Lead Stories

‘I’d love to have his help’: Paxton reveals what he told Cornyn after Senate runoff

“By the way, did John Cornyn ever call and concede?” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick posed the question to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in an interview for the inaugural episode of the lieutenant governor’s new Lt. Dan podcast. He sat at a wooden table fashioned with a microphone and branded mug, as Paxton responded from a video screen facing the head of the table. The episode was released about a month after Paxton defeated longtime Republican incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in a bruising primary runoff. Paxton faces state Rep. James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for the statewide seat, in the Nov. 3 general election. The interview touches on the theme of party unity that’s being pushed by GOP leaders, as Cornyn voters weigh whether to support Paxton in the fall.

“So he sent me a text,” Paxton said. “I never saw a phone call from him, but I texted him back and I said, ‘Thank you. You know, I appreciate your service to Texas and to the country and I’d love to get together and talk.’” Paxton’s campaign declined to elaborate on the concession exchange. If it’s up to him, Paxton said, he and Cornyn will get together, but both parties have to be willing. “I don’t know what John’s going to decide,” Paxton said. “I haven’t heard back from him. I’d be happy to talk to him. I’d love to have his help and support.” He later added: “I would have supported John no matter what, and I said it publicly, and I meant it. I do not want James Talarico, and I would vote for John 10 times before I voted for James Talarico.” Had Cornyn won, Patrick said he’d be “all in, money, marbles and chalk, to help him win.” “I hope he comes around,” said Patrick, who didn’t endorse a candidate in the primary.

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Nursing homes, factory owners and immigrants brace for fallout from Supreme Court ruling

Immigrants began making plans to sell or rent their homes, secure bank accounts and figure out thorny issues like child custody arrangements. Business owners started calculating how many days they can continue to employ workers whose legal status is set to expire. And nursing home leaders warned they would have fewer beds to offer if health aides are forced to leave the country. Panic rippled through communities from Florida to Ohio and beyond in the hours after the Supreme Court cleared the Trump administration Thursday to strip humanitarian protections from Haitians and Syrians — and potentially all 1.3 million immigrants from over a dozen countries who had been previously shielded from deportation. “The residents will be losing caregivers that they really have become attached to,” said Colin O’Leary, executive director at Laurel Ridge Rehabilitation & Skilled Care Center in Boston. Managers at the facility were racing to figure out how much longer staff members from Haiti with temporary protected status could continue taking care of patients. “That’s a lot for our residents to handle.”

Attorneys said Haitians and Syrians could lose work permits in little more than a month, but the deadline remained unclear because lower court judges must issue orders to implement the decision. Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, told reporters Thursday that Haitians and others with temporary protected status should be detained and deported once they lose the benefit. “If you no longer have status in this country, then you’re supposed to be deported,” Miller said. Some of those immigrants have lived in the United States for decades and said they feared being sent back to conflict-ridden homelands that they barely know and whose languages some do not speak. Temporary protected status, a program created in 1990, grants work permits and deportation reprieves to immigrants for up to 18 months if their nations are engulfed in war, natural disasters or other emergencies. Applicants cannot have serious criminal records and the government can, and has, renewed the protections multiple times. President Donald Trump and his allies have alleged that the temporary protections have lasted long after the emergencies have passed and have allowed undocumented immigrants and visa overstayers to live and work in the United States. But the program also has become a political wedge. When he was a senator representing Florida, home to thousands of Haitians, Venezuelans and others with the protections, Secretary of State Marco Rubio favored the protections.

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Texas jobs growth cools in May — but annual forecast remains surprisingly robust

Job growth in Texas cooled in May, but the state still remains on track for a surprisingly robust year of employment gains, according to the latest model-based forecast from the Dallas Fed. The regional bank’s latest forecast is for a statewide jobs increase of 1.8% for 2026, a figure that would be nearly in line with Texas’s longer-term growth trend and far better than the nearly flat job growth the state experienced last year. “It’s pretty good,” said Luis Torres, a senior business economist with the Dallas Fed. “It’s along the long-run trend of 2%.”

It’s also relatively unexpected: While economists have broadly predicted prolonged negative economic impacts caused by the war in Iran, the Trump administration’s restrictive immigration policies and persistent geopolitical uncertainty — and other surveys have shown that half of Texas companies were in fact suffering as a result of the Iran conflict — the U.S. and Texas economies have also proved resilient. In Texas, Torres sais, part of this year’s unexpectedly positive jobs performance stems from the massive AI investment and construction projects underway throughout the state. The state — now in the middle of a decadeslong economic and population boom driven largely by its relative affordability — also remains a magnet for companies and residents, with recent census data showing that D-FW, in particular, continues to rank among the country’s fastest growing metro areas. “We haven’t changed the rules of the game here in Texas, right?” Torres said. “Pro-business, low taxes. All these things are still working in our favor.”

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Texas screwworm cases rise to 20 as officials expand infested zone to 3 counties

The number of confirmed New World screwworm cases in Texas rose to 20 overnight, with the latest detection confirmed in Medina County. State officials have created a new infested zone that includes parts of Medina, Bandera and Uvalde counties. The Texas Animal Health Commission said there are now confirmed cases in nine Texas counties, and officials are urging ranchers to check livestock regularly for any signs of infested wounds. Officials say their best defense continues to be releasing millions of sterile male flies, a strategy that helped eliminate the pest from the United States decades ago.

“That was very successful in eradicating screwworm from the United States and all the way down through Central America back in the, the 50s, 60s and into the early 2000s, and I believe it can be a successful technique again,” said Dr. Samantha Holeck, New Mexico state veterinarian. Lawmakers and politicians from across the country are also pushing for more action. Nebraska Sen. Pete Ricketts said he sent a letter to the USDA. Clayton Tucker, a Democrat running for Texas agriculture commissioner, criticized the response, saying, “Now, bureaucrats and politicians are arguing while the threat continues to spre

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State Stories

Austin politicos sell Westlake estate after asking $7M

Austin’s latest luxury sale might well have taken place in a smoke-filled room. Compass agent Ellen Troxclair, who also serves as a member of the Texas House of Representatives, represented politicos David and Elizabeth White in the sale of their home at 600 Logans Lane in Austin. David White, a registered lobbyist, and Elizabeth White co-founded the Austin-based government relations firm Public Blueprint, according to its website. They sold the home to the Piccolo Bambino Trust on May 29, public records show. The property deed discloses neither the price nor the individual organizer of the trust. The 8,370-square-foot home was last listed for $6.5 million dollars, or about $776 per square foot. Built in 2002, the five-bedroom, seven-bathroom home occupies a 2.1-acre lot in Westlake, an affluent neighborhood west of Lake Austin. Features of the property include a pool, an outdoor kitchen and six covered terraces.

Troxclair is the founder of the Troxclair Residential Group, a team affiliated with Compass. She represents a portion of the Hill Country in the Texas House, including a western slice of Travis County, but her district’s boundary line stops short of 600 Logans Lane, according to state maps. Based on asking price alone, it’s one of Austin’s priciest sales to date this year, according to a TRD Data analysis of publicly recorded sales. Excluding this home, the top ten sales transacted on the multiple listing service so far in 2026 range from a home at 400 Inwood Road that traded in March after asking $6 million and a home at 203 Buckeye Trail that traded in April after asking $9.5 million. The home went under contract without a price cut in just 33 days, showing rare speed in what used to be one of the country’s slowest-moving luxury markets. The typical Austin luxury home went under contract in 104 days last fall, ranking fourth in the country and first in Texas for the highest median days on market, according to Redfin. The city rebounded this spring; during the three months ending April 30, Austin luxury homes sold in a median of 57 days, a 16-day drop year-over-year in days on market and the second-biggest decrease in the country, Redfin found.

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Tesla's small robotaxi fleet could 'dramatically scale,' TxDOT official says

Tesla Inc. officially began operating a robotaxi service in Austin a year ago. Now, leadership at the Texas Department of Transportation thinks its fleet could start to surge. TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams experienced a production version of the Cybercab at the Texas Innovation Invitational and wrote on LinkedIn afterward that the purpose-built robotaxi will “dramatically scale” Tesla’s cab operations over the coming months. “Observing this vehicle firsthand — from its design and butterfly doors to the cargo trunk configuration — provides a tangible example of how quickly our transportation system is evolving,” Williams wrote. “Sitting inside the cabin, the complete absence of traditional driver controls underscores a significant shift in mobility and vehicle design. No steering wheel, no accelerator, no brake. Only a single touch-screen monitor.”

The invitational, meant to highlight emerging technologies and potential safety improvements, arrived as Tesla runs operates a robotaxi fleet of just 69 Model Ys across the Lone Star State. It's a fleet size dwarfed by Waymo's 620 vehicles in Texas. As Williams wrote, the Cybercab is expected to eventually be folded into Tesla's robotaxi fleet and could help boost its number of vehicles on the road. For now, sightings of the vehicle without a steering wheel have been limited to the company's Austin factory and conference settings. Still, Tesla has pointed to progress in its robotaxi operations after it began offering unsupervised robotaxi rides in Austin and hasn't reported many crashes to federal regulators in recent months. But Tesla's record on safety reporting has caused Democratic Sens. Edward J. Markey and Richard Blumenthal to question whether the company is accurately reporting crash metrics.

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Suzanne Bellsnyder: Closed primaries are a threat to Texas voters

(Suzanne Bellsnyder is editor of the Texas Rural Reporter.) In Texas, many elections are effectively decided long before November. That's why the growing push to close the state's primaries matters far beyond Republican politics. It is a fight over who gets to participate in the elections that actually determine who governs Texas. For years, closing Texas primaries was a long shot. A small but influential faction inside the Republican Party kept pushing for it, while most Texans paid little attention. This month, that changed. Three developments happened in quick succession. Delegates to the Republican Party of Texas convention adopted closing the state's primaries as part of their top election priorities. Gov. Greg Abbott embraced the idea from the convention stage, declaring that "only Republicans will vote in Republican primaries."

And Secretary of State Jane Nelson — who said she was bound by her oath to enforce the election laws on the books and would implement closed primaries only if the Legislature enacted them — announced she will step down July 17. Taken together, those events transformed a fringe proposal into a serious possibility. The first question Texans should ask is simple: Who wants this? The answer is not most voters. Polling conducted late last year by Ragnar Research on behalf of Unite America found that majorities of Texans — including Republican primary voters — support keeping Texas' current open primary system, which allows voters to choose which party's primary to participate in each election cycle without formally affiliating with a party. Texans opposed closing the primaries by a wide margin — 54% to 19%. Even among Republican primary voters, opposition outpaced support. Those advocating for closed primaries claim they are protecting the will of Republican voters. As a lifelong Republican, I can tell you they have it backward. The open primary helped build the modern Republican majority in this state — I know, because I was in the trenches of that revolution three decades ago. I chaired the College Republicans and spent years working to elect Republicans up and down the ballot. Our party can and should earn voters' support on its policies and principles. It should not slam the door on them.

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What is KUT's relationship with UT Austin? A potential split would be a pricey, drawn-out affair

After the firing of KUT and KUTX General Manager Debbie Hiott by the University of Texas at Austin, supporters of the stations have questions about the organization's relationship with UT — and whether they should continue to operate under the state’s flagship university. In an interview after her firing, Hiott called for such a change. She reiterated that call in an interview this week, saying her termination was a sign that UT was "willing to interfere" in the stations' work. "That level of interference is something that the community should be concerned about," she said. "The community pays for KUT and KUTX and Texas Standard, and the community should be the ones responsible for the stations." NPR stations across the country have taken steps to move out of the university-backed model, but detangling the stations from UT after decades would be a long, financially complicated process.

KUT wouldn’t exist without the University of Texas, if that wasn’t made obvious by the station’s call letters. Those letters stretch back more than 100 years, when the physics department decided to start experimenting with newfangled radio wave technology in the 1920s. UT professor Robert Schenkkan created the station in its current form in 1958 under the purview of UT’s School of Communication. In 1971, KUT became one of the first stations in the country to air programming from newly founded NPR. Currently, KUT and its sister music station KUTX are part of UT’s Moody College of Communication, and the stations broadcast from the Moody College building on campus. UT holds the licenses of both KUT and KUTX to broadcast as nonprofit stations through the Federal Communications Commission, while the community provides material support for the station. It’s a commonplace arrangement in the world of public media. KTEP, the NPR station in El Paso, has a similar agreement with the University of Texas at El Paso, as does WOSU, the Columbus, Ohio-based NPR station that’s housed on The Ohio State University campus.

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Former San Antonio Spurs owner Peter M. Holt, not his son, bought land in Hawaii, public records show

Documents obtained Thursday by the Express-News indicate former San Antonio Spurs chairman and CEO Peter M. Holt, not his son, purchased 100 acres on Hawaii’s Big Island for $8 million. The revelation comes after the New York Post earlier this week reported that current Spurs owner Peter J. Holt made the 100-acre purchase. According to the Express-News’ reporting, an entity called PMHSI LP bought the land in question. Records cited in the article connect the purchasing partnership back to Peter M. Holt, who retired from his position with the NBA team in 2016. The elder Holt’s wife, Julianna, succeeded him in his leadership role at Spurs Sports & Entertainment (SS&E). Peter J. Holt took the reins of the franchise in 2019.

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A giraffe named Gracie escaped in Texas. No one can seem to find her

A giraffe named Gracie is missing in Texas, and the search for her has become a tall order. Gracie, who is about 3 years old, has been missing for nearly two weeks after escaping her enclosure at Cedar Hollow Ranch in the Texas Hill Country, said Vic Jones, who owns the remote property about 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of San Antonio. He said Wednesday that Gracie had wandered into a part of the privately owned preserve that other giraffes previously avoided. Jones said he has sent up helicopters to look for Gracie, a few sightings have trickled in, and a $5,000 reward is on the table. But the giraffe, which stands roughly the height of a tree, hasn’t turned up. “She wound up going up and feeding in an area on the hillside and the rocky ledges that none of the other giraffes had ever gone on before,” Jones said. “And when she came down off of there, she came down on the wrong side of the gate.”

The ranch is in rural Real County, where its roughly 2,700 residents were put on alert to be on the lookout for a missing giraffe. Jones said the search area is extremely remote, and the likelihood of Gracie encountering any humans is low. “People are not in danger of her because she’s not around people,” Jones said. ‘She’s out in very, very rough, heavily wooded lands.” The Texas Hill Country has one of the largest concentrations of exotic captive animals in the country. Real County Sheriff Nathan Johnson said the mild climate and rugged terrain seems to serve as a good stand-in for most of the animals’ native African environments. He rattled off a list of animals that have gone missing over the years, especially after floods, but said this was his first giraffe. “I’ve had wildebeests, I’ve had water buffalo, I’ve had monkeys, I’ve had zebras, all go missing,” Johnson said. “Sometimes we recover them, and sometimes we don’t.” While the middle of Texas is not a giraffe’s native environment, Jones said Gracie should be able to find plenty of leaves and other vegetation to eat. He said other animals were not likely to bother her. Jones said he initially had helicopters searching an area of about 7,500 acres (3,000 hectares) with no luck. A few days later, there was a report that Gracie was spotted to the south. But by the time they could search the area, Jones said, she was already gone. “We’re always two three days late for where the information is coming from, so that makes it tough,” Jones said.

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As some praise Texas’ proposed ‘Judeo-Christian’ curriculum, rabbis say it dismisses Judaism

During a Texas State Board of Education hearing on Monday (June 22), supporters of a proposal to require Texas public school students to read Bible stories argued doing so would acknowledge that the nation was founded on Judeo-Christian values. Rabbis and Jewish leaders at the hearing, however, criticized the biblical passages chosen by the education board as heavy on Christianity and dismissive of Judaism. Grounding support of the measures in “Judeo-Christian” values is a “fig leaf at inclusion,” one said. The State Board of Education kicked off a week of meetings Monday by hearing from more than 400 experts, teachers and concerned citizens on two proposals — one that would overhaul the state’s social studies curriculum, and another that would create a required reading list for K-12 public schoolchildren. Both proposals include biblical references, passages and stories. A final vote is expected by Friday.

Many of the speakers who praised the proposed reading list said it was important to teach children about Judeo-Christian heritage and values. “Don’t lie about where we came from as Americans,” witness Richard Green said. “It was the Judeo-Christian value system that produced the greatest, most powerful, the wealthiest, most free, the most benevolent nation in the history of the world.” Larry Holland with the conservative grassroots group Citizens for Education Reform endorsed the reading list because it was aligned with “a nation founded on the principles of Judeo-Christian heritage.” However, several rabbis and Jews rejected the use of “Judeo-Christian” to support the list. “One would think that this phrase is meant to evoke friendship between the two faiths, but I do not find that here — or in the language surrounding support for this list,” said Blake Ziegler, a Texas field organizer for the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. Cameron Samuels, executive director of Students Engaged in Advancing Texas, a group that aims to incorporate young people in state policy decisions, objected to using “Judeo-Christian” to characterize Texas values. “Not in my Jewish faith shall you mandate entire chapters of the Bible for over five-and-a-half million students in Texas and proclaim that this speaks for Jewish people,” Samuels said.

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Daniel Wong rejects calls to step down as Fort Bend County Judge

Fort Bend interim County Judge Daniel Wong said Thursday he will remain in office despite the county attorney's conclusion that he no longer has the legal authority to serve. Wong rejected calls to step aside and insisted he would remain in the seat while any legal disputes play out in court. "I will continue doing the job I was appointed to do, serving the people of Fort Bend County," Wong said, adding that he would also continue presiding over the commissioner's court. The dispute stems from the June 16 sentencing of former County Judge KP George, who received 180 days in the Fort Bend County Jail, five years of community supervision and a $5,000 fine after being convicted of felony money laundering. George has appealed the conviction.

Wong was appointed interim county judge in April by visiting Judge Jeth Jones after George's felony conviction led to a civil removal proceeding. The order suspended George from office while the removal case remained pending and installed Wong as temporary county judge. George later posted the required $50,000 bond, allowing Wong to assume office. Wong, the Republican nominee for county judge, has led Commissioners Court since then. The current dispute centers on what happened after George's June 16 sentencing. The civil removal lawsuit that led to Wong's appointment was dismissed, prompting County Attorney Bridgette Smith-Lawson to conclude Wong's temporary appointment ended with it. Wong and his legal team argue the dismissal did not terminate the appointment and that the Texas Constitution requires him to remain in office until a successor is qualified. Smith-Lawson on Wednesday issued a legal opinion concluding Wong's authority ended when the civil lawsuit that prompted his appointment was dismissed.

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TEA probes Judson ISD for alleged failure to report child abuse

After months of infighting on the Judson Independent School District board, the Texas Education Agency has launched a special investigation into alleged board governance failings and whether the district failed to report child abuse to the appropriate authorities. Allegations center largely on transparency, procedural concerns and student safety issues, Richard Segovia, TEA’s director of special investigations, wrote to the district on June 8. The agency is investigating 15 possible violations of state law, according to Segovia’s letter, which the Express-News obtained. TEA spokesperson Jake Kobersky confirmed the investigation but said he could not provide details, because the matter is still pending. Judson ISD spokesperson Lexie Greathouse said the district would not comment on the investigation, because it is ongoing and TEA classified the notification letter as confidential.

The investigation escalates a months-long fight over leadership and accountability in Judson ISD. It includes six allegations against Judson ISD trustees and Board President Monica Ryan, including claims the board violated school board rules and conspired to fire the district’s former superintendent, Milton Fields. Other allegations include claims that trustees overstepped their authority, failed to properly evaluate Fields, inappropriately discussed public business behind closed doors and sought academic benefits for a trustee’s child. The state investigation also will review whether Fields properly reported alleged child abuse, disclosed staff misconduct and kept trustees informed about other TEA inquiries into the district. Ryan said the allegations against her and the board have already been addressed internally since they began surfacing in January, but she did not offer specifics. Infighting among trustees has consumed the board since it announced an investigation into Fields in early 2026. The district is now providing documentation to TEA, so the agency can close its investigation, Ryan said.

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Did Spurs great George Gervin get a boost in his bid to trademark ‘Iceman’?

Spurs great George Gervin’s bid to trademark the nickname “Iceman” may have gotten an unexpected boost. A representative for the Hall of Famer said that a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office decision refusing Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams’ application to trademark “Iceman” bolsters Gervin’s own case to claim the iconic moniker. “If anything, it strengthens our situation,” said Jerald Barisano, CEO and president of Gervin Global Management, a sports and entertainment management, marketing and media company that Gervin chairs. A trademark office examining attorney concluded Wednesday that Williams’ proposed Iceman mark is identical to an existing federal trademark for Iceman insulated boots owned by Oregon-based LaCrosse Footwear.

Because Williams also wants to use the mark on clothing and related merchandise, consumers could mistakenly believe the products come from the same source. A “likelihood of confusion exists” between the two, the examining attorney concluded. Unlike Williams, Gervin has been known as the Iceman for decades, Barisano said. Shirts and posters have been sold for decades bearing Gervin’s nickname, he said. “The company in Oregon has used it for a while,” Barisano added, referring to LaCrosse’s 1988 trademark registration. “They’ve been using it on boots. George is not looking to sell boots.” Gervin, who played from 1973 to 1985, earned his nickname for his cool composure and seemingly effortless jump shots, layups and finger rolls. He filed to trademark his legendary nickname in March — four days after Williams moved to claim it for himself. Williams, the first pick in the NFL draft in 2024, was given the nickname last season for having ice in his veins late in games, the Chicago Sun-Times has reported. Gervin filed applications for both “Iceman” and “Iceman 44” — a homage to his jersey number. The application for Iceman states he first began using the nickname in 1980, though his association with it actually began in the 1970s. Williams wasn’t born until 2001. He wants to register the monikers for sweatshirts, T-shirts, hats, shoes and socks, as well as entertainment services, including personal appearances and basketball camps. The trademark office has yet to issue a decision on the applications. Gervin’s Iceman application was not mentioned in the trademark office’s action on Williams’ application. Williams has three months to respond to the office action or request an extension before his application is abandoned.

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JMI joins Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute warning against rollback of tort reforms

The James Madison Institute (JMI) is teaming up with a Texas-based policy organization to make the case that Florida’s economic success is tied in part to legal reforms that supporters say have created a more predictable business climate. JMI and the Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute released a joint white paper this week, “The Litigation Lobby: Civil Justice Reform and the Future of the Texas-Florida Economic Advantage,” examining tort reform efforts in both states. The paper argues that policymakers should resist efforts to roll back changes enacted over the past several decades. The report contends that Florida and Texas have emerged as national economic leaders in part because lawmakers pursued civil justice reforms designed to limit excessive litigation costs and provide greater certainty for businesses and insurers.

“Florida’s rise as one of the nation’s premier destinations for business and capital was not an accident,” said Robert McClure, President and CEO of The James Madison Institute. “It was built over decades, in part, by deliberate legal reforms that gave businesses and families confidence in a fair, predictable system.” The paper highlights several issues JMI and its Texas counterpart say warrant continued attention, including third-party litigation financing, proposals to expand liability in certain lawsuits, and efforts to revive legal fee structures that reform advocates argue contributed to higher insurance costs. Among its recommendations, the report calls for greater transparency surrounding litigation funding agreements, safeguards against foreign involvement in lawsuit financing, and renewed scrutiny of proposals that could increase damage awards and litigation exposure. The publication arrives as Florida continues to debate the long-term effects of recent tort reform measures enacted by the Legislature. Supporters argue that those changes are helping stabilize the insurance market and improve the state’s business climate, while critics contend they have made it more difficult for consumers to pursue legitimate claims.

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Texas man gets 30 years in prison for transporting 'anti-government' pamphlets

Last Independence Day, several protesters were arrested following a demonstration that turned violent outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Prairieland Detention Center. On Tuesday, nearly a year later, eight individuals were given their sentence from a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas: a combined 450 years in prison. The defendants, whom federal prosecutors argued were part of an "Antifa Cell" and provided "material support to terrorists," were convicted earlier this year on charges ranging from rioting to attempted murder. "The sentences handed down today make clear that Antifa terrorists who attack law enforcement and federal facilities will face swift and uncompromising justice," said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in a statement. But critics warn the prosecutions and harsh sentencing could chill First Amendment–protected activity. Perhaps the most chilling is the case of Daniel Rolando Sanchez-Estrada, who received 30 years in federal prison for transporting a box of constitutionally protected pamphlets and zines.

Sanchez-Estrada was not present the night of July 4, 2025, when a group of protesters arrived at the Prairieland Detention Center outside of Dallas to set off fireworks and signal solidarity with the immigrant detainees held inside. But his wife, Maricela Rueda, was present and subsequently arrested after the demonstration turned violent. Rueda later called Sanchez-Estrada from the Johnston County Jail and told him to do "whatever you need to do" and "move whatever you need to move at the house," according to the criminal complaint. After Rueda's call, officers observed Sanchez-Estrada load and move a box from his home to another residence, containing "numerous Antifa materials, such as insurrection planning, anti-law enforcement, anti-government, and anti-immigration enforcement documents," according to his indictment. But despite these materials falling squarely under the protection of the First Amendment, Sanchez-Estrada was arrested, charged, and convicted of corruptly concealing a document and conspiracy to conceal documents. He has since filed a motion to overturn his conviction. "The punishment must fit the crimes—not the headlines, not the politics, not the fears that have been mongered about this case," Christopher Weinbel, Sanchez-Estrada's defense attorney, told the federal judge during the sentencing hearing, arguing a long sentence would make a mockery of the justice system, reports The Intercept.

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George P. Bush: Texas can set data center rules that work for all. Here’s what to do next

(George P. Bush served as Texas land commissioner from 2015 to 2023.) Texas just sent a clear message to data center developers: If you want to be a part of building the backbone of the future economy, we want your investments, but Texas families won’t be stuck with the bill. Gov. Greg Abbott’s June 10 directive to shield residential ratepayers from the costs of data center expansion and protect our natural resources is not a brake on growth but an opportunity to shape it. We have the tools to strengthen our grid, protect our communities and keep Texas in the driver’s seat on innovation and national security. But it will take smart, targeted policy solutions to use those tools to achieve the central vision of the governor’s directive. Abbott is right to insist that residential customers should not underwrite the cost of massive new data center infrastructure.

Requiring large users to fully fund the lines, substations and upgrades needed to serve their facilities is common sense for pro-growth states such as Texas. These standards should operate as a clear baseline: If you want to interconnect with the Texas grid, you pay your fair share and don’t diminish reliability when our grid is stressed. But if state leaders define every development guideline from the top down, we risk repeating the mistakes of high-regulation states that chased headlines instead of investment. Cities and counties typically negotiate zoning, water access and road improvements. They should have room to structure investment opportunities to their communities so long as they respect state-defined minimum standards for power, water, and potential noise limits. From the Panhandle to the Rio Grande Valley, local leaders should not be restricted by state rule-making that keeps them from doing what’s best for their community. The reality is that the best companies in this space are already doing most of what Abbott has called for — routinely co-locating data centers with new power generation and battery storage, investing in demand-responsive operations and implementing high water-efficiency standards such as closed-loop systems.

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National Stories

Supreme Court clears the way for Trump to dismantle TPS

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that the Trump administration has full discretion to end temporary protections for immigrants, putting hundreds of thousands back at risk of deportation. The Thursday ruling is another legal defeat for migrants previously granted deportation reprieve and work authorization through Temporary Protected Status, a program President Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security is dismantling. The court previously allowed the Trump administration to end TPS for Venezuelans through its shadow docket, but this decision goes further. It says that the DHS secretary can end TPS for countries without the ability for judicial review. While the April oral arguments focused on TPS for more than 350,000 Haitians and 6,100 Syrians, the order has repercussions for all immigrants protected under the program. Nearly 1.3 million immigrants had TPS before then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem started ending them for 13 countries.

The justices rejected the idea that racial animus played a role in the termination of TPS for Haitians. “None of the cited statements by either the President or the Secretary was overtly racial, and in substance all expressed policy views that could rest on race-neutral justifications,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote in the court’s opinion in Mullin v. Doe and Trump v. Miot, two cases the Supreme Court considered in tandem. “Viewing all the relevant evidence, Miot respondents are unlikely to prove that race was a motivating factor in the decision to terminate Haiti’s TPS designation, and it follows that they are not entitled to interim relief on their equal protection claim,” he continued. The Trump administration’s decision to end TPS for Haitians and Syrians came after years of negative statements from President Donald Trump and other top officials about people from both countries Trump referred to Haiti as a “shithole” country and promoted a false rumor about Haitian immigrants eating dogs. He’s also long said Syrian immigrants are dangerous, tying them to terrorism. The three-decade-old program created by Congress is supposed to protect immigrants from being deported to countries deemed too unsafe because of armed conflict, natural disasters or other humanitarian crises. There is no limit to the amount of times the federal government can renew TPS designations and some have lasted for decades, such as for El Salvador.

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Supreme Court ruling blocks thousands of lawsuits against the maker of Roundup weedkiller

The Supreme Court sided with the maker of Roundup weedkiller Thursday in a ruling expected to block thousands of lawsuits alleging it failed to warn people the product could cause cancer. The case came before the justices after a tidal wave of litigation that included some multibillion-dollar verdicts against Bayer, a German agrochemical manufacturer that acquired Roundup’s original producer, Monsanto, in 2018. The decision is a victory for President Donald Trump’s administration, which argued in support of Bayer. But it provoked outrage from allies in the “ Make America Healthy Again” movement who want to rein in pesticide use. The high court, in a 7-2 ruling, held that Roundup cannot be sued in state courts for failure to warn because federal regulators have found a cancer link unlikely and do not require a warning label.

Federal law also bars states from imposing additional or different labeling requirements, the opinion from Justice Brett Kavanaugh states. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, joined by Neil Gorsuch, dissented, saying that Monsanto could have added a warning without violating federal law. Though focused on Roundup, the ruling could affect similar health claims against other pesticide products. “This decision is good for American farmers who help feed the world,“ Bayer CEO Bill Anderson said. ”It provides the regulatory clarity necessary for innovators like us to develop the agricultural tools that guarantee an affordable food supply.” Though Bayer said the ruling should result in the dismissal of failure-to-warn lawsuits, the company said it plans to proceed with a proposed $7.25 billion class-action settlement intended to resolve many of the remaining claims. The ruling was denounced by environmental groups and lawyers representing people who believe they were harmed by Roundup.

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Data center controversy unseats powerful Utah lawmaker

A massive data center project in Box Elder County, Utah, helped bring down the state’s Senate president, who lost his GOP primary on Tuesday after his support for the controversial development fueled voter backlash. Stuart Adams, one of Utah’s most powerful politicians and the longest-serving president of the state Senate in its history, lost to challenger Stephanie Hollist, a former university lawyer and vocal opponent of the data center. Hollist accused Adams, as well as the state’s broader political establishment, of ignoring public concerns about a Stratos data center project that critics feared could cause serious environmental harms. Adams won his previous reelections in the reliably red state with ease. But his position as head of the Utah Military Installation Development Authority, which approved initial plans for the development earlier this year, made him a focal point of growing voter dissent over the project.

Box Elder County Commissioners Boyd Bingham and Lee Perry, who voted in favor of allowing the plans to continue, also lost their primary elections. “Do I think that the data center vote cost me the election? Yes I do,” Perry told The Salt Lake Tribune after conceding on Wednesday. “Would I do anything different? … I wouldn’t vote differently, but I would push back against the state and make them come out publicly and tell everybody why they’re forcing it down our throat.” The proposed Stratos project, which is backed by investor and “Shark Tank” star Kevin O’Leary, is expected to be one of the world’s largest artificial intelligence data centers, spanning multiple sites across the Beehive State. But residents worried the project could strain fragile water supplies near the Great Salt Lake and consume strenuous amounts of electricity. Developers have argued the campus would create jobs and generate millions in tax revenue. As opposition mounted, Adams sought to distance himself from the project in the closing weeks of his campaign, calling for significant reductions to its proposed size of 40,000 acres. But it was too late for the lawmaker, who became the first sitting Utah Senate president to lose a primary election in modern Utah history.

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Inside the C.D.C.’s mad scramble to meet Kennedy’s demands

Less than 24 hours after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. became the nation’s health secretary, his press secretary delivered an order from him to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Take down your advertising campaign promoting flu vaccines. It was Feb. 14, 2025. Flu season was in full swing and it was a bad one. That same day, the C.D.C. reported that influenza-related ailments had killed 68 children — 11 that week alone — and 16,000 people overall. There had been 29 million reported cases and 370,000 hospitalizations. Nicole Coffin, the veteran communications expert who took the press secretary’s call, dashed off an email to her supervisor, Kevin Griffis. “Andrew Nixon/HHS gave me a call and asked that we pull out of circulation all campaign ad buys related to flu or anything encouraging shots or vaccinations,” she wrote, referring to the Health and Human Services Department, which Mr. Kennedy leads. “He said this request came directly from the Secretary.”

Alarmed, Mr. Griffis wrote to his boss, Susan Monarez, the acting C.D.C. director, warning that halting the campaign in the middle of an outbreak “presents significant reputational risk to the agency” and could raise “legal issues.” The exchanges over the flu vaccine campaign are in a cache of internal C.D.C. emails obtained last week by The New York Times, and published online this week. The messages provide a detailed look at a period of transition in which the leaders of the nation’s public health agency frequently found themselves buffeted and dismayed by the agenda imposed by Mr. Kennedy and the new Trump administration. The emails begin in January, before Mr. Kennedy was confirmed, and end in mid-August, about a week before the White House fired Dr. Monarez as C.D.C. director at the secretary’s request, just 29 days after her Senate confirmation. While Mr. Kennedy’s fraught relationship with the health agency is well known, the messages, coupled with interviews, shed light on how C.D.C. employees scrambled to meet his demands — often on matters regarding vaccines and autism — as the administration gutted the agency’s ranks. When Mr. Kennedy was considering remaking the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices, the panel of outside experts that advises the C.D.C. on vaccine policy, agency employees were dispatched to a nearby National Archives facility to dig up 60 years’ worth of historical information on the committee, including its original charter from 1964 and policies on how it handled conflicts of interest.

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Intel’s chip business shows signs of life after years of struggle

At a tech conference in San Francisco this week, admirers surrounded Lip-Bu Tan, the chief executive of Intel, waiting to take selfies with a man few of them had heard of before last year. The spectacle made Matthew Sysak, a senior executive at the tech company Lumentum, shake his head. Watching from a few feet away, he compared the attention on Mr. Tan to the industry’s rock star treatment of Jensen Huang, the chief executive of the chip maker Nvidia, now the world’s most valuable company. “It’s a traveling circus,” he said in disbelief. Not long ago, Intel, which was once one of the most powerful tech companies in the world, was described as Silicon Valley’s fallen icon. Sales were plummeting, costs soaring and debts mounting. The U.S. government intervened last summer and took a 10 percent stake in the company. Now, Intel is showing signs of a turnaround. Its value has more than tripled to $650 billion, its business has started to rebound behind the artificial intelligence boom, and it has added big customers like Nvidia and Apple.

The stakes are high for the company and Mr. Tan, who took over in March last year. Intel is a cornerstone of the U.S. government’s push to rebuild the nation’s semiconductor manufacturing and wean Silicon Valley off its dependence on Taiwan. If Intel is unable to turn itself around now — when nearly the entire chip industry is cashing in on A.I. — a fix may not be possible, said Chris Miller, the author of “Chip War,” a book that recounts the rise of the semiconductor industry. “As the only American manufacturer of cutting-edge chips — and the only firm with its high-end research in the U.S. — Intel’s fate will shape the future of America’s chip industry and determine the extent to which the country relies on Taiwan,” Mr. Miller said. Less than a year ago, President Trump demanded that Mr. Tan step down as Intel’s chief executive because of concerns that the company he previously led had illegally sold chip technology to China. Days later, the two met and negotiated a deal for the government to take the 10 percent stake for $8.9 billion. The money was the remainder of a federal grant that Intel had been promised through the CHIPS and Science Act, a bipartisan law aimed at making the United States less reliant on Asia for semiconductors. The investment was a shot in the arm, said Sanjay Natarajan, a senior executive with Intel’s manufacturing business until last year. It helped lift the company’s market value and signaled that the U.S. government had a vested interest in rebuilding Intel’s business.

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Vance dismisses Watergate scandal, says ‘deep state’ went after Nixon

Vice President JD Vance on Thursday expressed sympathy for former president Richard M. Nixon, suggesting that Nixon was wrongly forced out as president in 1974 and comparing his political travails decades ago to those facing President Donald Trump now. “As I joked … backstage, if Watergate happened tomorrow, it would be like a 12-hour news story,” Vance said in remarks at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in California. “The idea that it would have taken down a presidency is crazy.” A spokesperson for Vance did not immediately respond to questions about whether the vice president was being facetious and how he was defining Watergate. The Watergate scandal, which began in 1972 with a botched attempt to bug the Democratic National Committee’s offices at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, mushroomed into a wide-ranging investigation by reporters and lawmakers that revealed Nixon was aware of the break-in and directed secret White House payments in an effort to cover it up.

He resigned as president two years after the scandal broke, with Nixon blaming The Washington Post for its central role in exposing his involvement in the break-in and other abuses. The scandal also prompted a series of reforms intended to rein in presidential authority, including more independence for government watchdogs such as inspectors general, which Trump has steadily rolled back. Historians said Thursday that the full scope of the Watergate scandal, ranging from the president’s efforts to apply pressure to his “enemies list” to asking for a census of Jewish Americans serving in government because he believed they were unpatriotic, revealed Nixon’s abuses of presidential power. Vance “should know better as a well-educated lawyer,” said Timothy Naftali, a previous director of the Nixon library, referring to Vance’s law degree from Yale University. Naftali, a Columbia University presidential historian, referenced tapes that contained thousands of hours of Nixon’s Oval Office conversations.

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Venezuela earthquakes death toll rises at least 235 and 4,300 injured health minister says

Over 200 people were killed and more than 4,000 were injured as a pair of powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday evening, officials said. The two quakes -- a 7.2 magnitude one followed just seconds later by a 7.5 -- struck the coast of Venezuela, knocking down buildings in Caracas, the capital, and sending residents racing into the street. Responders are undertaking "intensive rescue operations" Thursday, searching for people thought to be under the rubble, acting President Delcy Rodriguez said.

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Supreme Court strikes down blue state's 'vampire rule' in major win for gun rights

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Hawaii on Thursday, handing concealed-carry permit holders a major victory in a 6-3 decision. The Supreme Court sided with the plaintiff in Wolford v. Lopez, who contested Hawaii's state law requiring a property owner's explicit permission to allow lawful gun owners to bring firearms into public businesses. "Hawaii's law at issue here violates the constitutional right to keep and bear arms," Justice Samuel Alito wrote. "This regime hobbles what the Second Amendment protects: the right of Americans to carry arms for self-defense as they go about their daily lives."

The ruling reverses a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which had upheld Hawaii's restrictions after the state enacted them in response to the Supreme Court's 2022 Bruen decision. After Bruen struck down New York's "proper cause" licensing requirement and held that Americans have a constitutional right to carry handguns outside the home for self-defense, Hawaii overhauled its firearms laws. Among the new provisions was a requirement that concealed-carry permit holders could not bring firearms onto another person's private property, including businesses open to the public, unless the owner provided express authorization through signage or verbal or written permission. In Second Amendment advocacy circles, the law became known as the "vampire rule." Alito wrote that the law could subject lawful concealed-carry permit holders to criminal liability while going about routine daily activities, such as stopping at a gas station, pharmacy or grocery store. He illustrated the concern through a hypothetical based on Jaime Caetano, a woman who sought to carry a weapon after threats from an abusive former partner, imagining her running ordinary errands while lawfully carrying a firearm for self-defense. "Unless each of these establishments has posted a sign saying 'Guns Welcome' or something to that effect, each visit could expose her to criminal liability," Alito wrote.

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Lead Stories

Will Texas' new top voting official be a 'disruptor'? Locals are preparing for it

Just months ahead of closely contested midterm elections, Texas is about to get a new top voting official. Many locals there fear the frontrunner is a 34-year-old conservative state lawmaker and pastor with no election administration experience. In Texas, the governor picks the secretary of state, and it's unclear when Republican Gov. Greg Abbott will make a formal announcement. The current top elections official, Secretary of State Jane Nelson — who announced her resignation earlier this month — is expected to stay in office until July 17. For weeks though, signs have pointed to Nelson's successor being state Rep. Nate Schatzline, a pastor at a Fort Worth megachurch with ties to Christian nationalism, who has repeated baseless claims about widespread fraud in American elections.

"I personally have not heard of another name floated," said Chris McGinn, executive director of the Texas Association of County Election Officials, the professional organization for the state's hundreds of local voting officials. In preparation for the announcement, McGinn drafted an analysis report for his members on how Schatzline could affect elections this year as secretary of state. It noted that previous secretaries of state, including Nelson, have been institutionalists who "prioritized stabilizing relationships with county officials, providing bipartisan-friendly training resources, and shielding local administrators from overt partisan warfare." Schatzline, however, would seem to present a change. "It is believed that Schatzline would represent a disruptor model of [secretary of state] leadership: highly ideological, responsive to grassroots activist demands, and comfortable using the office as an active enforcement agency," McGinn's report said. Schatzline, who is not running for reelection for his statehouse seat, did not respond to an NPR request for an interview or comment. An Abbott spokesperson did not respond to questions about Schatzline, saying only that "an announcement on an appointment will be made at a later date."

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Texas Democrats to showcase the generational divide in their state convention

Texas Democrats will open their convention Thursday in Corpus Christi, buoyed by what they foresee as a hostile midterm election cycle for Republicans and by the opportunity to present themselves as a generational alternative to the GOP's decades-long dominance that has lost touch with the needs of a youthful state. Leading their ticket heading toward the Nov. 3 election is 37-year-old James Talarico, who, if elected, would be the youngest member of the U.S. Senate. And the Democratic candidates for governor and lieutenant governor are about a decade-and-a-half younger than the incumbent Republicans who are each seeking a fourth term in office. "It's time for these Republicans to get out of the way and make way for our younger folks," said longtime activist Donna Beth McCormick, the state Democratic Party's sergeant at arms who is approaching 90 years old.

The three-day Democratic state convention's chief purpose is to craft a platform laying out the party's guiding principles and providing something of an issues-based blueprint for candidates up and down the ballot to present to the voters. It's also an opportunity to cement party unity in a year where Republicans are tethered to President Donald Trump as his approval ratings in Texas and across the nation have fallen amid raising inflation and growing unease with the administration's foreign policy. But the convention will not just be about Texas, or about the candidacies of Talarico and those of gubernatorial nominee Gina Hinojosa, lieutenant governor hopeful Vikki Goodwin and the others on the statewide ballot. Several national Democrats who might be looking ahead to the 2028 presidential race have also been given featured speaking slots. Among them are U.S. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Illinois Gov. JB Prtizker and New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who identifies himself as a democratic socialist and has twice sought the Democratic nomination for president, will deliver the keynote address to close the convention on Saturday. Democratic U.S. Rep. Greg Casar of Austin, who at 37 is among about a dozen members of the House born after 1988, said the convention presents an opportunity to show how Texas is overdue for an upending of the GOP's status quo. “While Democrats look to the future, Texas Republicans are running the same candidates whose corruption and bad policies have failed to bring down prices for decades,” said Casar, who leads the Congressional Progressive Caucus and is seeking a third term representing a safe Democratic district.

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Trump asks Congress for billions for Iran war, after tension with Republicans, canceling signing of housing bill

The White House has asked lawmakers to approve $87.6bn (£66.5bn), mostly for "urgent needs" connected with the US war on Iran, a day after Congress passed a resolution rebuking the military action. The bulk of the funding - $67bn - is for the US Department of Defence, the White House said. But the proposal faces an uphill battle in Congress. The Iran conflict is unpopular with voters ahead of the US midterm elections in November, though a ceasefire is currently in effect. US President Donald Trump has also found himself at odds with some members of his Republican Party over the issue of Iran, and is alleged to have ended up in an angry exchange with one senator on Wednesday.

That senator, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, was one of a handful of Republicans who defied the president on Tuesday by voting to pass a measure demanding that he halt the war or seek congressional approval before continuing military action. Cassidy fell back in line after his alleged sparring with the president, and after receiving assurances from members of Trump's administration. He and others went on to vote down another similar measure in the Senate late on Wednesday. The White House Office of Management and Budget sent the formal request for the funds on Wednesday in a letter to House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson. "Most of this request will address urgent needs related to Operation Epic Fury (OEF)," says the letter, referring to the Iran war. The request includes $21bn for munitions, $17.3bn for operational costs and $12.1bn for classified programmes. It also asks for about $300m to bolster security at US embassies and diplomatic outposts in the Middle East and South Asia after some of them came under attack earlier in the war.

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Trump signals he may pull out of trade agreement with Mexico and Canada, which could impact Texas businesses

The Trump administration is pushing up against a July 1 deadline to renew the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). President Donald Trump's public remarks are leading to fears among some Texas businesses that he could pull the U.S. out of the agreement. When Trump negotiated the USMCA during his first term as president, to serve as a replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), he called it the “fairest, most balanced, and beneficial trade agreement we have ever signed into law.” But last week, he said he'd rather see it terminated than renew it. "I would rather not have the agreement," Trump told reporters. "I may sign it, but we do better as a country if we don't have an agreement."

Michelle Schulz, a Dallas-based trade attorney, said she believes U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is less eager to withdraw from the USMCA than the president. But the decision is ultimately Trump's. "I wouldn’t be surprised if the president did something dramatic and decided to terminate the agreement. I’m ready for anything, but it would not be helpful for our U.S. importers," Schulz said. "In fact, it would cause a great deal more disruption than the tariffs have already caused, in my opinion as a trade lawyer." Schulz anticipates trade negotiations will continue past the July 1 deadline. If the deadline passes without a new agreement, the existing pact will expire in 10 years. "Any of the three parties can withdraw at any time with notice," Schulz said. "So, if the president decides that he does want to withdraw entirely, he can give prior notice, and we may see within the year that we give notice of withdrawal. Hopefully, that’s not the case." Trade, particularly trade with Mexico, is a major driver of the Texas economy. Texas has been the United States’ top exporting state for 22 consecutive years, and Mexico has been the state's leading trade partner for at least the past 17 years.

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State Stories

Camp Mystic files for bankruptcy after months of investigations, lawsuits on flood deaths

Camp Mystic has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy relief, according to court records. The case was filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of Texas on Wednesday by an attorney on behalf of Camp Mystic. The move follows multiple lawsuits by families alleging that the camp failed to protect campers and counselors. Twenty-five campers, two counselors, and Dick Eastland, camp owner and executive director, died when the Guadalupe River flooded nearly a year ago. The bankruptcy complicates the fate of these lawsuits and may delay resolution, experts said.

While the filing itself does not address the litigation, Chapter 11 bankruptcy generally triggers an automatic stay that can temporarily pause lawsuits while the bankruptcy case proceeds. A bankruptcy judge can modify or lift that stay under certain circumstances. But Angela Littwin, a bankruptcy law professor at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law, said the more likely outcome is that the claims are ultimately resolved through the bankruptcy process itself. "The most common outcome of a bankruptcy like this is that the lawsuits would not pick up, that they would be settled in the bankruptcy," Littwin said. Littwin said the process involves creating a trust funded by insurance proceeds and company assets, with plaintiffs pursuing compensation through the trust rather than through individual lawsuits. Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond who has been following the wrongful death lawsuits from families, said the bankruptcy filing implies that the owners of Camp Mystic believe they don't have the resources to cover the outcome of the litigation. "It's going to be more difficult for the families to recover compensation because of this," Tobias said.

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Musk on fatal Tesla crash in Texas: ‘This makes no sense’

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is pushing back on allegations the company’s full self-driving software was involved in a recent crash that killed a Texas woman. Martha Avila, 76, died after a Tesla drove through the front of her home in Katy, Texas, last Friday. Both police and the driver have indicated that Tesla’s automated driving assistance system was in use at the time of the accident, according to a lawsuit filed by Avila’s daughter. “[T]his makes no sense,” Musk wrote in an X post Monday. “FSD [full self-driving] drives slowly through neighborhood streets and this was a high speed crash!” Tesla’s vice president of AI software, Ashok Elluswamy, similarly argued that the driver “manually overrode self-driving by pressing the accelerator all the way to 100% of the accel pedal in this residential area.”

Jennifer Barbour, Avila’s daughter, and her husband Justin Barbour are suing both Tesla and the driver, Michael Butler, over the crash. The lawsuit alleges the accident was “caused by the concurrent negligence of Defendant Butler and the defective condition of the Vehicle and its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems as designed, manufactured, and marketed by Defendant Tesla.” The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it has launched a special crash investigation into the incident. The federal regulator previously opened a probe into Tesla’s full-self driving software, which escalated in March from a preliminary evaluation to an engineering analysis. It is investigating nine other crashes, including one fatal, in which the system failed to detect poor driving conditions and alert drivers quickly enough.

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Fort Bend County Interim Judge Daniel Wong fights back against claims he is no longer county judge

Fort Bend County Interim Judge Daniel Wong is no longer legally the county judge, according to Commissioner Dexter McCoy. Wong was appointed to the role after Judge KP George was suspended in connection with a civil lawsuit alleging First Amendment violations. ABC13 has learned that the woman who filed the lawsuit has now chosen not to move forward, effectively ending Wong's appointment as interim county judge.

On Wednesday, Fort Bend County Attorney Bridgette Smith Lawson issued a statement stating that the case has concluded and that Wong no longer has the legal authority to act as County Judge. Smith Lawson added, "The guidance from this office is based entirely on Texas law, free from partisan politics. It would be irresponsible for the County to ignore the existence of the non-suit, which could expose the County to unnecessary risk." Smith Lawson also said in the statement that the court will continue business without a presiding judge, and Wong cannot participate unless he secures a and presents a new, active court order that has yet to be delivered to the court. A spokesperson on behalf of Wong says the County Attorney did not properly attribute to Texas laws in the matter. Their statement reads, "The County Attorney's opinion cites no section of Texas law and carries no weight whatsoever. County Judge Daniel Wong is the County Judge. In accordance with the Texas Constitution and state laws, Judge Wong will continue to execute his lawful duties and faithfully represent the people of Fort Bend County. The only "unnecessary risk" we are seeing is from the actions of the County Attorney and her meritless and partisan press release. The County Attorney provided the public with the order which put Judge Wong into office, and she cites no document that removes him."

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Disinvited elsewhere, Kanye West found a city that couldn’t say no

In the midst of major budget discussions, economic development deals and utility rate hikes, this week San Antonio city leaders once again found themselves scrambling to react to a broader cultural debate that landed squarely at their feet. The last-minute scheduling of a Ye, or Kanye West, concert caught the attention of an outspoken mayor and rankled Jewish leaders who consider his track record of antisemitic comments dangerous. Now four days later, the San Antonio City Council has been tested by debates weighing morals vs. money, a hard-to-pass-up-on lucrative Alamodome contract, a last-minute ban on swastika merch and a mortifying moment for one of its most spotlight-averse members. Before this week, some of the council’s 10 members said they weren’t even up-to-speed on West’s history of public comments.

Conservative Councilwoman Misty Spears (D9) had already accepted free tickets to the show before issuing a mortified apology from her trip to Israel days later. “Anyone who knows Councilwoman Spears would be able to guess she’s not a Kanye fan,” spokeswoman Megan Coleman said Wednesday. By the time the dust seemingly settled, most of the city leaders had denounced West’s speech — but a majority had signaled they wouldn’t seek to cancel a show with high earning potential for the city. Now the mayor wants more say over how such events are scheduled in the first place, while others fear a censorship fight with wide-ranging implications. “When the government begins making decisions about which artists, speakers or events are acceptable based on ideology or viewpoint, those tools can later be used in ways that harm other communities and causes,” progressive Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (D2) wrote on social media.

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Houston Methodist announces $110 million gift, largest in its history

Houston Methodist announced on Wednesday a $110-million gift, the largest single donation in the health system’s more than 100-year history. Funds will advance research and care related to neurological diseases, neuroscience and women’s health. The record commitment was made by the Brockman family through their eponymous Brockman Medical Research Foundation. The foundation’s areas of focus include education and research in the fields of science, medicine and healthcare. In recognition of the historic gift, Houston Methodist’s newest hospital facility will be named the Brockman Centennial Tower, with the tower’s entrance named the Anna Margaret Bellows Centennial Hall in honor of the 8-year-old who died at Camp Mystic in the July 4 flooding.

“The Brockman family is a longtime supporter of Houston Methodist,” said Dr. Marc L. Boom, president and CEO of Houston Methodist. “We hope this gift will serve as rocket fuel to drive research and education.” Brockman Centennial Tower is expected to open in 2027 at an estimated cost of $1.4 billion. With building plans exceeding 1 million square feet, the 26-story hospital facility will add nearly 400 new patient beds to Houston Methodist’s flagship campus in the Texas Medical Center, in addition to an expanded emergency department that will connect to the Paula and Joseph C. “Rusty” Walter III Tower. The Walters and their Houston-based company Walter Oil & Gas Corporation, previously donated $101 million in 2017 to accelerate Methodist’s neuroscience research efforts.

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Houston rodeo will build a new $300M arena south of Reliant Park

The Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo will spend roughly $300 million to build a new arena and agricultural complex a few miles south of Reliant Park (formerly NRG Park), the largest investment of the nonprofit’s history and one that cements its future in that part of Houston. The rodeo announced Wednesday it will expand with a 5,000-seat arena to replace the aging one at Reliant Park, along with two large barns and an administrative building that amount to more than 1 million square feet in new space. The new complex will be on land the rodeo owns west of Texas 288 between Reed Road and Airport Boulevard. It is expected to be ready by the 2029 Rodeo.

The rodeo’s annual event then will be split between Reliant Park and this complex, with the latter hosting horse shows, auctions and agricultural events. The bulk of programming, including concerts and the carnival, will remain at Reliant Park, though the new arena could host concerts, comedy shows and other events in the offseason. Chris Boleman, the rodeo’s president and CEO, said the organization started discussing this project before the COVID-19 pandemic. He described it as an expansion – not a relocation – that will allow the rodeo to program year round in addition to its marquee annual event in March. The rodeo’s headquarters will remain at Reliant Center. “Home for us is still Reliant Park, and specifically the center… Our commitment is to be at Reliant Park long term,” Boleman said. “It’s really about creating the best environment possible for our horse and livestock exhibitors. This is the next chapter in our evolution.” Replacing the arena was one key tenet of ongoing lease negotiations between Harris County, the Houston Texans and the rodeo for the future of Reliant Park. Reliant Arena has long been considered past its life span, and the rodeo has been mulling its options for a replacement. The Texans also are considering a new football stadium, and there remains an open question about what to do with the vacant Astrodome in the middle of the campus.

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County judge GOP nominee says local officials should have done more to oppose emissions testing

With $18.50 vehicle emissions testing set to begin in Bexar County on Nov. 1, Republican county judge nominee Patrick Von Dohlen is blaming local officials for not doing more to oppose the federal designation that triggered the requirement. The new requirement applies to most gasoline-powered vehicles between 2 and 24 years old. At a news conference Tuesday, Von Dohlen said local officials failed to adequately oppose the designation and warned that working families could face costly repairs if their vehicles fail the emissions test. "The city and the county could have spoken at numerous, different public hearings to say, 'this is not going to help Bexar County residents.' But nobody did. As far as to my knowledge, I am the only one that has."

Von Dohlen estimated drivers could pay at least $38 million a year in testing fees alone and said tens of thousands of vehicles are expected to fail emissions tests each year. According to Von Dohlen, repair costs could average about $1,500 for cars and $2,500 for trucks, with some owners of older vehicles facing repair bills that exceed the value of their cars. The designation, however, was ultimately made by the Environmental Protection Agency. Emissions-testing requirements are already in place in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Austin and El Paso areas after those regions failed to meet federal ozone standards. Democratic nominee Ron Nirenberg's campaign disputes Von Dohlen's criticism and provided Texas Public Radio with a letter the then-mayor sent to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt on April 30, 2018. In the letter, Nirenberg urged the EPA to maintain Bexar County's attainment status and argued that local governments, nonprofit organizations and private industry had spent more than 15 years working to reduce emissions. The letter also cited state data showing that roughly 32% of the region's ozone pollution originated outside the San Antonio area and noted that air-quality improvements had been achieved even as the metropolitan area added more than 568,000 residents. Some local officials and air-quality planners have debated emissions testing for decades. In the early 2000s, leaders in the Austin area adopted a voluntary emissions-testing program as part of their clean-air strategy, while San Antonio pursued other approaches. Today, Travis and Williamson counties remain in attainment, while Bexar County was ultimately downgraded to nonattainment status, bringing additional federal requirements, including emissions testing.

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New drone method could boost oyster restoration along Texas Coast

A new drone-centric method could lead to quicker and easier oyster restoration on the Texas Coast amid a growing need across the Texas Coast. On June 12, oyster harvesting company Jeri's Seafood worked alongside Palacios Marine Agriculture Research to release one million baby oysters into East Galveston Bay on privately leased areas using an agricultural drone. The tiny oysters were spread across five acres in a matter of 20 minutes. The hope is that, given four to six months, the oysters will grow big enough to harvest. If it works, Justin Woody, vice president of Jeri's Seafood, said using the drone to drop oyster seeds could be a game changer for oyster restoration.

"We’re hopeful that it’s successful and that it works and it adds another tool in the toolbox to help oyster restoration efforts in Texas, whether it’s through a harvestable commercial setting or a non-harvestable reef," Woody said. Woody said the entire Texas coast has seen a decline in oyster populations for a multitude of reasons, including Mother Nature, harvesting, or man-made diversions such as damming up a river, which he said can change the habitat and be deadly for oysters. "Now there’s a big push to ‘How do we mitigate that problem, how do we get our populations back up?' And this isn’t the cure-all, but if it works and it’s effective, it’s another tool in the toolbox to help with [restoration]," Woody said. According to Woody, there's a possibility this was the first time hatchery-grown oyster seeds were deployed by drone at this scale for commercial oyster production. He said deploying hatchery-raised seed on the bay bottom wasn't allowed for approved leases in Texas until 2025.

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‘This is injustice’: how leftist zines were used to sentence anti-ICE protesters to decades in prison

It’s the day after Mother’s Day, the first one Elizabeth Soto has spent apart from her three children. Sitting in jail in Wichita Falls, Texas, her face is washed out by the overhead fluorescent lighting, and her dingy jumpsuit blends into the cinder block walls surrounding her. Speaking through a glass separator, she tells me she celebrated the holiday with her children over the jail’s video-call system while they had dinner at their grandmother’s. “I’ve been a full-time mother all of their lives,” she said. “I’ve never been away from them.” Soto’s children have not visited her in jail, which lies on Texas’s northern border near Oklahoma, hours from their home in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Elizabeth Soto has only seen her husband, Ines Soto, once over the past year, the longest they’ve spent apart since they first started dating more than 20 years ago. He is being held in a federal prison more than 100 miles away.

On Tuesday, Elizabeth was sentenced to 50 years in federal prison; Ines’s sentencing is set for 1 July. All because, as she put it: “They didn’t like my book club.” Her laugh doesn’t quite reach her eyes. Last year on the Fourth of July, a small group from Dallas-Fort Worth held a night-time noise demonstration, setting off fireworks outside the Prairieland Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility south of the cities, in solidarity with the detainees. A few protesters broke away and spray-painted graffiti on employees’ cars and a security post, slashed the tires on a government van, and broke a security camera. The facility’s guards ordered the protesters to disperse, and most of them did. When a police officer arrived at the scene, drawing his gun, an armed protester shot her rifle, hitting the officer in the shoulder. The officer survived. After a three-week trial, a jury found eight of nine protesters guilty of “providing material support to terrorists”, among other crimes. For the Sotos, this “material support” included owning a “printing press” used to print anarchist zines and being part of a leftist book club, the federal government argued. The couple had already left the scene by the time guns were drawn. All eight of the defendants sentenced so far have received unusually harsh sentences – 30 to 100 years – essentially life in prison.

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Texas’ refusal to plan for climate change created a crisis in Corpus Christi

A decade ago, Corpus Christi’s regional water plan projected shortages as soon as 2050. The next plan, released five years later, shortened that timeline to 2030. The next plan, released this year, said shortages were imminent, putting city leaders in a desperate scramble to avoid an emergency. Something’s not right with the calculations that underpin these plans, said John Michael, an engineering executive who has worked on local water infrastructure for 44 years. “Whether it’s climate change or something else, our reservoir system is not as dependable as we once thought,” he said at his office in May. He pointed to the regional water plans on his office table—700 pages in four-inch binders—which are prepared every five years by local committees using methodology provided by the State of Texas. These plans never factored in climate science or considered the projections that a warming planet could contribute to a drought as extreme as the one Corpus Christi now faces.

In fact, as climate models predicted, every drought for the last 30 years in Corpus Christi, has exceeded the parameters contemplated in local plans, thanks to fatal delusions, deep in the heart of Texas’ methodology: Texas doesn’t plan for droughts to get worse. “The droughts keep getting worse,” said Michael, vice president of Hanson Professional Services in Corpus Christi. Four droughts have punctuated his career, each hotter and drier than the last. Each one left the city scrambling to build out its water plans ahead of schedule. For decades, intensifying droughts consistently outpaced planning efforts until, by the start of this drought, the region ran out of plans. The problem is that methods developed by the Texas Water Development Board, an agency headed by appointees of the governor, use the worst drought conditions on record as a worst-case scenario for the future. “Drought-of-record planning is a foundational element of Texas water planning,” said a TWDB spokesperson, Kaci Woodrome. “It provides a consistent, statewide minimum baseline for evaluating water supply reliability.”

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Texas is set to require Bible reading in public schools

Texas would make Bible stories required reading for more than 5 million public school students under a proposal that has reignited debate over widening efforts in the U.S. to put more religion in classrooms. A final vote by the Republican-controlled Texas State Board of Education on whether to approve the plan is set for Friday. Last year Texas became the largest state to require every classroom to display the Ten Commandments. The proposed list has drawn fierce opposition. Critics argue that it violates the constitutional separation of church, lacks diversity and favors Christianity over other religions. Supporters say Judeo-Christian traditions were fundamental to the nation’s founding and that should be reflected in the public school curriculum.

President Donald Trump has pledged to protect and expand religious expression in public schools nationwide, and Texas — a red state that is home to about one in 10 of all U.S. public school students — often sets the agenda. In 2023, Texas became the first state to allow the hiring of chaplains to counsel students, and the following year, the board narrowly approved an optional Bible-infused curriculum for elementary schools. Last year, Republican lawmakers required public schools to display the Ten Commandments, a measure recently upheld by a federal appeals court. Texas has about 5.5 million public school students from kindergarten through high school. If approved by the board, the required reading list would take effect in 2030. “We need to focus on what our nation was founded on and not apologize for that,” Susan Perez, founder of Citizens for Education Reform, told the education board during testimony this week. “It is the truth and we should not be afraid.”

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Former Hidalgo County district clerk wanted since 2013 arrested in Mexico

A former Hidalgo County district clerk is in U.S. custody after being arrested in Mexico. Omar Guerrero, who had previously served as the Hidalgo County district clerk, had been on the run for over 10 years. He was wanted in connection with a sexual assault of a child, a second degree felony, as well as other outstanding warrants. Guerrero had previously been arrested on a felony charge of cocaine possession and a misdemeanor charge of tampering with the identification of an assault rifle. At the time, a justice of the peace set his bond at $1.05 million — $1 million on the felony and $50,000 on the misdemeanor.

At the time, he had a history of fleeing to Mexico to avoid criminal charges. He failed to appear for any court hearings after he posted bond in May 2013. “On April 26, 2013, Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a report in which a child disclosed an outcry of sexual assault,” Wednesday’s news release read. “The victim reported that she left her workplace with a man known to her as Omar. According to the victim, she was taken to a residence located in the 6300 block of Western Road in rural Mission, Texas, where the assault occurred.” Guerrero was identified by the victim through a photographic lineup. Investigators with the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office found probable cause that Guerrero did indeed assault the victim. “At the time of his arrest, he was also wanted on additional outstanding warrants unrelated to this case,” the news release read. “Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office will be coordinating with federal authorities to transport Guerrero to Hidalgo County where he will face charges. The investigation is ongoing.”

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No Big Bend Wall continues fight against border wall, citing environmental and archaeological threats

In recent years, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) archaeologists have uncovered a pit house near the Rio Grande in Far West Texas inside Big Bend Ranch State Park (BBRSP). It’s believed to be the first such site to be excavated since the 1940s, when the archaeologist J. Charles Kelley uncovered other pit houses in the La Junta village in nearby Redford. Pit houses are housing structures dug into the earth, typically used for shelter or storage. There are some variations to the uncovered pit houses in the region, but the similarities in the architecture reveal that other communities formed downstream. David Keller, a local archeologist and historian, helped the TPWD team with the new site when he could, but he stopped once he learned about the impending construction of a border wall planned for the Big Bend region; if built, it would threaten this site. He felt that he was being called to duty, so he joined the fight against it.

“The work that Kelley did was significant, but there’s just so much more that we need to do to even begin to understand what was going on here,” Keller told AN. “For [the border wall] to be happening without oversight, it makes archeologists want to pull their hair out, because it’s like we don’t even know what’s there, and you’re going to destroy it before we even have a chance to document it.” He is now part of No Big Bend Wall (NBBW), a group of residents who are organizing against the wall. A resident of Redford, Keller helps as a landowner coordinator. The projected 30-foot-high steel border wall is part of President Donald Trump’s 2025 Executive Order and funded by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. It also includes detection technology, cameras, and lighting. The wall is planned to run for 150 miles along the Rio Grande in Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, and Presidio counties. Big Bend National Park (BBNP), in neighboring Brewster County, and BBRSP, which traverses Brewster and Presidio counties, are also slated for new border security infrastructure. In March, then–Secretary of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Kristi Noem waived 28 environmental laws that protected historic and archeological sites and resources to expedite the construction, claiming that the Big Bend Sector had a high level of illegal entry with over 89,000 crossings between 2021 through 2025. But CBP recently reported that crossings drastically reduced by 74 percent in the last fiscal year.

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National Stories

How a $45 million donation brought Larry Ellison deeper into Trump’s circle

Larry Ellison didn’t join the gaggle of CEOs that traveled with President Trump on his state visit to China. He wasn’t among the guests at a White House dinner Trump hosted with tech titans. He also skipped the UFC event on Trump’s 80th birthday. The Oracle billionaire didn’t need to be at these public events. Ellison, 81 years old, has developed a more private friendship with Trump that has helped his tech company’s business as well as his son’s effort to assemble a media conglomerate. Key to the relationship: Ellison’s money. Ellison gave roughly $45 million to a political nonprofit group supporting Trump’s election efforts in 2024, according to people familiar with the fundraising. Such funding isn’t subject to disclosure rules and hasn’t been previously reported.

More recently, Ellison has given millions of dollars more to groups that support Trump since the election, the people said, with some of the funds going to Trump’s legacy initiatives in Washington, D.C. Oracle is among the corporate sponsors listed by Freedom 250, a Trump-aligned group hosting celebrations for the country’s 250th birthday. Trump’s investment accounts were actively trading Oracle shares earlier this year, including a sale worth at least $1 million in January and a purchase worth at least $1 million in March, federal disclosure filings show. In a statement, the Trump Organization has said that the president’s investments are independently managed and that he isn’t involved in selecting or approving investments. Trump is “committed to working with every American business and business leader,” said White House spokesman Kush Desai. Oracle declined to comment. While Larry Ellison wasn’t at the Ultimate Fighting Championship event at the White House this month, his son, David Ellison, was among the VIPs there. It took place days after a decision by the Justice Department to clear the $81 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery by his company, Paramount Skydance. The spectacle was streamed by Paramount, which under David Ellison’s leadership paid billions of dollars for the rights to UFC events.

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‘They like a good batting average’: Crypto racks up primary wins

Almost four months into the 2026 congressional primary season, the cryptocurrency industry’s leading super PAC has racked up a winning percentage that could make the Harlem Globetrotters blush. Fairshake, the deep-pocketed PAC group funded by leading crypto firms, has gone 38-2 across the first 40 congressional races it has spent on this year. Though many of those bets were placed in safe races, the spending has helped take down critics and pave the way for a new wave of industry-friendly lawmakers to come to Washington. The group notched four more wins in Tuesday’s primaries, as Fairshake-backed candidates prevailed in races across Maryland, Utah and New York.

Most prominently, Maryland state Del. Adrian Boafo won a hotly contested Democratic primary to replace Rep. Steny Hoyer with the help of more than $5.5 million in spending from a Fairshake-affiliated PAC. The spending spree comes at a pivotal time for the crypto sector in Washington. The industry’s longtime top priority — a sweeping bill that would bless digital assets with a new sheen of regulatory legitimacy — is pending in the Senate, with Republicans hoping for a floor vote next month. The campaign money injects midterm politics into the debate over an issue that is otherwise reserved for financial policy wonks: It offers to help vulnerable lawmakers in both parties who support the effort — and threatens to punish those who don’t. The victories in Alabama and Maryland represent two of crypto’s most audacious plays this year. But Fairshake’s overall record reflects a cautious approach of wading into many races where the candidate it supports is the favorite — and spending early and big when it does enter a competitive contest. Notably, many of the primaries the group has played in so far are for seats considered safe in November.

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Judge bars Trump administration from enacting proof of citizenship requirement to vote

A federal judge on Wednesday permanently barred President Donald Trump’s administration from implementing most of his first executive order on elections, part of which sought to require people to show documentary proof of citizenship when they register to vote. The ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Denise Casper in Boston effectively converts a preliminary injunction she issued a year ago, in which she temporarily blocked many of Trump’s efforts to overhaul elections, into a permanent ban. Casper rejected the administration’s argument that the lawsuit to block the changes brought by Democratic state attorneys general was premature because the rules had yet to be implemented.

Instead, she agreed that the Constitution gives states and Congress the authority to regulate elections, and that Trump’s requirements violated the separation of powers. The Constitution "does not grant the President any specific powers over elections,” she wrote. Among other proposed changes, Trump’s order would have required people to provide documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote, prevented mail ballots from being counted if they arrive after Election Day, even if they were postmarked by then, and punished states that failed to comply by withholding certain federal money. In a statement, New York Attorney General Letitia James said she was grateful the court had blocked Trump's "unconstitutional attempt to seize control of our elections" and would continue to defend voting rights in this year's midterm elections. “Generations of Americans fought tirelessly for the right to vote, and we honor their legacy by protecting that right against anyone who tries to undermine it," she said. Requests for comment sent to the White House and Department of Justice were not immediately returned.

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Venezuela acting president says at least 164 dead and 971 injured in powerful quakes

At least 164 people have died and 971 were injured after a pair of powerful quakes rocked Venezuela, Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said Thursday, adding that rescue teams are rushing to the hardest-hit areas to free people trapped under rubble. Wednesday evening’s 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes were among the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century and could be felt throughout the region. The country’s main airport was damaged and closed, while buildings were evacuated in places as far away as Brazil’s Amazon, about 1,700 kilometers (1,050 miles) from Venezuela’s capital, Caracas. Television broadcasts Thursday showed rescue workers using power tools to work their way into piles of rubble where buildings once stood.

Panicked residents of the capital were sent pouring into the streets, and after the quakes many people walked among the debris searching for the missing among collapsed buildings and toppled electric poles. Footage on state TV showed three children, covered in dust but alive, pulled from the rubble in La Guaira state, which Rodríguez described as a “disaster zone” and one of the areas hardest hit by the quakes because of the large number of collapsed buildings. Rodríguez said authorities were shifting rescue teams from other parts of the country to La Guaira, which sits north of Caracas on the coast. She said officials were trying to make the most of the daylight hours to speed up efforts to rescue people believed to remain trapped under the rubble. “Dozens of buildings have collapsed there ... and we are currently carrying out intensive rescue operations to save lives,” Rodríguez said. Video shared online appeared to show dozens of people, some lying on the ground and others on hospital beds, being treated outside a hospital in La Guaira. While Venezuela sits near multiple fault lines, its position straddling the South American and Caribbean plates makes strong earthquakes much less common than in other parts of Latin America. Rodríguez appealed to businesses to make heavy construction equipment available for rescue operations, adding that search and rescue teams certified by the United Nations were on their way to Venezuela to assist.

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A new ABC campaign urges viewers to push back against FCC pressure

ABC viewers across the country are getting a message from the network: If you like your local stations, or “The View,” help us get the government off our back. ABC on Monday launched an on-air campaign asking viewers to send comments to the Federal Communications Commission’s website pushing back on the agency and its chairman, Brendan Carr. Since February, the FCC has been investigating whether ABC’s “The View” violated the commission’s equal-time rule, which guarantees equal airtime to all candidates running for the same public office. ABC has maintained that “The View” qualifies as what the commission calls a “bona fide” news program and is exempt from the rule, accusing the FCC of violating the First Amendment in a legal filing.

In April, the FCC also ordered an early review of ABC’s eight local stations over its diversity, equity and inclusion practices. The review was announced just days after President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump intensely criticized ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, though the FCC maintained that the timing was purely coincidental. Intensifying its response, ABC began airing two television spots directing viewers to submit public comments on the FCC’s website. “The View has hosted your favorite guests and covered the issues you care about for nearly 30 years,” one commercial reads. “Now the FCC wants to control who is allowed to appear on the show. Viewers, use your voice. Scan this QR code. You have until July 6.” The other announcement, airing in various local markets, says, “Now, the FCC is questioning our commitment to the community,” and asks viewers to show their support by chiming in online. “Disney wants the FCC to classify ‘The View’ as a ‘bona fide news program.’ And it has chosen to run a campaign of misinformation to make its case — misleading viewers about the law,” a spokesperson for the FCC said in a statement. “That is a choice.”

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Gay marriage is dividing Republicans, again

In early June, Representative Andy Ogles, a Republican firebrand from Tennessee, did something he often does: Post a message on X that was sure to shock. “Homosexuality has no place in America. Happy Nuclear Family Month.” But unlike some of his other recent virulent posts — for example, about Muslim Americans — this one drew condemnation from many members of his own party, including Mike Johnson, the House speaker. Mr. Ogles deleted the post on X, which he said was sent by a staffer, and called it “stupid” and “hurtful.” The post’s brief life spoke to the divisions within the Republican Party on same-sex marriage. Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court decision protecting gay marriage, turns 11 this year, and there is little indication that establishment Republicans are questioning it.

In early June, Representative Andy Ogles, a Republican firebrand from Tennessee, did something he often does: Post a message on X that was sure to shock. “Homosexuality has no place in America. Happy Nuclear Family Month.” But unlike some of his other recent virulent posts — for example, about Muslim Americans — this one drew condemnation from many members of his own party, including Mike Johnson, the House speaker. Mr. Ogles deleted the post on X, which he said was sent by a staffer, and called it “stupid” and “hurtful.” The post’s brief life spoke to the divisions within the Republican Party on same-sex marriage. Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court decision protecting gay marriage, turns 11 this year, and there is little indication that establishment Republicans are questioning it. Republican states have even started to rebrand Pride Month, the June commemoration of the Stonewall uprising and the signature moment for the gay liberation movement, calling it Fidelity Month or Nuclear Family Month. Mr. Ogles’s now-deleted post referred to the rebranding in Tennessee, where this year the legislature passed a resolution that defined a family as including “one husband and one wife.” “There is a resurgence in the evangelical wing of the party,” said Austin Gilpin, a gay political consultant in Washington who works for Republicans and Democrats. “They are flexing their muscles because they feel like they can get away with it.”

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The new power broker: How Zohran Mamdani muscled NYC’s Democratic establishment

Outside Rep. Adriano Espaillat’s primary night party, four men on the sidewalk were dressed in full neon sequins, trying to get the party started. Inside, the bar had barely opened. Espaillat spent 20 years trying to get to Washington and another 10 years in Congress. He arrived to give his concession speech and left in under 10 minutes. Meanwhile, the real party was going on about three miles away. That’s where Zohran Mamdani was completing his victory lap of three celebrations with candidates who likely would not have gotten near Congress without his endorsements, just a year after he stunned the political world by beating Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic mayoral primary. “We are showing that last June, a year ago tomorrow, was not an anomaly,” Mamdani said. “It was not the end. It was the beginning.”

The wins signify how New York politics and the Democratic Party have a new power broker. Hakeem Jeffries, the Brooklyn-based House Democratic leader, is losing two incumbent members and facing an ascendant band of agitators. And the people long in charge in Democratic politics, including the ones who for decades thought of themselves as the insurgents, aren’t happy about it. They say they feel betrayed, left with a mayor they cannot trust. Around the city council, people who considered themselves his allies are sharing a line, according to one member who spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity: Mamdani is only interested in allyship on his terms. Council members are talking about ways to give Mamdani his comeuppance, whether holding up funding for parts of his agenda or smaller ways of needling him. Mamdani and those closest to him say: This is what a revolution looks like, on his terms. He elevated a former campaign volunteer in Darializa Avila Chevalier, with a long record of inflammatory tweets and attendance at a widely decried rally the day after Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attacks, and propelled her toward Congress over the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

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US lawmakers introduce bipartisan bill to shield ratepayers from data center energy costs

A new bill has been proposed in the US House of Representatives that would require data centers to cover the full cost of grid and generation upgrades needed to serve their facilities, rather than passing those costs to regular ratepayers. The Ratepayer Protection Act, introduced by Kathy Castor (Democrat-Florida) and Gabe Evans (Republican-Colorado), would direct state utility regulators to establish rules ensuring large-load customers, those with a capacity of 100MW or more, pay for any generation, transmission, or other infrastructure required to connect to the grid. The bill would also require financial assurances from large-load customers to cover upgrade costs even if they later reduce operations or exit the grid entirely, shielding utilities and ratepayers from being left with stranded costs.

"My neighbors across Florida are grappling with skyrocketing electric bills. Ratepayers should not have to subsidize wealthy corporations' growing energy demands, especially from AI data centers," said Castor. "The Ratepayer Protection Act safeguards consumers by ensuring these data centers pay for the energy and grid upgrades they need so hardworking families and local businesses are not stuck paying more." "Colorado families, farmers, and small businesses should not be forced to cover the costs of new power generation driven by these developments," said Evans. "The Ratepayer Protection Act is a bipartisan, commonsense solution that protects everyday Americans and ensures our nation can continue to win the AI race." The bill is scheduled for markup in the House Energy and Commerce Energy Subcommittee this week, and has drawn support from Google.

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Lead Stories

Texas water officials seek more funding as crisis worsens, costs soar: ‘This is not going to stop’

Texas water officials pleaded with members of the Texas House Natural Resources committee on Tuesday to provide more funding for water supply projects as project costs skyrocket. Despite the Texas Legislature allocating increased funding to the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) in 2013, and again last year, water experts are concerned about a lack of funding available for local governments to undertake needed water infrastructure projects. In 2013, the Legislature passed House Bill 4, which created the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas (SWIFT). This fund had an initial investment of $2 billion and provided communities with low-interest financing to address state water plan projects. Examples of these projects include building new pipelines and conservation efforts.

The plan was to use that initial investment as the base of an endowment to build a sustainable fund — funneling $27 billion towards water infrastructure projects for 50 years. However, Temple McKinnon, water supply planning director for TWDB, says their drafted 2027 five-year State Water Plan far exceeds current funding. “It’s an ongoing challenge. We do our absolute best to essentially squeeze as much capacity as we can out of our financial assistance programs, but there is growing demand as evidenced very clearly by the kind of new $174 billion price tag for the State Water Plan,” McKinnon told lawmakers Tuesday. McKinnon clarified that increased costs are attributed to a wide range of factors, including inflationary pressure, labor costs, and materials. Last year, the Texas legislature passed a constitutional amendment to dedicate $1 billion a year towards water infrastructure from 2027 through 2047. The voters of Texas confirmed their support with a constitutional amendment referendum. However, the first funds won’t likely be granted until at least 2028.

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After clashes, Senate Republicans prepare to talk it out with Trump

President Donald Trump has clashed with Senate Republicans repeatedly in recent months, demanding they pass legislation that they say doesn’t have enough votes and striking an agreement to end the war with Iran that many of them have criticized. On Wednesday, they’ll have a chance to work out their differences — or air their grievances — face to face. Trump is set to join Senate Republicans for lunch in the Capitol, his first meeting with the entire conference since they had breakfast at the White House in November. Trump’s relationship with some Senate Republicans has deteriorated in the intervening months — not least because he helped to defeat two of their own in GOP primaries.

Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) both lost their primaries last month after Trump endorsed their opponents. Neither has spoken to the president since he helped end their political careers — but both said they plan to attend Wednesday’s lunch. Cornyn has lamented what he described as the recent feuding between Trump and Senate Republicans. “The main question I would like to ask the president is: Do you want to win the midterms?” Cornyn told reporters. “A bunch of infighting among Republicans isn’t conducive to winning. And if we do want to win, I think we’re going to have to change our behavior.” Trump infuriated Senate Republicans last month by reaching an agreement with the Justice Department to create a $1.8 billion fund to compensate people, including Trump’s political allies, who claim they were wrongly prosecuted during the Biden administration. Some Republican senators said they feared it could reward people convicted in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. The administration eventually backed down, but Trump has created more headaches for his party. Last week, he directed Jay Clayton, his nominee for director of national intelligence, not to appear for his Senate confirmation hearing. That move undercut a Republican plan to renew a major surveillance law.

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Three Mamdani-backed candidates win Democratic primaries in New York

Progressive allies of Zohran Mamdani swept through New York’s primaries Tuesday, handing defeats to mainstream Democrats in deep-blue congressional districts and boosting the New York City mayor’s standing as a kingmaker in the party. Former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander ousted incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman in a race that centered on Israel and the war in Gaza. State Assemblywoman Claire Valdez and community organizer Darializa Avila Chevalier, members of the Democratic Socialists of America, defeated Democratic candidates endorsed by establishment leaders. The victories of Lander, Avila Chevalier and Valdez—all endorsed by Mamdani—highlight the mayor’s expanding influence within the Democratic Party and demonstrate how the DSA has leveraged his popularity to help elect more of its candidates. The victories will likely add to Mamdani’s list of allies inside the New York delegation to Washington. In the predominantly blue city, the winners in the Democratic primaries are heavily favored in the November general elections.

In another closely watched race, New York Assemblyman Micah Lasher, 44 years old, won the primary to succeed retiring Rep. Jerrold Nadler in one of New York’s wealthiest districts, representing parts of Manhattan. Lasher beat out a crowded field of challengers for the 12th Congressional District, including fellow state Assemblyman Alex Bores; Jack Schlossberg, a grandson of President John F. Kennedy; and George Conway, the ex-husband of former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway, who ran as the most vocal advocate of impeaching the president. Mamdani, who lives in the district and didn’t endorse a candidate in this race, declined to say who he voted for. Lasher had 39% of the vote compared with Bores’s 35%, according to the Associated Press. The Democratic primaries marked Mamdani’s first foray into making endorsements for congressional candidates since he became mayor. The mayor made high-profile campaign appearances with Lander, Avila Chevalier and Valdez and appeared in a splashy television ad with them that aired during the NBA Finals. He also expended political capital, backing upstart candidates and upsetting some Democratic Party leaders in the process. All of the candidates endorsed by Mamdani have called for the dismantling of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and want additional housing and other measures to make life affordable for working families. They are also highly critical of the Israeli government and the war in Gaza.

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A landmark housing bill passed Congress. Home builders fear it will fizzle.

Congress on Tuesday passed its most-ambitious housing legislation since the 1980s, a package of more than 50 provisions aimed at making it easier to build homes and make housing more affordable. The House passed the bill 358-32 with broad bipartisan support a day after the Senate voted 85-5 to approve the measure. President Trump is expected to sign it into law as soon as Wednesday. Home builders and developers are responding mostly with a shrug. The legislation offers no new funding for affordable-housing projects. And it is up against economic headwinds that are keeping builders from expanding the housing stock, such as elevated mortgage rates and higher construction and materials costs. Ultimately, the bill exposes the limits of the federal government’s ability to increase housing supply. Congress doesn’t have the authority to change the local zoning regulations and building codes that actually determine what gets built in America and that have bogged down new-housing development for decades.

Builders, scarred by the years of local bottlenecks that have delayed and killed their projects, fear that Congress’s new legislation could meet the same fate when cities and towns try to implement it. “All of this has to be administered at the state and local levels,” said Ed Brady, president and chief executive of the Home Builders Institute. “It’s going to take some time for this to actually filter down, if at all.” Still, the bill known as the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is at least a step in the right direction and sends the correct signals, according to housing economists. It includes measures speeding up federal environmental reviews for certain housing projects, removing restrictions on building manufactured homes, and tying cities’ federal funding to their housing production. Aaron Pechota, the executive vice president of development at NRP Group, said there are bits and pieces of the legislation that could make a difference, such as easing the limits on what banks can invest in public-welfare projects including affordable housing. He added that eliminating federal environmental reviews would save months on certain projects. “This is like ordering an appetizer,” Pechota said. “It’s not going to fill you up; it’s not going to be a complete meal.”

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State Stories

Ashley Etienne and Dallas Jones: 5 ways Texas Democrats can shore up the Black vote

(Ashley Etienne is the CEO of Etienne & Saint, a strategic communications firm. She was the communications director for Vice President Kamala Harris and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Dallas S. Jones, a Democratic strategist and public affairs consultant with more than 20 years experience, is the president and CEO of Elite Change Inc.) There’s no doubt that the race between scandal-plagued Attorney General Ken Paxton and state Rep. James Talarico offers Texas Democrats their best chance in decades to flip a Senate seat — but the Democratic Party faces a quiet crisis of Black disillusionment and disengagement that threatens electoral victories here and across the country. As the home of the nation’s largest Black electorate, Texas is the perfect place to address this growing tension. From the shores of Galveston, where Juneteenth was born, to towering figures like U.S. Reps. Barbara Jordan, Mickey Leland and Sheila Jackson Lee, Texas has long been at the heart of the Black movement toward a more perfect union. For decades, Black voters have been the unshakeable foundation of the Democratic coalition. But dangerous cracks have begun to form. In 2020, 15% of Black men in Texas voted for Trump. By 2024, that support more than doubled to 34%. Meanwhile, Black women are exhausted.

Too many feel undervalued by a party that depends on their loyalty and labor but ignores their voices and contributions. In 2024, 92% of Black women voted for Harris, even though 35% felt neither party looked out for them — a sentiment reinforced by the sidelining of Harris after 2024 and Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the 2026 primary. Adding insult to injury, the Texas Democratic Party’s 2026 convention, which is being held this weekend in Corpus Christi, fails to feature any Black woman as a keynote speaker. This neglect is a serious hazard. Black women are not just another voting bloc. They are the backbone of Black organizing in Texas. When they are energized, turnout surges, but when they are disillusioned, the entire coalition collapses. To his credit, Talarico knows this. To win, Talarico must not only expand the Democratic coalition, but also strengthen its fracturing core. That begins with placing Black voters at the center of both his campaign strategy and his governing vision. To do that, he must offer a new blueprint for Black engagement that sheds outdated tactics and shallow assumptions. First, discard the monolith myth. From the Black cowboys in rural West Texas to those boys tipping on 44s in Houston to the Jack and Jill moms in the bougie suburbs of Dallas, Black voters hold diverse economic, social and cultural motivations. Talarico must honor these nuances to effectively mobilize them. Second, step outside of the Black church. Young people and low-propensity voters simply aren’t there. Third, build a modern narrative ecosystem that engages voters where they actually are and uses voices they trust. That means working with young Black community leaders, content creators on social media and others. Fourth, center the message on Black power, not party loyalty or ancestral obligation. Too many Black voters have heard that same tired argument for years from Democrats, but their lives remain unchanged. Fifth, build lasting grassroots infrastructure. End the vicious cycle where organizers are laid off and datasets freeze after Election Day. Making Texas competitive long term requires year-round investment to build political infrastructure, ongoing Black-led field operations and consistent voter drives. Georgia proved this works, which is why it’s a battlefield state.

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NHL exploring Texas expansion in Houston or Austin with billionaire Dan Friedkin and family

The NHL is exploring potential expansion in Texas in either Houston or Austin under an agreement with billionaire Dan Friedkin and his family, Commissioner Gary Bettman said Tuesday. Bettman said the Board of Governors executive committee endorsed a term sheet agreed to with the Friedkins over the next six months. The total investment required between an expansion fee and the cost to build a new arena in one of those cities would amount to $3.5 billion, according to Bettman, who said discussions over the past two years largely revolved around Houston before Austin joined the conversation. “That’s part of the process is to determine what would be best, both for the league and for Dan Friedkin and family,” Bettman said. “Both cities will require a new arena. It may be more feasible in one place than the other. And as we dig a little deeper and do the due diligence, we’ll figure out which makes the most sense.”

Friedkin is chairman and CEO of the Friedkin Group with a net worth of $6.4 billion, according to Forbes. The Houston-based consortium has investments in the automotive industry, entertainment, hospitality and sports, including stakes in European soccer clubs Everton and AS Roma. No board vote was taken. That would only come if the sides involved move forward with an agreement. While there is no guarantee the NHL adds a 33rd team, the move is a first step toward becoming the largest professional sports league in North America, surpassing the NFL. Bettman has said officials were listening to expressions of interest from prospective owners in places like Houston and Atlanta but until now not yet engaged in a formal path toward expansion. “There was an update on Atlanta, there was an update on Arizona and there was an update on South Texas,” Bettman said. “But neither Arizona nor Atlanta are quite as far along in the process as the Friedkin opportunities.”

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Shooter sentenced to 100 years in Prairieland ICE terrorism case; others get max

Eight defendants from North Texas received the maximum possible sentences Tuesday for their roles in a domestic terrorism case in which they were found guilty of charges including rioting and attempted murder of a police officer at the Prairieland ICE Detention Center in Alvarado. Attorneys and families of the defendants said an appeal will be filed. The defendants, whom federal prosecutors described as antifa operatives, were convicted after a 12-day trial in March and were sentenced in hearings with two judges in U.S. District Court in Fort Worth on Tuesday morning. Benjamin Hanil Song, the defendant who was convicted of attempted murder for shooting and wounding an Alvarado police lieutenant during the July 4, 2025, incident, received a 100-year federal prison sentence.

Maricela Rueda was sentenced to 70 years, and Elizabeth Soto and Meagan Morris were each sentenced to 50 years. Those four defendants were sentenced by Judge Mark Pittman, who oversaw the trial, and four others — Autumn Hill, also known as Cameron Arnold; Zachary Evetts; Savanna Batten; and Daniel Rolando Sanchez-Estrada — were sentenced by Chief District Judge Reed O’Connor. Batten, Evetts and Hill received 50-year sentences. The defendants sentenced to 50 years or more were all convicted of providing material support to terrorists, conspiracy to use and carry an explosive, and using and carrying explosives during a riot. Sanchez-Estrada, the only defendant not present at the detention center on the night of the shooting, was found guilty of corruptly concealing a document and conspiracy to conceal documents. He was sentenced to 30 years.

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Ryan Patrick: The Mob Statute corporations are using against trial lawyers

(Ryan Patrick is CEO of Texans for Lawsuit Reform.) In Texas and across the country, commercial vehicle operators have become litigation targets. Billboards along Texas freeways are crowded with 12-foot-tall scowling lawyers, arms folded, asking if you’ve been injured by a semi-truck. Search online for a business alongside the words "injured", “accident”, or “lawyer,” and the advertising machinery becomes visible immediately: paid results populate the top of the page, each one a law firm with a financial stake in your next accident. This is not just opportunism; it is a nationwide infrastructure. In most states, personal injury billboard lawyers have created a claim origination assembly line, deploying the same data-driven acquisition strategies as any sophisticated services startup. For years, when there was a commercial vehicle accident, the standard corporate response was to settle. Cases large and small settled not because a claim was valid, but because the math said to. Defense costs and jury unpredictability made litigation feel like a losing game even when a case was defensible.

In big cities, this era is largely over, and businesses are fighting back. Since 2024, companies and insurers have filed dozens of RICO lawsuits across the country, not challenging individual claims but attacking the networks that are built to manufacture and inflate litigation. Since the 1970s, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act has been used to dismantle corrupt organizations like the mob, giving prosecutors a way to target criminal enterprises and private parties a way to protect their business interests. Now, insurers and companies, historically defendants in litigation, are turning RICO against corrupt personal injury law firms, case runners, and affiliated medical providers who are accused of fabricating and inflating claims. The companies going on the offensive are varied. FedEx recently sued a New York personal injury firm over allegations it ran a coordinated scheme involving doctors and clinics to stage and exaggerate vehicle crashes. In 2025, Uber filed a series of RICO lawsuits in Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York City, alleging networks of attorneys and medical providers manufactured accidents and systematically inflated settlement values. Closer to home, insurer Allstate filed a RICO lawsuit against a Houston-based medical network alleging fraudulent billing, kickbacks, and unnecessary treatments for auto accident victims. The list goes on.

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Texas board gives preliminary OK to reading list with Bible passages

The Texas State Board of Education gave preliminary approval Tuesday to a proposed reading list with Bible materials. The list includes 13 biblical readings, with at least one Bible passage or story in every grade except kindergarten. The reading list would be required for Texas public school students starting with the 2030-31 school year. The debate over the reading list continues a yearslong battle over what role religion should have in the classroom. This week, the board is also considering changing social studies standards to emphasize American and Texas history over world cultures and geography.

The vote on the reading list came after the board heard hours of public testimony Monday at the meeting in Austin, which drew people from across the state. Advocates for the list emphasized the historical value of biblical texts, especially to American history. They argued that Texas’ reading list should honor the United States’ “Judeo-Christian” roots. “America and Texas have been a Christian nation and a Christian state forever,” Republican board member Brandon Hall said at the meeting. “The proportion of the impact [Christians have] had is why they are included. There are other faiths that are represented, but they've had a minimal impact, especially in our founding and our culture and laws leading up to this point.” During Tuesday's meeting, the board pared the required reading list down, removing several titles from elementary school grades. Board member Will Hickman, R-Houston, said he and other board members had heard concerns from the public that the list was too extensive and would demand too much of the school year. Hickman, who proposed some of the cuts, said streamlining the list would allow districts to select more of their own titles locally.

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Environmental challenges adding up on South Texas border

The head of an environmental nonprofit organization says the South Texas border region is being hit by numerous environmental challenges, from border buoys installed in the Rio Grande to a liquid natural gas export facility in the Brownsville port. In this episode of Border Report Live, Bekah Hinojosa, co-founder of the South Texas Environmental Justice Network, tells South Texas correspondent Sandra Sanchez and host Rudy Mireles about several lawsuits her group is involved with to try to stop what they believe are “environmental disasters.” Hinojosa says her group opposes the 12-foot-long buoys that are currently being installed in the Rio Grande, starting in Brownsville, Texas. Over 15 miles of buoys have been put in, as well as 245 miles of new border wall being built, much of it in South Texas. She says numerous recent reports predict that the buoys and border wall could cause flooding on river borderlands.

In response to safety questions about the buoys, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson told Border Report: “CBP is deploying waterborne barriers in the Rio Grande River to meet operational requirements for securing the border. Waterborne barriers are cylindrical floating buoys utilizing expanded foam that is fully cured before being deployed in riverine locations. The design requirements for these barriers, as specified to CBP contractors, are to withstand a 100-year flood event, consistent with standards used for border wall construction.” The South Texas Environmental Justice Network has also joined the Center for Biological Diversity, and Save RGV in filing a lawsuit against land swaps proposed by SpaceX with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service involving over 700 acres of wildlife habitat that the company wants to acquire to expand its Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas. The lawsuit alleges the Fish and Wildlife Service violated the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 by reducing the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge. The lawsuit also alleges that by approving the transfer, the Service also violated the National Historic Preservation Act by giving away hundreds of acres of a National Historic Landmark. The group also filed a lawsuit against the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to stop the LNG export terminal at the Brownsville shipping channel. But last week, a D.C. Circuit Court ruled “that the Rio Grande LNG Terminal is not inconsistent with the public interest under section 3 of the Natural Gas Act, and the Rio Bravo Pipeline Project is required by the public convenience and necessity.”

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HISD's Mike Miles went a year without required certification or waiver

Houston ISD waited nearly a full school year to seek a state waiver, allowing appointed Superintendent Mike Miles to lead the district for 11 months without a required superintendent certification, state records show, even after the district’s state-appointed board authorized administrators to apply for one the previous June. The Texas Education Agency approved the waiver on June 4, the last day of the 2025-2026 school year, making it retroactive to cover the months Miles had already served without an active certification or a waiver. The new waiver covers three school years, starting with the 2025-26 school year. Nearly all of the state's 1,000 traditional public school superintendents hold the superintendent certification required by state law to lead school districts.

A small number receive waivers for up to three years from the state, often while they work toward certification or when districts face unusual hiring circumstances. In Miles’ case, HISD applied for his waiver after most of the school year had passed, and his application did not lay out a clear path for him to obtain the credential. While the state has approved a handful of other waivers in recent years — including some for other state-appointed superintendents — few came as late in the school year and almost all of them included detailed plans to obtain certification. “Approving a waiver for a school year on the last day of that school year inverts the logic of this rule, and waivers are supposed to authorize something before it happens,” said Texas Tech University professor Jacob Kirksey. “So, a retroactive grant raises some basic accountability questions rather than answering them.” In a statement, the TEA said Miles’ waiver covers the entire school year and that the agency has “broad discretion” under Texas Education Code to grant waivers. State law permits retroactive waivers. "This is an existing practice that is not unique to HISD," according to a Texas Education Agency statement.

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'Those who reach for the stars do so from the great state of Texas' | Axiom Space makes Texas its legal home

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Axiom Space leadership announced Tuesday that the commercial human space exploration company has changed its legal domicile from Delaware to Texas. The move aligns the company’s legal home with its operational headquarters in Houston, where it has been based since its founding in 2016. “Texas has been the launchpad of spaceflight since its inception,” Abbott said. “We welcome Axiom Space's decision to make Texas its legal residence and look forward to the progress they will achieve in our state.” Axiom Space employs approximately 700 people, the majority of whom are based in Texas. The move highlights a booming aerospace sector which includes NASA, SpaceX and other major players in the industry. According to state data, Texas is home to more than 150,000 aerospace workers, and NASA's Johnson Space Center alone generates more than $9.8 billion in annual economic output.

The state has also ramped up its financial commitments to the industry, establishing the Space Exploration & Aeronautics Research Fund (SEARF) in 2023. Axiom Space was recently awarded a $5.5 million SEARF grant to advance its orbital computing capabilities. “Texas has demonstrated, consistently and deliberately, that it wants innovative companies to thrive here and has built the policy and regulatory framework accordingly," said Dr. Jonathan Cirtain, Axiom Space CEO and President. "For Axiom Space, establishing Texas as both our operational and legal home puts us squarely in a state that understands our mission, supports our industry, and shares in what we are working to achieve.” Axiom Space is a human space exploration company building space infrastructure and delivering technology-driven solutions. The company is the principal provider of commercial human spaceflight services and is developing advanced spacesuits for future lunar missions. Across its first four private astronaut missions to the International Space Station (ISS), the company has flown 14 astronauts representing 11 nations. Axiom Space is currently building Axiom Station — the commercial successor to the ISS — to provide a permanent platform for microgravity research, technology testing, and orbital manufacturing. Final assembly of the station modules is taking place at its facility at the Houston Spaceport.

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Chad West: I won’t vote to leave Dallas City Hall for a vague promise

(Chad West represents District 1 on the Dallas City Council, which includes north Oak Cliff.) Dallas City Hall couldn’t be more divided, and it seems we are turning our fractured working relationships into a sea of trouble all around our city. I appreciate the patience afforded to me by my Oak Cliff constituents who have attended meetings, emailed, called and texted me about the possibility of moving out of City Hall. Their feedback has solidified my thinking that this matter is part financial, part cultural and part planning. From day one, I have steadfastly supported gathering all the necessary financial data needed for council to make an informed financial decision on whether to move to another location in the central business district or to stay put in City Hall and finally invest in its restoration. I will continue to take votes that lead us to the apples-to-apples cost comparison we must have to make a sound decision.

I accept the assessments of AECOM and other experts that have provided the City Council with four phased repair plans, including cost estimates, for City Hall repairs. My conclusion is that it will cost more to stay in City Hall and renovate it than to move into a new building. But the inevitable higher cost of staying is not a deal-breaker for remaining at 1500 Marilla St. I voted in favor of moving forward with gathering a cost analysis because our residents deserve to be fully informed of what’s at stake. That can only happen if we let CBRE finish its work of gathering lease-to-own costs. I believe it was my fiduciary duty to vote in favor of letting the city manager see this analysis completed. I’m dismayed that some of my council colleagues have consistently voted against fact-finding. Further, some outside of City Hall have appointed themselves experts who have deluged us with flimsy financial numbers that are closer to fantasy than reality. The city’s part of the process hasn’t been perfect, but I don’t fault the experts we have hired for their work thus far gathering phased repair estimates. In this case, I score the point in favor of moving.

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Givens, Creuzot clash over transition to Dallas County DA’s office

The transition to Dallas County's next district attorney is turning into a public feud over how the handoff is being managed. Amber Givens says she has encountered delays, silence and resistance from incumbent John Creuzot. His office disputes that, saying it has been working steadily to answer her requests and prepare for an orderly transition. The disagreement between the two Democrats escalated last week when Givens complained on Facebook about what she called delays obtaining information about the office, and she released an email detailing her concerns.

A county commissioner who has been copied on emails between Givens and the district attorney's office said he believes the dispute stems more from miscommunication than a lack of cooperation. Givens, who began preparing for a possible January 2027 transition months earlier than is typical, said she has resorted to filing public information requests to obtain records from the district attorney's office. A spokesperson for Creuzot said the office is working to respond to her requests while balancing its regular workload. Givens recently turned to social media to air her frustrations, posting an email she sent to a top official in Creuzot’s office in which she complained she’s had to wait a month or more for some documents. “I am sharing this May 29, 2026, email I sent to Mr. Paul Hamilton because I have tremendous respect for the truth,” Givens wrote in a June 16 Facebook post. “For the people of Dallas County, transparency matters. This email reflects my experience with the current administration regarding transition-related matters and outlines the concerns I raised after nearly two months of attempting to obtain information necessary for a successful transition, beginning on April 1, 2026.”

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Guinness World Records: “Gangster Granny” becomes oldest crowdsurfer

Pauline Kana, aka “Gangster Granny” became the oldest person to crowdsurf at a concert in Texas last month. Kana, 99, wore a red-and-white T-shirt with her face on it and the message “Old’s Cool” as the crowd propelled her on a stretcher at country-rock musician Brantley Gilbert’s concert in Bellville. Kana’s grandson Ross Smith spearheaded the effort to help his grandmother accomplish the feat and make it into the Guinness World Records.

A TikTok video shows people in the crowd raising their arms and enthusiastically moving the 99-year-old through the crowd. Kana held her right arm up and smiled. After Kana’s crowdsurfing adventure, Gilbert brought Kana and Smith on stage. Under Smith’s account, the duo has been posting for years and garnered nearly 25 million followers on TikTok and four million followers on Instagram. Smith’s social media accounts chronicle his adventures with his grandma, and feature her acting in skits and holding cheeky signs such as “Size Matters” at a wrestling match and “Race if you think I’m sexy,” at a NASCAR race.

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New report shows affordable childcare is hard to find in Texas

More than half of Texas counties are considered childcare deserts, and according to a new report from the Texas Women's Foundation, the lack of access to childcare is hurting the state's economy. NTX Now's Miranda Suarez and Ron Corning sat down with Karen Hughes White, the foundation's president and CEO, to breakdown the report's findings. Women play an important role in Texas's economy, but a variety of barriers are getting harder to overcome. "Women comprise 46% of workforce here in Texas, but there are key barriers to women's ability to participate fully, consistently, and productively in the workforce that essentially are getting worse," White said.

She also said women are enrolling in higher education at 1.5 times the rate of Texas men, and population trends predict women will be more than 50% of the Texas population by 2040. "Texas and Texas employers have some work to do to be ready to support women in the workforce, and in return to support a really resilient and strong economy here across the state," White said. There are three main barriers when it comes to finding childcare in Texas: access, affordability, and quality-related issues, which White describes as "a crisis." "What we've learned on the affordability front is that center-based infant care in Texas costs more than $11,000 a year, and that actually is more than a full year of tuition at an in-state university," White said. And while the cost of childcare is high, the availability is low. "Over half of Texas counties are considered what's called childcare deserts," she said. "That's defined as when there are three or more children available for each licensed slot. It's more than nearly 112,000 Texas children lacking access within any kind of reasonable driving distance." White says finding a solution to make childcare more accessible is economically imperative. "Investing in childcare is not just a social mandate, but it's a market aligned strategy that supports workforce participation, economic resilience, and economic growth," she said. "It's an economic infrastructure issue — not a women's issue and not a family's issue."

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Scott Ruskan, who saved lives at Camp Mystic, to be honored at ESPYs

A U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer credited with helping save the lives of 165 people who were trapped at Camp Mystic during last year's Kerr County flood will be honored with the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the ESPY Awards. Petty Officer Scott Ruskan will be among the honorees at the annual ESPY Awards on July 15, ESPN executives said. Ruskan had finished his training about six months before the rescue mission to Camp Mystic, the Coast Guard said. He was part of a four-person flight crew but reportedly was the only first responder rescuing campers on the ground at the time. Much of Camp Mystic, a summer camp for girls on the Guadalupe River, was flooded when the river rose, and 25 campers and two counselors died.

ESPN said Ruskan's crew made "a deliberate call" to leave Ruskan on the ground so the helicopter could carry more children per trip at Camp Mystic, which at the time reported 200 girls were trapped. "For three hours, with no radio and no cell service, he was the only trained responder on site — setting up triage, organizing safe zones, carrying children barefoot in the dark and comforting each one before moving to the next," ESPN said. "What set him apart was that he was the only person who stayed behind — voluntarily grounded — so others could be lifted out to safety." Ruskan, a former college track/cross country athlete who attended Ryder University, received the Legion of Merit award by President Trump during the State of the Union address in February. He was reunited there with Milly Cate McClymond, one of the girls he rescued.

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Delta to cancel two nonstop routes from Austin in October

Delta Air Lines will cancel two nonstop routes from Austin in October. Flights from AUS to Memphis and New Orleans will end Oct. 5 “to better align with demand,” according to an airline spokesperson. Delta is reaching out to affected customers and apologized for any inconvenience. Southwest Airlines currently operates the AUS-New Orleans route and will launch its own flights to Memphis beginning Oct. 1. While regularly scheduled service on the two routes will end, Delta still plans to operate select flights during high-demand football weekends, when the Texas Longhorns play at LSU and when Ole Miss plays in Austin.

Delta has launched six new routes from Austin this year. Year-round service to Columbus and Kansas City began on June 7, while seasonal flights to Asheville, Bozeman and Kalispell began on June 13. The airline will also launch a new route from AUS to Phoenix on July 7, followed by service to San Jose, California, on Oct. 6. The airline has seen expansive growth at AUS in recent months, with a 15% increase in passenger totals in 2025 compared with 2024. The airline opened a permanent flight attendant base in October.

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New report highlights economic impact of GM’s Arlington assembly plant

New economic data from General Motors shows that the SUV assembly plant in Arlington is supporting local jobs and economic growth in Texas, with its direct gross domestic product topping $2 billion. The Arlington assembly plant at 2525 E. Abram St. employs about 5,200 workers, and is one of the region’s major employers. The plant runs 24 hours a day, six days a week, producing almost one vehicle per minute, according to previous Star-Telegram reporting. Additionally, GM says that every $10 produced by the Arlington plant results in $21 in “total economic activity in Texas.” In June 2023, GM invested $500 million into the Arlington plant.

“At Arlington Assembly, we know our work matters beyond our plant walls,” said plant director Satya Veerapaneni. “We are proud of what we build and proud of the role our team plays in Texas. For Arlington, this is more than a headline. It is about the people who work here, the suppliers who grow with us and the communities that benefit when advanced manufacturing stays strong.” Arlington Mayor Jim Ross says General Motors is a part of the city’s history. The assembly plant opened in 1954. “General Motors is deeply woven into the fabric of Arlington’s history and economy. For decades, this plant has provided thousands of good-paying jobs for our residents, and our community takes immense pride in knowing that these world-class vehicles are built right here in the heart of The American Dream City,” Ross said. There are about 13,000 General Motors employees in Texas, according to GM officials.

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National Stories

People fired over Charlie Kirk posts get big payouts for First Amendment retaliation

By the time Maria Ruhtenberg was fired from her job last September for posting about Charlie Kirk's assassination, few people even knew what she had written. The posts and comments she had made on Facebook were only visible to her friends. Just one person, a Facebook friend she barely knew, complained to her employer. "I don't even know how we became Facebook friends, honestly," said Ruhtenberg. After the conservative activist was shot, Ruhtenberg wrote things like "live by the sword, die by the sword" and "you reap what you sow" and that she disagreed with Kirk's views about the Second Amendment. Ruhtenberg also said that "whoever shot [Kirk] should go to prison."

Two days after that complaint, a right-wing outlet in Iowa emailed Ruhtenberg's employer to ask for a comment about her posts. The next day, she was terminated, less than five days after her initial post. Ruhtenberg had spent 15 years as a public defender for the state of Iowa. Ruhtenberg appealed her termination with the state and got her job back in November. The civil service decision that restored Ruhtenberg's job noted that only the single complaint and the media inquiry raised concerns about her conduct. State public defender Jeff Wright testified during the appeals proceedings that Ruhtenberg was fired because her posts were perceived as condoning violence. Ruhtenberg then sued the state and Wright in federal court for First Amendment retaliation. In May, they settled and Ruhtenberg was awarded $125,000 in damages. The Iowa public defender's office and Wright did not respond to a request for comment. Nine months after Kirk's assassination, cases like Ruhtenberg's continue to be resolved in favor of people who suffered consequences for their social media activity about Kirk. While many of these plaintiffs have settled with six-figure payouts, they are still grappling, to different degrees, with the aftermath of their firings.

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Factory job cuts in June neared financial crisis and Covid levels, S&P says

Job cuts at U.S. factories ran near their highest levels since the end of the global financial crisis in 2009 and the Covid-19 pandemic as worries grew over global demand and rising costs, S&P Global reported Tuesday. Though the firm’s manufacturing index ran better than expected for June, it came largely from an inventory rebuild and despite sharp job cuts that were the most since 2009 — excluding the massive labor reductions at the onset of the Covid crisis in 2020. “While there is better news from the manufacturing sector, we remain concerned as factory growth continues to be temporarily buoyed by inventory building amid supply fears. Supply delays grew more widespread in June,” said Chris Williamson, chief business economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Manufacturers have indicated job cuts for three of the past four months as they seek to reduce head count over costs and demand concerns. “Most worrying was the further fall in employment, notably in the manufacturing sector,” Williamson said. “Factory job cuts are running at the highest since 2009 if the pandemic is excluded, reflecting concerns over the sustainability of the recent upturn in demand alongside worries over the escalating cost of raw materials.” Despite the worries of manufacturing cuts, the jobs picture has been largely solid this year, with strong gains in four of the five months. Manufacturing employment has risen by 23,000 in 2026, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Broadly, the S&P manufacturing “flash” reading for its purchase managers index came in at 55.7, up narrowly from May and better than the Dow Jones consensus estimate for 54.8. The reading represents the percentage share of companies reporting growth for the month. On the services side, the flash PMI was at 51.3, also up slightly on the month and slightly better than the consensus forecast for 51.

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In symbolic vote, Congress directs Trump to remove forces from Iran war

A bipartisan majority in Congress has voted in favor of a war powers resolution to remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities with Iran. The Senate voted 50 to 48 on Tuesday afternoon, with four Republicans joining Democrats in support. They were Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Alaska's Lisa Murkowski.

The measure, which is not legally binding and will not be sent to the White House for a signature, was approved by the House earlier this month. "Today, Congress stood up to Donald Trump and voted to end his costly, unnecessary, and devastating war with Iran," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement after the vote. "The message from the only branch of government with the power to declare war is unmistakable: the Trump administration must withdraw U.S. forces from hostilities in Iran." Tuesday's vote comes at a moment when the U.S. and Iran are engaged in delicate negotiations to permanently end the conflict, the initial terms of which have been broadly criticized by members of both parties. President Trump criticized the resolution after it passed, writing on Truth Social that "Four Republican Losers voted with the Dumocrats, and Iran asked my people, 'what does that all mean?' These Senators have just made my job more difficult, but I will get it done, one way or the other, because I always get it done!"

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A look inside the welcome bags planned for white South African refugees

In the coming weeks, the United States plans to provide a welcome gift to white South Africans entering the United States as refugees. They will get an Android tablet, an American flag and copies of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence. They will also receive a packet of literature that provides a sanitized, Trump-approved view of American and South African history, one that criticizes racial equity and civil rights laws and promotes claims of discrimination against white people. The welcome bags include a report commissioned by Mr. Trump during his first term that downplays the role of slavery in the country’s founding, and a children’s book accusing South Africa’s government of “favoring the Black population.”

The gifts would be the latest step by the Trump administration to welcome the white minority in South Africa, even as the president maintains a ban on refugees fleeing from war and persecution everywhere else in the world. The proposal for the bags is still being finalized. Mr. Trump’s aides have planned to give them to a group of South African Afrikaners who enter the United States in the coming weeks, according to government documents obtained by The New York Times and an official familiar with the matter. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to detail plans that have not been announced. It is not clear how much the bags cost, or how much of the cost was being paid by taxpayers. It is unusual for the government to provide welcome gifts of this kind to refugees. Alex J. Adams, who leads the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families, a government agency that helps refugees, welcomes the Afrikaners in a letter tucked into the welcome bag.

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Rural emergency care is struggling to keep up with ICE detention demand

Emergency responders sped out of a Pennsylvania immigrant detention center on a recent Saturday morning, sirens blaring as they drove past more than 20 protesters demanding the lockup’s closure. It was the Moshannon Valley EMS crew’s second run to the Geo Group-owned site that day. The number of detained immigrants the crew serves has grown by 44% since President Donald Trump returned to office. The Moshannon Valley Processing Center now holds nearly 1,700 people, according to the Deportation Data Project — a population more than half the size of the town. The nonprofit has responded to 43 calls at the detention center since October, EMS chief Fred Ferguson said during a recent interview in the back of one of Moshannon Valley’s five ambulances.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement hasn’t paid them for any of those calls yet, he said. “We have to have some faith that someone’s going to do the right thing and compensate us for the work that’s provided,” Ferguson said. “But you have to be hesitant as well.” Like many providers of rural health and emergency care, the Moshannon Valley EMS is stretched thin. Staffers sometimes have to come into work when they’re off duty. Between gas, wear-and-tear and staff wages, just driving an ambulance out of the station costs around $800, Ferguson said. “We are used to doing more with less,” he said. Rural emergency services across the country face a demand they can’t readily meet at times as ICE scales up its detention capacity. First responders already dealing with few resources and long drives to hospitals are handling expanded populations. The migrants themselves are left waiting for emergency care for urgent medical needs, according to records of 440 calls to 911 from detention centers in rural areas of Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Georgia, Indiana and Texas.

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Trump’s Gaza Board of Peace will hit the reset button in Cyprus

U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza Board of Peace is set to convene at a Cyprus resort on June 30 to “adjust its strategy,” an official familiar with the matter told POLITICO. Two senior EU officials, involved in the arrangements for the gathering and granted anonymity to speak freely, confirmed the meeting will take place on the Mediterranean island next week and last two or three days. The goal is to “reset” after “the Iran war has completely shifted the attention in the last several months,” said one of the officials. The meeting will be attended by representatives from the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza — a committee of Palestinian technocrats tasked with replacing Hamas in governing the Gaza Strip — and the Office of Nikolay Mladenov, the former Bulgarian diplomat Trump appointed as his high representative for Gaza, according to the officials.

Cyprus, which is in line with the EU’s position, will attend as an observer. “Cyprus is not a co-organizer of the event, and it is not taking place at a political level. Cyprus was chosen by the executive committee,” explained one of the officials. Trump set up the Washington-led Board of Peace to oversee the reconstruction and governance of the Gaza Strip. The group held its first meeting in February but has made little progress due to funding issues, logistical hurdles and questions regarding its international and legal legitimacy. Meanwhile, the situation in Gaza remains dire: In a recent strike, Israeli forces killed six people, including two children and an Al Jazeera cameraman. Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people in Israel, a large majority of whom were civilians, and taking 251 hostages. The attack prompted a major Israeli military offensive in Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, many of them civilians, displaced 90 percent of Gaza’s population and destroyed wide areas. The ceasefire brokered by Trump in October 2025 led to the release of the remaining 20 Israeli hostages.

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Maryland Senate president defeats Democratic primary challenger amid redistricting anger

Maryland state Senate President Bill Ferguson won his Democratic primary, The Associated Press projected, defeating his first primary challenger in 12 years despite some backlash over his position on redistricting. Ferguson won amid an anti-establishment wave in Democratic politics this year. His challenger, Army veteran and community activist Bobby LaPin, sought to paint him as an incumbent who had forgotten about the needs of his district since he became the top legislative leader in Maryland. But Ferguson, who represents the state’s 46th Senate District, campaigned on his record, touting the improvements he helped fund for south Baltimore schools and the first-in-the-nation digital ad tax he sponsored in Maryland.

In an interview this month, Ferguson called the primary challenge “a blessing in disguise” and an opportunity “to think through about how best to communicate with voters about the things that I’ve been able to deliver over the years.” LaPin, a small-business owner who launched his campaign late last year, made waves in the south and southeast Baltimore district with near-daily videos he posted about the race on Instagram. He previously promoted his sailing business and his community activism on the social media account, and he surpassed 100,000 followers during the campaign. LaPin also sought to capitalize on anger from some in his party against Ferguson, who defied a push from national Democrats and Gov. Wes Moore last year to redraw Maryland’s congressional districts. Moore and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., favored pushing a new map that would give Democrats total control of the state’s eight House districts, rather than the current 7-1 advantage Maryland Democrats enjoy in the congressional delegation.

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ODNI under Pulte fires 6 staff, sends 45 back to home agencies

Just over 50 career and political intelligence staff at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence have been removed from their roles since Bill Pulte became the agency's acting director, Friday. Six career and political intelligence staff were terminated and 45 were sent back to their home agencies, according to three sources familiar with the personnel moves. Pulte has been asking deputies and other directors for suggestions about cuts. Some of the ODNI deputies pushed for more cuts, but Pulte said that the 51 was enough for now, one of the sources said. One source characterized the cuts as thoughtful and methodical. No staffers have been removed from the counterterrorism group. No further firings are planned for now, two of the sources said.

The cuts follow hundreds of staff reductions last year by former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who stepped down last week. Last year's planned downsizing sought to bring the office's headcount from 2,000 to around 1,300. President Trump has pushed for further cuts, directing Pulte to "execute the immediate and needed downsizing of the office" in a Truth Social post earlier this month. The office is charged with overseeing the country's intelligence agencies and helping them coordinate with each other. It was created in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which investigators widely believe was preceded by a failure of intelligence agencies to share information. Since then, Gabbard and some lawmakers have argued the ODNI has become bloated and has added more bureaucracy to the intelligence community — worsening a problem it was created in part to resolve.

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Lead Stories

GOP embraces speculation about China’s role in data center backlash

Republicans are embracing allegations that data center opposition in the U.S. is being fueled by foreign actors, raising questions over how influence operators are contributing to one of the fiercest debates in the tech policy space. Reports, including from OpenAI, recently emerged suggesting China and other countries are carrying out influence campaigns to fan the flames of Americans’ frustration with the data center build-out. Data centers — the server warehouses powering the AI boom — once enjoyed support from politicians on both sides of the aisle. But public opinion has rapidly deteriorated in the face of concerns about the infrastructure’s impact on electricity bills and the environment. Democrats have seized on this backlash, especially around energy costs, while Republicans have struggled to coalesce around a message addressing voters’ worries ahead of the midterms.

“It makes sense for Republicans to point out China’s genuine efforts to influence American politics,” Ryan Fedasiuk, a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, told The Hill. “I’m glad we’re doing so. But on some level, it’s cope … it’s not going to make the problem go away.” President Trump largely supports industry development, arguing tech companies need to be able to build without obstacles to effectively compete with China in the so-called AI race. He has sought to speed up the approval of data center projects, curtailing environmental reviews and pushing for faster grid connections. But the White House is also grasping the reality of data centers’ increasing unpopularity. Earlier this year, Trump secured commitments from leading AI firms to cover rising electricity costs from data centers. As the president and his fellow Republicans try to balance a pro-tech agenda with constituents’ concerns, at least one key administration official and several GOP lawmakers are latching onto the reports of foreign influence campaigns. “Any place that’s trying to build data centers is getting bombarded with foreign-directed propaganda to try to block these from being built,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told Fox Business Network late last month.

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‘The president seems to revel in chaos’: Cornyn goes his own way

A few days after losing his Senate runoff, John Cornyn did something unusual for him: He used his leverage against his own party. The Texas Republican was frustrated by a nearly year-long delay in getting his state reimbursed by the Trump administration for more than $10 billion in border security spending that Congress had already approved. Cornyn had something valuable to withhold as lawmakers prepared to take up President Donald Trump’s $70 billion immigration spending bill. “Basically, I told Senator Barrasso and Senator [John] Thune: ‘There’s a price for my vote, and it is to get the administration to release the money,’” Cornyn told Semafor in a recent interview in his hideaway office on the Capitol’s third floor. “Next thing I got is a call from [White House budget director] Russ Vought, and Russ said, ‘we’ll put a notice of funding.’”

Cornyn added a reminder that, with more than six months left in office and a sophisticated understanding of the Senate, he’s positioned to play more hardball if he has to: “That’s one example I think of what you can do when you have some cards to play.” The four-term incumbent is already setting some conditions on his critical undecided vote for Trump’s attorney general pick, Todd Blanche. Cornyn has returned to the candor he displayed for years in the Senate halls, offering withering assessments of Trump’s Iran deal and legislative strategy — a pattern he might continue on Wednesday, when the president visits GOP senators in person. One thing the two-time campaign arm won’t threaten to withhold is his largesse on the trail. He is organizing a large September fundraiser for his colleagues and favorite Senate candidates: Sens. Jon Husted of Ohio, Susan Collins of Maine and Dan Sullivan of Alaska, plus former Sen. John Sununu of New Hampshire and former Rep. Mike Rogers of Michigan. Cornyn draws the line, however, at sending money to Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general who defeated him in the GOP primary with Trump’s endorsement. Working for other candