pitting centrists like Kiggans against conservatives who have fought for years to undo the Affordable Care Act. And it carries major political stakes for Republicans as they gear up for their fight to keep control of the House next year.

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What we know about Trump’s push to send the National Guard to Memphis

Memphis is bracing for the potential arrival of the National Guard as President Donald Trump’s administration intensifies its efforts to crack down on crime across the nation’s major cities. “We’re going to Memphis,” Trump told “Fox & Friends” in an interview Friday, calling the Democratic-led city “deeply troubled” and “we’re going to fix that just like we did Washington.” Speaking to CNN, Mayor Paul Young said Saturday he was “not happy” about the National Guard potentially coming to his city, but that he was looking for ways to invest in addressing crime in the city. The potential deployment is part of Trump’s broader effort to expand his anti-crime push nationwide and would mark the first such effort in a Republican state, at a time when the president has faced increasing scrutiny for his targeting of Democratic-led cities.

Tennessee Republicans, including Gov. Bill Lee, have welcomed the announcement, with Lee saying Friday he had been in touch with Trump to develop a plan to fight crime in the city. The announcement to deploy troops to Memphis comes after weeks of speculation that Chicago was the next city to be targeted by the Trump administration. But Trump’s plans were shelved after advisers warned him that sending in troops to help with local law enforcement without buy-in from the state’s governor could create legal headaches they want to avoid, sources familiar with the matter told CNN. While he has privately argued he has the power to send the National Guard where he wants, Trump is instead setting his sights on Memphis, where the state’s Republican leadership is willing to accept federal help, the sources said. Mayor Young said Trump’s televised announcement on Fox News was the first definitive confirmation he heard of the plans to deploy the National Guard to his city.

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Lead Stories

Republican Rep. Michael McCaul won’t seek reelection after 11 terms

The 11-term Congressman joins two other House Republicans retiring. Texas Republican Congressman Michael McCaul announced Sunday that he will not seek re-election in 2026. McCaul, a former chairman of the Homeland Security and Foreign Affairs committees, joins two other House Republicans who announced their retirement from public office this year: McCaul's fellow Texan Rep. Morgan Luttrell and Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska. McCaul, who was first elected to Congress in 2004 and is serving his 11th term, told “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz that he was “looking for a new challenge.”

“It's been an honor to serve for over two decades in the Congress,” McCaul said, adding that while he planned to serve the remainder of his term, he wanted to “continue to serve the people in this country in national security and foreign policy and do what I've done the last two decades: make America stronger and the world safer.” Texas Republicans redrew their congressional maps last month in an attempt to capture five new GOP-leaning House seats in next year’s midterms, slightly weakening McCaul’s district. Under the previous map, 61.6% of the district's population voted for President Donald Trump, compared to 60.5% of the population under the newly drawn lines, according to data from the Texas Legislative Council. McCaul, who serves on the House Homeland Security Committee, also reacted to the incursion of Russian drones into NATO ally Poland, this week, dismissing Trump’s assertion that the violation of Polish airspace may have been a mistake. “With all deference to the president, I don't think that was a mistake. I think Putin is testing the resolve of NATO,” McCaul said. McCaul also criticized Israel’s attempted strikes on Hamas leadership in Qatar. “We asked them to negotiate these negotiations with Hamas,” he said. “And then this shot across the bow, I don't think, you know, as the president said, this does not serve the interests of the United States or Israel well, long term.”

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Education Department forced to release key card data for Matt Langston

Texan Matt Langston has kept his campaign business running while collecting a six-figure salary as the Department of Education’s chief policy advisor, though he rarely comes into the office. Langston badged into the department’s office on North Lincoln Boulevard on 27 days in 2023. In 2024, that dwindled to 11 days. And through June of this year, Langston worked in person on just four days, according to data obtained by Oklahoma Watch under the Oklahoma Open Records Act. That’s just 42 days in the office since Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters hired Langston in January 2023 and issued a directive ending telework for the agency’s employees. “He is a ghost employee,” former state representative Mark McBride said after reviewing the findings. Last year, McBride, along with other state lawmakers, asked the attorney general to investigate whether Langston was a ghost employee, which is a person on an organization’s payroll who does not actually perform the duties associated with their position. The attorney general declined to investigate.

Since 2023, Langston’s political consulting firm, Engage Right, worked for two Texas candidates, formed a political committee in Florida and sent campaign emails on Walters’ behalf. Langston managed Walters’ 2022 campaign for state superintendent and joined the agency when Walters took office. That campaign is still active, though Walters hasn’t announced plans to run for any state office in 2026. Walters’ campaign has made only one payment to Engage Right since the 2022 election. It was for $5,000 on March 4, 2024. In January, Langston created a new political committee called MAGA Florida, according to records from the Florida Division of Elections. The committee reported two donations: $2,000 from Florida Council for Safe Communities, a nonprofit organization that advocates for safe families and communities; and $15,000 from One on One Communications, a company registered to Brett Doster, founder of Front Line Strategies, a political consulting firm where Langston and Matt Mohler, Walters’ chief of staff, have both worked.

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Patel faces congressional hearings after missteps in Kirk assassination probe and turmoil at FBI

Hours after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, FBI Director Kash Patel declared online that “the subject” in the killing was in custody. The shooter was not. The two men who had been detained were quickly released, and Utah officials acknowledged that the gunman remained at large. The false assurance was more than a slip. It spotlighted the high-stakes uncertainty surrounding Patel’s leadership of the bureau when its credibility — and his own — are under extraordinary pressure. Patel now approaches congressional oversight hearings this coming week facing not just questions about that investigation but broader doubts about whether he can stabilize a federal law enforcement agency fragmented by political fights and internal upheaval.

Democrats are poised to press Patel on a purge of senior executives that has prompted a lawsuit, his pursuit of President Donald Trump’s grievances long after the Russia investigation ended, and a realignment of resources that has prioritized the fight against illegal immigration and street crime even though the agency has for decades been defined by its work on complicated threats like counterintelligence and public corruption. That’s in addition to questions about the handling of files from the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case, the addition of a co-deputy director to serve alongside Dan Bongino, and the use of polygraphs on some agents in recent months to identify sources of leaks. Republicans, meanwhile, are likely to rally to his defense or redirect the spotlight toward the bureau’s critics. The hearings will offer Patel his most consequential stage yet, and perhaps the clearest test of whether he can convince the country that the FBI, under his watch, can avoid compounding its mistakes in a time of political violence and deepening distrust. “Because of the skepticism that some members of the Senate have had and still have, it’s extremely important that he perform very well at these oversight hearings” on Tuesday and Wednesday, said Gregory Brower, a former FBI executive who served as its top congressional affairs official. The FBI declined to comment about Patel’s coming testimony to the committee.

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Texas AG is caught in shocking sex scandal as details of secret affair with married Christian influencer mom-of-seven are exposed

Texas' controversial attorney general has been caught in a shocking sex scandal - less than two years after cheating on his wife with his mistress. The Daily Mail can exclusively reveal Ken Paxton, 62, was secretly seeing a married Christian influencer behind the backs of both their partners. Multiple sources confirm mother-of-seven Tracy Duhon, 57, who is also an author, is the reason the politician's relationship crumbled earlier this summer. Texas State Senator Angela Paxton announced in July their 38-year marriage was over in a stinging tweet, citing 'biblical grounds'. It is not the first time Ken Paxton has been rocked by scandal, having been caught cheating on Angela in 2023 with his former mistress Laura Olsen. He was impeached by the state house, accused of misusing his office and taking bribes while trying to get a job for his lover, allegations he denied all along and was acquitted of in the state senate. His wife stood by him through that first scandal. But the latest incident with Duhon appears to have been the last straw, and could threaten Paxton's latest bid to become a US senator.

The romance between Duhon and Paxton started after the pair met at the Kentucky Derby last year, multiple sources revealed. Since May 2024, the lovers have had multiple rendezvous on trips across the country and even overseas, according to insiders. The getaways were essential to keeping the entanglement secret as both were married at the time, the sources said. On social media, Duhon bragged about her 27-year marriage to Troy Duhon, the wealthy owner of 39 car dealerships. From New Orleans, Duhon keeps a very active social media presence, discussing the power of prayer, and advising others on how to navigate death and other difficult times of their lives. On her website, Duhon shares she lost two babies who died the day they were born in separate pregnancies. Her faith and grief counseling are the subject of her book, 'When Hope is all you Have.' '(Paxton is) enamored with her face. He's enamored with her story of overcoming adversity - she's lost two children. He's enamored with her faith,' one source explained. The source claims Paxton has a 'sincere' affection for her and believes she could be the second major relationship in his life. Despite their best efforts to keep their relationship under wraps, Paxton's wife learned her husband was cheating again earlier this year, another source said. Even though the Paxtons had not lived together since the summer of 2024, learning about Duhon made the arrangement between Angela and Paxton untenable, sources explained.

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Texans sour on state leaders as midterms near — and we’ve been here before

Emerging from nearly nine months of legislative sessions and heading toward the 2026 midterm elections, Texans are in a bad mood with little appreciation for much of what state leaders accomplished and dwindling respect for the politicians in power. Those are the findings of the latest poll by the Texas Politics Project, an ominous note for the state's ruling party. And the poll results look even more troubling when compared with those from a similar survey conducted nearly eight years earlier, when Republicans were gearing up for what turned out to be one of their worst election cycles since they consolidated their grip on Texas a generation ago. The poll released Tuesday by the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas, shows a gaping disconnect between what Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows had promoted as their top priorities for 2025 and what Texans identified as their chief concerns.

For all the noise surrounding the quorum-busting by Democratic House members and threats of fines and other sanctions by the GOP, fewer than one in eight respondents said redrawing the state's congressional boundaries to help President Donald Trump and the Republicans next year was the most important matter needing attention. Even less enthusiasm was found for the so-called bathroom bill aimed at transgender Texans. Only 7% said that was the biggest task before lawmakers, despite the hours-long public testimony in legislative committees and numerous public demonstrations in and around the Capitol. What about THC, the intoxicating hemp product that opened a public rift between Patrick, who wanted to ban in outright, and Abbott, who preferred regulation over legislation? Well, 96% of the poll respondents didn't see it as anywhere near the state's top concern. What the public did want from the summer special session was for leaders to provide relief for people whose lives were upended by the July 4 flooding — along with measures to minimize the chances for a repeat in the next torrential downpour. Lawmakers did address both matters, which 82% in the poll said should have been Job One, but only after Republicans passed the redistricting bill that Abbott and Trump demanded.

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State Stories

Dallas mayor proposes cuts to lobbyists, library to lower tax rate and fund aquatics

Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson is proposing changes to the city’s upcoming $5.2 billion budget, aiming to lower the property tax rate and fund aquatics programs in southern Dallas by eliminating the city’s four-member state lobbying team and closing the Skillman Southwestern Library branch. These proposals would reverse decisions the majority of the City Council recently signaled it would support. Johnson’s amendments are among at least four budget proposals planned for discussion next week before the council finalizes the city’s spending plan for the next fiscal year, which runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30. In a memo sent Friday to the City Council, Johnson outlined two amendments that would shift more than $725,000 to other priorities and reduce the property tax rate by 0.032 cents.

“While a 0.032¢ reduction may appear minor on its own, if each member proposes similar amendments — eliminating wasteful spending without affecting essential services like public safety and infrastructure maintenance — then we as a City Council can build off of the City Manager’s proposed 0.5¢ reduction and provide meaningful tax relief to our residents,” the mayor wrote. Johnson’s proposal would add his rate reduction to City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert’s recommendation, which would lower the property tax rate from the current 70.47 cents per $100 valuation to 69.97 cents. The Council previously set a maximum possible rate of 70.22 cents on Aug. 27. Under Tolbert’s proposed rate, a home valued at $382,010 — with a $175,000 homestead exemption — would see an average tax bill reduction of about $12.66 next year, though individual tax bills could still rise or fall depending on changes in home values. The City Council is scheduled to make its last set of changes to the budget, set the property tax rate and vote on the final budget on Sept. 17. Johnson’s proposal targets three of the four lobbyist contracts, which total $339,000 annually from the general fund. The fourth contract, funded through $60,000 in the Dallas Water Utilities Fund, would return to that fund under Johnson’s plan. During the Aug. 27 meeting, Johnson criticized the city’s lobbying team as “not very good” and questioned whether any of the lobbyists had the relationships or influence needed to secure results in Austin, such as getting phone calls returned by the governor, lieutenant governor or speaker of the house. “We’ve got a problem with the whole lobby team in my opinion,” Johnson said. “And if you’re wondering why we’re not getting the results we’re wanting to get down in Austin, I don’t think you need to look any further than the lobby team, to be honest with you.” While the City Council rejected a proposed pay raise for one of the lobbyists, Johnson and the 14 members unanimously approved renewing their contracts, each of which includes a single two-year renewal option.

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Texas investigates teachers’ ‘reprehensible’ social media posts about Charlie Kirk killing

The Texas Education Agency is investigating teachers who posted or shared “reprehensible and inappropriate” content about the assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk. The TEA announced the investigation in a statement from Commissioner Mike Morath. The statement was also shared on social media by Gov. Greg Abbott. In the statement, Morath said he will refer all documentation of educators who proliferated such “vile content” to the TEA’s educator investigations division, as the posts may violate the educators’ code of ethics. Each instance will be reviewed to determine whether the conduct is subject to sanction. “While the exercise of free speech is a fundamental right we are all blessed to share, it does not give carte blanche authority to celebrate or sow violence against those that share differing beliefs and perspectives,” Morath said in the statement.

In a statement Saturday, the Texas chapter of the American Federation of Teachers condemned a “political witch hunt” against teachers who disagreed with Kirk’s politics. “These ‘investigations’ into teachers exercising their First Amendment rights outside their official duties silence dissent and encourage the purging of civil servants — both key tenets of the authoritarian playbook," the statement read. “We urge ISDs, colleges, and public universities to review the section on crumbling independent institutions as they consider how to move forward.” Kirk, 31, was fatally shot Wednesday as he spoke at an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. Authorities on Friday announced the arrest of 22-year-old Tyler Robinson in the shooting. Utah Governor Spencer Cox said at a news conference that Robinson disliked Kirk and his views and had become more politically involved in recent years. Following the fatal shooting of Kirk, many took to social media to pray for Kirk and his family and share tributes to the conservative activist, who was known for promoting his views by debating students at college campuses across the United States. However, some took to social media to celebrate the killing and mock Kirk for past statements he made downplaying gun violence in America.

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Texas is running out of water — and Corpus Christi is the first warning sign

Texas is staring down a water crisis, and Corpus Christi is ground zero — where politicians cater to global corporations while billionaires look to cash in on scarcity. Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to yank state funding this week after Corpus Christi’s City Council scrapped a wildly over-budget desalination plant meant to turn seawater into refinery fuel. City officials say taxpayers can’t afford it; industry insists it can’t survive without it. Across Texas, cities and businesses are scrambling for water. Demand is expected to grow 120% as the state’s population reaches 51 million by 2070, the Texas Water Development Board predicted. Nearly half of those Texans will live in Houston or Dallas. This spring, the Texas Legislature set aside $1 billion a year for water, for the next 20 years, split evenly between new supply projects, like pipelines and desalination plants, and repairing aging infrastructure.

But a Texas 2036 study says the real price tag is $154 billion by 2070: $73.7 billion to fix crumbling water systems, $59 billion for new supplies, and $21.1 billion for wastewater repairs. The Dallas City Council’s 2024 Long Range Water Supply Plan sees a shortage emerging around 2040 if they don’t find new sources. The Metroplex expects demand to rise by 360 million gallons a day by 2070, four times the region’s current capacity. Austin’s Water Forward plan calls for meeting growing demand with conservation, storage, and development of alternative supplies, such as water reclaimed from treatment plants. San Antonio, long plagued by shortages, aims to wean itself from the shrinking Edwards Aquifer. But its future hinges on cutting per-person use. These plans are ambitious and fragile. A record drought, weaker conservation, or a surge from thirsty industries like data centers could upend them all. Corpus Christi’s mistake was overpromising to big business. Under current Texas law, landowners can pump as much water from the ground as they wish, with little or no regulation. Texas has a long history of landowners taking so much water that it dries up the springs and streams on their neighbors’ properties. Hedge fund billionaire Kyle Bass doesn’t believe the conservation plans will work and sees an opportunity for his firm, Conservation Equity Management. It owns two East Texas ranches over the prolific Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer, which stretches in a narrow band from the state’s northeast corner to Laredo. Bass has applied for permits to pump 10 billion gallons of groundwater a year. He told my colleague Megan Kimble he aims to sell to customers “anywhere south of Waco and north of Dallas-Fort Worth.”

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Texas hangs onto lead in new solar capacity despite decline in utility-scale projects

Texas added enough solar capacity to power nearly a million homes in the first half of 2025 as it again led the nation in solar installations, according to a new report from the Solar Energy Industries Association and Wood Mackenzie. California, Indiana and Arizona all trailed. The 3.8 gigawatts of solar capacity added across Texas — enough to power 950,000 homes — was more than half the total added across the U.S. through June.

Texas held its leading position despite a decline in utility-scale projects. The state has consistently been the largest market for such projects, the report said, but there’s recently been a “sharp decrease in development activity in Texas.” It attributed the decline to President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which it said “fundamentally changed the policy landscape for the energy industry.” The bill, as well as other federal policy actions, have eliminated tax credits, hiked up prices on imported items and deferred renewable energy projects. Across the U.S., the solar industry saw a 28% decrease in added capacity in the second quarter. In the first half of 2025, 82% of the total 18 gigawatts of energy added to the national grid capacity was solar and storage. “Solar and storage are the backbone of America’s energy future,” said Abigail Ross Hopper, Solar Energy Industries Association president and CEO. “Instead of unleashing this American economic engine, the Trump administration is deliberately stifling investment, which is raising energy costs for families and businesses, and jeopardizing the reliability of our electric grid. “But no matter what policies this administration releases, the solar and storage industry will continue to grow, because the market is demanding what we’re delivering: reliable, affordable, American-made energy.”

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Austin care facility indicted for criminal neglect in hypothermia death

A Travis County grand jury has indicted Harvest Renaissance LLC, operators of the Renaissance Austin Assisted Living Facility, and two of its former employees for criminal negligence in the death of Cynthia Pierce, a 73-year-old resident who died of hypothermia during Winter Storm Uri. District Attorney José Garza told the Chronicle that the criminal indictments are the first he’s aware of to come out of the 2021 ice storm, which caused power outages across Texas and an estimated 250 deaths. “I think this case is a small snapshot of what so many people experienced all over the county and all over the state during the storm,” Garza said. “There were so many stories of courage and compassion. But there were also stories of neglect, and this is one of those.”

According to a report from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission obtained by the Chronicle, Renaissance Austin lost power to parts of its facility during the storm and some residents were left for a time in freezing rooms. In an interview with the Chronicle, Pierce’s daughter, Holly Ferguson, and two of her sisters, Beth Pierce and Rev. Terry Pierce, said they learned from an HHSC investigator that Renaissance’s staff cleaned Pierce with cold water on the morning of Feb. 17, 2021. The HHSC report said a staff member left a window of Pierce’s room open, while temperatures outside were in the 20s. Pierce was later found unresponsive in her bed. She was transported to a hospital where she died. Sam Bassett, the attorney for the two former Renaissance employees, said in a statement that the 2021 ice storm was an unprecedented event but that his clients took extraordinary measures to ensure the safety of the facility’s residents and fully cooperated with the investigation into the case.

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Singling out North Texas mosque, Abbott signs bill limiting religious exemptions in development

Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill Friday aimed at banning certain property developments in Texas — specifically naming a North Texas mosque's controversial proposed multi-purpose development. Abbott hosted the ceremonial signing for House Bill 4211 — which became law in June — in McKinney, not far from the planned site for the East Plano Islamic Center's EPIC City. The law changes the Texas Fair Housing Act so exemptions that usually allow religious organizations to operate housing developments without violating the act don't apply to developments like EPIC City. The goal, Abbott said at the press conference, is to prevent "bad actors" from using religious freedom to impose "segregation,” as he singled out EPIC in his comments. "This law prevents them from creating no-go zones," the governor said. "It prevents them from selling or renting land only to people who follow Islam. It prevents them from controlling who a buyer can sell their property to. It requires disputes to be resolved by Texas law and Texas courts, not Sharia law."

The law also requires business entities entering into a residential arrangement to disclose to anyone buying land that they're investing into the interest of the business, not the property. Anyone who wants to buy a lot in EPIC City has to purchase a share with Community Capital Partners, the corporate entity behind EPIC City, according to the project's website. The law’s author, state Rep. Candy Noble of Murphy, joined Abbott for the bill signing, along with other Collin County-area lawmakers. Noble cited what she said were quotes from Community Capital Partners that highlighted the development’s unlawfulness: investments in EPIC City are non-refundable, shares can't be easily sold and sales will be limited only to those CCP believes “will contribute to the overall makeup of [the EPIC City] community.” “That is certainly not the Texas way,” Noble said. “In Texas, home ownership means something, and we want to protect that meaning for every Texan.” Abbott clarified the law — which doesn’t explicitly mention Islam or Sharia law — does apply to other religions. “What happened here was a development that created religious segregation with a hostility to any other religion, and that's un-Texan,” Abbott said.

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Fact check: Elon Musk says his Houston flood tunnel idea will work. Experts say that's misleading.

Billionaire Elon Musk is taking issue with a recent investigation by the Houston Chronicle and The Texas Newsroom that raised questions about a flood tunnel project he’s pitching to address Houston’s chronic flooding woes. But experts said his response, which he did not explain to the newsrooms, isn’t supported by facts or data. Last month, the newsrooms reported that Musk’s tunneling company, The Boring Co., has been lobbying elected officials for months to allow it to build tunnels under Houston for flood mitigation. Boring has proposed digging two 12-foot-wide tunnels beneath Buffalo Bayou — the main waterway running through central Houston — to carry stormwater out of neighborhoods and toward the Gulf of Mexico during major storms. Experts say, however, that larger tunnels, closer to 30 to 40 feet in diameter, could carry far more water and be more effective. Musk and representatives with Boring did not respond to interview requests or answer questions the newsrooms sent in advance of last month’s story about whether Boring’s smaller tunnels would be able to handle the scale of floodwater Houston is likely to encounter in the future.

Instead, Musk waited until hours after the story published to post a response on X, the social media company he’s owned since 2022. “Boring Company tunnels will work and cost <10% of alternatives,” his Aug. 28 post read. “If more flow is needed, additional tunnels can be built and furthermore they can be route water from many parts of the city, not just one.” The post was written in response to a post on X from U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, a Houston Republican who helped arrange private meetings with government officials in Harris County and across the state to sell them on Boring’s flood tunnel plan. Hunt also did not respond to questions from the newsrooms ahead of publication of the original story, but he weighed in on X after the story was published. “A lifelong Houstonian and Texas Congressman spoke to the smartest man on planet earth about solving a generational flooding issue in our city that no one else will fix,” Hunt wrote. Musk’s post offered no data or engineering explanation to back up his assertions. So the newsrooms examined his statements, comparing them against flood studies, and interviewed engineering experts, some of whom pointed out key technical and logistical challenges with the Boring plan. One of Musk’s claims is likely false, and the others are not yet possible to verify with certainty, according to the newsrooms’ examination. Again, when the newsrooms pressed Musk and Boring representatives to explain the tech billionaire’s claims, they did not respond. Nor did Hunt.

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Under new state law, outside groups — including medics — could face trespass charges on UT campus

A group of UT Austin students gathered on the Capitol steps Friday to defend free speech rights in response to a new state law that restricts who can protest on campus and when. The law, which went into effect Sept. 1, bars students at public universities from engaging in “expressive activities” between the hours of 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. It also restricts students from inviting public speakers to the university, using a device to amplify sound, or using percussion instruments during the last two weeks of a given semester. Daniel Ramirez, a UT student with Austin Students for a Democratic Society, said he thinks students have a right to invite public speakers on campus. “We think what this bill serves to do is sever this connection between students and community," he said. "We know that our voices together are very powerful and what the state and the university are doing is hindering that connection." UT students said they have already felt the effects of the new law.

Last week, the supervisor of Street Medics Austin, an organization that provides medical help during protests, said she was told the group cannot be on school grounds, per the law. The supervisor, who is not a UT student, said university staff told her she would be charged with trespassing if she didn’t leave. Street Medics Austin Board President Matthew Blaney said the group will have to provide first aid outside campus boundaries now, which could slow down care. “Time is so important," he said, "and anything that happens to delay us getting in there and providing support is surely detrimental to their students' well-being." Several student groups have filed a lawsuit against UT Austin president Jim Davis, UT System Chancellor Dr. John Zerwas and the UT System Board of Regents over the law. The student groups are asking the court to issue a preliminary injunction, preventing the law from being enforced until a final ruling in the case.

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Austin Police investigate the city’s 44th homicide of the year

The Austin Police Department is investigating the city’s 44th homicide of the year after a deadly incident late Saturday night in southeast Austin. Police said they received a call around 10:30 p.m. Saturday about a possible shooting and stabbing at the Frontier Valley Mobile Home Park on Frontier Valley Drive, near U.S. 183 and Montopolis Drive. APD said that when officers arrived, they found a man with critical injuries. First responders began life-saving measures, but the man was pronounced dead shortly after 11 p.m. As of now, no arrests have been made. However, police said they are speaking with individuals believed to be connected to the incident.

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The 33-year-old architect of DFW's fentanyl response

Becky Devine was losing hope by the middle of 2017. She was working as a bank teller while earning her master’s in social work at UT Arlington, so tired that she’d doze off if she paused for a moment, her textbook in her hand. She applied to dozens of nonprofits, and at 25 years old faced a familiar anxiety about what would come next. So when an unknown number left her a voicemail one spring morning, she rushed out from work during a lunch break to call back. “Why do you keep applying to this job?” said the woman on the other end of the phone. The blunt question—Devine had, after all, only applied twice—came from the program director of what was then the Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, a Dallas nonprofit in search of something called a “coalition coordinator.” Devine didn’t know what the title meant, but she was desperate. “I have passion,” she said, sputtering before insisting she could do the listed tasks. “You’re not qualified,” the director said, but told her she could come in for an interview.

Eight years later, Devine—who until recently went by her maiden name, Tinney—is at the center of the local fight to curb the fentanyl epidemic, one of the largest and most challenging public health crises to reach North Texas. First responders help save lives immediately after an overdose. Police handle enforcement to stop, or at least slow, the dealers. Devine occupies the middle of this timeline, the point in which individuals in the throes of addiction need to be presented with help and information. The 33-year-old, now a director at the Fort Worth-based Recovery Resource Council, helped stand up overdose response teams across the region. Within 72 hours of an overdose, these two-person units are deployed to the survivor’s home with the life-saving medication naloxone, or Narcan, their business cards, and brochures detailing services for substance use disorders. At its peak in 2022, the synthetic opioid killed an average of five Texans a day. It did not discriminate by income or race or gender. But in the years since, fentanyl-related deaths and overdoses are trending downward. The state tracks deaths from the drug over 12 month periods to account for seasonal changes and other variables. Fentanyl-related fatalities in Texas fell 30 percent for the yearlong period ending in February 2025 compared to the same stretch the prior year, according to the state’s health dashboard. Dallas County data also show a general decline. The county reported 280 fentanyl-related deaths in 2023, compared with 231 in 2024, a 17.5 percent decrease. This year’s tally is at 118. (The 2025 total is through Sept. 9 and is expected to increase as death certificates are finalized.)

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Louie Gohmert to speak at East Texas Heritage Museum Association annual meeting in Tyler

Former U.S. Rep. and Judge Louie Gohmert will headline the East Texas Heritage Museum Association’s annual meeting and luncheon, scheduled for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, at Willow Brook Country Club, 3205 W. Erwin St. in Tyler. Gohmert, a native of East Texas and a graduate of Texas A&M and Baylor Law School, served nine terms in Congress representing Texas’ 1st Congressional District. Before that, he was a captain in the U.S. Army’s JAG Corps, a state district judge in Smith County, and chief justice of the 12th Court of Appeals. Known for his outspoken style and colorful storytelling, Gohmert will deliver a keynote talk titled “Why I Enjoyed Public Service – or Funny Things That Happened While a Judge and Congressman.” The East Texas Heritage Museum Association (ETHMA), which oversees the Camp Ford Historical Association and Camp Fannin Association, hosts the annual event to promote regional history and education. The meeting will also feature the 2025 recipients of the group’s Tyler Junior College (TJC) endowed scholarships, now totaling more than $64,000.

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Valero could get hundreds of millions from California to stave off plant shutdown

Valero Energy Corp. may receive hundreds of millions of dollars from the state of California to cover refinery maintenance costs in a bid to stave off the planned closure of a San Francisco-area fuel plant — a shutdown that could increase pump prices for drivers in the nation’s most populous state. Under a deal reportedly discussed by California lawmakers, the San Antonio-based refiner would continue operating its refinery at Benicia, which was scheduled for shutdown in April after state and local regulators handed it a record-setting fine for unlawful toxic emissions. According to Bloomberg, legislators are in talks to spend between $80 million and $200 million in state funds to try to save the plant, which was built in 1968 and is the sixth-largest refinery in California.

Maintenance is one of the biggest operating costs for refiners and the expense of major overhauls typically performed every four or five years can be a catalyst for closure of aging plants. California has had a string of recent fuel-plant shutdowns, one factor helping keep the state’s pump prices the highest in the U.S. Others include California’s strict environmental regulations and high taxes. In May, a forecast from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business projected that gas prices could go to nearly $8 a gallon if the Benicia plant and another refinery operated by Phillips 66 in Los Angeles both closed. The Phillips plant could be shut down by late this year, according to Reuters. State lawmakers’ talks, which Bloomberg reported occurred over the weekend, suggest a softening by California Democrats on the issue of oil. Lawmakers are now hoping to keep the industry alive in California in an effort to keep gas prices from skyrocketing even as the state presses forward with its planned transition to electric vehicles. Valero shares were down about 2.5% in late afternoon trading Wednesday. They had closed higher Tuesday, the day the California talks were first reported.

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Data breach hit Texas General Land Office online system

Another Texas agency has fumbled the private information of tens of thousands of residents — including the victims of floods and other natural disasters. The Texas General Land Office exposed the personal data of 44,485 people in the latest in a string of data breaches or technical foul-ups hitting state offices, school districts, county offices and utilities. A "software misconfiguration" on the office's online grant system let applicants see others' private information, the agency said this week. The problem was discovered in late July when a person using the search function on the Texas Integrated Grant Reporting system was able to see other users' info. The user reported the glitch that revealed names, addresses, Social Security numbers, identification numbers, banking information, medical info, birth dates and other personal data. A General Land Office spokesperson said the agency does not know when the glitch began or how many people's info was made public.

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National Stories

Tyler Robinson’s descent from promising student to murder suspect

Tyler Robinson was the pride of his Utah family. He was a 4.0 high-school student who won a prestigious college scholarship, according to social-media posts. “His options are endless,” his mother wrote on Facebook. Four years later, authorities say the 22-year-old Robinson used an old bolt-action rifle to fire a single shot that killed Charlie Kirk while the conservative activist spoke Wednesday at Utah Valley University. He allegedly had ammunition etched with phrases borrowed from internet and gaming culture like “Hey, fascist! Catch!” and “If you read this, you are gay, lmao.” Authorities, friends and even his own family were trying to understand how Robinson went from a top student raised by parents who were registered Republicans in a Mormon stronghold in southwest Utah to a suspected assassin who authorities said targeted one of the country’s most popular conservative youth leaders. Robinson was in the past registered as nonpartisan.

Clinton Robinson, Tyler’s uncle, said that after authorities released surveillance photos of the shooting suspect, he showed an image to Tyler’s father, Matt Robinson. “I thought it looked like Tyler,” Clinton Robinson said in a text exchange Friday morning with a Wall Street Journal reporter. “Sounds like it was. My day just went to s—.” “I have no idea why he did this,” he wrote. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said one of Tyler Robinson’s family members told investigators Tyler had become more political in recent years. The family member said at a recent dinner, Robinson and a second relative discussed Kirk’s coming outdoor event on the Utah Valley campus in Orem. “They talked about why they didn’t like him and the viewpoints that he had,” Cox, a Republican, said at a news briefing Friday. Cox said after the shooting, a relative contacted a family friend who told a sheriff’s office that Robinson had confessed to the killing or implied he had done it. Law-enforcement officials said the suspect’s father was involved in taking him into custody in Washington County, Utah. The governor thanked Robinson’s family for “doing the right thing.” Robinson was from the small city of Washington, nestled in southwest Utah between red-rock canyons and snow-capped mountains. Striking national parks like Zion and Bryce Canyon aren’t far.

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After Kirk’s killing, suspect joked that his ‘doppelganger’ did it

The day after Charlie Kirk was killed, an acquaintance of Tyler Robinson’s posed a question to him in a group chat. The F.B.I. had just released two grainy surveillance images of a skinny young man in a cap and sunglasses walking in a stairwell on the Utah Valley University campus, and had asked for the public’s help in identifying the suspect. Tagging Mr. Robinson’s username on Discord, a messaging platform, the acquaintance attached the images and wrote “wya” — where you at? — with a skull emoji, suggesting that Mr. Robinson, 22, looked like the man being sought. Mr. Robinson replied within a minute. His “doppelganger,” he wrote, was trying to “get me in trouble.” “Tyler killed Charlie!!!!” another user wrote, apparently in jest. That was on Thursday afternoon, around 1 p.m. local time. It was not until later that night, nearly 34 hours after the shooting, that Mr. Robinson was arrested on suspicion of carrying out the assassination of Mr. Kirk, 31, a conservative pundit whose killing has inflamed the political world.

The Discord messages were the clearest glimpse yet of the suspect’s demeanor in the hours after the killing. They were shared with The New York Times by someone who knew Mr. Robinson in high school and has kept up with him in the group chat — which includes about 20 people — but said he had not seen Mr. Robinson in person for several years. He spoke on the condition that his name not be used, fearing harassment for being an acquaintance of the suspect. The Times independently verified that the person who shared the screenshots attended high school with Mr. Robinson, and found other indications that they knew one another. The screenshots were shared at the request of The Times. Discord declined to confirm Mr. Robinson’s username, but it matches several other accounts that he used elsewhere online. The suspect is expected to be formally charged by local prosecutors on Tuesday. It was not clear on Saturday if he had a lawyer. The messages do not shed light on a possible motivation for the shooting, which has been fiercely debated by people trying to ascribe blame to a political side. A police officer wrote in an affidavit that Mr. Robinson had recently discussed Mr. Kirk’s upcoming event in Utah with a family member, and that the two had “talked about why they didn’t like him.”

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Utah governor says alleged Kirk shooter not cooperating with authorities

Gov. Spencer Cox, R-Utah, said Sunday that the suspect in the shooting that killed conservative activist Charlie Kirk is not cooperating with authorities. “He has not confessed to, to authorities. He is, he is, he is not cooperating, but, but, but all the people around him are cooperating. And I think that's, that's, that's very important," Cox told ABC News' "This Week" co-anchor Martha Raddatz. Authorities identified Kirk’s alleged shooter as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, who now remains in custody. Charges are expected to be formally filed on Tuesday, Cox said. The Utah governor, who has been the public face of the investigation, also confirmed reports Saturday that the suspect's roommate is transitioning from male to female.

"We can confirm that, that his roommate was indeed a boyfriend who is transitioning from, from male to female. That's, that's information that the FBI had, had mentioned yesterday. We can confirm that as well. And that, that, that he is cooperating with, with authorities as well," he said. However, officials have yet to identify a motive in the killing. While Cox had previously told the Wall Street Journal that Robinson was "deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology," when Raddatz asked if investigators uncovered evidence to support that statement, the governor said that "so far, that has come from his acquaintances and his family members." He did not provide additional details on what specifically those people may have said about the suspect's ideology. Cox said more developments to arrive in the coming days and urges Americans to choose kindness in a time of high political tension. "These are very tragic circumstances that impact all of us," Cox said.

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Could the U.S. dollar lose its dominance? It did once before

Is the U.S. dollar’s position as the world’s reserve currency on shaky ground? Some people think so, pointing to President Trump’s tariffs, America’s growing debt and its use of financial sanctions as a foreign-policy tool. Russia, barred from using the dollar in 2022, has shifted to using the Chinese renminbi for its international transactions. Other countries are exploring alternatives, as well, amid concerns that America’s outsize engagement in the global economy could end and debt will force the Federal Reserve to keep policy rates low, fueling inflation and dollar depreciation. To many others, however, such claims seem far-fetched. The very fact that the U.S. currency is so widely used, and that the U.S. economy is so large, means its international role is secure. But those espousing this Panglossian perspective forget that the dollar lost its primacy once before. It is a story worth retelling. The dollar wasn’t used internationally at all before World War I, when Britain’s pound sterling was the world’s currency. U.S. banks weren’t permitted to branch abroad and America had no central bank to backstop its financial markets.

That changed following passage of the Federal Reserve Act in 1913, which created that central bank and permitted American commercial banks to branch overseas. The Fed’s founders, who needed to overcome Americans’ deep-seated aversion to concentrated financial power, had various motivations for wanting to create a new U.S. banking system. Carter Glass of Virginia, the crusty, self-styled financial expert in the U.S. House and co-sponsor of the Glass-Owen Federal Reserve bill, sought a decentralized system of public banks to provide credit to financially underserved Southerners. Nelson Aldrich of Rhode Island, influential chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, wanted a European-style central bank, along the lines of the Bank of England or the German Reichsbank, to mitigate financial crises. For Paul Warburg, the cerebral, mustachioed German-American banker and one of the country’s most influential financial commentators, America’s dependence on sterling was a competitive disadvantage because it forced U.S. exporters to source trade credit abroad and shoulder exchange-rate risk. Warburg lobbied for a central bank to make a market in dollar trade credits, essentially short-term IOUs that function as a promise of future payment. Warburg’s bank would stand ready to buy those credits, known as trade acceptances, at a preset price, making their cost and availability steady and predictable and allowing U.S. importers and exporters to use the dollar to finance their trade.

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Political leaders confront security concerns — and fear — after Kirk's assassination

Even before the killing of Charlie Kirk, Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania was struggling with the emotional toll of political violence. In the middle of the night just five months ago, someone broke into his home and set it on fire. Shapiro, who is also a likely 2028 Democratic presidential contender, was asleep with his wife and children. And in the weeks since his family fled the blaze, Shapiro has been forced to confront the vexing questions now consuming elected officials in both parties as they face the impact of Kirk’s assassination on their own public lives. “The emotional challenge for me that’s been the hardest to work through is that, as a father, the career I chose, that I find great purpose and meaning in, ended up putting my children’s lives at risk,” Shapiro, a father of four, told The Associated Press. “Make no mistake, the emotional burden of being a father through this has been something that continues to be a challenge for me to this day.”

Across the nation, it is much the same for Republican and Democratic officials after another stunning act of political violence. Politicians in both parties and at virtually every level of public service are suddenly being forced to deal with acute security concerns — and feelings of grief, anger and fear — as they move deeper into a fraught election season. Bellicose rhetoric and even death threats have surged in the days since Kirk was killed. “The left is the party of murder,” Elon Musk, the tech titan and CEO of the social media platform X, wrote. “If they won’t leave us in peace, then our choice is to fight or die.” To that, Fox News host Jesse Waters said during a broadcast, “They are at war with us. Whether we want to accept it or not, they are at war with us. What are we going to do about it?” On Friday, a right-wing activist posted online a video outside Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s home, calling on followers to “take action.” The charged environment prompted a number of public officials, largely Democrats, to postpone public appearances. Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., canceled a Saturday town hall in Las Vegas “out of an abundance of caution for town hall participants, attendees, and members of the media.” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., also postponed a weekend event in North Carolina due to security concerns. Former Republican Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, president of Young America’s Foundation, which works to attract young people to the GOP, said his group canceled a Thursday night event in California featuring conservative commentator Ben Shapiro out of respect for Kirk and his family.

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Over 100,000 attend London rally organized by far-right activist, clashes break out

A London march organized by far-right activist Tommy Robinson drew more than 110,000 people and became unruly on Saturday as a small group of his supporters clashed with police officers who were separating them from counterprotesters. Several officers were punched, kicked and struck by bottles tossed by people at the fringes of the "Unite the Kingdom" rally, Metropolitan Police said. Reinforcements with helmets and riot shields were deployed to support the 1,000-plus officers on duty. Twenty-six police officers were injured — four who were seriously hurt, including broken teeth and a concussion, a possible broken nose and a spinal injury. At least 25 people were arrested for offenses including violent disorder, assaults and criminal damage, and the investigation continues, police said.

"There is no doubt that many came to exercise their lawful right to protest, but there were many who came intent on violence," Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said. "They confronted officers, engaging in physical and verbal abuse and making a determined effort to breach cordons in place to keep everyone safe." The rally drew an estimated crowd of between 110,000 and 150,000 people, far surpassing expectations, police said. The rival "March Against Fascism" protest organized by Stand Up To Racism had about 5,000 marchers. Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, founded the nationalist and anti-Islam English Defense League and is one of the most influential far-right figures in Britain. The march was billed as a demonstration in support of free speech — with much of the rhetoric by influencers and several far-right politicians from across Europe aimed largely at the perils of migration, a problem much of the continent is struggling to control. "We are both subject to the same process of the great replacement of our European people by peoples coming from the south and of Muslim culture, you and we are being colonized by our former colonies," far-right French politician Eric Zemmour said.

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Lead Stories

Matthew Dowd's firing begins flood of people facing consequences for their comments on Kirk's death

Matthew Dowd opened a floodgate. The MSNBC political analyst, who lost his job shortly after on-air comments about conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination, was the first of many figures to face consequences Thursday for public statements or actions about the shooting. Indeed, raw feelings about the killing have ignited a campaign to shame — and more. Several conservative activists sought to identify social media users whose posts about Kirk they viewed as offensive or celebratory. Right-wing influencer Laura Loomer said she would try to ruin the professional aspirations of anyone who celebrated Kirk’s death. MSNBC said Dowd is no longer with the network after his comments, shortly after the shooting, about “hateful words” leading to “hateful actions.” Both MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler and Dowd apologized for the remarks, which Kutler called “inappropriate, insensitive and unacceptable.”

Dowd said he didn’t intend for his comments to blame Kirk for the attack. Still, it brought an abrupt interruption to his work as a television commentator, which the former aide to President George W. Bush has done for nearly two decades. A Florida reporter was suspended for a question posed to a congressman. A comic book writer lost her job because of social media posts, as did educators in Mississippi and Tennessee. “CBS Mornings” host Nate Burleson was attacked for a question. An Arizona sports reporter and a Carolina Panthers public relations official both lost jobs. An anonymously registered website pledged to “Expose Charlie’s Murderers” and asked people to offer tips about people who were “supporting political violence online.” The site published a running list Thursday of targeted posts, along with the names, locations and employers of people who posted them. While some posts contained incendiary language, others didn’t appear to celebrate the shooting or glorify violence. There were several similar efforts, including one by activist Scott Presler, who asked his followers about teachers who supposedly celebrated Kirk’s assassination, and posted findings on X. A staff member at the University of Mississippi was fired after sharing “insensitive comments” about Kirk’s death, according to the school’s chancellor, Glenn Boyce. The university did not identify the employee or immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press. The president of Middle Tennessee State University said he’d fired a staffer who offered “callous and inappropriate comments on social media” about the assassination. President Sidney A. McPhee did not identify the staff member but said the person “worked in a position of trust with our students.”

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'People are scared to death': Members of Congress fear for their safety after Charlie Kirk assassination

The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk is sending shock waves through Capitol Hill, with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle expressing fears for their own safety and taking greater security precautions following a summer of political violence. Members are beefing up their security, moving public events indoors or canceling them altogether. One is even vowing to carry firearms. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., the progressive star who has faced numerous death threats over the years, said Thursday she had postponed two public events planned for this weekend in North Carolina, including a rally in Raleigh set for Sunday.

“From the moment I was elected, I have felt that I accept a certain level of risk in doing this job,” Ocasio-Cortez told reporters. But she added that security protocols for members of Congress are “for a bygone time. … They’re not designed for a digital threat environment era.” Other lawmakers are saying they won’t hold any large town halls or public events — just small, private events. Republican Rep. Nancy Mace, who is running for governor in South Carolina, said she is canceling all outdoor and public events for the foreseeable future, including an upcoming speaking gig on a college campus. An outspoken critic of transgender people and accommodations for them, Mace said she’s been experiencing an uptick in violent threats since a recent floor spat she had with a House Democrat and has requested additional protection from the Capitol Police and House sergeant at arms. Since Kirk's assassination, Mace said, she also got local police to patrol her district office and plans to start carrying a firearm wherever she can.

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Democrats fear falling into GOP trap on government shutdown

Centrist Democrats fear their party could blunder into a government shutdown this month as Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) are taking a hard line on the government funding package that needs to pass by Sept. 30. Democrats broadly agree the looming expiration of enhanced health insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act — combined with deep cuts to Medicaid that Republicans enacted through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — will hit millions of Americans with higher health care costs. But they are divided over whether to derail a short-term continuing resolution to keep the government funded in October unless Republicans agree to spend tens of billions of dollars in additional health care spending.

One Democratic senator who requested anonymity to comment on political dynamics within the Senate Democratic Caucus said progressives who are angling to run for president have pushed for the most confrontational approach with Republicans. “Most people want to avoid brinkmanship except some of those people who may be running for president because I think people understand that it’s important to keep the government operating,” the lawmaker said. The senator said it’s “not clear” how voting against a short-term clean funding measure and forcing a government shutdown would give Democrats more leverage over Republicans on the looming expiration of the Affordable Care Act subsidies. The senator argued the possibility that health care costs for millions of Americans could increase substantially in 2026 should be dealt with through the regular appropriations process, which would move forward if Democrats agree to short-term deal to fund the government through October or into November or December.

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Dan Patrick turns up pressure on A&M president after viral video causes fallout

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick upped the pressure on Texas A&M University President Mark A. Welsh III on Thursday, saying it was “unacceptable” that he initially sided with a professor who kicked a student out of class after the student objected to a lesson teaching that there are more than two genders. Welsh removed a dean and English department head from their administrative positions after he learned that they approved plans to continue teaching material that was “not consistent” with the course description, he said. He later fired Melissa McCoul, who taught the children’s literature course, further eroding his reputation with many faculty members who support academic freedom. Those removals ultimately failed to fully satisfy Patrick. “Most parents, students, and Aggie alumni expect Texas A&M to reflect the values of our state and our nation as well as A&M’s rich history,” he said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “If President Welsh will not or cannot reflect those values, then change needs to happen.”

McCoul's teaching about gender identity is not against the state's anti-diversity, equity and inclusion law, which exempts research and class instruction from a ban on DEI programs at Texas higher education institutions. McCoul has since appealed her termination, denying that she was ever asked to change her course content. The fallout stems from a video that state Rep. Brian Harrison, R-Midlothian, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, showing a student arguing with a professor in a summer class. The student said that they were not sure that the professor’s presentation on gender and sexuality was legal because there are only two genders according to President Donald Trump. Recordings also released by Harrison showed the president telling a student that firing McCoul was “not happening” — a defense of the professor that Welsh later abandoned. Texas A&M officials have declined to share more information surrounding the incident. It is not clear what McCoul was specifically teaching before the video was taken, but Texas A&M System policies on academic freedom state that “each faculty member is entitled to full freedom in the classroom in discussing the subject that the faculty member teaches but should not introduce controversial matter that has no relation to the classroom subject.” "It is essential that each faculty member be free to pursue scholarly inquiry and to voice and publish individual conclusions concerning the significance of evidence that the faculty member considers relevant," according to the policy. "Each faculty member must be free from the corrosive fear that others, inside or outside the academic community, because their vision may differ, may threaten the faculty member's professional career or the material benefits accruing from it."

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State Stories

North Texas family denies son is Charlie Kirk murder suspect

A North Texas family is asking the public to stop spreading false claims that their son is linked to the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, according to WFAA-TV. Zachariah Qureshi, 25, who lives in Utah, attended the rally at Utah Valley University in Orem on Wednesday, his family said. FBI director Kash Patel announced on Wednesday afternoon that a suspect had been detained in the shooting, and the Utah Department of Safety later identified Qureshi as that suspect in a news release, according to WFAA. From there, social media users posted a photo of Qureshi’s student ID from Brigham Young University and details from his LinkedIn page after “at least one” major media outlet identified him as the suspect, according to WFAA. Qureshi attended high school in North Texas before going to BYU and now lives in Provo.

“Zach Qureshi, 25, a newly-engaged MBA student, had gone to see Charlie Kirk and was standing about 25 feet away when Kirk was shot and later interviewed by the FBI,” Qureshi’s mother Juliette said in a statement. Qureshi had attended a Turning Point event in the past and “didn’t have anything to tell the FBI that everyone there on the ground didn’t also see,” his mother said. Since news about Qureshi broke, his mother said she has seen threats toward him online but that he is safe “for the moment.” “After releasing them, and after clearing them of being suspects, they faced scrutiny, they faced threats,” Utah Department of Public Safety commissioner Beau Mason said of Qureshi and another person of interest. The assassination suspect remains at large, according to the New York Times.

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Ken Paxton’s office won’t answer this

On September 1, a law requiring that every public school classroom in Texas display the Ten Commandments went into effect. Only, if you walk into some classrooms in North Texas, you still won’t see them. Here’s why: As far as anyone can tell, the bill appears to have a loophole that gives districts an out. Specifically, Senate Bill 10 states that districts are required to accept any donated poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments, provided it meets the specifications outlined in the bill. But here’s the sticky part, which I’ll post verbatim: ”A public elementary or secondary school in which each classroom does not include a poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments as required by Subsection (a) may, but is not required to, purchase posters or copies that meet the requirements of Subsection (b) using district funds.” (Italics and incredulity ours.)

But clear as mud, it follows all that up with, “Notwithstanding any other law, a public elementary or secondary school is not exempt from this section.” Wut? If a school district doesn’t get any posters donated and is loath to spend its precious taxpayer dollars on a poster displaying Judeo-Christian tenets, how does the poster get on the ding-danged wall? I know how the Ten Commandments appeared according to the story, but is a similar divine intervention the plan here? So, not quite three weeks ago, I emailed Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office for clarification. I emailed a couple more times that week, eventually adding his chief of staff, Lesley French. Then I emailed again last week. Still no answer. Paxton issued a statement saying that all schools should display the Ten Commandments, but that statement didn’t address the apparent loophole either. (There are 11 schools involved named in one of two lawsuits that are currently prevented by a judge’s order from displaying them, including Plano ISD.) So far, Dallas ISD is apparently not displaying the posters. “So right now we feel that we’ve gotten pretty clear that those postings actually have to have been donated in order for those to actually go up in our classrooms,” Dallas ISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde told the Dallas Morning News. “At this time we’re not required to post them, and so we will be awaiting further guidance, so no one should expect to see those right now.” The Baptist News Global reports that has been the advice of several legal organizations as well, but also points out that just up the road, Frisco ISD spent district dollars for the signs.

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Despite cuts and strike, Ag Secretary Rollins promotes progress at Fort Worth conference

Tariffs, a parasitic fly and devalued crops face ranchers and farmers across the country, but U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins reassured women in the business that federal officials are prioritizing their needs. “There is nothing but good news for our industry,” Rollins said. Ranching solutions, funding, economic trends and land conservation were among the topics discussed at this year’s Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service’s Women in Agriculture conference on Sept. 10 in Fort Worth. Rollins, a North Texas native, emphasized federal efforts to bolster agriculture that ranged from school lunches to farmland protections. Opening up the agricultural market to younger farmers and families is top of mind, Rollins said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture spends $400 a million a day on nutrition and food programs, funneling funds for school lunches and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Rollins said.

Dedicating some of that funding into locally grown produce for schools is part of a move to “make America healthy again,” she added. Rollins joined U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in a Sept. 9 meeting, where he unveiled the “Make America Healthy Again,” strategy. The document consists of 120 initiatives to address chronic disease in children fueled by poor nutrition and unhealthy diets. The report includes strategies on improving agriculture and cropland. “America’s farmers and ranchers are at the heart of the solution … to fight chronic disease and protect future generations,” said Rollins in a news release. The passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act was a “big win” for the Department of Agriculture as federal officials have struggled to pass a new “Farm Bill” under her administration, Rollins said. The Farm Bill, formally known as the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, aimed to maintain prices for farmers and consumers, secure adequate food supply and protect farmland in response to historical economic and environmental hardship. Passed in July, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act secured $66 billion in new spending for agriculture, expanded crop insurance coverage, increased commodity prices and created tax cuts for farmers. “The largest investment in rural America in the history of our country was in that bill,” Rollins told the women at the conference. The current economy is in the most dire state farmers have experienced in almost 50 years, Rollins said, citing decreased value in crops traded outside of the United States, including corn, wheat and soybean.

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Professors in Texas voice concerns of academic climate at universities

A survey from the American Association of University Professors suggests growing discontent among professors teaching in Texas. Of the 1,162 respondents from Texas, nearly half said they plan to apply for an out-of-state job, or already have. “A large majority have said they do not like the climate for higher education in Texas,” said University of North Georgia professor Matthew Boedy, who conducted the survey. “One of the questions was ‘why you were applying for another job.’ The reasons that I listed included broad political climate and that led the answers.” The report also reflected other concerns of disgruntlement. More than 60% of Texas professors said they would not encourage graduate students or other colleagues to teach in the state. Among the 12 states included in the “Faculty in the South Survey,” that number was the highest for Texas participants.

“That is a couple of percentage points higher than the other 11 states,” Boedy said. The survey’s findings were released just before two controversial firings in Texas this week. On Tuesday, a Texas State professor was fired after being accused of inciting violence while discussing political resistance. Earlier that day, a Texas A&M professor was fired after receiving backlash for including LGBTQ+ materials in the curriculum for a children’s literature course. “I think that, obviously, the president gave into political pressure to fire this particular senior instructor who was teaching the children’s literature class,” added Boedy. “The reason given was that the syllabi didn’t match the course catalog. To me, I think that’s absurd.”

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33 Austin ISD schools now face overhaul

The Texas Education Agency sent a letter to Austin ISD on Wednesday, Sept. 3, that states it will appoint a state conservator to oversee the school district if AISD cannot provide satisfactory improvement plans for 33 schools, the majority of them elementary schools, by a Nov. 14 deadline. Nine schools must develop a Targeted Improvement Plan and the rest must develop a more urgent Turnaround Plan, or TAP. Twelve of those schools have received their third unacceptable score from the TEA via a much-criticized scoring system based on standardized testing results like STAAR. Those campuses must develop a TAP to go into effect as early as January 2026. Eleven other schools received their second unacceptable score, and their TAPs will go into effect next school year.

“If we don’t get this right, TEA has made it clear that they will intervene,” Superintendent Matias Segura said in a video posted to Facebook for AISD families on Friday. Families of students attending those 33 campuses should consult AISD’s new website that outlines what the district can say thus far about what will happen to each school. “In an effort to produce Turnaround Plans that will be accepted ... there are limitations on what we can do.” – AISD Superintendent Matias Segura The 12 schools under the more blaring alarm, which could face potential restarts or reassignments for students in 2026-2027 as defined on the new website, are Barrington ES, Dawson ES, Linder ES, Oak Springs ES, Pecan Springs ES, Sánchez ES, Wooldridge ES, Widén ES, Winn Montessori, Bedichek MS, Martin MS, and Paredes ES. The 11 schools that will undergo “school improvement” TAPs due to their second unacceptable score are T.A. Brown ES, Govalle ES, Hart ES, Houston ES, Barbara Jordan ES, Norman-Sims ES, Overton ES, Padrón ES, Pickle ES, Wooten ES, and Sadler Means YWLA. Eastside ECHS must develop a TAP due to federal accountability.

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Austin passes new short-term rental rules cracking down on unlicensed operators

Austin has adopted stricter rules for property owners operating short-term rentals in the city. The Austin City Council on Thursday approved a new set of rules that council members hope will crack down on unlicensed short-term rentals, something they have been trying to do for years. “This has been a thorny and difficult issue, and has been through many different lawsuits and permutations,” said Council Member Chito Vela. “And I feel like we are finally getting to a point where we have a workable and enforceable STR ordinance that will be able to stand up to legal challenges and generate the hotel occupancy tax that we have been trying to get into the city coffers." The new rules will require host sites, like Airbnb and Vrbo, to put the city-issued license number in the advertisement. The host sites will also be required to remove unlicensed listings at the city’s request.

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Nirenberg joins long list of officials pulled in for ethics complaints

The city’s Ethics Review Board is taking up a complaint against former Mayor Ron Nirenberg on Monday, alleging he failed to properly report a “high-valued gift” and improperly used public resources as campaign material while serving in elected office. The gift is an autographed NBA jersey Nirenberg received from Spurs player Victor Wembanyama in January, which retails online for about $1,500. City officials are generally supposed to report gifts over $100 on their financial disclosure form. The public resources mentioned are primarily photos and videos taken inside city facilities that are not accessible to the public, used on a Facebook page owned by his campaign. The 63-page complaint was filed by Kelly Walls, who is involved with the government accountability group InfuseSA, on June 20.

That’s just days after two council members, Marc Whyte (D10) and Sukh Kaur (D1), were issued reprimands for similar complaints, including use of photos with city staff or inside city facilities as part of their campaign material. Whyte argued at the time that all of the city’s elected leaders do it — including Nirenberg — but the board was not swayed. It was Whyte’s second time being sanctioned. Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (D2) was also hit with a violation this year, for his handling of a zoning issue. The city hired attorney Nadeen Abou-Hossa, who has now handled a slew of recent ethics complaints against city officials and council candidates, to review the complaint against Nirenberg with members of the Ethics Review Board. They ultimately decided to take it to the full panel for consideration. It’s unclear whether Nirenberg has filed a formal response, as is allowed. He declined to comment on the issue Wednesday. Nirenberg termed out this year after eight years as mayor and is now exploring a potential bid for higher office.

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PACs form to sway voters on Props A and B ahead of Spurs vote

An otherwise sleepy, off-year November election is about to get a lot more attention. Political Action Committees (PACs) are gearing up to sway voters on two measures that would direct Bexar County venue tax dollars toward a year-round rodeo district on the East Side, known as Proposition A, and a new downtown NBA arena for the Spurs, known as Proposition B. The roughly $1.3 billion Spurs arena leans on funding from Bexar County, the team’s owners and the City of San Antonio. But the Nov. 4 ballot proposal is the first — and perhaps only — time that voters will be asked to weigh in on public funding. Against that backdrop, big money is being spent to rally supporters and opponents on the ballot initiatives.

PACs are expected to report their fundraising and spending twice before the election, but the final totals won’t be known until semi-annual campaign finance reports are due in January. The San Antonio Spurs are spearheading the campaign to pass both Prop A and Prop B, through a PAC called Win Together. The Spurs are teaming up with the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo to support both initiatives because their respective projects each require voters to approve raising the county’s hotel tax from 2% to 3% and extending its rental car taxes. The Spurs hired longtime local political hand Andrew Solano to manage the campaign, as well as some other consultants, including MAP Strategies, which has worked on past bond election campaigns in San Antonio.

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Texas solar program left in limbo after Trump administration pulls the plug on $250 million grant

Last month, Melvin White’s first cohort of future solar technicians was ready to begin training. White’s Port Arthur-based company was among the participants in Texas’ Solar for All program, a federally funded initiative to deploy solar energy in homes across Texas and build out a workforce to install the technology in low- and moderate-income communities. The Environmental Protection Agency awarded nearly $250 million last year to a coalition of local governments and nonprofits, led by Harris County, to fund Texas’ share of the Biden-era clean energy program. White’s company, a workforce development organization which helps train and place skilled laborers, selected 25 people to teach on solar installation and ultimately be placed in an apprenticeship.

He had purchased some necessary lab equipment and was set to begin training when, on Aug. 7, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced that he was ending all existing Solar for All contracts in order to recoup the federal government’s investment and cut what the Trump administration sees as wasteful spending. “The bottom line is this: EPA no longer has the statutory authority to administer the program or the appropriated funds to keep this boondoggle alive,? Zeldin wrote on X. “Today, the Trump EPA is announcing that we are ending Solar for All for good, saving US taxpayers ANOTHER $7 BILLION!” White and others were left scrambling. Workforce development organizations that had already begun training are trying to rebuild trust in their communities after having to cancel programs. Groups that were providing technical assistance are trying to recoup their losses. And everyone agrees that while coalition members can try to find private funding to preserve some components of Solar for All, there’s no replacing the $250 million or the direct assistance to low-income households.

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Jury finds Tarrant County activist guilty of vandalizing church, but not of anti-Israel hate crime

A Tarrant County jury found Raunaq Alam guilty of vandalizing a church in Euless, but they decided he did not commit a hate crime in doing so. Alam was arrested for allegedly spray painting “F*** Israel” and putting pro-Palestinian stickers on a church in Euless. Prosecutors also added a hate crime enhancement, which the jury rejected. The jury will now decide his punishment. The trial started Monday, bringing debate over hundreds of years of world history into a Tarrant County courtroom. Alam’s attorney, Adwoa Asante, argued he is a pro-Palestinian activist who was condemning the actions of a foreign government, not attacking Jewish people. The church was flying an Israeli flag at the time of the vandalism.

"Raunaq is here because the government hates what he believes in," she said during her closing argument Thursday. Tarrant County prosecutors made the case that Alam acted out of hatred for Israel and Jewish people, and that criticism of Israel is linked with antisemitism. Alam's vandalism was not an act of civil disobedience, like Rosa Parks refusing to move from her bus seat, prosecutor Lloyd Whelchel said. "This is terrorism — trying to stop people from having a different opinion," he said. Both sides brought in opposing experts on modern Judaism, who disagreed on whether the vandalism was antisemitic. Syracuse University professor Zachary Braiterman testified for the prosecution, saying it's possible to criticize Israel's government, but being against the country as a whole is antisemitic. He was scared by one sticker, which had the Nazi flag placed above the Israeli flag, he said. “This, to me, is a degree of verbal and ideational violence that makes me shudder and actually terrifies me,” he said. The defense argued that sticker was comparing the actions of two governments that have committed genocide. Several groups have accused Israel of the crime in its ongoing war in Gaza. The Israeli government denies the charge. Barry Trachtenberg, a professor of Jewish history at Wake Forest University, testified for the defense. He said he did not think the graffiti was antisemitic, and that the state's prosecution of Alam is racist.

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The little Garland film festival that could

Garland may be better known as a rapidly growing city in Dallas County and its affiliation with the animated TV series King of the Hill. But it’s also where the It Came from Texas Film Festival has taken place for the past three years. And it’s back, running Friday, September 12 through Sunday, September 14 at the Plaza Theatre. This year’s theme True Texas Tales examines how history is remembered and told with movies like The Great Debaters (2007), John Wayne’s take on The Alamo (1960) and Bonnie and Clyde (1967) as headliners. Additional screenings include Bernie (2011), Viva Max! (1969), documentaries The Real Great Debaters (2008) and JFK: Breaking The News (2003) with a secret screening of a Larry Buchanan film with live commentary from the Mocky Horror Picture Show comedy troupe.

“The disclosure ‘based on a true story’… leaves a lot of wiggle room for Hollywood to tell the story,” said veteran movie public relations representative and festival organizer Kelly Kitchens Wickersham. “Words like ‘legends’, ‘myths’, reports’, ‘accounts’, ‘records’, ‘memoirs’, ‘allegories’, ‘epics’, and ‘sagas’ are often used interchangeably, but they are frequently far from the truth of what really happened.” Historian Gordon K. Smith, who worked with Kitchens on the selection, has seen plenty of movies about the state that skew history. Yet even if they take generous liberties, he said, “these movies played a big part in turning those stories into Texas and American legends.” The small festival stands out from others, such as mega festivals like South by Southwest or the Dallas International Film Festival, because it's more intimate. It also isn't designed to sell a product. The festival is also unique for promoting intellectual inquiry too. Panels featuring scholars, actors, directors and even family members will accompany the movies. Among the notable attendees are Rhea Leen Linder, Bonnie Parker’s niece, and Buddy Barrow Williams, Clyde Barrow's nephew, who will join Academy Award-nominated filmmaker and Emmy and Peabody award winner Farris Rookstool III for a discussion before the movie on Friday.

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Texas’ official history museum hides more than it shows

The Bullock Texas State History Museum is an impressive piece of Texana, a hulking granite-faced structure across the street from the University of Texas campus. Step inside and you’re confronted with a giant mural of longhorns, horses, and cowboys that promises to tell you “The Story of Texas.” There are equally oversized quotes from famed author Larry McMurtry and others, telling you what an amazing state you’re currently standing in. It’s an impressive introduction to the state’s official history museum, projecting an aura that feels akin to the great history museums of New York and Washington, DC. But after taking the tour, I’m here to tell you that the story of Texas, as told by the Bullock museum, leaves a lot to be desired. It is, literally and figuratively, a whitewash. A (mostly) warts-free story told by people who want you to know that Texas is a great place and that almost nothing bad ever happened here.

That’s a problem when state leaders are doing their best to erase the reality of slavery from public schools, universities, and libraries. The late lieutenant governor’s passion project hasn’t been spared from an agenda that values spin over truth. The Bullock Museum is, to put it bluntly, a beautiful facade for public relations copy. I’m not alone in my assessment: Just a few years ago, celebrated Houston Chronicle journalist Chris Tomlinson called it “a propaganda outlet.” (More on that later.) “Historical accuracy really matters, especially around slavery, racism, and the displacement of indigenous people,” said David DeMatthews, a professor at the University of Texas’ College of Education and a former history teacher, in an interview with The Barbed Wire. “Because if students don’t understand the past injustices, it’s hard for them to make sense of what might be some present-day realities.” Of course, this problem isn’t specific to Texas. The fight against so-called “woke” exhibits has been a national issue, too, with President Trump recently trying to influence the Smithsonian Institution’s framing of history. But Texas often sets the tone for the conservatism that spreads to rest of the country and, with more than 9 million visitors, the Bullock Museum plays a prominent role in showing how those in power view our state’s history.

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National Stories

Officials release video, plead for public's help in tracking down person of interest in Charlie Kirk shooting

Officials released new video of the person of interest in conservative influencer Charlie Kirk's killing, showing the suspected gunman climbing down from the roof of a building on the campus of Utah Valley University where authorities believe he fired the fatal shot and walking away from the scene. The video was played during a news conference Thursday evening with state and federal officials. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox made a plea to the public for tips to help identify and locate "this evil human." "We cannot do our job without the public's help right now," Cox said. He said state officials are already moving to pursue the death penalty if the case goes to trial. The FBI said it is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the identification and arrest of the person responsible for Kirk's murder.

FBI Director Kash Patel appeared alongside the governor at the news conference Thursday evening but did not address reporters nor take questions. Shortly before the news conference, Utah authorities released new photos of the person of interest in the shooting, in which the individual can be seen on steps while carrying a black backpack and wearing a shirt with what appeared to be an American flag print on it. The head of Utah Department of Public Safety said the suspect was wearing "distinct clothing" that could help in identifying the suspect, including Converse sneakers. He said the person seen in the video jumping from the roof left shoe impressions and a palm print. So far authorities have received more than 7,000 tips and leads and completed some 200 interviews, the governor said. Earlier Thursday, the FBI's Salt Lake City office released two initial images of the individual, who is wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses and was captured in a stairwell in one of them.

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'Recklessness': Kamala Harris turns on Joe Biden in new book

Former Vice President Kamala Harris says that Democrats made a mistake and it was "recklessness" to allow President Joe Biden to make the decision alone on running for reelection, saying the choice should not have been "left to an individual’s ego.” In an excerpt from her forthcoming book, "107 Days," published in The Atlantic Wednesday morning, Harris, in a remarkable turnaround, said "as loyal as I am to President Biden, I am more loyal to my country," and lamented her time in Biden’s administration, saying "getting anything positive said about my work or any defense against untrue attacks was almost impossible." Harris said the president’s staff fueled negative stories about her performance as vice president and often refused to defend her against attacks against Republicans, including the narrative that she had a "chaotic" office and unusually high staff turnover during her first year.

"I was the first vice president to have a dedicated press pool tracking my every public move," Harris said. "Before me, vice presidents had what’s called a ‘supplemental pool," as the first lady does, covering important events. Because of this constant attention, things that had never been especially newsworthy about the vice president were suddenly reported and scrutinized." At another point in the excerpt, Harris defended Biden, dismissing those who say he was incapable of serving as president. ABC News has reached out to the Biden camp for comment. In May, Biden, in a wide-ranging interview on ABC's "The View,” said he was not surprised by Harris' loss in the 2024 presidential election, but not because of her qualifications as a candidate -- instead, pointing to what he said was sexism and racism leveled against her. "I wasn't surprised, not because I didn't think the vice president was the most qualified person to be president … I wasn't surprised because they went the route of -- the sexist route, the whole route," Biden said. But Biden, separately in the same interview, said he still thinks he would have beaten Trump if he had stayed in the race.

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No, there is not an 'epidemic' of shootings by trans people

In the immediate aftermath of the Minneapolis Catholic school shooting on Aug. 27, a familiar narrative appeared on social media: The suspect, some high-profile accounts began positing, was transgender. This happens almost every time there is a school shooting in America. Commentators and politicians with huge social media followings peddle conspiracy theories that the attacker is trans, and that claim is quickly debunked. This time, however, the claim was correct. The shooter who killed two children and injured 18 more, was, indeed, transgender. Cue the outrage. Right-wing commentators, congresspeople and influencers seized on a now-2-year old narrative that America is witnessing an "epidemic" of violence from the trans community. That is not true.

Americans who identify as transgender do not attack and kill people at a disproportionate rate. And, according to several experts on extremism and mass shootings interviewed by USA TODAY, there's no evidence gender identity had any influence on Robin Westman's decision to shoot children at a Catholic school. Rather, the evidence the attacker left behind indicates a deep interest in mass shooters and mass shootings, suggesting involvement in an internet subculture that obsesses over these attacks and that has become known as "nihilistic violent extremism." It's essentially killing for killing's sake. It's a search for fame and infamy among an in-group on the internet, and it has characterized several recent deadly school shootings, said Michael Jensen, research director at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism. "What is perpetuating the cycle is this ecosystem online in which individuals are seeking to gain notoriety and doing that through emulating past attackers," said Jensen, who who maintains an exhaustive database on incidents of mass violence in America. "In their minds, one-upping them is doing something more significant - greater harm that propels their name to the to the top of the list. This is more about an individual seeking notoriety and recognition from a certain community."

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$10 million in contraceptives have been destroyed on orders from Trump officials

Millions of dollars’ worth of birth control pills and other contraceptives destined for people in low-income countries have been destroyed at the direction of the Trump administration, the United States Agency for International Development said on Thursday. The pills, intrauterine devices and hormonal implants, valued at about $9.7 million, had been purchased by the agency before it was largely dismantled earlier this year. They had been stuck in a warehouse in Belgium for months, since the State Department said that contraception was not “lifesaving” and that the United States would no longer fund the purchase of birth control products for low-income nations. Internal State Department and U.S.A.I.D. documents and correspondence obtained by The New York Times show that several international organizations, including the Gates Foundation and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, had offered to buy or accept a donation of the contraceptives. The government would have incurred no costs or might have even been able to recoup taxpayer funds under those scenarios.

Instead the administration decided to proceed with destroying the products, an operation that was estimated to cost $167,000. On Thursday, a spokeswoman for U.S.A.I.D. — which is now being wound down by Russell Vought, the head of the White House Office of Management and Budget — said in a statement to The Times that the contraceptives had been destroyed, and falsely suggested that they induced abortion. “President Trump is committed to protecting the lives of unborn children all around the world,” the statement said. “The administration will no longer supply abortifacient birth control under the guise of foreign aid.” U.S.A.I.D. is prohibited by law from procuring abortifacients. None of the products held in the warehouse in Belgium were abortifacients, according to inventory lists obtained by The Times. The listed products, such as hormonal implants, stop pregnancy by preventing ovulation or fertilization.

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Radicalized 16-year-old Colorado school student fired revolver and wounded 2 teens, authorities say

A 16-year-old boy who had been radicalized by an unspecified “extremist network” fired a revolver multiple times during an attack at a suburban Denver high school that wounded two students, authorities said Thursday. Some students ran and others locked down during Wednesday’s shooting at Evergreen High School in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. One of the victims was shot inside the school and another outside. The suspect in Evergreen, student Desmond Holly, shot himself at the school and later died, said Jefferson County sheriff’s office spokesperson Jacki Kelley. The county was also the scene of the 1999 Columbine High School massacre that killed 14 people.

The school resource officer was on medical leave and two part-time officers who now share the job were not present at the time, she said at a news conference. The officer working at the school that day had been sent earlier to a nearby accident. Kelley said Holly had been “radicalized by some extremist network,” and suggested authorities came to that conclusion after examining the suspect’s home and phone. But details on how he allegedly had been radicalized and by what group were not immediately released, with Kelley promising more information at a later date. It also remained unclear if Holly knew the victims and had a dispute with them, or if they were shot randomly. Both were reported in critical condition Thursday. Officials released a statement from the family of one of the victims, Matthew Silverstone, 18, expressing appreciation for the support they’ve received and requesting privacy as the family focuses on his recovery. The other victim had not been publicly identified. Kelley described a chaotic scene as the students sheltered in place or fled the 900-student campus, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) west of Denver. “He would fire and reload, fire and reload, fire reload,” she said. “This went on and on.”

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Charlie Kirk killing feeds fears for higher ed’s future

Wednesday saw a moment without precedent in recent history: A college speaker shot to death on a campus during an event. That fact alone would’ve escalated growing concerns about the future of free speech and civil discourse at colleges and universities. But this speaker was Charlie Kirk, a prominent ally of a U.S. president who was already crusading against higher ed. Kirk, a national political figure in his own right, was one of the foremost conservative critics of intolerance for right-wing views in higher ed and the founder and leader of Turning Point USA, a nationwide organization of conservative campus groups that aided the president’s re-election. Kirk even spoke at Trump’s January inauguration. He was known for goading students on campuses to “prove me wrong,” posting the resulting clips online, appearing in conservative media to denounce higher ed, spreading his views further on his own podcast and using his organization’s online presence and on-the-ground staff to target left-leaning faculty.

“College is a scam,” Kirk, who dropped out of Harper College in Illinois, wrote in a 2022 Fox News op-ed, in which he urged most students not to go. “Universities are indoctrination zones where free speech is crushed,” he wrote. “Radical students and faculty coerce and persecute their nonconforming peers through ‘cancel culture’ and threats … I firmly believe that most—if not all—the destructive ideas that are now eating away at the foundation of American society originated on college campuses.” His death at Utah Valley University could put more pressure on higher ed at a time when colleges and universities have already been excoriated and targeted by the right. Faculty and those who criticize higher ed as being insufficiently open to civil debate between different viewpoints are worried that free expression will further erode. “This is an epic moment for the future of higher ed,” said John Tomasi, president of Heterodox Academy. “For the issue of free speech, there’s been nothing quite like this ever before.” Tomasi, whose organization promotes “viewpoint diversity” and “constructive disagreement” on campuses, noted both Kirk’s national stature and his association with campus free expression. He was the kind of person that conservatives had long argued wasn’t welcome on campuses.

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Multiple historically Black colleges launch lockdowns after ‘terroristic’ threat

At least five historically Black colleges and universities received violent threats on Thursday, prompting several of them to place their campuses on lockdown and cancel classes. The threats to the universities came a day after conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at Utah Valley University, an unrelated event that put campuses across the country on edge. A post on Instagram provided a copy of the threatening letter allegedly sent to Southern University. It reportedly contained racist language and a reference to the recent fatal stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte. A homeless Black man with a history of severe mental illness has been charged with her murder.

A spokeswoman for Southern University declined to comment on the Instagram post, saying the institution had “no further information at this time.” Another person familiar with the matter, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly, said that a different institution had received a threatening letter that was almost the same. The FBI said in a statement Thursday that it was “aware of hoax threat calls to a number of Historically Black Colleges and Universities” and that such threats put “innocent people at risk.” It added that the FBI has “no information to indicate a credible threat.” When asked whether the FBI was aware of the written threat to the universities referenced on Instagram, its press office said it had “nothing further to provide.” Quinton Ross, the president of Alabama State, said in a statement that his institution had received a “terroristic threat” and suspended campus operations for the day “out of an abundance of caution.” The campus remained closed to the public as of late Thursday.

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Lead Stories

In Trump’s White House, Charlie Kirk’s killing is deeply personal

The West Wing was a place of wet eyes on Wednesday as shocked White House officials processed that Charlie Kirk, the firebrand conservative activist and for many a personal friend, was in critical condition and then pronounced dead. Kirk, 31, who succumbed to a gunshot to the neck while speaking on a Utah college campus, was on a first-name basis with an entire generation of White House officials, a cadre of twenty- and thirty-somethings who came of political age in the era after President Donald Trump first took office and who now occupy some of the country’s most powerful positions. Many of them have credited Kirk with Trump’s reelection and their own paths to political engagement. While a divisive figure who taunted the left with anti-trans, anti-feminist and anti-affirmative action rhetoric, Kirk was the leading voice of young conservatism in America, tirelessly spreading his gospel on college campuses with help from wealthy donors since he founded Turning Point USA when he was just 18.

“No one could better explain to the youth movement in succinct fashion why conservative ideals should prevail,” said Jeff DeWit, a longtime friend who helped oversee operations and finances for Trump’s campaigns. “It’s a devastating and irreplaceable loss for the Republican Party. Outside of Trump, no one else has that level of magnetism within our party.” The White House was transfixed on Wednesday as administration officials absorbed what had happened. Inside the West Wing, officials kept their eyes glued to televisions tuned to Fox News. The president was repeatedly briefed on Kirk’s condition, a senior White House official said, as an afternoon packed with policy meetings turned into a vigil, then a wake. First, Trump issued a call to pray for Kirk. Then, after the president was informed he had died, he announced it to the world on his social media platform, Truth Social. His aides drafted a proclamation to facilitate the lowering of flags to half-staff. A black-clad groundskeeper paced first to a massive new flagpole on the North Lawn of the White House to crank the flag lower, then ascended to the roof of the White House to bring those flags down too. Trump ordered all American flags throughout the United States to be lowered to half-staff until Sunday evening, a remarkably quick display of official mourning for a man who held no public office and who was a deeply polarizing figure in a deeply polarized nation. “He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us,” the president wrote on Truth Social. “Charlie, we love you!”

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Texas State terminates history professor over comments made at conference

Texas State University terminated Associate History Professor Thomas Alter on Sept. 10, after videos of him speaking at an online socialism convention were published online. The conference was the Revolutionary Socialism Conference which was held on Sept. 6 and 7. Alter led the Building Revolutionary Organization Today panel. Karlyn Borysenko, who calls herself an “anti-communist cult leader,” recorded the meeting and uploaded it to social media. According to a statement released by Texas State President Kelly Damphousse on Sept. 10, Alter was terminated for “conduct that advocates for inciting violence.” Damphousse’s statement said that Alter’s comments in the videos were “serious professional and personal misconduct.”

“As a result, I have determined that Dr. Alter’s actions are incompatible with his responsibilities as a faculty member at Texas State University,” Damphousse wrote in the statement. “Effective immediately, his employment with Texas State University has been terminated.” Texas State University System Chancellor Brian McCall released a statement on the Alter’s termination on X (formerly Twitter). “The Texas State University System will not tolerate any conduct by an employee intending to incite violence,” McCall wrote in the statement. “Video recordings made public this week in which a Texas State University professor advocated for the overthrow of our government are inconsistent with our shared values and demonstrate egregious personal and professional misconduct.” Alter was a lecturer at Texas State from August 2017-19 and an associate professor from September 2019-Present, according to his CV. Alter declined to comment at this time.

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South Korea’s president says Georgia ICE raid could have ‘considerable impact’ on direct US investment from his country

The ICE raid on more than 300 South Korean workers in Georgia could impact future South Korean investment in the US, its president said on Thursday, adding the fallout had created a “very confusing” situation for Korean companies there. His comments come as South Korea reels from the raids – one of the largest by US immigration enforcement agencies in recent years, and which threatens to create a rift between two close partners that have long cooperated on military and economic matters. South Korean businesses in the US “need to build facilities, install equipment, and set up factories, which requires skilled technicians,” Lee Jae Myung said at a press conference that marked his 100th day in office. He added that confusion over the current visa situation for South Koreans would lead local companies to question “whether they should go at all.”

“This issue could have a considerable impact on foreign direct investment in the US,” he said. “We are urging the US side to normalize the visa process related to investment, whether by securing sufficient visa quotas or by creating a new category of visa.” Lee’s comments come as the South Korean workers detained in Georgia prepare to depart Atlanta on a Thursday flight and arrive in Seoul on Friday. They will return home to a country that has been dismayed on their behalf, with many viewing the images of shackled workers being marched onto buses as the betrayal of a bilateral friendship forged over more than seven decades since the end of the Korean War. On Thursday, South Korea’s foreign ministry said President Donald Trump had temporarily paused the deportation process to discuss the workers’ potential future in the US. “President Trump temporarily paused the procedure in order to listen to our position on whether it would be possible for our nationals, who’re all skilled workers, to continue working in the US,” the foreign ministry said in a statement. “The South Korean side made it clear that under no circumstances should there be delays in their departure and return, and that swift and safe movement of our nationals should be ensured,” it said.

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Dow Futures edge up ahead of August inflation data

Thursday brings one last inflation reading, before the Federal Reserve's meeting next week at which it is highly likely to resume lowering rates. The report is expected to show consumer prices rose 2.9% in the 12 months through August, according to a Wall Street Journal poll of economists, speeding up from 2.7% in July. That's above the Federal Reserve's 2% target. Even so, traders are confident the Fed will cut interest rates next week in response to a weakening labor market.

It would take a doozy of a report to upend those expectations. President Trump kept up his pressure on the Fed to lower borrowing costs on Wednesday, after data showing surprisingly weak wholesale-price inflation. The CPI data are scheduled for 8:30 a.m. ET. A rate decision from the European Central Bank is also due this morning; it is expected to keep its main rate on hold following a more aggressive campaign of cuts than the Fed. Stock futures ticked up, a day after Oracle's stock drove the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq composite to record closes. Exuberance about artificial intelligence and bets on a series of Fed rate cuts have propelled stocks in recent weeks.

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State Stories

Texas political leaders offer prayers, condemn killing of Charlie Kirk

Texas lawmakers offered an outpouring of prayers and condemnation after learning that popular conservative activist Charlie Kirk had been killed at an event in Utah. Kirk, 31, died Wednesday after being shot in the neck during an event at Utah Valley University. The White House confirmed his death and ordered flags to be flown at half mast until Sunday. In response to what many called an assassination, Texas politicians on both sides of the aisle decried what they perceived as a growing amount of political violence. But even as strong words of support were offered for Kirk and his family, others took to assigning blame. Former President George W. Bush called for the rejection of political violence. Abbott directed all state government buildings to lower the U.S. and Texas flags to half-staff, Following the news of his death, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick posted a photo of himself with Kirk, who he called a “dear friend for many years.” Patrick called for prayers for Kirk’s family but also placed blame on his political opposition and the media.

U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, said recent shootings, including Kirk’s, demonstrate the country’s lack of political will to address gun violence through measures such as regulating firearm access and funding mental health services. Crockett has been a fierce critic of President Donald Trump and Republicans, but she denounced political violence regardless of its target. “We do not settle our differences by going out and attempting to harm anyone, whether they’re a Democrat, Republican or otherwise,” Crockett told reporters at the Capitol. “We settle our differences at the ballot box and that’s what I want people to be focused on. And I really want our temperature to be turned down in this country.” After a Dallas Morning News reporter shared with Crockett news that authorities had just confirmed Kirk was dead, Crockett paused and reiterated that political violence must stop and there “can’t be a tit for tat” where someone targets left-leaning politicians. “We live in a democracy,” Crockett said. “It is time for us to start acting like it and it’s time for us as lawmakers to stop pushing this ridiculous rhetoric, this hateful rhetoric, and we need to do our jobs.” “The political violence in our country is horrifying — made more dangerous because of how easy it is to access guns in America,” U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, posted on X. “Praying for Charlie Kirk and his loved ones.”

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Gov. Abbott orders Texas state agencies to enforce age restrictions on THC sales

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order on Wednesday mandating age restrictions for consumable hemp products containing THC. The Texas Department of State Health Services and Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission are now charged with making and enforcing the new rules. Abbott’s move comes after a months-long back and forth between the governor and the Texas Legislature, particularly Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who’s waged war on THC consumables for over a year. But after two special legislative sessions came and went this summer without any bills making it to Abbott’s desk, the governor chose to regulate THC on his own. Wednesday’s order requires that purchases of consumable THC products in Texas — including gummies, beverages, pre-rolls, concentrates and more — be limited to people age 21 and up.

“Today, I issued an Executive Order cracking down on unsafe hemp products,” Abbott said on social media, adding his order is “banning sales to minors, strengthening enforcement & ensuring Texans know what they’re buying.” Nick Mortillaro is a chemical engineer and owner of retail hemp stores in Texas. After learning of Abbott’s move, he told The Texas Newsroom he thinks the executive order is good, but won't make a huge difference. That’s because he says most THC retailers in Texas already refuse sales to minors. “The vast majority of the industry, I’d say nearly every single shop, is already age gating,” Mortillaro said. For those store owners that aren’t, Mortillaro welcomes law enforcement cracking down on “bad actors who aren’t checking ID,” adding that removing those retailers from the industry is “good policy.” The new requirements won’t take effect immediately. State agencies tasked with creating the new rules and enforcement policies will have some time to comply. While there is no effective date on Abbott’s executive order, he demands the agencies begin that process immediately.

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Texas Rep. James Talarico in San Antonio for campaign rally for U.S. Senate calls for peace in wake of assassination of Charlie Kirk

Texas Rep. James Talarico held a rally at the Backyard on Broadway in San Antonio on Wednesday evening. However, after taking the stage, Talarico immediately told the crowd that he was shifting the focus of his prepared speech in light of the shooting at a campaign event in Utah where Right-wing activist Charlie Kirk was shot and later succumbed to his wounds. Talarico focused his comments on decrying violence and condemning the extreme division in the country. “I look forward to talking more about this campaign and more about this important election,” said Talarico. “But tonight, I want to address the news out of Utah.” Talarico acknowledged that he and Kirk had ideological and political differences but said that “Charlie Kirk was a child of God.”

He described the shooting as a “political assassination” and one that “comes just three months after the Democratic Speaker of the Minnesota State House was shot and killed in her home.” Talarico has experienced a surge in interest in his leadership that coincides with social media activity. Talarico touched on his humble beginnings as the son of a young single mother from Laredo and her strength in the face of poverty and adversity. He told the crowd that his mother’s love was life-changing and that “violence is not a true power.” He added that people across the political spectrum in this state and in this country are hungry for a different kind of politics, not a politics of fear, not a politics of hate, not a politics of violence.” After speaking to the audience for about 10 minutes, Talarico said he would stay and spend the allotted time for the event—about 90 minutes—speaking one-on-one with anyone who wanted to gather with him.

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Robert Wilonsky: How two Dallas men wound up in Jeffrey Epstein’s 50th birthday book

I called Terry Kafka at 2:23 p.m. Tuesday, and I most certainly did not expect him to call me back. Surely, surely, after the events of the last 24 hours or so, he had chucked his phone into the swimming pool and gone into hiding behind the high, white walls of his home, which the Preston Hollow Advocate once claimed “helped paved the way for contemporary architecture in Preston Hollow.” I never, not yesterday or tomorrow or ever, expected to hear back from the man whose raunchy 50th-birthday letter to his childhood best friend Jeffrey Epstein was made public this week by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, alongside far more infamous well wishes sketched, written and signed by President Donald Trump.

To my surprise, one hour and 56 minutes after I left a message, Kafka, who had known Epstein since 1958, called me back to discuss his contribution to Epstein’s 50th birthday book, a 238-page document filled with numerous redacted photos of topless women and crude notes, drawings and collages referencing past “girlfriends,” Epstein’s private island and the Boeing 727-100 known as the “Lolita Express.” Kafka’s letter, typed on “Johnny Boy Kafka” letterhead, opens with a very lurid imagining of the night Epstein’s parents conceived him, none of which I think I can quote here. His letter also contains, among other fond remembrances, details about the night Epstein lost his virginity on a mid-1960s New Year’s Eve to “a bright, attractive, bubbly, blue eyed, mid western female.” And there are references to a trip to Europe, sojourns into Manhattan, how Epstein offered some business advice to Kafka’s 16-year-old son, and how Kafka, Epstein and their group of friends remained close-knit through high school.

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Former student sues TCU for $100 million in federal court

A former student has filed a $100 million federal lawsuit against TCU, accusing school officials of mishandling her rape allegation and of creating a culture that tolerates sexual assaults on campus. In a statement, a university spokesperson called the plaintiff’s accusations false and said the university followed proper protocol in handling the alleged rape. “TCU’s first priority is always to protect the safety and well-being of our students,” the statement read. According to the lawsuit, filed Sept. 10 in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, the student, referred to as Emily Doe, was raped in her TCU dorm room on Oct. 6, 2024. Records from a Title IX hearing that were included in the complaint show the university conducted an investigation and that a panel comprising faculty and staff members determined unanimously that nonconsensual intercourse took place.

The alleged perpetrator, whose name was withheld from the lawsuit, was put on probation with the university and moved to a different dorm than the woman, according to the lawsuit. Additionally, he was ordered to retake a student sexual assault education course and write a reflection paper on the topic of mutual consent. The plaintiff said these consequences were inadequate given the circumstances. “TCU imposed no real punishment at all on the rapist,” the lawsuit reads. “Instead, it gave him homework — write a 3-4 page paper on the importance of mutual consent and discuss it, in private, with a TCU faculty member. And rewatch the short videos on consent he had been required to watch in orientation just six weeks before raping Emily. TCU also decided to move him to another dorm, without warning to the residents therein.” However, the university’s statement said the man was suspended and is no longer a student at TCU. “We take sexual assault claims seriously, and to spread false allegations... is irresponsible and a dangerous mischaracterization of our students and our institution,” the statement read. “In any event, we will not accede to her lawyer’s repeated threats of an orchestrated media attack if we do not pay tens of millions of dollars.”

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The Ritz-Carlton could be coming back to Houston.

A Houston developer is planning to bring the Ritz-Carlton back to the city. Real estate firm Deiso Moss told the Houston Chronicle it is working with Marriott International, the Ritz-Carlton’s parent company, to develop a 44-story Ritz-Carlton hotel and branded residences at 2120 Post Oak Boulevard near the Galleria. Deiso Moss's plans, as shared with the Chronicle, call for a hotel with 154 guest rooms as well as 114 private residences, "envisioned as gracious homes in the sky," beginning at 2,200 square feet. Hotel guests and condo owners will share 50,000 square feet of Ritz-Carlton restaurants, lounges and amenities. Residence owners will also have a private motor court, lobby, elevators and 27,000 square feet of exclusive amenities.

A spokesperson for the project said that the Ritz-Carlton will operate the hotel, while the condos will be available via a licensing agreement with Marriott International. A website launched Wednesday allows people to register their interest in the residences. A sales gallery is currently under construction on the site and should be completed this year. This week, the firm was not yet ready to give a timeline for when the project will be completed or when sales will begin, or to specify what pricing will look like. The spokesperson declined to comment on the financing for the project. As planned, the project at 2120 Post Oak would be the only Ritz-Carlton hotel in Houston, and the third in Texas, as well as the first Ritz Carlton- branded property in the city itself. Houston previously had a Ritz-Carlton hotel in River Oaks, which hosted the late Queen Elizabeth II when they toured Texas in 1991, but it was stripped of its name in 1997 along with three other Ritz-Carltons in New York, Washington, and Colorado. There is a Ritz-Carlton hotel in Dallas as well as a Ritz-Carlton resort in Las Colinas, northwest of Dallas. Meanwhile, the Houston-based developer Howard Hughes broke ground on a Ritz Carlton-branded condominium tower in The Woodlands in October last year, after reporting record-breaking sales in its opening week, in April: half of the planned residences went under contract that first week, Howard Hughes said, for sales of more than $250 million.

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Glenn Rogers: Putting the screws to screwworms

Evil looking, worm-like creatures literally screw and twist their way into live flesh, creating excruciating pain, damage, a putrid stench and even death. This is not the plot to some B-rated horror movie, this is the real-life description of the New World Screwworm’s catastrophic effects on the bodies of warm-blooded animals, including humans. Screwworms have been in the news lately. In August, a case of human screwworm infection was confirmed in Maryland in a patient who had recently traveled to El Salvador. And other factors indicate heightened risk of screwworms in U.S. animals, especially in Southern states as more cases emerge in Latin America.

I’m a veterinarian with a newspaper column in a Southern state. I’d have to be blind not to see a column here. Screwworms are not really worms, but the larvae of blue-green flies. After landing on a wound, these flies collectively lay thousands of eggs. The eggs hatch in 12 to 24 hours and out pop swarms of wormlike larvae (maggots) which burrow deep into a wound and surrounding tissue. After engorging on live flesh for up to a week, the maggots fall out of the wound, pupate in the soil and emerge as adult flies, seeking out their next victim. The entire cycle is concluded in around 21 days but is shorter in warm climates. The scientific name for screwworm flies is Cochliomyia hominivorax, a name I still remember from veterinary school. In English, hominivorax translates to “man eating” or “consuming humans.” Historical records for screwworms in the U.S. date back to 1825 and many accounts of devastating losses were reported throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. But an innovative solution arrived in the 1960s with the remarkable discovery and implementation of the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT). SIT works because female screwworm flies mate only once. Scientists discovered they could sterilize thousands of male flies using radiation, then release them to mate with females. Developed by Drs. Edward Knipling and Raymond Bushland, the SIT was the key to virtual screwworm eradication in the United States. Although brief flare-ups occurred in the 1970s, the United States has remained largely free of screwworms, saving the livestock industry billions. The eradication efforts continued south of the Mexican border and by 1997, screwworms were wiped out all the way to Panama. It’s one of the greatest success stories in the history of animal health.

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Texas pastor warns white parents about Black people in racist podcast moment going viral on X

A clip of a Texas pastor's racist remarks on a Christian podcast has gone viral after he told white parents to have "the talk" with their children about race, casting Black people as more dangerous than white people. In the clip, Joel Webbon — an Austin-area pastor known in part for his alt-right beliefs — said white parents should steer their children away from certain places and people before he called a theoretical crowd of Black strangers "30 times" more dangerous than a crowd of white people. Webbon is the senior pastor at the Covenant Bible Church in Georgetown, north of Austin, and the founder of a Christian nationalist website called Right Response Ministries, which posted the podcast episode Monday.

"It is actually a failure of your parental duty — white parents, please hear me — if you teach your children growing up, if you lie to them, and say all people and all races of people in our country are the same," Webbon said in the podcast clip. "They are not. You are actually depriving your child of factual, truthful information that could save their life." The video had more than 1 million views as of Wednesday morning on an X account called "Right Wing Watch," which says it looks to expose "radical right political organizations" and is run by the nonprofit People for the American Way. Webbon has previously suggested women shouldn't have the right to vote, when asked to envision a "Christian nation" during a 2023 podcast. Right Response Ministries also says it views homosexuality as immoral. Webbon didn’t immediately return a request for comment. On social media, Webbon replied to the duo known as the "Hodgetwins," who said on X that they agreed with his comments. "Appreciate it, @hodgetwins," Webbon wrote. "Let me know if you ever need an extra guest for your show." In the recently posted podcast, Webbon said his comments about Black people didn't include those who were part of his church.

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Austin's proposed short-term rental rules aim to crack down on unlicensed operators

Stricter rules could be on the way for property owners operating short-term rentals in Austin. Austin City Council members are set to vote today on several new rules that they hope will crack down on unlicensed short-term rentals, something the council has been trying to do for years. If approved, the new rules would require host sites, like Airbnb and Vrbo, to put a city-issued license number in the advertisement. The host sites will also be required to remove unlicensed listings at the city’s request. “We want to bring the STRs platforms into the process of helping us effectively enforce our licensing requirements,” said Daniel Word, the assistant director with Austin’s Development Services Department, which oversees short-term rentals. The changes would also prohibit an owner from running two or more rentals within 1,000 feet of each other. For sites with more than four units, the owner cannot run more than 25% of the units as rentals.

Word said the goal is for the city to better enforce its licensing requirements and more quickly address nuisance concerns, like noise. “Licensed STR locations tend to operate better and more peacefully with the neighborhoods than unlicensed locations,” Word said. “So part of the idea here is if we are able to get to a better place in terms of compliance with our licensing requirements, that might naturally cause better compliance with some other ordinances.” He said that will also allow the city’s enforcement to focus on nuisance issues rather than chasing unlicensed properties. There are more than 2,400 active short-term rental licenses in Austin, according to city data. But data from AirDNA, which collects listings from companies like Airbnb, reports there are nearly 15,000 active listings in the Austin area. Thursday's vote comes after the city in February decided to postpone a decision on several new rules that would have made it more difficult for people to continue renting their homes without a license.

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Barton Hills parents outraged after shelter-in-place order lifted while gunman still at-large

When Andy Means walked alongside his 5-year-old son as he biked to Barton Hills Elementary Wednesday morning, he believed the campus was safe. An hour earlier, the longtime Zilker resident had received an emergency alert from the city suggesting the danger had passed after an early-morning shooting nearby. The school district also had given parents the all clear. But when Means returned home, his wife frantically showed him a social media post from the Austin Police Department indicating that the shelter-in-place order was still active and a manhunt underway for the suspect. “AISD, the city and APD need to get on the same page,” she later told the American-Statesman.

The jarring discrepancy between official alerts underscored a morning of confusion for Barton Hills families, many of whom sent their children to school just as police and SWAT teams were closing in on a man accused of shooting an Austin police officer and a woman in Zilker Park. The officer was hospitalized in stable condition, while the woman suffered life-threatening injuries that authorities said were likely fatal. Means’ experience mirrored that of other parents across Barton Hills who spent the morning preparing children for school while simultaneously parsing emergency messages that often contradicted each other. At 6:44 a.m., the Austin school district notified families that Zilker and Barton Hills neighborhoods were “now safe after an incident” and that schools would remain on schedule. Relieved, Michelle Smith and her husband began walking their fourth grader to Barton Hills Elementary around 7:15. But upon arriving, Smith’s husband and another father spotted the suspect near campus. “It was very disconcerting,” Smith said. “We were all kind of looking at each other like, ‘Are we doing the right thing?’” Even as police continued the manhunt, the district’s first alert remained in effect. Parents weren't notified of a two-hour delay until 7:52 a.m. That threw a big wrench in the mornings of parents and students at Austin High School, where classes don't start until 9 a.m. "Families who have not yet left home are encouraged to make the best decisions for their families," the district said in a notification to parents.

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Protest or 'ambush'? Woman arrested in Alvarado ICE facility shooting says it started peacefully

When Meagan Morris drove to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Alvarado on July 4, it was to show her support for people detained amid immigration crackdowns led by the Trump administration this year. Morris, 41, said she and a few others planned to set off fireworks as part of a noise demonstration outside the Prairieland Detention Center. Upon arriving, Morris said she parked half a mile away and never got out of her car as she played on her Nintendo Switch and waited for the other people who rode with her. That’s when she said she heard a gunshot and realized something had gone wrong.

“I don't know what happened,” Morris said in a phone call interview with KERA News. “We sure did not plan for any sort of violence or anything to go wrong like that.” Ten people, including Morris, were arrested that night. Since then, seven more have been arrested in connection with the shooting. Morris shared her story with KERA News in phone and in-person interviews from the Johnson County Jail, where she’s being detained as she faces state charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer and terrorism, as well as federal charges of discharging a firearm during a violent crime and attempted murder of a federal officer. But she maintains she had no plans to commit violence, nor did she have any knowledge of indication a planned shooting. “The original intent was just to show solidarity with the detainees who hopefully lift their spirits with a fun fireworks display and go home,” she said. “If the officer got shot by someone, that person was acting alone. But they want to punish all of us.” Within a few minutes of about 12 people arriving and setting off fireworks outside the facility on the night of July 4, correctional officers called Alvarado police, court records show. An officer showed up and several people began to flee the scene on foot and ignore verbal commands, according to recently obtained court documents. A person in the woods then opened fire, hitting the Alvarado officer in the neck, court records say.

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Rep. Joaquín Castro makes call to include Texas artists in National Recording Registry

San Antonio Congressman Joaquín Castro is making a push to highlight Texas artists who have shaped the music industry. Castro announced an inaugural call for nominations of Texas artists to be included into the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry. The National Recording Registry was established in 2000 with a goal to preserve recordings with cultural, historic, and aesthetic significance to life in the U.S. Less than 4% of artists from Texas make up the 675 recordings that are currently a part of the National Recording Registry. Casto said he made the call after noticing the lack of Texas artists on the list.

"There was a dearth of Texas artists who have been inducted for their album or song," he said. "There's so much music that is uniquely Texas and so many incredible artists that have contributed songs and music that really has left an incredible impression on the country." Current Texas artists in the registry include Bob Will’s “New San Antonio Rose” (1930), Mance Lipscomb’s “Texas Sharecropper and Songster” (1960), and Narcisco Martinez and Santiago Almeida’s “La Chicharronera” (1936). Castro said the call for submissions comes at a time when music can be used as a unifying force. "There's a lot of intense and very heavy things going on in the country, in the world," he said. "I think that music is something that regardless of people's politics, I think it unites us and it's something we should celebrate." Submissions of songs and album titles from Texas artists of all genres — from Tejano to jazz — can be made to castro.house.gov/texasmusic until Sunday, Sept. 21. Suggested titles must be at least 10 years old. This is the first year Castro has made the call to highlight Texas artists. For the last three years, Castro has requested nominations and curated an annual list of Latino artists who could be added into the registry. Inducted titles to the registry from his lists of public suggestions include Vicente Fernández's cover of "El Rey," Juan Gabriel’s “Amor Eterno,” Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina,” and the Hamilton album. Castro also releases a similar list of Latino film nominations to be included into the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry and improve the recognition of Latino contributions to American art and culture.

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City Stories

It’s time for the Dallas Morning News to review restaurants again

The restaurant review is one of the main tools with which a local publication explores, uplifts, and critiques a city’s culture. But reviews are not just about commentary. They are spotlights to shine on culinary talent, introducing local chefs to visitors like the judges for the Michelin Guide. Reviews start conversations, push for higher standards, and show us who we are through what we eat. In a media environment full of influencers and clickbait, investing in a good critic means believing that you can succeed through expertise, not search rankings. The Dallas Morning News hasn’t run a restaurant review in three and a half years and hasn’t employed a full-time restaurant critic in five and three-quarters. If News shareholders approve the newspaper’s sale to Hearst on September 22, the new ownership can show its commitment to our city—and its investment in a quality product—by returning to a beat that almost every other major newspaper considers an essential part of local journalism.

Here’s a fun game. Look up a list of American newspapers ranked by circulation. Cross off the Wall Street Journal and USA Today, which don’t have full-time dining critics, to leave only region-specific publications. How many of America’s top newspapers do not employ a restaurant critic? The largest such paper is the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, whose longtime reviewer, Nadine Kam, died of cancer in late 2023, cutting short a distinguished career on the islands. Next comes the Dallas Morning News. In third and fourth place are publications that get partial credit: the New York Daily News, where a columnist praises hidden gems, and the Las Vegas Review-Journal, where a reporter rates the city’s top 100 restaurants. The other major review-free newspapers in the country have some kind of excuse: a temporary job vacancy, the death of a legend, being owned by vampiric Alden Global Capital. And then there’s the Dallas Morning News. For years now, its local owners avoided restaurant reviews for a simple, sad reason. They just didn’t want them.

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National Stories

Ronald Brownstein: Red and blue states’ fight is reaching a dangerous level

(Ronald Brownstein is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering politics and policy. He is also a CNN analyst and previously worked for The Atlantic, The National Journal and the Los Angeles Times. He has won multiple professional awards and is the author or editor of seven books.) The cold war between red and blue states is escalating to a dangerous new level. Under the piledriver pressure of President Donald Trump’s bellicose second term, the red and blue blocs are moving from separation to confrontation. The first stage in this unraveling has been divergence on state policy, particularly around social issues. From the 1960s through the early 21st century, the general trend of American life — advanced through both Supreme Court decisions and congressional legislation — had been to nationalize more rights and to restrict the ability of states to infringe on those rights. But red states, supported at key moments by the Republican-appointed Supreme Court majority, have moved steadily since then to reverse that “rights revolution” — at least on rights they dislike.

Virtually every Republican-controlled state has retrenched rights for transgender young people and imposed new restrictions on voting access, while most have also banned abortion and DEI programs; censored discussion of race, gender and sexual orientation in K-12 schools; and made it easier for critics to ban books. Almost no Democratic-controlled states have done any of those things. Conversely, red states have expanded “religious liberty” exemptions from anti-discrimination and other laws and expanded gun rights (such as authorizing gun owners to carry concealed weapons without a permit) in ways very few blue states have followed. The result is the biggest gulf between the rights available in some states and denied in others since the era of Jim Crow segregation. The next step up the ladder of separation has been alliance, as red and blue states have joined in unprecedented ways to resist the national agenda of the other party. This instinct first manifested soon after 2000 in the proliferation of lawsuits from coalitions of state attorneys general against the policies of presidents from the other party.

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White House exerts enormous influence over F.B.I., lawsuit says

The White House has exerted extraordinary influence over decisions at the F.B.I., issuing political loyalty tests and directly ordering the firings of agents targeted by President Trump and his allies, according to a lawsuit filed on Wednesday by three former bureau officials who accused the administration of illegally dismissing them. The sprawling suit, filed in Federal District Court in Washington, provides a disturbing account of what it describes as efforts by Mr. Trump’s top aides to strip the bureau of its century-long history of independence. It paints an unflattering portrait of the F.B.I. director, Kash Patel, as a middleman executing the orders of top Justice Department and White House officials, including Stephen Miller, Mr. Trump’s chief domestic policy adviser. The former officials who brought the suit — Brian J. Driscoll Jr., Steven J. Jensen and Spencer L. Evans — once occupied senior positions in the F.B.I. They accused Mr. Patel of dismissing them as part of “a campaign of retribution” for their “failure to demonstrate sufficient political loyalty.”

“Patel not only acted unlawfully but deliberately chose to prioritize politicizing the F.B.I. over protecting the American people,” the lawsuit said. A spokesman for the F.B.I. did not immediately comment. A spokesman for Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was named along with Mr. Patel as a defendant, did not have a comment. Over 68 pages, the suit describes previously unreported accounts about key Trump appointees, including Mr. Patel, Mr. Miller and Emil Bove III, a former senior Justice Department official recently named to serve as a federal appeals court judge. The New York Times was not able to independently verify some of the accounts, though they add new detail to the firings and ousters across the agency. The lawsuit describes Mr. Patel and his top deputy, Dan Bongino — right-wing influencers with far less experience than any of their predecessors — as almost cartoonish figures more interested in social media or handing out oversized “challenge coins” than in running the day-to-day operations of the nation’s flagship law enforcement agency. The three former officials repeatedly accuse Mr. Patel of what, in their view, is a cardinal sin of bureau leadership: refusing to stand up for career field agents who make the bureau run. Their lawsuit detailed what they described as an episode of appalling cruelty: Mr. Patel’s firing of a veteran agent, Walter Giardina, who was forced to defend his reputation as his wife was dying of adrenal cancer. Mr. Patel, who as a podcaster and Trump campaign surrogate denounced the Biden administration’s “weaponization” of the bureau, has been an enthusiastic public supporter of the F.B.I.’s work on a range of investigations since taking over its leadership. He has said any personnel changes have been to reform the bureau.

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24 years after 9/11, previously unseen images are still emerging. This group finds and publishes them

The camera zooms in on the flames and black smoke pouring out of the building more than 90 stories up. Papers fly down as people on the street stare up. The cameraman says it was an explosion. But then the second tower is hit, and he realizes it’s even worse. “Oh my God,” the man says over and over. He tells people around him to go home and not look up. The video was recorded a block from the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, by a man named Edward Sferrazza, who then rushed to his work van to drive away. Blocked in by standstill traffic, he got out to film again with his camcorder and became engulfed in the racing dust cloud that covered Lower Manhattan when the first tower fell. He kept recording even as he coughed, stumbled and sought refuge back in his van. That footage was on an hourlong Hi8 videocassette that captures not only the events themselves, but the raw shock people felt as they were happening.

And it was largely unknown to the public before it was digitized and posted online – in full for the first time – this year, having been discovered by a volunteer group of digital sleuths, tech experts and information-seekers who collectively form what they call the 9/11 Media Preservation Group. The group certainly isn’t the only one looking to archive images, video and information from September 11, and at two years of existence, it isn’t one of the most longstanding crews. But it is determined to help preserve this media, including finding and bringing to light materials that for various reasons were long buried in their owners’ collections and had yet to be published, like Sferrazza’s full video. The 9/11 Media Preservation Group – which publishes its work, in part, on the “Between Two Towers” YouTube page and solicits and discusses material on Reddit – is run by Andrew, who asked CNN to use only his first name, citing concerns that using his last name could negatively impact his other, full-time work. He also spoke about security and privacy concerns regarding his 9/11 work.

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Evergreen High School shooter dead from self-inflicted gunshot wound

The student who opened fire Wednesday at Evergreen High School, injuring two other students, died Wednesday night of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said. One student remained in critical condition, according to doctors, while another had non-life-threatening injuries. The sheriff said the shooter was a 16-year-old male. He had fired a revolver at students at 12:24 p.m. Wednesday, bringing scores of first responders to the school. Three students — including the shooter — were treated at CommonSpirit St. Anthony Hospital for gunshot wounds. A fourth student took themselves to the hospital with injuries sustained while escaping the high school and fleeing to a nearby elementary school.

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How threats have evolved since 9/11 attacks

Osama bin Laden had made targeting the United States a top priority of his al-Qaida terrorist organization. Al-Qaida translates from Arabic as "the base" – a base that bin Laden hoped to use to influence Muslims around the world to oppose Western influences and states and to establish fundamentalist Islamic regimes. Bin Laden's motives were rooted in his extremist interpretation of Islamic theology, resentment over U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, and a desire to overthrow the existing world order. The "base" was so-called due to it being a centralized, hierarchical organization that provided funding, training and logistical support to terrorism worldwide, including for the so-called "Planes Operation" of Sept. 11, 2001. In order to embolden and support his organization, bin Laden often videotaped himself with messages aimed at his target audience, established training centers in Afghanistan, had an expansive funding network that included wealthy individuals, couriers, mosques and other complex ways to raise funds.

Bin Laden and the 9/11 attacks lacked something that present-day terrorists, criminals and violent extremists have ready access to: the internet and, specifically, the dark web. After the 9/11 attacks, as the United States was ramping up to attack al-Qaida, "the base" and affiliate organizations began moving to a more decentralized and incentivized form of terrorism and violence. Terrorists expanded their use of the internet for a wide range of activities, including planning attacks, radicalization and recruitment, propaganda dissemination, and fundraising. While the internet facilitates covert planning through tools like encrypted messages, it also serves as a platform for psychological warfare, spreading disinformation and images to incite fear. This online presence includes social media platforms used for propaganda, communication and recruitment, creating a challenge for governments and platforms alike to manage the spread of extremist content in hopes of preventing potential violence. In a 2004 study, the United States Institute of Peace said that hundreds of terrorist groups had migrated online, utilizing a tool meant for better communication for often nefarious purposes. Nearly 20 years later, a 2022 study titled "Terrorism and the internet: How dangerous is online radicalization?" highlighted how online radicalization had become a clear threat that can metastasize in dark corners, often unnoticed. The main use of the internet by these terrorist groups – incentivizing and radicalizing supporters and stoking fear with propaganda – is something bin Laden would have had to do with videotapes played by the news. Likewise, the internet has made fundraising much easier with the use of online payment methods, which are easy to set up and difficult to trace. And now, with the advent of generative artificial intelligence (AI), terrorists have yet another tool at their disposal.

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HBO Max is going to get a lot more expensive, CEO promises

David Zaslav, the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, plans to make HBO more expensive, and passwords a lot harder to share, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Zaslav shared his general outlook on the state of television at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference, with the main theme being that HBO Max's content is good and Zaslav thinks he should be charging a lot more for it. "The fact that this is quality — and that’s true across our company, motion picture, TV production and streaming quality — we all think that gives us a chance to raise prices," Zaslav said. "We think we’re way underpriced." HBO Max most recently raised prices in 2024, back when it was temporarily called Max. As of right now you can get an entry-level Basic with Ads plan for $9.99 per month, while the ad-free Premium plan costs $20.99 per month. Zaslav clearly thinks he can get more, though.

Warner Bros. Discovery has been more open about its plans to address password-sharing. During an earnings call in August, the company said it wanted to close all loopholes for sharing passwords by the end of the year. While it's great that people continue to be drawn to HBO content, "it’s all tricky with the password sharing," Zaslav said. "We’re going to begin to push on that." Price hikes and password sharing crackdowns have been thoroughly normalized by Netflix and other streamers. HBO Max following suit should be more than expected. Stating those plans so plainly doesn't improve the image of Zaslav as a Hollywood villain, but that's the least of his worries given the planned break-up of Warner Bros. Discovery.

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Lead Stories

At Abbott's insistence, Texas A&M professor loses job; dean and department head removed

Gov. Greg Abbott directed Texas A&M President Mark Welsh to fire a professor whom a state lawmaker had blasted on social media for discussing gender identity in a children’s literature course — and Welsh listened. In an email to Texas A&M families Tuesday night, Welsh said he directed the provost to fire the professor for teaching about gender identity when it wasn’t clearly stated in the course description. “This isn’t about academic freedom; it’s about academic responsibility,” Welsh wrote. “We must ensure that what we ultimately deliver to students is consistent with what was approved.” On Monday, video of the professor's discussion on gender identity went viral and solicited a response on X from the assistant attorney general for the U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division who said the department will "look into" the conduct and a statement from new Chancellor Glenn Hegar, who called the professors' action "unacceptable."

That night, Welsh announced that that he removed the College of Arts and Sciences dean and department head from their administrative positions when he found they "approved plans to continue teaching course content that was not consistent with the course’s published description," he said in a statement. Texas A&M University System regents also ordered an audit of all courses after the backlash for all its 12 campuses, the Houston Chronicle reported. In a statement before the firing of the professor was announced, PEN America, a free speech advocacy group for literature, decried the developments at A&M. “We are witnessing the death of academic freedom in Texas, the remaking of universities as tools of authoritarianism that suppress free thought,” Jonathan Friedman, the Sy Syms managing director of U.S. free expression programs at PEN America, said in a news release. “The decision to remove these academic leaders to satisfy politicians’ demands is an excessive punishment for the alleged violation of transparency requirements.” The firing of the professor came less than 48 hours after Rep. Brian Harrison, R-Midlothian, posted videos shared by an anonymous whistleblower of a professor talking about gender identity in the children’s literature class. The student in the recording asked the professor if this was legal given President Donald Trump’s executive order stating there are only two genders and saying it was against her religious beliefs. The professor, who has expertise in gender studies according to a university website, told her she could leave, and she did. Texas A&M verified to the Houston Chronicle that the recording was real.

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James Talarico enters Texas Senate race

State Representative James Talarico, a Democrat from Round Rock, officially announced his campaign for the U.S. Senate this morning, pledging to fight divisive billionaires and to bring people together. “The biggest divide in our country is not left versus right. It’s top versus bottom. Billionaires want us looking left and right at each other so that we’re not looking up at them. The people at the top work so hard to keep us angry and divided because our unity is a threat to their wealth and their power,” he said in a video announcement. Talarico, who is 36 years-old and a former middle school teacher, was first elected in 2018 by flipping a Republican-controlled seat in the Austin suburbs. In his four terms, he has walked the line: seemingly starting as an ambitious millennial focused on bread-and-butter issues who could appeal to independents and moderates, to an aggressive and progressive Democrat. That evolution occurred as Republicans pushed an increasingly conservative agenda through the Texas House and Senate.

When Talarico started his first term in 2019, the Texas House was under the leadership of Speaker Dennis Bonnen, who wanted to avoid conservative causes like limiting LGBTQ rights and targeting reproductive rights. In that session, he prioritized bipartisan bills focused on school safety, enhancing instructional materials and capping insulin prices. But in 2021, after Democrats failed to flip the House to their party, a conservative new speaker changed the tenor of the body. Under former Speaker of the House Dade Phelan, the legislature passed the most conservative legislation in history. That was when Texas passed a near-total abortion ban, restricted gender-affirming care to young people, and enacted legislation prohibiting so-called critical race theory in schools. Before that session ended in 2021, Democrats broke quorum in opposition to a strict election (and some would say voter suppression) bill and fled to Washington, D.C. But Talarico returned early, to the consternation of some members who thought he was betraying principles to save his seat. After a redistricting shuffle, he ultimately moved into an open seat in a predominantly racially diverse and solidly Democratic district in Austin with the backing of most of the county delegation. As he continued as a state representative, Talarico leaned on his Christian faith. At events throughout the state or appearing on social media, he would often cite his faith as a reason to oppose some of the biggest rightwing causes, like the school voucher bill or the bill mandating the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public-school classroom.

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Employers added nearly a million fewer jobs than believed, data shows

The U.S. economy probably added close to a million fewer jobs in 2024 and early 2025 than previously reported, the latest sign that the labor market, until recently a bright spot in the economy, may be weaker than it initially appeared. The revised data was released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics as part of a longstanding annual process known as benchmarking. But the big downward adjustment comes at an awkward moment for the agency, just weeks after President Trump fired its top official following a separate set of negative revisions last month. The data released on Tuesday showed that employers added 911,000 fewer jobs in the 12 months through March than had been indicated in the monthly payroll figures. That implies the economy added only about 850,000 jobs during that time — half as many as previously reported. The revision covered the final months of the Biden administration and the early months of Mr. Trump’s second presidency. The report did not provide details on when the overestimates took place, or if they were evenly distributed across the 12-month period.

The revision was large, but not surprising. Forecasters had anticipated a substantial downward adjustment based on quarterly data released earlier this year, before Mr. Trump fired the head of the statistics agency. The report doesn’t directly affect the period since March. But the scale of the overestimate has led many economists to conclude that more recent job gains have probably also been overstated. That could concern policymakers at the Federal Reserve, who have been watching closely for signs that the labor market is losing momentum. In a speech in Miami last month, Christopher J. Waller, a Fed governor, cited the forthcoming benchmark revision as one reason that he supported cutting interest rates at the central bank’s meeting next week. The case has only grown stronger since then: On Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that employers added just 22,000 jobs in August, and that the unemployment rate had edged up to 4.3 percent, its highest level in nearly four years. The revision announced on Tuesday is preliminary and won’t be incorporated into the government’s official jobs figures until complete data is available early next year. The annual benchmarking process is necessary because the monthly jobs figures are estimates, based on a survey of more than 100,000 employers. Once a year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reconciles those estimates with less timely but more authoritative records from state unemployment offices.

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In Texas, a Senate race turns brutal before it’s even declared

For the past month, two Texas political titans — the attorney general Ken Paxton and the former congressman Beto O’Rourke — have been locked in an escalating legal drama, complete with threats of jail time, courtroom showdowns and the possible bankrupting of a Texas voter registration effort. The clashes have direct implications for the 2026 Senate race, given that Mr. Paxton is already a Republican candidate in the primary against Senator John Cornyn, and Mr. O’Rourke has been openly mulling a run as a Democrat. It has also served as an unusually direct example of how President Trump’s unapologetic use of government powers to pursue partisan ends has spread to political conflicts in the rest of the country. More tangibly, the attorney general’s attacks threaten the future of Mr. O’Rourke’s political organization, Powered by People, which has spent nearly $400,000, about $100,000 a week, on litigation so far. “He may very well be able to bankrupt the most successful voter registration program in the state,” Mr. O’Rourke said in a telephone interview. “This is weaponizing the political system to persecute your political enemies.”

It started last month as an offshoot of Mr. Trump’s push to have Republicans redraw congressional lines in Texas. Mr. Paxton directed his office to investigate Mr. O’Rourke’s political organization over its role in raising money for Democratic state lawmakers who had staged a walkout to stymie the redistricting push. It quickly escalated to Mr. Paxton asking a Texas court to throw Mr. O’Rourke in jail. The legal wrangling has sprawled across the state to courtrooms in El Paso, Fort Worth and Austin. “No matter how much Beto and Powered by People try and take us down in court, I will continue to wage legal war,” Mr. Paxton said in a news release last month. Mr. Paxton was not made available for an interview, but his office provided a statement: “Beto’s desperate, unprecedented legal maneuvers will not stand, and there will be accountability for the Beto Buyoff of Texas politicians,” he said. That was on top of at least 10 news releases his office has posted in four weeks related to the litigation with Mr. O’Rourke, not to mention the attorney general’s blustery social media posts. Though Mr. O’Rourke has not yet declared whether he’s going to run for Senate, he insisted the Paxton legal attacks were political. Mr. Paxton is “doing this because I’m a potential political opponent of his in the contest for the U.S. Senate seat in Texas,” he said.

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State Stories

Kenny Webster: Pro-weed is pro-MAGA, and Dan Patrick is out of touch

(Kenny Webster can be heard weekdays on KPRC 950 in Houston and dozens of other radio stations around the country. He’s also the executive producer of the Walton and Johnson radio network and a touring stand-up comedian.) The latest attempt to ban low-grade THC products in the state of Texas has gone the way of a poorly rolled joint — up in smoke. Good riddance! The second legislative special session wrapped out with the THC ban bill — Senate Bill 6 — stalling out in the Texas House like a pickup truck stuck in the mud. This bill was another attempt by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to micromanage the lives of Texas adults following Gov. Greg Abbott’s veto of a similar bill in the regular session. While Texas didn’t ban weed, a win for anti-prohibitionists, it outlawed the sale (but not possession) of THC vape pens over health concerns, marking a partial victory for cannabis advocates. Apparently trying to outlaw a $10 billion industry that plenty of Texans want to keep is harder than herding cats in a hailstorm.

But allowing Texans to buy and sell THC products is about more than being pro-business or pro-liberty — it is about being pro-MAGA. Despite what political dinosaurs like Patrick may want you to believe, legal weed is a MAGA policy, and it is time for old neocons to catch up with the times or get out of office. First off, the THC industry in Texas isn’t just a cash cow — it’s an economic longhorn steer. The industry employs roughly 50,000 folks and pumps $10.3 billion into the economy, from mom-and-pop shops to sprawling hemp farms. Shutting all that down, rather than just passing new, smart regulations, would be like filling your own barn with Tannerite to get rid of a few rats. Legal THC is also politically popular. A 2025 poll by the University of Houston’s Hobby School for Public Policy found that a majority of Texans — including a majority of Republicans — support not just the THC status quo but full legalization of marijuana. As Patrick learned, any effort at passing full THC prohibition is going to mean a full-on bar fight with Texas’ red-meat, red-state voters. That political popularity comes directly from President Donald Trump himself. The sort of low-grade THC available in Texas today was made legal when Trump signed the 2018 Farm Bill. At this point, THC is about as MAGA as mass deportations and blue power suits with a red tie. And for good reason. Legal weed isn’t just about getting a buzz. It’s a lifeline for folks dealing with chronic pain, anxiety, depression, and nausea. Veterans — God bless ’em — swear by marijuana and THC products for treating post-traumatic stress disorder. Guys like Dave Walden, vice commander of the Texas Veterans of Foreign Wars, said that THC gummies saved him from opioid hell. “I was taking upwards of 6,000 pills a year: narcotics and anti-depressants and Valium and pills for the side effects of the pills I was taking,” Walden said in an interview last year.

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A 'last-ditch effort' to save death row inmate Robert Roberson includes author John Grisham

Robert Roberson was handcuffed behind his back when he was brought into the Texas death row media interview area. The guard locked him into a small cell. The cuffs were removed through a thin slot in the steel door. One side of the cell was bulletproof glass, and on the wall was an old-style telephone handset. I was on the other side of that glass and on the end of the phone. Roberson is used to all this. He’s been on death row for over 20 years. I interviewed Roberson last year when Texas was angling to execute him then. He came within 90 minutes of the lethal injection, but a last-minute legal maneuver saved him. “I was relieved, not just for myself, but for my loved ones," Roberson told me. "I said, I'm still just as innocent as I was when you all put me in there."

In July, Texas assigned Roberson another execution date. “Here we are again. Like they gave me another date, and the evidence has shown that I didn't do it. It wasn't even a crime committed," Roberson said. "So it was like, what do we have to do to prove it?” In 2003, Roberson was sentenced to die for the death of his chronically ill 2-year-old daughter, Nikki Curtis. Prosecutors based their case on the now-discredited theory of shaken baby syndrome. Nikki had contracted pneumonia. She had a fever of over 104 degrees, and doctors had given her codeine and other medications that suppressed her breathing. But Roberson said when he showed up at the hospital with Nikki in his arms, she was turning blue — and he was immediately labeled a suspect in a shaken baby syndrome murder. “Well, they acted real suspicious and stuff. And the way they was talking and stuff, acting like I was guilty and stuff. ... They didn't believe my story. Then they called the detectives in.”

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It’s not just redistricting. Here are all the ways the Texas GOP is consolidating power.

On Thursday night, as lawmakers in Austin closed the books on a special legislative session that upended state elections, leaders of the Denton County Republican Party gathered in the local elections administration office to debate: Does Representative Jared Patterson, who has typically ranked among the most conservative members of the Texas House, deserve the political death sentence? Patterson, a Frisco Republican, had established himself over three terms as the face of the party’s push to remove LGBTQ books from libraries across the state. And the Texas GOP was on a hot streak: Republicans passed 42 priority bills during the 2025 regular session before returning to Austin this summer to curtail access to abortion pills, pass the so-called bathroom bill—mandating that transgender Texans use the bathrooms corresponding to their sex assigned at birth in government buildings and schools—and redraw Texas political maps with the goal of giving Republicans five new seats in Congress. But there was more work to do. At the beginning of the 2025 session, Patterson had defied party leaders and the House GOP caucus, joining 35 other Republicans and 49 Democrats to elect Representative Dustin Burrows—a staunch conservative, but not the one anointed by party leaders—as House Speaker. He’d supported a bill requiring disclosures on digitally altered political advertisements and, according to Denton County GOP leaders, “weakened” legislation that bans most Chinese citizens from buying real estate in Texas.

The resolution to censure passed, and it now heads to the Texas GOP’s executive committee for final review. As national media outlets have focused on President Donald Trump’s successful push to redraw Texas congressional maps to favor Republicans in 2026, similar efforts have played out across the state. Patterson’s censure merely capped a summer in which Republicans at every level of government kicked their pushes to consolidate power and quell dissent into high gear. Lawmakers and party leaders have intensified their efforts to both punish Democrats who fled the state amid this summer’s redistricting fight and drastically enhance their own ability to decide who is allowed to vote and run in GOP primaries. The moves have deeply concerned experts on democracy, who say they mark the clearest evidence yet of the GOP’s embrace of brute-force politics. “When a political party does not have a popular agenda, they can’t win elections by appealing to a majority of voters, and so they try to stack the rules in their favor,” said David Froomkin, a University of Houston Law Center professor who studies democracy. “I think that, more than anything else, explains the Republican Party’s recent efforts.” The party’s power grab is not new: In 2002, Republicans, having just won control of the Texas House and Senate, reneged on an earlier compromise to allow courts to redraw congressional districts based on the 2000 census, instead pushing through gerrymandered maps.

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Austin ISD faces tough decisions for failing schools amid TEA ratings

Austin Independent School District (AISD) has some tough decisions to make about its failing campuses. The district is forced to submit turnaround plans for 24 schools after receiving failing grades from the Texas Education Agency's (TEA) accountability ratings, which were released last month. On Tuesday night, the board of trustees will also be meeting to go over its consolidation process. In that regard, district leaders said they're dealing with lower enrollment and not enough state funding. While AISD has declined to answer questions from KVUE about its new plans, there is one school in the district that has faced a similar fate and underwent a dramatic educational makeover.

Mendez Middle School went from an F rating to a B in on school year with the help of Third Future Schools, which is a Colorado-based company that entered a partnership with AISD in 2022. The campus was infamous for its consistent failing rating, and hadn't received an acceptable rating in roughly 10 years. According to Third Future Superintendent, Zach Craddock, the success of Mendez Middle boiled down to great first instruction, great teachers and excellent leadership. Craddock explained new hires came in with training and a different instructional model based on the campus' needs. "We hired well, we trained them well and we coached them to get better," said Craddock, "We had really good our our staff retention rate has always been high at Mendez [Middle School.]" The contract with Third Future is set to expire at the end of the year, and while bringing in a charter company is one option for the district, it will be up to the district to continue the partnership and begin discussions to craft ideas on what to do for the 24 campuses in question.

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Army removes head of elite San Antonio burn treatment center after Christian activist called her pro-trans

The San Antonio-based commander of one of the U.S. military's premier medical institutions has been abruptly removed after a conservative influencer accused her of being a transgender activist and campaigned for her removal. Col. Elisa O'Hern, a pediatrician, had led the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research, since July 2024. The institute, one of the world's leading burn treatment facilities, is located at Brooke Army Medical Center on Fort Sam Houston. Late last month, influencer-podcaster Chase Spears, who describes himself as a "Christ-follower," former Army paratrooper and Afghanistan War veteran, posted on social media that O'Hern had been sacked. “Col. O'Hern was relieved of command today," Spears said in an Aug. 29 post on X. "To all who amplified my post about her trans activism, great team effort. One more revolutionary no longer in a position of military command.”

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Alex Jones asks US Supreme Court to hear appeal of $1.4 billion Sandy Hook judgment

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear his appeal of the $1.4 billion judgment a Connecticut jury and judge issued against him for calling the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting a hoax staged by crisis actors. The Infowars host is arguing that the judge was wrong to find him liable for defamation and infliction of emotional distress without holding a trial on the merits of allegations lodged by relatives of victims of the shooting, which killed 20 first graders and six educators in Newtown, Connecticut. Judge Barbara Bellis, frustrated at what she called Jones’ repeated failure to abide by court rulings and to turn over certain evidence to the Sandy Hook families, issued a rare default ruling against Jones and his company in late 2021 as a penalty. That meant that she found him liable without a trial on the facts and convened a jury to only determine what damages he owed.

A six-person jury in Waterbury issued a $964 million verdict in October 2022 in favor of the plaintiffs — an FBI agent who responded to the shooting and relatives of eight children and adults who were killed. Bellis later tacked on another $473 million in punitive damages against Jones and Free Speech Systems, Infowars’ parent company that is based in Austin, Texas. During the trial to determine damages, relatives of the shooting victims testified that people whom they called followers of Jones subjected them to death and rape threats, in-person harassment and abusive comments on social media. Jones argues there was never any proof presented that linked him to those actions. Jones filed his request to the Supreme Court on Friday and it was released by the court on Tuesday. Jones’ lawyers — Ben Broocks, Shelby Jordan and Alan Daughtry — insist in the petition that state courts cannot determine liability based only on sanctions such as default rulings. They say that constitutional law and Supreme Court precedent require public figures such as the Sandy Hook families to prove their defamation claims against journalists such as Jones.

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Texas has some of higher education's enrollment success stories

Another year, another fall that seems destined for bleak enrollment numbers. Between concerns about international student enrollment and continued skepticism about the value of higher education, some institutions are struggling to fill seats. Unexpected melt has prompted some wealthy, highly selective institutions to pull students off the wait list last minute; for smaller institutions, enrollment declines are leading to layoffs and program cuts. But for a lucky share, fall 2025 has brought record freshman classes and soaring enrollment projections. In some cases, those record-breaking numbers follow steady growth since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic; in others, they represent a rebound from declines. No single through line characterizes this semester’s successes. Many colleges report surging interest—and increased investment—in their health-related majors. Some are seeing significant growth from their online programs, while others point to the rising popularity of dual-enrollment programs, which allow high schoolers to take college courses. Others still are leaning into the adage that retention is the best enrollment strategy, boosting their overall numbers by ensuring that students come back year after year rather than by recruiting larger freshman classes.

Located in eastern Texas, Stephen F. Austin State University is the newest member of the University of Texas system; it joined two years ago after existing as a stand-alone public institution for 100 years. That decision has paid off: This fall, SFA expects to welcome about 2,800 first-year students, an increase of more than 31 percent from last year’s incoming class. Total enrollment also increased for the first time since 2018. (These figures, like all the 2025 enrollment numbers in this article, are the institution’s anticipated fall enrollment numbers, with final figures expected in the coming weeks.) A major driver of that growth has been SFA’s participation in the UT system’s Promise Plus program, which covers tuition costs for students whose household incomes are below $100,000. “The ability to reach more students more than quadrupled based on the University of Texas system’s support and funding,” said Kent Willis, SFA’s senior vice president for enrollment and student engagement. For the Alamo Colleges District, a system of five community colleges in Texas that is anticipated to reach a total enrollment of 87,700 this fall, this year’s enrollment growth can be attributed primarily to two populations outside traditional-age students: adults and high schoolers. High schoolers have enrolled at ACD institutions through dual-enrollment, early-college and career-academy programs, which allow them to earn an associate degree or a certificate when they finish high school. The number of students participating in those programs has skyrocketed 31 percent since last fall, according to ACD chancellor Mike Flores. Meanwhile, the number of continuing students has increased by 13.6 percent. Flores said the system’s close relationship with 35 nearby school districts is part of the reason its high school student enrollment has exploded.

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UT Austin to stop providing hormones for transgender students

The University of Texas at Austin told its transgender students this week that the school’s campus clinic would soon stop providing hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, as part of its gender care services. Previously, transgender students at UT Austin could get HRT medications from UT Austin’s University Health Services clinic on campus. Many in the transgender community see the therapy as life-saving. A UT Austin spokesperson told KXAN that students could still get HRT from “external health care providers” who could offer them “a more comprehensive spectrum of focused care than a campus clinic.”

“To ensure continuity of care, UHS notified current patients that this line of treatment will wind down this fall as patients transition their care to other providers,” the spokesperson said. The spokesperson declined to say what prompted the change or when the care will end. A UT Austin student, who requested anonymity for their safety, shared UHS’ message with KXAN. That student said that they’re worried the administration is “being extra aggressive” in order to appease state leaders. “It also plays into the greater anxiety I have that higher ups in the UT administration are being extra aggressive in appeasing the Republican legislature, doing way more than is necessary to follow the letter of the law and making decisions that actively harm its most vulnerable students. This makes me further concerned for their response to SB8,” the student said. According to the message, UHS will stop providing HRT at the start of 2026. The clinic did offer to help students find a new provider. It also said that UHS “know[s] this care is important.”

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DART board approves service changes in response to its own budget cuts

Dallas Area Rapid transit riders will soon see longer wait times, fewer routes and higher fares. Despite public and even some internal opposition, DART’s board of directors voted Tuesday night to approve systemwide service cuts that will roll out next year. It comes as the agency is cutting spending to return funds to cities that say they’re not getting their money’s worth in services. Olinka Green is a disabled DART rider who told the board that she's concerned about the impact of the cuts on Black and low-income communities. "It's selfish and it's greedy, and it always seems like the poor, the oppressed and the disabled are always the ones that get hit the hardest," Green said. "This is ugly and this is not fair and to those that vote for this, I hope that this rides your conscience."

Under the service changes, bus routes 209, 225, 254, 255, 305, 378, and 383 will be eliminated. Other bus routes, along with light rail, would see peak service frequency reduced from every 15 minutes to every 20. The approved changes had been delayed by two weeks after board representatives for the city of Dallas, as well as Plano, voted to wait until the agency got feedback from member cities on the plan. This cost the agency about $1 million. The board also approved raising fares for single-rides and paratransit services, but pulled back an earlier proposal to also reduce paratransit zones. During a committee meeting earlier Tuesday, Plano’s DART representative Anthony Ricciardelli asked the board to consider additional service changes, including frequency cuts to several other routes in Dallas and Garland, along with the implementation of “true single-zone" for city-wide on-demand GoLink service in Plano. Ricciardelli referenced a 2023 report by the consulting firm Ernst and Young that showed a disparity between what Plano pays into the transit system and its return on investment. “I'd like to see us make a serious run at correcting that,” Ricciardelli said. “While I appreciate that there are some service additions for Plano in these service changes, they're frankly fairly small compared to the magnitude of that disparity between Plano's contribution to DART and DART's investment back in Plano.”

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In win for residents, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality rejects permit for Rosharon concrete crusher

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has voided an air quality permit for a concrete-crushing facility in Rosharon after more than a year of resistance from Fort Bend County residents and their elected officials. TCEQ spokesperson Richard Richter said Julpit, Inc., which applied for a permit to build a concrete crusher in the small town south of Houston, "did not adequately represent that all requirements had been met." The commission released its decision in an Aug. 25 notice. John Beeson, the president of Julpit, Inc., could not immediately be reached for comment Monday afternoon. The TCEQ temporarily rejected the facility's permit in January after Fort Bend County commissioners and residents filed motions asking the agency to reject the permit.

The company re-submitted its application in March, and the TCEQ held another public hearing in July that drew more than 100 attendees, many of whom expressed their opposition to the concrete crusher. Fort Bend County Attorney Bridgette Smith-Lawson, whose office has fought concrete plants and crushers in the county, was among them. She told Houston Public Media she believes the agency looked at the permit application in the broader context of the community's concerns. "The outright denial and voiding of the application was a surprise, and one that we were thankful to hear," she said. Thelisa Lavergne, the climate justice program manager for local nonprofit Air Alliance Houston and a Fort Bend County resident, said it’s rare for the state agency to reject a permit for a concrete crushing facility. "This win really came as a result of community mobilization," she said. Julpit, Inc. could submit another application to build a concrete crusher in Rosharon. Local advocates said they will continue to fight against a concrete crusher if the company decides to re-apply. "We will continue to fight it. We will continue to get the message out there," Lavergne said.

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Hilton Americas-Houston workers extend ‘historic’ strike by 11 days, rally at city hall

Hundreds of striking hotel workers at the Hilton Americas-Houston will remain on the picket line through Sept. 20, union officials announced Tuesday, marking an eleven-day extension of a “historic” strike. Speaking to the Houston City Council on Tuesday, UNITE HERE Local 23 union official Willy Gonzalez said the workers are seeking a $23 hourly wage — a significant raise from the current base rate of $16.50. He said management so far has offered an immediate one-dollar raise to $17.50, followed by a 75-cent increase in January and additional 50-cent raises every six months. "No one can deny that hotel is extremely profitable," Gonzalez said. "It’s doing well, but the people who have made that hotel a success — that hotel that was built with public money, that hotel that was entrusted to do right by the people of Houston, has betrayed these people and the city of Houston."

The union's collective bargaining contract with the hotel expired on June 30, and the strike began on Sept. 1 with an original end date of Tuesday. According to organizers, this is the first hospitality workers’ strike of its kind in modern Texas history. A Hilton Americas corporate spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the extension or Gonzalez's remarks about the ongoing negotiations. A Hilton spokesperson previously said the hotel's management "makes every effort to maintain a cooperative and productive relationship with UNITE HERE Local 23, a union that represents some of the team members at the hotel." "We remain committed to negotiating in good faith to reach a fair and reasonable agreement that is beneficial to both our valued team members and to the hotel," the spokesperson said when the strike began. Workers filled the Houston City Hall on Tuesday as some union members spoke about their grievances during the city council's public comment session. They spoke about not receiving enough money to keep up with their bills or take care of their family.

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Judge says Texas veteran deserves funeral director license. So did fired funeral agency staff

A judge recommended last week that the Texas Funeral Service Commission give a Houston-area Army veteran his funeral director license after the commission made him give it up two years ago — a decision two of the commission's former executive directors and other fired staff have used to criticize the embattled state agency. Administrative Law Judge Robert Pemberton with the State Office of Administrative Hearings ruled Tuesday that the commission violated former Army Sgt. Desaray Wilson’s due process rights by denying his latest application last September for a funeral director license. “This was the verdict and the conclusion that I prayed for and that I looked forward to,” Wilson said in an interview with KERA Thursday. “I don't think it's a loss to the funeral service commission, because you gained another licensed professional.”

Wilson is the president and CEO of Baytown Memorial Funeral Home and Cremations, but he has hired a licensed funeral director, he said. SOAH’s ruling is a proposed decision, meaning it’s up to TFSC commissioners to decide whether to proceed according to the ruling or find “good cause” to make a different decision. Wilson said the Texas Attorney General’s Office, which represents the commission in litigation, immediately made clear to him their intention to challenge the decision. KERA News reached out to TFSC about how it plans to move forward and will update this story with any response. Texas law allows military veterans’ service, training or education to count toward the requirements for getting an occupational license. But in the funeral industry, anyone who wants a license still has to go to mortuary science school. Wilson did not, but he did serve as a mortuary affairs specialist for the Army in Dover, Delaware, for about three years. According to court records, he performed death care services for more than 3,000 service members' bodies during U.S. military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

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Legendary North Texas high school football coach, one of the winningest in state history, dies

One of the greatest high school football coaches in Texas history has died. G.A. Moore, the longtime coach at Celina and Pilot Point (among other stops), died Friday at 86, Celina city officials announced. Moore, an eight-time state champion, was once the longtime winningest football coach in Texas high school history. His mark of 429 wins has only since been passed by Calallen's Phil Danaher and Highland Park's Randy Allen, according to Dave Campbell's Texas Football. Moore, who went to high school at Pilot Point, coached at his alma mater at various stints, but he was perhaps best known for his legendary run at Celina, where he led the Bobcats to five titles. And, as Dave Campbell's noted, he kickstarted the Bobcats' then-record 68-game win streak, which was snapped in 2002. Moore also coached at Aubrey before retiring in 2011.

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City Stories

Fort Worth ISD CFO Carmen Arrieta-Candelaria resigns to lead El Paso County finances

Fort Worth ISD’s Chief Financial Officer, Carmen Arrieta-Candelaria, is leaving the district later this month to take on a new role as Director of Budget and Finance for the County of El Paso, the district confirmed Tuesday. The move gives her a chance to return to her hometown and contribute to the community in South Texas. During her tenure at Fort Worth ISD, which began in January 2022, Arrieta-Candelaria led efforts to modernize the district’s business operations. She implemented a new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system that consolidated three separate systems into one, and introduced Academic Return on Investment processes, FWISD said in a statement. She also oversaw improvements in payroll and contract management.

FWISD leadership praised her efforts and wished her the best in her new role. “The search for a new Chief Financial Officer is already underway,” they said. The district has posted the CFO position but has not yet named an interim replacement. Sources told WFAA that Fort Worth ISD plans to review applications before deciding whether to hire a search firm to assist in the process. While the district begins the search for a replacement, Arrieta-Candelaria’s departure comes amid ongoing challenges. Last month, TEA Commissioner Mike Morath visited the district after one of its campuses received an unacceptable rating. Fort Worth ISD is already under scrutiny after the Leadership Academy at Forest Oak’s 6th-grade campus received failing ratings for five consecutive years — a violation that can trigger state takeover. Although that campus has since been closed, the TEA investigation into Fort Worth ISD is still open. The Texas Education Code requires the TEA to either close the campus Still, there are signs of progress. The district has seen improvement in its school accountability ratings, with F-rated campuses dropping from 31 in 2024 to 11 in 2025, and seven more schools earning A ratings.

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Victor Lundy’s house and studio in Houston suburb to be demolished

In Bellaire, a Houston enclave with multi-million-dollar new builds, a modest midcentury structure now sits under threat. Low-slung, with walls of glass and rough brick, the house is unassuming from the street, but inside, a staring studio that floods with Texas light once gave shape to the vision of architect Victor Lundy, a leading figure in American modernism. The home and studio at 701 Mulberry Lane is now slated for demolition. Recently, the owners contracted Habitat For Humanity to dismantle the property piece by piece. A coalition of preservationists including Houston Mod, Preservation Houston, and Docomomo US have rallied to save the house, delivering a letter to the owners along with a $1.75 million offer to buy the house. The appeal was rejected.

The letter, written by the executive director of Docomomo US Liz Waytkus, opens: “The house is an important local landmark, as evidenced by the awestruck crowds during recent open house events there, but also so much more. It is a testament to the life’s work of an indispensable and innovative American architect of modern history who was beloved by those who knew him and also by those all over the country who have come to love his designs.” Lundy died in 2024, at 101. He was a pioneering voice in postwar American modernism whose work fused structural daring with artistic sensibility. A founding figure of the Sarasota School of Architecture, Lundy pushed the boundaries of wood and concrete to create buildings that seemed to defy gravity while remaining deeply humane in scale and spirit. Trained under Walter Gropius at Harvard after serving in World War II, he carried both Bauhaus rigor and Beaux-Arts artistry into his practice, designing churches, showrooms, cultural buildings, and homes that remain some of the era’s most expressive works of architecture. From the soaring rooflines of the Unitarian Meeting House in Hartford, Connecticut, to the delicate sculptural bends of his Texas and Florida projects, Lundy’s designs embodied his lifelong belief that architecture could be both a technical feat and an act of poetry. Lundy’s Bellaire residence, completed in 1988, exemplified that sensibility. Built on a half-acre lot, the two-bedroom, two-bath home combined his signature use of wood, meandering forms, and natural light. It features high beamed ceilings, stone floors, built-in cabinetry, and expansive glass walls that open to surrounding trees. A curved wall defines the main living space, while clerestory windows and skylights bring daylight from multiple directions. Alongside the house stands a large studio Lundy built in 1985 for his wife, artist Anstis Lundy. The structure is notable for its roof of seven elliptical glue-laminated arches. The property was sold to its current owners in October 2024. According to the Houston Area Realtor’s website, it was listed at $1.7 million and sold within 33 days for between $1.43 and $1.64 million. At the time, the buyers expressed interest in both the house and studio, according to Houston Mod president Steve Curry; listing agent; and seller Nick Lundy, the architect’s son. They have since reversed course, deciding the house is too small and opting to build a larger one in its place. Because the property lies in a flood zone, raising the existing structure would be required before adding onto it. The owners told Curry they have engaged Habitat for Humanity’s Deconstruction Program to dismantle the house and studio, salvaging materials for resale or reuse. Unlike traditional demolition, the program removes usable elements such as hardwood floors, doors, cabinetry, lighting, lumber, and architectural details, which are then sold through Habitat’s ReStores or repurposed in housing repair projects.

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National Stories

Judge blocks Trump from removing Fed Governor Lisa Cook

A federal judge late on Tuesday blocked President Trump from removing Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve Board of Governors while a lawsuit challenging her firing proceeds. Judge Jia Cobb in Washington, D.C., granted Cook’s request for a temporary court order to keep her seat on the central bank’s seven-member board for now. The decision comes just days before the Fed’s next meeting, set for Sept. 16-17. Cobb said Cook is “substantially likely” to succeed on her claim that Trump violated the Federal Reserve Act because her purported termination didn’t comply with the statute’s requirement that officials can only be removed for cause. “Removal was not meant to be based on the President’s assumptions about the official’s future performance as extrapolated from unproven conduct dating from before they assumed the office,” Cobb wrote. The administration is likely to seek a swift appeal. It had asked the court to rule quickly on Cook’s request so it would have time to challenge the decision if needed ahead of the September Fed meeting.

“This ruling recognizes and reaffirms the importance of safeguarding the independence of the Federal Reserve from illegal political interference,” Cook’s attorney Abbe Lowell said in a statement Tuesday night. “Allowing the President to unlawfully remove Governor Cook on unsubstantiated and vague allegations would endanger the stability of our financial system and undermine the rule of law.” Cook’s lawsuit has set off an unprecedented legal battle testing the president’s power over the central bank, which is likely to quickly reach the Supreme Court. Job protection at independent federal agencies has been weakened by recent Supreme Court rulings and has never been tested in the context of the Fed. However, the Supreme Court suggested earlier this year that Fed employees have more protections than those at other agencies. In firing Cook, Trump cited allegations that she submitted fraudulent information on mortgage applications. His move came five days after Bill Pulte, the Federal Housing Finance Agency director, first publicized the allegations against Cook and referred them to the Justice Department, which has since launched a criminal investigation, The Wall Street Journal has reported. Trump said in his letter announcing Cook’s firing that the allegations called into question her competence and trustworthiness as a financial regulator.

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The Fed official who called the jobs slowdown and became a candidate for Chair

Federal Reserve governor Christopher Waller warned publicly that private-sector hiring was “near stall speed and flashing red” in July, even though the job market seemed to be holding up. A Fed colleague gently ribbed him. “Come on, Chris, you’re a better economist than that,” the colleague said. The labor market looked fine, with the unemployment rate steady at 4.1%. Two weeks later, Fed officials voted to hold rates steady, but Waller voted for a cut. Two days after that, a weak July jobs report vindicated the plain-spoken economist’s contrarian stance. Last week’s August jobs report further validated Waller’s hypothesis. That prescience has put Waller in the conversation for one of the most consequential economic appointments of President Trump’s second term: Federal Reserve chair. The economist from Minnesota with blue-collar roots has emerged as a dark-horse candidate to succeed Jerome Powell when his term expires in May.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said last week he would begin interviewing 11 candidates for the position. But Trump last week told reporters he sees three serious contenders: Kevin Hassett, Kevin Warsh and Waller. Hassett is Trump’s top economic adviser, and Warsh is a former Fed governor who served during the 2008 financial crisis. Waller faces long odds in part because he barely registers with Trump and his inner circle, including the political consiglieri in the MAGA power center. Bessent previously interviewed Waller in July, and people who have spoken with Bessent said he found Waller impressive. His candidacy, however, will need more than a positive recommendation from Bessent. Trump harbors still-hot resentment toward his last Treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, for advocating the selection eight years ago of another silver-haired Fed insider—Powell—to serve as chair. Any Fed insider’s candidacy also could be undermined by Trump’s unprecedented attacks on the institution’s traditional monetary-policy independence. Trump most recently has attempted to remove one of former President Joe Biden’s appointees, Lisa Cook, who began a 14-year term last year. Cook has challenged her removal in court.

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Chief justice allows Trump to freeze $4 billion in foreign aid for now

Supreme Court Justice John G. Roberts Jr. on Tuesday allowed the Trump administration to withhold spending about $4 billion in foreign aid for now while the high court decides whether to hear an emergency appeal over the funding freeze. Trump administration attorneys asked the high court Monday to lift a lower court’s preliminary injunction requiring it to allocate $10.5 billion for food, medicine and development before the funds begin expiring at the end of the fiscal year Sept. 30. The administration says it plans to spend $6.5 billion, but wants to claw back $4 billion. Roberts, in his Tuesday order, gave international aid groups who have sued over the funding freeze until Friday to respond to the Trump administration’s emergency appeal of the preliminary injunction. As one of his first acts in office, Trump announced a pause on foreign aid, saying it didn’t align with American goals or values. International aid groups challenged that move, saying Trump exceeded his authority. The long-running case has bounced through the courts for months.

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White House rebukes Israel over strike on Hamas in Qatar

President Donald Trump on Tuesday condemned Israel’s decision to strike a meeting of senior Hamas leaders in Qatar, blasting Israeli leaders for hitting another close U.S. ally as he has tried to broker an end to nearly two years of war in Gaza. Trump said that he did not green-light the attack, which humiliated and alarmed a close partner government of Washington that has been working with the United States to help broker an elusive peace. The attack on Hamas leaders as they were considering a U.S. proposal to end the war was likely to deal a setback to efforts to reach an accord. “I’m not thrilled. I’m not thrilled about it,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday evening as he went out to dinner in Washington. “I’m not thrilled about the whole situation, not a good situation, but I will say this, we want the hostages back, but we are not thrilled about the way that went down.”

The expression of frustration with Washington’s closest ally in the Middle East — a country that both Trump and former president Joe Biden have supported with extensive military aid for the assault on Gaza — was notable. Trump has said that achieving peace in Gaza is a priority, and as recently as Sunday declared that he was renewing his efforts to strike a deal there. “I was very unhappy about” the strike, Trump told reporters. “Very unhappy about every aspect. We’ve got to get the hostages back.” In the sometimes held-back world of diplomatic rhetoric, Trump’s declaration amounted to an acknowledgment that Israeli leaders felt sufficiently unbound from obligations to Washington to undertake military action that might complicate Trump’s goal of ending the Gaza conflict. “Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a Sovereign Nation and close Ally of the United States, that is working very hard and bravely taking risks with us to broker Peace, does not advance Israel or America’s goals,” Trump wrote earlier Tuesday in a post on Truth Social. “I view Qatar as a strong Ally and friend of the U.S., and feel very badly about the location of the attack.” But Trump endorsed the broader aim of “eliminating Hamas,” which he said has “profited off the misery of those living in Gaza.”

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Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, target of the Trump administration, wins round one and will face Josh Kraft in fall election

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, a frequent target of the Trump administration, advanced in Tuesday’s preliminary election and will face Josh Kraft, the son of the Patriots owner, in November. Wu, the city’s first Asian and female leader, has been bolstered in part by her defense of the city against attacks from the Trump administration. Members of the administration, often led by President Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan, have accused the city of not doing enough to crackdown on illegal immigration and threatened a surge in arrests. Boston is commonly known as a sanctuary city, and Wu has repeatedly said she wants it to be a welcoming place for immigrants. Just last week, Trump’s U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Wu, the city of Boston and its police department over its sanctuary city policies, claiming they’re interfering with immigration enforcement. In response, Wu accused Trump of “attacking cities to hide his administration’s failures.”

On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security put out a statement announcing the arrests of seven people as part of a crackdown in Massachusetts. “Sanctuary policies like those pushed by Mayor Wu not only attract and harbor criminals but protect them at the peril of law-abiding American citizens,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. Speaking to her cheering supporters Tuesday night, Wu repeatedly took aim at Trump as well as Kraft and said the results showed that Boston “was not for sale” and that the mayor should answer to the “people of Boston, not a handful of billionaire donors.” “The next eight weeks are about the remaining two names on the ballot. It’s a test of who we are. It’s a test of whether we believe in our city as a place of possibility and promise, whether Boston will keep going as a home for everyone,” she said. “It’s a test of whether Boston can still be that beacon of freedom, whether 250 years later, with tyranny again at our door, whether Boston still got it.”

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A new symbol of the Brazilian Right: The American flag

Brazil's Independence Day has become the moment for the country’s nationalist, right-wing movement to take to the streets, protest the left and hoist the yellow and green of the Brazilian flag. This year, it carried a new banner. An American flag the size of a basketball court unfurled over several lanes of São Paulo’s main avenue on Sunday, with demonstrators holding the flag aloft as they protested the expected conviction this week of former President Jair Bolsonaro on charges of planning a coup. The flag was a message of thanks to President Trump for trying to intervene in Mr. Bolsonaro’s case. It became the defining image of the day’s enormous protests, plastered across social media and newspaper front pages. And it may soon be at the center of a police investigation that could involve the National Football League. It was also a sign of the U.S. flag’s shifting global image as Mr. Trump transforms how America is seen abroad. This year, right-wing demonstrators in South Korea waved American flags when protesting what they believed was a rigged election, echoing cries of “Stop the Steal” as Mr. Trump’s supporters did after the 2020 election. After Mr. Trump won last year’s election, conservative Israelis excited about stronger U.S. support for the war in Gaza hung American flags from their windows and wore red-white-and-blue skullcaps.

At the same time, in the United States, some protesters demonstrating against the Trump administration’s mass deportations have burned American flags and adopted the Mexican flag instead. That prompted Mr. Trump to sign an executive order urging the prosecution of U.S. flag burners “to the fullest extent permissible.” But Mr. Bolsonaro’s supporters and the right-wing movement in Brazil have adopted the stars and stripes with particular zeal. In cities across the nation on Sunday, right-wing protesters draped themselves in the U.S. flag, painted their faces red, white and blue and waved modified versions that combined the Brazilian and American flags. Many vendors also sold Israeli flags. At smaller protests on the left, protesters waved Palestinian flags and banners with communist symbols. However, it was the roughly 5,000-square-foot U.S. flag in São Paulo that commanded by far the most attention and controversy. Brazil had just begun the final week of Mr. Bolsonaro’s criminal trial, yet the national debate on Monday was in large part about that enormous flag’s starring role on a day meant to celebrate Brazil’s independence. Amid the debate, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva posted photos on Sunday of a large Brazilian flag being carried at an Independence Day parade, writing, “Our flag is Brazil and the Brazilian people.”

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Nepalese army moves to restore order after protest violence intensifies

Nepalese soldiers guarded the streets of the country’s capital on Wednesday and ordered people to stay at home as they moved to restore order after tens of thousands of protesters stormed and set fire to government buildings and attacked politicians. Armed troops guarding the main areas of Kathmandu appeared to give some sense of control returning to the city that was engulfed in violence and chaos in the previous days. Soldiers told residents about the curfew in place as they checked vehicles and people. The army had warned late Tuesday that security forces were committed to preserving law and order. The military is rarely mobilized in Nepal and had initially stayed in the barracks as police failed to control the situation. An army statement said 27 suspected looters have been arrested.

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Lead Stories

Rep. James Talarico launches campaign for US Senate

Texas Rep. James Talarico is running for U.S. Senate, as Democrats try and flip the statewide seat held by John Cornyn. Talarico, an Austin Democrat, has been a member of the state House since 2019. He officially launched his campaign on Tuesday, amid reports that he planned to run for the office. Talarico, 36, is the self-proclaimed “underdog” in the race. Former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, a Dallas Democrat who challenged U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in 2024, has already announced his bid and has the experience and name recognition that comes with having previously run statewide. Were he to advance to November, Talarico could face Cornyn or Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, both Republicans, in a state that hasn’t elected a Democrat statewide since 1994.

But Talarico, a former public school teacher and graduate of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, said he’s beaten the odds before. Talarico won Texas House District 52 in 2018, an open seat that had long been held by a Republican. He later ran in House District 50 in the Austin area, which he currently represents. “I was an underdog then,” Talarico said in a Saturday interview with the Star-Telegram. “I’m the underdog now, both in the primary and in the general, and it’s a place I’m comfortable.” Talarico was already taking political aim at potential November opponents. He criticized Cornyn for supporting the “big, ugly bill” in Congress and noted embattled Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s 2023 impeachment. Paxton was ultimately acquitted in the Senate. In order to take on either potential opponent, he’d first need to win a Democratic primary against Allred, former astronaut Terry Virts and any others who enter the race. “If the Democratic Party is looking for fresh faces, Talarico fits the bill,” said Brandon Rottinghaus, a University of Houston political science professor in a text message. “If they’re looking for a proven, statewide quality, it gives Allred the edge.”

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Corpus Christi countered Greg Abbott on a water plant. His office warns it could cost them funding

Gov. Greg Abbott’s office is standing by its apparent warning last week that Corpus Christi could be cut off from future financial aid after the city council voted down a controversial seawater desalination plant that has been in the works for years and is a priority for the governor. Abbott’s office said by reneging on the deal, the city was proving itself to be an untrustworthy partner and putting the state in a difficult position when considering future projects. “The governor has long prioritized water development projects, and wants to ensure the Corpus Christi area has the water resources it needs to maintain its strong economic footprint,” a spokesman for the governor said in a statement.

City Council Member Carolyn Vaughn announced last week that the governor’s chief of staff, Robert Black, had called her ahead of the vote and urged that she “be a leader” and back the $1.2 billion project, which was intended to provide water to nearby petrochemical plants. “Then he said if I didn’t, Corpus Christi would receive no future state funding,” Vaughn said before voting to terminate a contract with a design firm working on the project. “That’s wrong. I consider that a threat to the people of Corpus Christi.” The exact details of the conversation between the two are unclear. Black did not respond to a request for comment. Vaughn responded to requests for additional details with a lengthy statement on her broader position on the project. She reiterated that the costs had gotten out of hand and said the state could do more to help pay for it. “If this project were so important for the state, what we really needed was leadership and financial participation that would have benefited Coastal Bend families and the state for generations,” Vaughn said. The city council had long been in support of the project before voting to terminate the design contract, which casts doubt on the future of what would be the state’s first seawater desalination plant. The massive project has drawn pushback from some locals and environmental groups that say it should be located farther offshore so the salt that is discarded in the desalination process doesn’t damage the shoreline ecosystem.

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Trump’s immigration crackdown upends life at Austin elementary school

On a gray February afternoon at North Austin’s Guerrero Thompson Elementary, parents lingered after dismissal as four SUVs — two marked with Texas Department of Public Safety insignia and two unmarked with tinted windows — rolled onto campus. Some mothers and fathers bolted inside with their children, where staff hurried them into dark classrooms and supply closets. There, they waited, whispering behind shuttered windows for nearly an hour, long after the vehicles finally pulled away. The fear that sent families running indoors had begun that morning. At 8:40 a.m., about an hour after drop-off, state troopers stopped a father of a Guerrero Thompson student at the intersection outside the campus while he was driving his older sons to high school. In full view of parents and teachers, they pulled him into the driveway and called in federal immigration agents to arrest him. Panicked calls flooded the school office. Principal Briana Garcia still remembers the suffocating weight of the air that day. What Garcia thought was the semester’s low point proved instead to be a harbinger. Over the following months, as President Donald Trump settled into his second term and pursued one of the nation’s most aggressive immigration crackdowns, law enforcement became a steady presence on and near campus.

DPS patrol cars often idled near entrances during pickup. On one occasion, Garcia said she saw U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents staged in the school parking lot, donning tactical gear, masks and weapons — though the agency denied to the American-Statesman that they had set foot on school property. Immigration arrests have been prevalent in the Rundberg-Lamar corridor, home to Guerrero Thompson and a neighborhood where most residents are immigrants. State troopers and federal immigration agents are now fixtures in McDonald’s parking lots and along busy thoroughfares, according to educators and photos reviewed by the Statesman. DPS has taken the lead, joined at times by ICE — a collaboration the state agency has touted as making communities safer. “The only thing DPS is targeting is crime and those who break the law,” agency spokeswoman Ericka Miller told the Statesman. In the process, law enforcement has crossed a line once considered off-limits: operating on and near school grounds as state officers carry out directives to help enforce immigration laws. For years, “sensitive locations” such as schools, churches and courthouses were shielded from immigration enforcement. That protection ended when Trump revoked the guidance on his first day back in office.

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Supreme Court lifts restrictions on L.A. immigration stops

The Supreme Court on Monday lifted a federal judge’s order prohibiting government agents from making indiscriminate immigration-related stops in the Los Angeles area that challengers called “blatant racial profiling.” The court’s brief order was unsigned and gave no reasons. It is not the last word in the case, which is pending before a federal appeals court and may again reach the justices. The court’s three liberal members dissented. “We should not have to live in a country where the government can seize anyone who looks Latino, speaks Spanish and appears to work a low wage job,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson. “Rather than stand idly by while our constitutional freedoms are lost,” Justice Sotomayor added, “I dissent.” The court’s ruling for now allows what critics say are roving patrols of masked agents routinely violating the Fourth Amendment and what supporters say is a vigorous but lawful effort to enforce the nation’s immigration laws.

The majority’s failure to provide an explanation for the ruling means that it is hard to say whether its reasoning applies nationwide or is limited to the Los Angeles area, where the administration has said that the problems flowing from illegal immigration are especially pronounced. But there is little doubt that the ruling will have the practical effect of further emboldening the administration’s uncompromising efforts to deport unauthorized immigrants around the country. Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles said she expected the ruling to have sweeping consequences. “I want the entire nation to hear me when I say this isn’t just an attack on the people of Los Angeles, this is an attack on every person in every city in this country,” she said in a statement. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, said in a statement that the ruling was “a win for the safety of Californians and the rule of law,” adding that “D.H.S. law enforcement will not be slowed down and will continue to arrest and remove the murderers, rapists, gang members and other criminal illegal aliens that Karen Bass continues to give safe harbor.”

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State Stories

Lina Hidalgo faces welfare report for bringing kids to court in push for childcare tax

An Austin child care attorney has filed a report with the Texas Department of Family Protection Services after Judge Lina Hidalgo brought dozens of children to an August Commissioners Court meeting to advocate for early child care initiatives. Lindsey Dionne, a family attorney and former employee of DFPS, said she reported two day care centers involved in the Aug. 7 debacle, which saw Hidalgo goad children into pressuring commissioners to approve a tax hike proposal for a tranche of early childhood programs. Dionne said that she was concerned some of the children were in foster care and that parents might not have been fully aware of the high-intensity political environment their kids were being thrust into. "I just imagine that those kids, at least some of them, were in foster care, and that made me really concerned for how they were brought into this kind of situation," Dionne said. "I didn't see parents. I just saw teachers with these groups of kids, and it didn't seem appropriate for a field trip or anything like that. It just seemed like a chaotic political stunt."

Dionne, who said she has clients across Texas, was in Houston when she saw broadcasts covering the meeting. She said she then reached out to Commissioner Lesley Briones' office, who directed her to the publicly available recording of the meeting. Dionne, who described herself as a queer activist and past supporter of Hidalgo, said she did not relish filing the report, but as a mandatory reporter she is obligated to alert authorities when she witnesses something that could constitute abuse or neglect. "There could have been consequences for those day cares. I have no idea, but I definitely think if anything happened to them Lina Hidalgo and her office bear a responsibility to everyone involved," Dionne said. "I can imagine that those day cares felt like they were answering to a very important governmental entity who asked them to do something, and probably were not thinking about whether or not it was appropriate." Shelia Chatman, owner of Right Fit Kids Academy — one of two day cares that brought children and staff to the Aug. 7 meeting — said she had spoken at Commissioners Court previously, and figured the Aug. 7 meeting would be like any other. When Hidalgo's staff reached out to her and asked her to bring some kids and families, she thought it was a good opportunity to engage them in the civic process.

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Bud Kennedy: For voters in north Fort Worth and Tarrant County, the next election is now

The longest election is here, and the question is whether Fort Worth and north Tarrant County will vote. There’s only one partisan race on the ballot Nov. 4. Two Southlake Republicans and a Fort Worth Democrat are running side by side to fill a local seat in the all-powerful Texas Senate. It doesn’t end there. Unless one candidate slam-dunks more than 50% of the vote, the top two will meet in a runoff Dec. 13. Yes, even if they’re from the same party. Win or lose, by then Southlake Republicans John Huffman and Leigh Wambsganss will probably have filed to run again March 3 in the regular party primary. The primary winner would meet a Democrat — maybe a rematch against current Democratic candidate Taylor Rehmet — in the next general election Nov. 3, 2026. If you’re counting, that’s four campaigns in just over a year.

There is no question voters will turn out in 2026 to vote in a combustible U.S. Senate race for Sen. John Cornyn’s seat. The question is whether voters will turn out this Nov. 4 and Dec. 13 to choose a local Texas senator to represent District 9 and Tarrant County until Jan. 1, 2027. This weird Groundhog Day election is the result of Westlake Republican Kelly Hancock’s promotion to acting Texas comptroller, the state’s accountant. The District 9 map includes almost everybody across north and west Fort Worth and north Tarrant County, stretching from Benbrook to Bedford and Southlake. It also includes the Near Southside of Fort Worth and downtown Arlington. Make no mistake: This is the only Fort Worth or Tarrant County Senate seat. Four other districts lap over into the county. But those senators live somewhere else. So, voting is important for downtown Fort Worth and Arlington, for Lockheed Martin, for Alliance Airport, for UT Arlington, for 11 public school districts like Keller and Birdville and for the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers. In short, this is not an election to sit out. “I’m worried the turnout will be very low — I am,” former Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price said Wednesday after interviewing Huffman and Wambsganss for a Republican club forum. The last time this Senate seat was on the ballot, it was 2022 and Gov. Greg Abbott led the ticket. The voter turnout was 47%.

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Texas Supreme Court declines to review poker house case

Texas Supreme Court declines to review poker house case. It’s been three years since the Texas Card House received orders to shut down by the city, touching off a lengthy appeals process that ended with the Fifth District Court of Appeals ruling in favor of the poker house last year, allowing it to continue to do business. But now it appears the whole legal saga may be over: On Friday, the Texas Supreme Court declined to review the case. In 2020, Texas Card House opened a location off of Harry Hines Boulevard, next to Sam Moon Trading Co. By December 2021, the city informed owner Ryan Crow that it was revoking the poker room’s certificate of occupancy and ordered him to shut down. He

He appealed to the Board of Adjustment, which ruled in his favor. Andrew Espinoza, who oversaw building permitting at the time, and the city’s building department, in turn, sued the poker house and the BOA for reinstating the CO. (Yes, this does mean the City of Dallas paid to sue itself.) While they were initially successful, the appeals process ultimately did not favor Espinoza. The city’s objection seems to stem from how state law is interpreted. Gambling, by and large, is illegal in Texas. However, the state’s penal code has a loophole when it comes to poker and similar games; if operations can demonstrate that they’re not benefiting economically from the games, they are considered private clubs, and the players have assumed equal risk. In other words, as long as a poker club required memberships and didn’t take a cut of each pot, it could argue that it was not running afoul of the law. If Crow had lost in appeals, it would have likely meant the closure of hundreds of similar poker rooms across the state. The stakes were big enough that Crow’s competitor—the owners of The Lodge Card Club—filed an amicus brief with the Texas Supreme Court.

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Glenn Hegar: From the pigeons’ perch to the chancellor’s suite: Why students still come first

I still remember my very first Aggie football game. Back then, Kyle Field wasn’t the massive stadium it is today. I had a seat way up in the second-to-top row — me and the pigeons, as I like to say. From that high perch, I could see it all: the 12th Man swaying in unison, the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band forming precision lines, and the raw energy of tens of thousands of students yelling as one. Three decades later, my perspective on game day has changed, at least physically. As Chancellor of The Texas A&M University System, I now watch from the Chancellor’s Suite. The view is better. The seat is cushioned. The air conditioning helps in September. But my focus hasn’t changed one bit.

When I look down from the suite, I don’t just see a football field. I see 12 universities, a health science center, and eight state agencies that make up the A&M System. I see more than 175,000 students who carry our mission and our future. I see the same student section I stood in as a young Aggie — because no matter how my vantage point has shifted, I’ve never forgotten that this job is about them. Being Chancellor means wearing many hats. It means stewarding a $8.1 billion enterprise. It means supporting research that drives the Texas economy, managing agencies that fight wildfires and respond to disasters, and making sure our institutions prepare students for a changing world. But on Saturdays in the fall, when Kyle Field comes alive, my role is simpler: to be an ambassador for Aggie athletics and, more importantly, for the students who fill those seats. Athletics has always been more than a scoreboard. What excites me most about our athletic department is not just the wins on the field, but the character being built off of it. When I meet with Coach Mike Elko and Athletic Director Trev Alberts, I’m encouraged by their focus on developing young men and women who will carry the Aggie spirit far beyond their playing days. It’s about being an ambassador for Texas A&M — for life. That idea of “ambassadorship” hits home for me. As a former state legislator and comptroller, I spent more than two decades serving the people of Texas. Now, as Chancellor, I see my mission in much the same way. My job is to represent our students, faculty, and staff. To open doors for them. To share their successes with the world. To make sure every decision we make as a System keeps their interests front and center.

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Jasmine Crockett says she won’t allow new GOP-led panel to ‘whitewash’ attack on Capitol

House Democrats have appointed U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett to serve on a new Republican-led subcommittee reexamining the events of Jan. 6, 2021, when supporters of President Donald Trump forced their way into the U.S. Capitol in an effort to block certification of his electoral defeat. “On that day, there was an attempt to tear apart our democracy brick by brick,” Crockett said during a Monday news conference announcing her appointment. The Dallas congresswoman, now in her second term, has a devoted social media following and a track record of fiery hearing room confrontations with Republicans that go viral online. The subcommittee is likely to produce lots of partisan fireworks, as Republicans probe areas such as Jan. 6 security arrangements made under former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

In the attack’s aftermath, Pelosi and the Democrats convened their own panel to examine what happened. Republican leaders named several members to the committee but Pelosi rejected two of them, prompting an official GOP boycott of the proceedings. Pelosi appointed two Republican House members to the panel, Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, both prominent Trump critics. The hearings that followed featured dramatic video footage and testimony that panel members said showed Trump’s complicity in the attack, but Republicans largely tuned out the sessions. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who pushed objections to certifying the 2020 results from key states, dismissed those proceedings at the time as a “kangaroo court” intended to distract people from issues such as inflation. GOP lawmakers say they created the new panel because the Democrats had conducted a skewed process with their oversight. “House Republicans are proud of our work so far in exposing the false narratives peddled by the politically motivated January 6 Select Committee during the 117th Congress, but there is clearly more work to be done,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said in a news release.

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Could National Guard soldiers be deployed in Dallas to combat crime?

Texas Republicans laud President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops in D.C., saying the move has helped reduce violent crime in the nation’s capital and bolstered public safety. Trump has signaled he could do the same in other cities such as Chicago and New Orleans. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, said recently he had reason to believe Trump was preparing the Texas National Guard for deployment in his state. Texas state officials pushed back on those statements as inaccurate, but Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has not ruled out sending troops to another city, including Chicago, in support of Trump’s law-and-order agenda. “Governor Abbott and the State of Texas are ready, willing, and able to deploy all necessary resources to clean up the streets of Chicago should President Trump call upon us to do so,” Abbott spokesman Andrew Mahaleris said in a statement.

There’s less enthusiasm among Texas politicians for deploying the National Guard to curb violent crime in Texas cities. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, held a news conference last week to praise Trump’s D.C. deployment. Asked if the same approach should be used to reduce crime in Texas cities such as Dallas, Cornyn said he has confidence in Abbott and Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson to handle the situation. Joseph Nunn, counsel with the Brennan Center for Justice’s liberty and national security program, focuses on domestic activities of the U.S. military. Nunn said Trump would need to federalize the Texas National Guard for them to deploy to Chicago – Abbott can’t send them on his own authority at Trump’s request. “Texas cannot send its national guard into Illinois without Illinois’ consent,” Nunn said. “U.S. states may not invade one another.” If Trump federalizes the Texas National Guard and orders them to Chicago, they would be limited to specific missions such as guarding federal property or supporting immigration enforcement officers, he said. “The president and the federal government as a whole has no authority to go into a state or a city within a state and take over local policing,” Nunn said. “That is simply beyond the federal government’s power.”

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OSHA blasts Union Pacific as ‘serial violator’ in Texas whistleblower case

A Texas railroad engineer was awarded more than $300,000 in back wages, damages and attorney’s fees after a federal investigation found Union Pacific unlawfully fired him. In an Aug. 6 finding, the Dallas division of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration found that the railroad violated a federal whistleblower law when it fired the Houston-area engineer in March 2024 after he reported a workplace injury. The agency called Union Pacific a “serial violator” of the Federal Railroad Safety Act, citing 20 past violations. In 13, OSHA found the railroad had retaliated against employees for reporting work-related injuries. OSHA ordered Union Pacific to pay the engineer more than $195,000 in back wages and interest, $150,000 in punitive damages, $10,000 in pain and suffering, and attorney fees. He was reinstated in June after a separate arbitration process, OSHA records show.

The railroad disagrees with the findings and plans to appeal. Either party has 30 days to appeal the OSHA decision to an administrative law judge. “Union Pacific recognizes the right of all our employees to claim injury and seek medical attention without fear of retaliation,” the company said in a statement. Union Pacific, the largest freight railroad in the U.S., has a significant presence in the Lone Star State. The company had more than 6,400 miles of track and 5,700 employees as of 2023. After an Uber that was transporting the workers to the railroad’s Englewood Yard facility in Houston was struck by a Toyota Tundra pickup on Feb. 1, 2024, the engineer and another Union Pacific employee reported back pain to their supervisor. The engineer sought medical care, which escalated the injury to a federally reportable incident. Meanwhile, the engineer’s fellow employee did not seek medical care or fill out a formal injury report, and was not disciplined. The day after filling out an injury report, a manager accused the engineer of falsely reporting a work injury, according to OSHA. Union Pacific said there was no visible damage to the rideshare vehicle and “no indication of physical injuries” observed by his manager immediately following the accident. He was fired March 15 following an investigative hearing earlier that month. OSHA found the company did not have sufficient evidence to justify the firing, which violated provisions of the FRSA that preclude railroads from retaliating against employees who report work-related injuries.

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Rick Perry’s data center REIT Fermi files for IPO

Fermi, a Texas company co-founded by former governor and U.S. energy secretary Rick Perry, on Monday filed for an initial public offering in the United States, including a massive campus in the Panhandle. The terms of the offering were not disclosed. The company is looking to create a campus for energy-intensive computing in Amarillo. Fermi’s “Project Matador” is a development-stage advanced energy and intelligence campus with more than 5,000 acres of land at Texas Tech University. The company hopes to draw data center and hyperscaler tenants, and it expects to have one gigawatt of power online by the end of next year. Wall Street’s IPO season is off to a strong start post-Labor Day, bouncing back from the August slowdown, with a busy calendar featuring big names like Swedish fintech Klarna and the Winklevoss twins’ crypto exchange Gemini.

Ticket reseller StubHub and cybersecurity firm Netskope also launched their roadshows on Monday, aiming to raise up to $851 million and $813 million, respectively. In June, Fermi announced plans to build the world’s largest energy and data complex, powered by nuclear along with natural gas and solar, to meet the rising energy demands of artificial intelligence. The announcement marks the first major nuclear investment since President Donald Trump issued executive orders in May to streamline the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s licensing process and accelerate deployment, supporting plans to increase U.S. nuclear energy capacity from about 100 GW currently to 400 GW by 2050. Perry was the secretary of energy during President Trump’s first term and is a director for Fermi. Fermi said that the global generative AI market is expected to grow from $64 billion in 2023 to $457 billion by 2027, citing data from Bloomberg Intelligence. The company, which is pre-revenue till now, about nine months since its inception, closed a $100 million funding round last month led by Macquarie Group. UBS Investment Bank, Cantor and Mizuho are among the book-running managers for the offering. Fermi has applied to list on the Nasdaq under the symbol “FRMI.” The company also plans to apply to list on the main market of the London Stock Exchange.

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High school students will no longer receive free tickets to the State Fair of Texas

Big changes are coming to the State Fair of Texas’ school ticket program this year. For generations, students and teachers have enjoyed free admission to the Fair, but starting this year, only Pre-K through 8th graders will get free tickets. High school students, grades 9th through 12th, will no longer receive free admission but will have access to discounted tickets. “We know some families may be disappointed, but this decision helps us continue providing a safe, family-friendly, and sustainable Fair experience while still investing in youth,” organizers said in a statement to WFAA. The Fair says this change has been in the works for several years.

Printing and distributing more than 2 million free tickets each year is expensive, and only about 10% are actually used, a spokesperson told WFAA. On top of that, many schools have stopped scheduling “Fair Days,” making it tricky to plan trips and manage attendance, fair officials said. Safety has also been a driving factor in the change. The Fair has seen an uptick in incidents involving high school students in recent years, a spokesperson said. With new city contracts requiring the Fair to cover all the Dallas Police Department's expenses and security costs—more than $8 million for the 24-day event—unpredictable attendance spikes from high school groups have become a bigger concern. The policy requiring minors 17 and under to be accompanied by a parent, guardian or chaperone after 5 p.m. will also remain in place.

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Dallas County jail not at 'crisis capacity,' sheriff says

The Dallas County sheriff responded to claims made last week that the jail is in crisis capacity. County commissioners also debated what can be done to solve software problems that could be contributing to capacity problems. The sheriff told us that while the jail's capacity is a concern, it is not at capacity as some claimed last week. She asked county commissioners to solve the software issues that sometimes delay the release of inmates.

Dallas County Sheriff Marian Brown told us the capacity at the Dallas County jail is 7,364. Last week the number of inmates reached 7,124. "I think it is important for people to hear from the sheriff. We have been hearing last week about the jail being at 100% capacity. When I heard that, I went to verify that information and found it to be flawed," said Sheriff Mariam Brian. "Is the capacity approaching levels of concern? Absolutely, we are in the 90s. It is one thing to be in the 90s and another to be at 100%. We have established a number with the state that we are able to safely care for. That is our number." What they're saying: District attorney John Creuzot has blamed the high capacity on the county's software systems that don't communicate with each other.

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Aldine ISD’s comeback: How the school district became one of the most improved in Texas

The day Superintendent LaTonya Goffney received Aldine ISD's baseline 2021 test scores was one of the worst days of her career. She remembers asking herself how they were ever going to recover academically from the pandemic, while Aldine ISD students, families and staff were still in the throes of its economic and social impacts. Just two years earlier, the district had earned a B in the Texas Education Agency ratings, after Goffney took the helm and launched the “A new way forward” strategic plan for the district that included bringing in high-quality instructional materials — now laws incentivize districts to use such materials.

She was hired out of the superintendency in Lufkin ISD to pave a path to higher student achievement for the struggling Aldine ISD. “The momentum was behind us,” Goffney said. “All eyes were on us, and then they also watched us fall.” Aldine ISD, an unincorporated area located on the north side of Houston, is considered a health care and food desert. The district has been bleeding students over the past decade as families moved to other communities. Goffney said that COVID-19 had an outsize impact on the district, and took students and their families, many of whom were front-line workers or did not have sufficient health care, longer to recover. She noted that there is not a single H-E-B or Whole Foods grocery store in the entire 111 square miles. She said Aldine should not be compared to districts with similar levels of economically disadvantaged students, or even urban districts like Houston ISD, which has schools like River Oaks Elementary to balance out its ratings. “There are no affluent areas in Aldine — 100% of our schools are Title 1 schools,” Goffney said. “There are no 'haves' in our district ... If you can do it in Aldine, it can happen anywhere, because our whole district is economically disadvantaged.”

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Muslim advocates accuse Gov. Greg Abbott of ‘fearmongering’ after Sharia law remarks

A leading Muslim civil rights and advocacy group urged Gov. Greg Abbott to visit a mosque after it accused him of “fearmongering about Islam.” The call from the Council on American-Islamic Relations comes after Abbott’s press office posted a statement on X Monday claiming Sharia law and “Sharia cities” are banned in the state. “In Texas, we believe in equal rights under the law for all men, women, & children,” the statement read. “Any legal system that flouts human rights is BANNED in the state of Texas.” The Council on American-Islamic Relations’ national office and Texas chapter defined Sharia as meaning “the way to water,” and compared it to Jewish Texans following Halacha and Catholic Texans following Canon law. Similar to the traditions in those faiths, Islamic teachings include rules on burial practices, estate distribution and other guidelines that hold legal value as long as they do not violate public policy, the organization said in its statement.

“When Texas Muslims pray to God five times a day, donate (to) charity, fast in Ramadan, or speak up against injustice, among many other practices, they are observing sharia,” CAIR and CAIR Texas said in a statement. Muslims account for about 3% of the population in Houston, according to the most recent Religious Landscape study from the Pew Research Center. That’s up by two percentage points when the center last conducted the study in 2014. It’s not the governor’s first time speaking out against Sharia law and “Sharia cities.” In February, Abbott replied to a now-unavailable X post from conservative activist Amy Mekelburg, who frequently posts against Islam online. Mekelburg posted about the East Plano Islamic Center City — or EPIC City — which is a project with a stated goal of building an inclusive community that caters to the evolving needs of Muslims. It prompted state and federal probes and condemnations from conservative leaders, including U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, Attorney General Ken Paxton and Abbott. “To be clear, Sharia law is not allowed in Texas. Nor are Sharia cities. Nor are 'no-go zones' which this project seems to imply,” Abbott said in his reply to Mekelburg’s X post in February. “Bottom line. The project as proposed in the video is not allowed in Texas.”

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New state law banning LGBTQ clubs in schools undermines support for students, advocates say

Hayden Cohen came out as nonbinary during their junior year in Houston ISD at a school they said welcomed LGBTQ students and had a thriving Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA). "We had teachers lining up to be our teacher sponsor for the GSA," Cohen said. "Students were all really inclusive and chill. So it was a pretty good experience for a queer student at a high school." But now, in the wake of Senate Bill 12 — a new state law targeting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives — some Texas schools are eliminating LGBTQ clubs and prohibiting teachers from using students' preferred names and pronouns. It's been three years since Cohen graduated from high school. Now, Cohen is the state policy director for Students Engaged in Advancing Texas, which is one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging Senate Bill 12. Cohen and other advocates for LGBTQ youth said the new state law targeting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives has caused confusion in schools as districts interpret the law in different ways.

"Unfortunately, the thing I’ve heard most is ‘My club’s no longer allowed to function,'" Cohen said. "And then I have heard of clubs that the admin will say, ‘You can function, but you need to change your name and mission statement.'" State Senator Brandon Creighton, who authored the bill, frames it as a common-sense law that puts parents in charge of their children's education. "Somehow, saying that parents, not the government, should be in the driver's seat of their child's education has become controversial," he told fellow lawmakers in Austin. Creighton’s office did not respond to a request for comment. Houston ISD and Katy ISD are among the school districts that are defendants in the lawsuit challenging Senate Bill 12. Houston ISD declined to comment on how it was implementing the law, citing the ongoing lawsuit. Late last month, Katy ISD's board of trustees passed a resolution that explains how the law will be implemented, according to Community Impact. The resolution prevents employees from assisting students with "social transitioning" and bans school-sponsored LGBTQ clubs. Fort Bend ISD, Cyfair ISD, and Conroe ISD told Houston Public Media they are assessing the law to determine how to comply with its new requirements.

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National Stories

U.S. high school students lose ground in math and reading, continuing yearslong decline

A decade-long slide in high schoolers’ reading and math performance persisted during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 12th graders’ scores dropping to their lowest level in more than 20 years, according to results released Tuesday from an exam known as the nation’s report card. Eighth-grade students also lost significant ground in science skills, according to the results from the National Assessment of Education Progress. The assessments were the first since the pandemic for eighth graders in science and 12th graders in reading and math. They reflect a downward drift across grade levels and subject areas in previous releases from NAEP, which is considered one of the best gauges of the academic progress of U.S. schools. “Scores for our lowest-performing students are at historic lows,” said Matthew Soldner, the acting commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics. “These results should galvanize all of us to take concerted and focused action to accelerate student learning.”

While the pandemic had an outsize impact on student achievement, experts said falling scores are part of a longer arc in education that cannot be attributed solely to COVID-19, school closures and related issues such as heightened absenteeism. Educators said potential underlying factors include children’s increased screen time, shortened attention spans and a decline in reading longer-form writing both in and out of school. The dip in reading scores appeared alongside a shift in how English and language arts are taught in schools, with an emphasis on short texts and book excerpts, said Carol Jago, associate director of the California Reading and Literature Project at UCLA. As a high school English teacher 20 years ago, Jago said it was common for her high school students to read 20 books over the course of a year. Now, some English classes are assigning just three books a year. “To be a good reader, you have to have the stamina to stay on the page, even when the going gets tough,” Jago said. “You have to build those muscles, and we’re not building those muscles in kids.” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the scores show why the Trump administration wants to give states more control of education spending.

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‘This unconstitutional attack is not a surprise’

The Department of Homeland Security is starting round two of its immigration crackdown in Boston, with ICE agents looking to make more arrests. This increase is again being met with pushback from city and state leaders. Dubbed “Patriot 2.0”, DHS officials told CNN their plan is to “target the worst criminal illegal aliens living in Massachusetts”. The first round came in May, resulting in about 1,500 arrests. In a statement, officials blamed Boston Mayor Michelle Wu for so-called sanctuary city policies. ICE claimed that “Sanctuary policies like those pushed by Mayor Wu not only attract and harbor criminals but also place these public safety threats above the interests of law-abiding American citizens. ICE is arresting sex offenders, pedophiles, murderers, drug dealers, and gang members released by local authorities.”

Governor Maura Healey said the ICE actions are not about public safety. “We’ve seen construction workers, nannies, landscapers, health care aides – these are the people that are being taken in huge numbers,” Healey said. “It is not the kind of effort Trump said it was about.” Wu said no Boston police or local resources will be used for civil immigration enforcement, writing: “For months, ICE has refused to provide any information about their activities in Boston and refuses to issue warrants, while we hear reports of ICE agents taking parents as they are dropping their kids off at school. That does not make our community safer.” In a statement, Wu said: “For months, the Trump DOJ, DHS, and ICE have been spreading blatant lies and threatening to “bring hell” to cities like Boston who refuse to bow down to their authoritarian agenda, so this unconstitutional attack is not a surprise. This country was born facing down bullies, with Bostonians leading the way. Today Boston is the safest major city in the country because we have worked to build trust in the community, so that everyone feels safe seeking help or reporting a crime. We will not be bullied or intimidated into abandoning the efforts that make Boston a safe home for everyone.”

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Gov. Wes Moore tamps down presidential talk, launches reelection bid

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore formally launched his reelection bid Tuesday, casting himself as “a person of action” and promising to serve a full four-year term and not launch a widely speculated 2028 bid for president. Moore (D) said in an interview he plans to sell voters on his ability to foster economic growth and be a bulwark toward Republican actions from the White House and Congress. He said he’s never suggested he wants to run for president. “It’s not something that I ever said I wanted or aspired to,” he said. “Being governor of Maryland is a dream job.” The governor will face a deeply Democratic electorate next year in a state with a history of granting incumbents a second term. The last time a sitting Democratic governor lost an election was in 1934, before term limits, when Gov. Albert C. Ritchie (D) failed to win a fifth term. Moore’s job approval ratings have remained above 55 percent, according to a March poll.

So far, two Republicans are weighing bids for governor, and political observers are waiting to hear whether former governor Larry Hogan (R), Moore’s predecessor, also jumps into the contest. “I would welcome anyone into this race,” Moore said. “I’m confident in what the result will be, no matter who runs.” Moore, the nation’s lone Black governor, rose quickly in Democratic politics during his three years in office. He’s given a keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention, traveled to early primary states as a presidential campaign surrogate — first for then-President Joe Biden and later then-Vice President Kamala Harris — and appeared regularly on national news shows and in political events across the country. In recent weeks, he pivoted from his early pragmatic tone to a combative one in an ongoing public spat with President Donald Trump over whether to send the National Guard to Baltimore, a shift that only further intensified speculation that he was raising his profile ahead of a potential 2028 campaign. Moore has been insisting all of this year that he is not running for president but has become more direct as he launches a bid for four more years in the governor’s mansion. “I’ve never given any indication that I’m going anywhere,” he said.

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Trump administration halts I.R.S. crackdown on major tax shelters

The Trump administration is quietly dismantling efforts by the Internal Revenue Service to shut down a slew of aggressive tax shelters used by America’s biggest multinational companies and wealthiest people. The administration, bowing to pressure from industry groups, right-wing activists and congressional Republicans, is quickly rolling back several I.R.S. law enforcement efforts, including one aimed at a lucrative tax shelter used by companies like Occidental Petroleum and AT&T. The I.R.S. crackdown was projected to raise more than $100 billion over 10 years. In April, the I.R.S. said it would rescind Biden administration rules that had required companies using such tax strategies to report them to the agency, a change making it more difficult for auditors to find the transactions. The agency also eased a pair of rules that target abusive shelters, including one that imposes penalties on wealthy Americans who used an insurance tax scheme that multiple courts have tossed out.

In late July, 20 House Republicans asked the I.R.S. to withdraw yet another line of attack on the transactions, one providing guidance to auditors on how to analyze the tax shelter deals. That letter was “an attempt by elected officials to influence audits by the Internal Revenue Service of specific taxpayers,” said Larry Gibbs, who served as President Ronald Reagan’s I.R.S. commissioner. “From the standpoint of the integrity of the system, I am concerned about it. It’s politicizing the tax process.” The I.R.S. is also turning on its own staff. Over the past several months, right-wing groups targeted the agency, accusing officials involved in the anti-tax-shelter efforts of being members of a “deep state” and biased against Republicans. The I.R.S. suspended several employees, including some who worked on the crackdowns. The highest-level official, Holly Paz, is a longtime, respected agency official who ran the division that oversees large business and was placed on leave in late July. “Based on my experience with Holly Paz, over a number of years, she is experienced, she is professional and she has been a leader at the I.R.S.,” Mr. Gibbs said. He added, “I don’t find the attack on her to be credible.”

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Apple’s biggest announcement of the year is happening today. Here’s what to expect

It’s the equivalent of Super Bowl Day for diehard Apple fans. On Tuesday, Apple is expected to announce the latest iterations of the iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods at its annual hardware event. The event, which Apple has teased with the phrase “awe dropping,” kicks off from the company’s Cupertino, California, headquarters at 1 p.m. ET. While the iPhone event is always Apple’s most important of the year, the pressure to impress with its latest devices is especially high this year. The company’s sales have been bumpy for years, the iPhone is falling behind competitors on artificial intelligence and Apple has been caught in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump’s trade wars. Considering those challenges, a simple refresh in the iPhone’s color options or camera capabilities would almost certainly not be enough to appease users or shareholders.

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Takeaways from the new Epstein documents

We got more Jeffrey Epstein documents from the House Oversight Committee late Monday. And unlike last week, these actually contained some real news. The big news is that we finally are able to see the letter signed in now-President Donald Trump’s name for Epstein’s 50th birthday back in 2003, which the Wall Street Journal first reported back in July. Despite Trump’s claim that the lewd letter is a fake – he’s suing the Journal over the matter – two new factors appear to lend legitimacy to it. For one, it was turned over by Epstein’s estate, meaning it had apparently been in Epstein’s possession. For another, it features a “Donald” signature that seems to match contemporaneous documents circulating online from that period. But that’s not the only thing we learned from the documents themselves and the reactions. Below are some takeaways.

Trump has made a series of seemingly bizarre statements and decisions vis-a-vis Epstein. These include his administration’s sudden and abrupt reversal on releasing the documents, his false denial that Attorney General Pam Bondi had told him his name appeared in them, his slow disclosure on Epstein having recruited a girl who worked at Mar-a-Lago, and a number of easily disproven claims about Epstein and his personal ties to him. But the letter, part of a collection of letters compiled into a “birthday book” for Epstein, is looking like it could be up there with the rest of them. We don’t know for certain that Trump wrote or signed the letter. But as noted above, plenty of signs are pointing in that direction. Trump previously rested his denials on the false claim that he didn’t ever draw pictures (the letter includes a drawing of a female silhouette), when in fact there are plenty Trump doodles in the public record. It’s all particularly weird given that the letter wouldn’t seem all that damning for Trump on its surface, next to everything else we know. We already knew he was buddies with Epstein in this period. We also knew he has demonstrated a tendency for lewd comments. It might never be proven that Trump himself drew the picture. And there remains no evidence Trump has done anything wrong. But we got more yet reason Monday night to question his relationship with Epstein and his handling of the matter. Another document in the “birthday book” section caught more than a few people’s attention and was highlighted by Democrats. It’s a letter with a photo of Epstein holding an oversized, novelty $22,500 check made to look like a payment from Trump to Epstein.

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Bessent tells FHFA director ‘I’m gonna punch you in your f---ing face’: Report

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent threatened to punch Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte during a heated confrontation at a private dinner attended by administration officials and close advisers to President Trump, according to a report from Politico. The exchange between two top economic officials took place at the inaugural dinner at Executive Branch, an exclusive club started by members of Trump’s social circle. Politico reported Bessent confronted Pulte after hearing from several people that Pulte had been badmouthing him to Trump. “Why the f--- are you talking to the president about me? F--- you,” Bessent said to Pulte, who looked stunned, according to the report. “I’m gonna punch you in your f---ing face.”

When the club’s co-owner sought to intervene, Bessent reportedly said to him, “It’s either me or him. … You tell me who’s getting the f--- out of here.” Bessent suggested they otherwise “could go outside,” Politico reported. Pulte reportedly asked whether Bessent meant he wanted to talk outside. “No,” Bessent told him, according to Politico. “I’m going to f---ing beat your a--.” The Treasury Department, the FHFA and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Politico reported on the heated exchange, citing one eyewitness and four other people familiar with what happened. The news outlet reported the sources disagreed only on whether Bessent or Pulte initiated the conversation. CNN confirmed the reporting. Pulte’s public profile has elevated in recent weeks; he publicly accused Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook of mortgage fraud, which Trump then cited as cause to fire her.

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Lead Stories

Company behind East Texas water grab hired key lobbyists just before bill delaying it died

The Texas Senate voted against delaying a controversial East Texas groundwater export project on the same day the company behind it hired one of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s top advisors as a lobbyist. Conservation Equity Management, a company affiliated with Dallas investor Kyle Bass, hired Allen Blakemore on Tuesday, the same day the legislation hit the Senate floor, according to lobbying records filed at the Texas Ethics Commission. Blakemore is Patrick’s political consultant and has also worked on the campaigns of several Republican senators. The Senate, which Patrick oversees, ultimately agreed to back a state-led study of the company’s proposal to pump huge amounts of groundwater out from under Anderson and Henderson counties. But it stripped a provision that would have put the project on hold until the findings came out in 2027.

The change “gutted the most important part of this bill,” according to the author, state Rep. Cody Harris, whose district includes the counties Bass is looking to tap. The legislation ultimately died on Wednesday night when the special session ended, in a win for Bass. Blakemore directed questions to Bass, whose spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. Patrick said in a statement that he was “not involved in it at any level.” He said the senator who sponsored the bill and the one who chaired the committee that vetted it made all the decisions. “I told them we would do whatever they decided – it was up to them,” Patrick said. Two companies affiliated with Bass have applied for exploratory permits for wells capable of pumping more groundwater out from under the two counties than is currently available. The companies have not yet applied for permits to export the water, but Bass signaled that is his intention, saying that the water was needed to address looming shortages elsewhere and could go “anywhere south of Waco and… north of Dallas-Fort Worth.” The permit decision now rests with the State Office of Administrative Hearings.

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Musk's Texas-sized $1 trillion payday enabled by state's new law

Elon Musk's blow-out $1 trillion pay package from Tesla proves everything is bigger in Texas, especially under its new management-friendly law. Last year, Tesla reincorporated in the Lone Star State after a judge in its former corporate home, Delaware, ruled a $56 billion compensation for the CEO was "unfathomable" and unfair to shareholders. Musk urged companies to ditch Delaware and his board worked on a new pay package. Jumpstart your morning with the latest legal news delivered straight to your inbox from The Daily Docket newsletter. Sign up here. Freed from the constraints of Delaware's widely used corporate law, Tesla has super-sized the next pay deal for Musk, already the world's richest person. Despite increasing his pay nearly 20-fold, there is a better chance this package will be approved and a lesser risk it will be struck down in the courts, thanks to Texas's corporate law.

In addition, it would be harder for shareholders to challenge the independence of the two board members who developed the pay package. Unlike the 2018 pay package, this time around Musk will be allowed to use his voting power, which is around 13.5%, according to Friday's security filing. If recent history is a guide, that will lock in approval. Last year, the company's shareholders voted to "ratify" Musk's 2018 pay package in an attempt to essentially undo the court ruling and restore Musk's pay package. Musk will be able to vote about 411 million shares at this year's shareholder meeting, nearly outweighing the 529 million shares that voted against ratification. In the end, the ratification vote did not matter because the Delaware judge ruled it did not override her prior decision. That ruling and her ruling striking Musk's $56 billion compensation are on appeal. In 2018, the company barred Musk from voting his shares to make it harder for investors to sue under Delaware law. Now Tesla does not need to do that because it has much better protection from legal challenges - the law in Texas, where it reincorporated last year.

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Republicans brace for redistricting ‘catastrophe’ in California

Republicans wield almost no power in California. But as a moribund state party gathered here over the weekend, it confronted an even grimmer reality now suddenly settling in: If the state gerrymanders its congressional map, they’ll practically be an endangered species. “It’s a guillotine,” said Dale Quasny, a party delegate and real-estate broker from suburban Los Angeles County. “We won’t be able to pick up the pieces and move forward. I mean, we were making a little headway, but this would be a catastrophe.” Long locked out of power in Sacramento, one thing that Republicans here and nationally have counted on for years from California was influence in U.S. House races — and the ability to help deliver Republican majorities by winning battleground races in the state’s Central Valley and Orange County.

Now they’re on the brink of losing even that — a consequence of the redistricting wars that could cost the GOP as many as five House seats in California. It is in part the Republican president, Donald Trump, who got them here. The GOP base in the state is as ardently MAGA as anywhere. But it was Trump’s push for a Republican gerrymandering in deep-red Texas that sparked a national battle over redistricting, provoking Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic leaders to respond with a Nov. 4 ballot measure to gerrymander California’s lines. Even Republicans here, while chiding Newsom, were critical of Trump’s redistricting effort. And as rank-and-file members of the GOP gathered in Orange County for their annual convention, the festivities were overshadowed by angst over the consequences of redistricting in a deep-blue state. “I’m certainly frustrated that our party’s leadership has not been more proactive in trying to stop a redistricting war,” said Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley, whose seat in the Sacramento suburbs is at risk of being drawn out of existence. “We shouldn’t be having mid-decade redistricting in any state.”

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How extreme weather has shocked the insurance market

Across Central Texas, residents are still grappling with the damage done by the Fourth of July floods to their property, family, and livelihood. The final death toll is estimated to be between 138 and 141 people, the deadliest flash flood event in almost 50 years. In total, damages range between $18 billion and $22 billion. This incident is not isolated, but the product of an increasingly unstable global climate. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that Texas experienced 68 weather and climate disasters, each with losses exceeding $1 billion, in the last five years. Of those, 20 were in 2024 alone. Between 1980 and 2010, the state never experienced more than six such incidents per year. As disasters increase, the price tag on property is skyrocketing for Texans.

According to the Texas Department of Insurance, homeowners saw an average insurance rate increase of 18.7% statewide in 2024. In 2020, the average annual premium for a homeowner was $1,987 statewide, says TDI spokeswoman Mistie Hinote. In Travis County, the average annual premium is $2,989.* Simultaneously, some insurance providers are dropping coverage in risk-prone areas. This reduces market competition, which can drive up rates. Four companies stopped writing policies in Texas entirely last year, says Texas Insurance Commissioner Cassie Brown. Progressive experienced $1.2 billion in catastrophic losses in 2024’s second quarter, 40% of which were attributed to Texas. As a result, they reduced coverage across the state. Lemonade Insurance acknowledged it “may be too risky” to “insure a lot of homes that could all potentially get damaged by the same event at the same time.” While inflation plays a role, these alterations are largely attributable to climate change. The Brookings Institution cites an overall increase in frequency and scale of natural disasters, coupled with better risk projection models from insurers, as major culprits behind record-high premiums and insurers dropping coverage. Because mortgage lenders require homeowners insurance, the growing costs are unavoidable.

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State Stories

Could Texas school vouchers benefit private child care? It’s complicated.

After Texas state officials recently released proposed rules surrounding Education Savings Accounts and ESAs, which are similar to school vouchers, early learning experts are voicing concerns about the opportunity for private child care programs to provide pre-K to eligible students through the new program. The Texas Comptroller’s Office recently announced proposed rules for the state program’s structure and eligibility requirements after lawmakers approved $1 billion in ESA funding during the regular legislative session this year. The office is currently receiving public comment for a month on the rules, which will be taken into consideration before final adoption. Families are able to apply for the funding in early 2026, and the program will roll out in the 2026-27 school year.

But questions have been raised about how eligible 3- and 4-year-old students could utilize ESAs for pre-K instruction outside of a public school, and whether they could receive the standard $10,000 to attend a private child care program. In general, supporters of ESAs say they provide school choice to families who want options beyond their local public school. Opponents say the program diverts money away from public schools in need of further investment. For child care providers who offer pre-K programming, ESAs are an opportunity to help stabilize a sector that’s been competing with public schools for enrollment of these students. The first few weeks of the current school year yielded the biggest exodus seen of pre-K students transferring from private providers to public schools, according to Tim Kaminski, president of the Texas Licensed Child Care Association.

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Texas oil companies forecast billions in tax breaks from Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill'

The Houston oil-company Occidental Petroleum reported last month it was expecting a large tax break from President Donald Trump's tax and spending cut package known as the One Big Beautiful Bill — to the tune of $700 to $800 million over the next two years. It's a sizable sum for a company that reported a $2.4 billion profit last year. And they weren't alone. Oil companies across Texas and the world have told investors they are expecting billions of dollars in tax benefits over the next three years thanks to the package, according to transcripts of calls with financial analysts reviewed by the Chronicle. Most Americans avoided an increase in their tax rates with the passage of Trump's legislation, which maintained a 2017 cut set to expire this year. However, oil companies including Conoco Phillips, Cheniere Energy, BP, Diamondback Energy and Marathon Petroleum are reporting savings far beyond what was passed during Trump's first term.

"The recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill included a number of provisions that will help Oxy," Occidental CEO Vicki Hollub told analysts on an investor call in August. American corporations at large have praised Trump's tax bill, with U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Suzanne Clark calling it "a win for economic growth, a win for workers, and a win for communities across the country." But at a time gasoline prices are creeping up and electricity prices are increasing at twice the rate of inflation, the earnings reports are drawing attention from activist groups questioning why oil companies are getting larger tax breaks than working and middle-class families. "The oil barons were practically tripping over themselves in their rush to celebrate Trump’s bill," Pete Jones, a spokesman for Climate Power, said in a press release. The American Petroleum Institute, the industry's largest lobbying group, declined to make lobbyists available for an interview. But when Trump's legislation passed Congress in July API President Mike Sommers called it, "the most important energy bill in a generation." The tax breaks come as oil companies, like most American industries, have struggled with rising costs on steel and other materials driven by Trump's tariffs on foreign imports. BP CEO Murray Auchincloss said in an earnings call last month the tax bill would help "offset any pressure from tariffs."

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Jasmine Crockett weighing options for statewide run. Can she win?

U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett has choices to make. In the aftermath of the Republican-driven rejiggering of congressional boundaries, Crockett is pondering whether to run in District 30, which she currently represents, or District 33, where she now lives. Her decision could determine the fates of Rep. Julie Johnson of Farmers Branch and Marc Veasey of Dallas, Democrats also affected by redistricting. Crockett has other considerations, too. She has not ruled out campaigning for statewide office in 2026. A Senate campaign is a possibility. Crockett, a civil rights and criminal defense lawyer, also could run for Texas attorney general. Crockett is clear-eyed about her statewide prospects, and said that such a move wouldn’t occur until data showed a Democrat could win in Texas. A Democrat hasn’t won a statewide race since 1994.

“I definitely don’t feel like a statewide race is anything that I have to jump out and be like, ‘Oh, I’m running,’” Crockett said. “I know that there’s a lot of people that are looking at running statewide, and I want to see what happens, because polls can move and move quickly.” Crockett said the political climate could change, causing a statewide race to make sense. “I believe in staying ready and you ain’t got to get ready, so I’m going to keep doing the things that I do around the state and otherwise, especially as we go through this redistricting fight,” she said. “The question is can you win the general election,” Crockett added. “That’s all that matters.” Can Crockett win a statewide contest in red Texas? Let’s examine. A Black woman, Crockett would be unlike any candidate Democrats have offered as a statewide nominee. Her viral moments have caused her name recognition to soar, and she would potentially activate the infrequent voters and nonvoters needed to seriously compete with Republicans — including Black voters, women and young voters. “As far as enthusiasm, we’ll see record voter turnout, specifically amongst Democrats,” said Kardal Coleman, chairman of the Dallas County Democratic Party. “She brings a lot of excitement. She’s a national name, she’s a high-profile fundraiser, and people really respond well to her around the state.”

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Texas’ billion-dollar M&A deals prove more resilient than most

The Texas M&A landscape continues to defy economic headwinds in what has proven to be an uneven deal environment. The third quarter kicked off with a handful of transactions valued at a billion dollars or more, including a few involving notable brands headquartered in North Texas. Even with uncertainty lingering around interest rates and geopolitical tensions (both kinetic and trade), more than a dozen deals valued at $1 billion or more involving Texas companies have been announced since July 1. And the transactions cut across multiple sectors, highlighting the state’s continued appeal as a hub for transformative tie-ups. Although megadeal activity in Texas typically centers around Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth is no slouch in this regard, with a true variety of noteworthy deals so far this year. When private equity firms in the state or large Texas companies do decide to act, they’re making bold moves, and finding increasingly creative ways to do so.

Take, for instance, Keurig Dr Pepper’s announcement last month to buy a European coffee giant for about $18 billion, with plans to split the combined entity into two publicly traded firms, allowing each to concentrate on its core: one focused on coffee, will remain based in Massachusetts for its U.S. headquarters; the other will remain in Frisco and focus on beverages. In another major transaction last month, the nation’s largest owner of local television broadcast stations also got in the big-deal game, with Irving-based Nexstar announcing its $6.2 billion acquisition of TEGNA and its 65 local stations in 51 markets, including 15 stations in 12 markets in Texas — among them WFAA-TV (Channel 8). Private equity wasn’t going to be left out of the dealmaking fun, either. Blackstone has been active with North Texas companies this year, closing its $5.6 billion deal for Dallas-based Safe Harbor Marinas on April 30, making the New York alternative investment firm the largest marina operator in the world. In yet another big deal for Blackstone and its data infrastructure services last month, the firm and its affiliated funds acquired Irving-based Shermco, an electrical services company, for $1.6 billion.

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Spurs launch campaign to convince voters to say yes to arena money

With less than two months to go before the election, the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday launched their campaign to persuade voters to approve funding for a new $1.3 billion arena downtown. Spurs Sports & Entertainment hosted a rally at Idle Beer Hall & Brewery, about two miles away from where the arena could be built at the former Institute of Texan Cultures site at Hemisfair. Attendees wore shirts stating “A new arena. An expanded rodeo. Good jobs. With no taxes on SA families!” and posed with the Coyote mascot. Spurs managing partner Peter J. Holt, former Spurs star Manu Ginobili, local restaurateur Johnny Hernandez, former University of Texas at San Antonio quarterback Frank Harris, San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo CEO Cody Davenport, and current and former SS&E employees urged voters to back a pair of referendums.

They touted SS&E’s proposed investment in the arena and surrounding area, and using visitor taxes to help pay for it along with renovating the Frost Bank Center, the Freeman Coliseum and the surrounding facilities for the rodeo and coliseum to expand programming. They said they want to ensure the NBA team remains in San Antonio. “Name another small market that has five championships,” Holt said, cupping a hand around his ear. “We want to bring more.” Bexar County residents will weigh in on two separate propositions: whether to raise the county’s taxes on hotel rooms and car rentals to pay for up to $311 million of the Spurs’ arena and to pay for $192 million to renovate the Frost Bank Center and grounds around it. Early voting will take place from Oct. 20-31, with Election Day on Nov. 4. The county’s portion of the price tag for the arena is the only piece the public will vote on. The remainder of the money would come from the Spurs and the city, according to a non-binding term sheet the San Antonio City Council recently approved with SS&E. The Spurs would contribute at least $500 million to the project and cover any cost overruns. The city would kick in the lesser of either 38% of the cost of the arena or $489 million, and would also pay about $60 million to acquire the former Institute of Texan Cultures site where the arena is slated to be built.

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Why the San Antonio Board of Realtors spun off, rebranded its listing service

The San Antonio Board of Realtors and its Multiple Listing Service of homes for sale are now separate entities. It’s a split the Realtors association and listing service say will not impact how buyers, sellers, brokers or agents use the platform — but will reduce Realtors’ legal risk in the wake of antitrust lawsuits that have roiled the industry. “This now takes some of the liability off of our association and it gives clear boundaries for who’s responsible for what,” said Katie Griffin-Ross, chair of the board of managers that leads the listing service now known as LERA MLS. The acronym stands for Local. Expertise. Regional Access. The listing service had long been known as SABOR MLS.

The split was spurred by a major settlement the National Association of Realtors reached last year to resolve multiple lawsuits with home sellers who said the powerful trade group’s rules regarding homes listed for sale on its affiliated Multiple Listing Services had long inflated agent commissions, increasing costs for buyers. The groundbreaking ruling forced the association to pay $418 million in damages and change rules for how commissions are paid and how they’re displayed on listing services like the one in San Antonio. Though they are legally separate, SABOR, which is a nonprofit, remains the sole shareholder of LERA, which is a for-profit entity. The separation has allowed the new LERA board of managers to focus solely on the MLS platform, Griffin-Ross said. That’s a switch from when it was under SABOR, whose leadership has several other committees to oversee.

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How much rain can North Texas expect in September?

After a rainier-than-average summer helped keep temperatures more mild in Texas, many residents may be wondering if that pattern will continue into the fall. August started and ended on a wet note, but saw little precipitation in between. Despite lots of dry days, when it did rain, it poured. The month’s rainfall totaled 4.89 inches of water, according to the National Weather Service’s Fort Worth office, more than double the 30-year average for August. August hasn’t been the only month this year to blow through rain expectations. January and April were also abnormally rainy, helping put 2025 ahead of schedule for annual year-to-date precipitation. DFW International Airport usually gets an average of 37 inches of rain in a year and has measured 27 inches so far in 2025.

In general, North Texas’ wettest season is spring, but a second, smaller rainy season usually emerges in the fall, according to the weather service. September is likely too soon for that autumnal precipitation, though, as the 30-year average of September rainfall is 2.72 inches. Rain is in the immediate forecast, with a 20% to 40% chance of storms and showers over the weekend, but the rest of the month may tell a different story. The Climate Prediction Center, a branch of the weather service, is currently forecasting below-average precipitation chances for the middle of the month. The end of September currently has average rainfall chances, giving little insight into just how many days of rain North Texans can expect. Rainfall totals in the coming months could affect how much of Texas’ land is experiencing drought conditions, as heavy summer rains helped significantly decrease that percentage.

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Ten years: UTRGV marks key milestones as it celebrates its founding

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley could not have a better start for its 10th anniversary with the successful start of its football program last weekend while the university touts its sixth consecutive first-day enrollment record of 35,812 students this semester. Celebrating the anniversary on Wednesday, known as UTRGV Day, university President Guy Bailey said the last 10 years at UTRGV have been the best of his life personally and professionally. “When I got here, I thought this was a unique opportunity that we could do things that nobody else in the country could do, but you have to do those things,” he said.

Over the span of a decade, UTRGV has invested $1.2 billion in construction and major renovations throughout the Valley. About $852 million in projects have already been completed and $358 million is allotted for current or planned projects. Some of those projects include collegiate high schools at the McAllen and Edinburg school districts, the School of Medicine building, Harlingen’s UTRGV Institute of Neuroscience and most recently the UT Health RGV Cancer and Surgery Center. Future projects include School of Art and Design in Brownsville and also purchasing the city’s downtown’s Majestic Theatre to create a Performing Arts Center. Taking a look down memory lane, MyRGV.com asked UTRGV about their key milestones of the past decade. The first milestone is UTRGV opening its doors as a new institution in 2015 after merging the legacy institutions University of Texas-Pan American and the University of Texas-Brownsville into one Valley-wide university from Rio Grande City to South Padre Island. First day enrollment in 2015 was 29,000 students and the university offered more than 5,000 courses. Fast-forward to Fall 2025, the record-breaking enrollment is a 26% growth in a decade and features the largest freshman class ever with more than 7,200 students, ranking fourth behind Texas A&M, the University of Texas-Austin and Texas State.

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By sticking to its core values, Meow Wolf is recertified as a B Corporation

On Thursday, Meow Wolf announced that it has successfully recertified as a B Corporation as of Sept. 1, continuing its commitment to social and environmental responsibility since its original certification in 2017. MW is the first B-Corp recognized in themed entertainment. Its recertification is a result of its purpose-driven and socially conscious dedication to responsible entertainment. The North Texas Meow Wolf: The Real Unreal is located in Grapevine. “Meow Wolf’s recertification is a testament to our commitment to operating in a way that is responsible to our people, planet, and the communities we call home. The years since our last recertification have been marked by significant growth. I am proud that through it all, we continue to adhere to our most deeply held values,” Rebecca Campbell, Interim Chief Executive Officer said in today’s press release.

B Corps are re-evaluated every three years across five categories: governance, workers, community, environment, and customers. Less than 10,000 companies worldwide are B Corp certified as of March 2025. Environmentally, Meow Wolf prioritizes in resourceful, salvaged and repurposed materials to developing formal sustainability protocols. MW tracks energy use, emissions and waste and with comprehensive reduction targets for all new projects and ongoing operations. Community investment is expressed through MW’s thousands of free tickets offered annually. In 2023, the company launched the Meow Wolf Philanthropic Foundation, which distributed more than $600,000 in its first grant cycle. Adjacent to its community efforts, Meow Wolf: The Real Unreal has worked to integrate the LGBTQ+ community in its progamming particularly through its Pride related events during June that have included arts talks, drag king performances and more. MW strives for a supportive employee environment. With more than 900 employees across its locatons, Meow Wolf offers support through comprehensive benefits packages, transgender-inclusive healthcare, matching donations and volunteering incentives, the ability to participate in VOICE (employee advocacy) chapters and access to Meow Wolf Foundation’s SAVE Fund, which provides emergency funding to employees experiencing financial hardship.

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Houston’s weather pattern is about to change

Big changes are coming to the weather pattern as we push into the new work week. High pressure will start to build across the middle of the country, resulting in daily sunshine, drier air, and temperatures rising back into the 90s. On Monday, a few lingering showers are possible, but rain chances will likely be around 20% or less. Most of us will experience sunny skies with high temperatures topping out near 90 degrees. Tuesday and Wednesday will be highlighted by much drier air in the atmosphere., Not only will Houston get a break from the intense humidity, but morning low temperatures will likely cool down into the upper 60s to low 70s across the region. High temperatures will stay warm, rising into the low 90s each day. The relatively dry conditions are likely to stick around through the end of the week and into next weekend. The next chance of widespread rain may not arrive until the Sept. 15-18 timeframe, potentially even longer.

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North Texas congresswoman calls for changes at ICE detention facility

Democratic U.S. Rep. Julie Johnson is calling for detainees in a West Texas immigration detention facility to have more access to their attorneys and be granted due process. Johnson visited the Bluebonnet Detention Facility in Anson, Texas, located 200 miles west of Dallas, on Friday after constituents complained of their family members not having access to legal counsel, poor quality of food and cleanliness of the facility. Many remain “without resolution,” she said. “They haven't had access to lawyers, they haven't had hearings yet on a final deportation or whether or not they should be released on bond and many of them are just waiting for that process,” Johnson said.

She said she met with a man from Cuba that had been sitting in the facility for 11 months because Cuba wouldn’t accept him. “They don't have a clear plan of what to do going forward,” she said. “He's just basically sitting in this detention center without any clear pathway on how to get out of there.” Johnson serves on the House Homeland Security Committee and the subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement, which has oversight of ICE. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and staff from the company running the facility gave her a “comprehensive tour,” she said. At the Bluebonnet Detention Facility, Johnson said many of the detainees fall into the "low threat" category or have no criminal history at all. “That doesn't fall in line with the rhetoric that the Trump administration is putting out and that they're supporting only exceedingly or, you know, hardened criminals,” Johnson said. KERA News was unable to independently verify information on the detainees being held at the facility. KERA reached out to ICE’s regional communications office on Friday regarding Johnson’s visit and will update with any response. The U.S. Supreme Court in April blocked the Bluebonnet facility from deporting Venezuelan migrants under a law that allows for accelerated removals. Johnson said next on her list is to follow up with what’s going on at the Dallas ICE Field Office.

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Activists who allegedly wrote an anti-Israel message on a Euless church face hate crime accusations

A Muslim civil liberties group is calling on the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office to drop hate crime accusations against a group of people who allegedly graffitied “F*** Israel” on the wall of a church in Euless. Raunaq Alam, Julia Venzor and Afsheen Khan vandalized Uncommon Church in March 2024, according to their indictments. They're charged with criminal mischief damaging a place of worship, paired with hate crime enhancements that make the crimes more severe. Alam’s trial is scheduled to begin Monday, online court records show. He vandalized the church “primarily because of the defendant’s bias or prejudice against a group identified by national origin and/or ancestry and/or religion, namely, the state of Israel or Jewish faith,” prosecutors argue in the indictment. When asked why prosecutors sought the hate crime enhancements, a spokesperson for the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office said in an email "Our indictment is based on the evidence."

The Texas branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations wants the DA's Office to drop the hate crime enhancements. "We actually detest vandalism, graffiti, especially on places of worship, et cetera,” CAIR-Texas' Mustafaa Carroll told KERA News. “But we feel like to call criticism of a country a hate crime is a stretch.” KERA News also reached out to the local branch of the Anti-Defamation League, an organization that tracks antisemitic incidents. This story will be updated with any response. The ADL’s definition of antisemitism, which connects antisemitism to arguments over the existence of Israel, has been criticized by others like Jewish Voice for Peace. Tarrant County is politically retaliating against an activist in violation of the First Amendment, Alam’s attorney Adwoa Asante argued in a May 5 court filing. “If citizens and persons within the United States are allowed to say and express ‘F*** America,’ why would the condemnation of a foreign country garner more enhanced prosecution from the State of Texas?” she wrote.

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National Stories

All the reasons world leaders are calling for Trump to win the Nobel Peace Prize

President Donald Trump wants a Nobel Peace Prize — and global leaders and his Republican allies are lining up to call for it. He’s made that goal clear through his public statements and his team’s messaging. He even went as far as to cold-call Norway’s finance minister to discuss the prize. But despite lamenting online that “I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize no matter what I do,” a growing list of world leaders — as well as CEOs and Republican allies — are putting him up for the award. A wide range of people can nominate someone to win what’s arguably the world’s most famous award, from heads of sovereign states to university professors. But actually winning it is a different thing: the award is picked by the Norwegian Nobel Committee — composed of five members picked by the Norwegian Parliament — and is set to be announced next month. Trump is now downplaying his odds. “I have nothing to say about it,” Trump told CBS News on Wednesday when asked whether he’s seeking the honor. “All I can do is put out wars,” adding, “I don’t seek attention. I just want to save lives.”

Whether the calls are part of an attempt to flatter the president to curry favor with the U.S., or borne out of a genuine belief he should receive the award, they are now piling up. Here’s a list of all the reasons world leaders are citing for Trump to win. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said Wednesday the mRNA vaccines developed during the pandemic as part of “Operation Warp Speed” — Trump’s first term effort to quickly produce and distribute Covid-19 vaccines — were a “profound public health achievement” that “would typically be worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize.” Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a physician who has previously clashed with Trump, indicated his agreement on X Wednesday. The Trump administration has moved away from supporting this same vaccine development in his second term. Vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. leads the Health and Human Services Department, which has rolled back recommendations on Covid shots and cut millions of dollars in funding for mRNA vaccines. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formally nominated Trump for the prize in July, writing in the letter that he had a significant role in bringing about “dramatic change” in the Middle East. He credited the president with brokering the Abraham Accords, signed in 2020. “These groundbreaking agreements established formal diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab nations — including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco,” he said. “These breakthroughs reshaped the Middle East and marked a historic advance toward peace, security and regional stability.” Top UAE officials have publicly warned this week that the Abraham Accords could be unwound if Israel annexes the Palestinian-run West Bank.

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Federal immigration raids planned for Chicago and other sanctuary cities in coming days after a weekend of warnings

Whispers that federal immigration enforcement was imminent ricocheted across Chicago over the weekend as organizers postponed public events and advocates handed out flyers reminding people about their rights in the face of an immigration agent. By Sunday, White House border czar Tom Homan confirmed those plans for federal immigration agents to head to Chicago and other sanctuary cities this week, calling them “problem areas,” following signals from the Trump administration that raids would surge and after a weekend of fears gripped several states. “You can expect action in most sanctuary cities across the country,” Homan told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.”

The announcement followed a massive immigration raid at a sprawling Hyundai manufacturing plant in southeast Georgia on Thursday, when hundreds were detained, many of them South Korean nationals. While it didn’t take place in a sanctuary city, the raid was the largest sweep yet by the Trump administration and was a preview, Homan told CNN, of the more extensive enforcement actions to come. Chicago officials have been monitoring days of warnings that federal raids are near, and though the city braced for them over the weekend, the escalation landed farther east. The Department of Homeland Security announced a new federal immigration enforcement effort in Massachusetts focused on deporting criminals who entered the country illegally. “ICE launched ‘Patriot 2.0’ to target the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens living in the state of Massachusetts, following the success of Operation Patriot in May,” a DHS spokesperson told CNN on Sunday. The statement blamed Boston’s Democratic Mayor Michelle Wu for so-called sanctuary city polices that it said “not only attract and harbor criminals but also place these public safety threats above the interests of law-abiding American citizens,” vowing that DHS will arrest criminals released by local authorities.

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Nearly 500 workers were taken in a raid at Hyundai’s battery plant. In a quiet Georgia town, the silence is deafening

If you drove into Ellabell, Georgia, on State Route 204 – past a few double-wides, a couple of churches and a Dollar General – you’d never guess a massive automobile complex sits just a few miles away. The town is small, unincorporated and best known for canoeing on the Ogeechee River or teeing off at Black Creek Golf Club. Until last week, its biggest claim to fame was being chosen as the site of Hyundai’s first fully electrified vehicle and battery manufacturing campus in the United States, a project state leaders promised would bring 8,500 jobs and transform the rural economy. The narrative cracked when, in the largest immigration raid of President Donald Trump’s second term, nearly 500 federal, state and local officers descended on the Hyundai–LG battery plant construction site and arrested 475 people.

Agents with Homeland Security Investigations said the majority were Korean nationals, though others were from different countries. Some, officials said, had crossed into the US unlawfully; others had overstayed visas; still others were on visa waivers allowing entry for tourism or business but do not permit employment. As officers, masked and carrying rifles, fanned across the sprawling site, they ordered construction workers to line up against walls, demanded dates of birth and Social Security numbers and began sorting who would be cleared to leave and who would be loaded onto buses bound for the Folkston ICE Processing Center, more than 100 miles away. Workers described the scene as a “war zone.” One hid in an air duct to avoid capture. Others tried to flee into a sewage pond; agents used a boat to fish them out and prosecutors later alleged one man tried to flip the vessel. By the end of the day, hundreds were gone. Construction at the 2,900-acre site stopped cold.

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Johnson backs off claim that Trump was an ‘FBI informant’ in Epstein case

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) on Sunday backed off his claim that President Donald Trump was an FBI informant in the case of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. While Trump has said that he kicked Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago, his members-only club in Florida, he has also recently called the latest demands for the release of more information on the Epstein case a “Democrat hoax that never ends.” Last week, Johnson told reporters on Capitol Hill that Trump cares deeply about the crimes Epstein committed and said that Trump “was an FBI informant to try to take this stuff down.” On Sunday, his office released a statement modifying that claim.

“The Speaker is reiterating what the victims’ attorney said, which is that Donald Trump — who kicked Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago — was the only one more than a decade ago willing to help prosecutors expose Epstein for being a disgusting child predator,” the statement from Johnson’s office read. Trump and Epstein were onetime friends who had a falling out, particularly after a fight between the two in 2004 over buying an oceanfront property in Palm Beach, Florida, which Trump went on to win. Democrats and a small number of Republicans are pushing for the passage of legislation, called the Epstein Files Transparency Act, that would compel the Trump administration to release more documents about Epstein and his sex trafficking operation. About a dozen of Epstein’s accusers gave emotional testimony last week outside the U.S. Capitol about the abuse they suffered from Epstein and his jailed associate Ghislaine Maxwell. During the event, Brad Edwards, an attorney who represents many of the victims, told reporters that Trump has done an “about-face” on Epstein since 2009. Edwards said that when he spoke to Trump in 2009, Trump was “friendly” to the victims’ plight, and “did not think that it was a hoax and was trying to help.”

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Trump's US Open visit sparks boos and long security lines

President Donald Trump was loudly booed at the men’s final of the U.S. Open on Sunday, where extra security caused by his visit led to lines long enough that many people missed the start of play, even after organizers delayed it. Wearing a suit and long, red tie, Trump briefly emerged from his suite about 45 minutes before the match started and heard a mix of boos and cheers from an Arthur Ashe Stadium that was still mostly empty. No announcement proceeded his appearance, and it was brief enough that some in the crowd missed it. U.S. President Donald Trump attended the U.S. Open tennis match in New York on Sunday and got a mixed reaction from the crowd. He later said that he didn’t know what to expect, but that the fans were ‘great.’

Trump appeared again to more boos before the National Anthem. Standing in salute, the president was shown briefly on the arena’s big screens during the anthem, and offered a smirk that briefly made the boos louder. When the anthem was over, the Republican pointed to a small group of supporters seated nearby, then sat on the suite’s balcony to watch the match intently. He mostly didn’t applaud, even following major points that energized the rest of the crowd as Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz bested Jannik Sinner of Italy. Trump was shown on the big screen again after the first set ended, and elicited a roar of louder boos and some piercing whistles. He raised his left fist in salute as the noise continued in the stadium, which with a capacity of 24,000 is one of the largest in tennis. The president later moved back inside the suite, where he was seen seated at a table with family members and appeared to be eating, but he was back in his seat shortly before match point. Cameras briefly flashed on Trump as Alcaraz celebrated, but his reaction to the conclusion was as muted as it had been throughout most of the match. This time, there was little crowd reaction, too.

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The secret bundlers behind Eric Adams' campaign fundraising revealed

In October 2023, Mayor Eric Adams showed up for the opening of a new office of a big personal injury law firm, Morgan & Morgan, smiling and posing for selfies in Manhattan’s South Street Seaport. The firm made sure to post photos of the mayor’s seemingly random visit on social media. The visit, however, was anything but random. A few months earlier, Adams himself had recruited one of the firm’s lawyers to raise campaign donations for his re-election bid and had granted the lawyer an exclusive in-person sit-down arranged by his chief fundraiser. The lawyer then bundled $21,000 worth of contributions for the mayor. None of this was in the public eye. That’s because of a loophole in the law that says campaigns do not have to disclose bundlers as intermediaries — money-raisers who choreograph multiple donations to campaigns — if they’re doing this fundraising in connection to an event paid for, in part or whole, by the campaign.

In this case, it was a performance of the musical “New York, New York” the Adams campaign had arranged at the St. James Theater off Broadway, forking over some $75,000 for seats. The personal injury lawyer was hardly alone. An investigation by THE CITY has found that Adams did not disclose an army of these secret bundlers to the city’s Campaign Finance Board — a lapse that is legal, but ethically dubious, campaign finance experts say. Hundreds of pages of texts with Adams’ chief fundraiser Brianna Suggs covering both the 2021 and 2025 campaigns that were released recently reveal the identities of these apparent bundlers as they exchanged detailed lists of potential donors they had identified for her and, in some cases, promised to raise six-figures worth of donations. They include John Sampson, the once top leader in the state Senate who was sentenced to five years prison time after his conviction on obstruction of justice charges; Scott Sartiano, the founder of Zero Bond (the mayor’s favorite NYC hotspot), the lobbyist George Fontas and Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar (D-Queens), a supporter who for a time made frequent appearances at the mayor’s press conferences.

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At NatCon, an effort to make Christian nationalism a more inclusive movement

During the “Bible and American Renewal” breakout session at this week’s National Conservatism Conference, Josh Hammer stood out as the lone Jewish person on the panel of otherwise conservative Christian activists: a pastor, the editor of an online Christian magazine and a self-described Christian nationalist. Yet, it was Hammer who told an audience member that “America was founded as a Christian country.” “I’ll be the first to say that,” Hammer added. “There is very little doubt in my mind about that.” The exchange was a window into a curious dynamic that permeated “NatCon,” as attendees call the conference, where speakers and organizers alike worked to craft a vision for a stridently conservative Christian America that somehow steers clear of anti-Catholicism and, especially, antisemitism.

A right-wing gathering that was once considered fringe, NatCon now boasts among its alumni Vice President JD Vance and this year featured a number of Trump appointees and allies, including Russell Vought, Office of Management and Budget director; Kelly Loeffler, director of the Small Business Administration; and Steve Bannon, a longtime podcast host and former chief strategist for President Donald Trump. Hammer was hardly alone in appealing to America’s Christian roots at the three-day conference, held in downtown Washington from Sept. 2-4. Idaho Pastor Doug Wilson, a self-described Christian nationalist, declared from the main stage, “We were in fact a Christian republic at the founding.” At a breakout session on “The Threat of Islamism in America,” one panelist declared “we are a Christian nation,” and another titled his talk, “Creating Islamic Communities in Christian America.” But those declarations were made even as speakers openly voiced concern about the potential fracturing of NatCon’s fragile right-wing coalition. In an opening plenary session, Yoram Hazony, the Jewish chairman of the Edmund Burke Foundation, said early supporters of NatCon skewed heavily Catholic, so he brought in more Protestants — only for Catholics to fret that the movement had, in turn, become anti-Catholic. He has since wanted to bring in more Orthodox Jewish leaders, but is facing a problem: a rise in virulent antisemitism on the right, especially after the attack by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, 2023, in southern Israel. “I didn’t think it would happen on the right, and I was mistaken,” Hazony said. He pleaded with the group to avoid antisemitism, noting that he is still willing to negotiate disagreement about Israel’s policies as well as have an “honorable conversation” about rethinking “the relationship between Jews and Christians in America.”

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Copyright September 15, 2025, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved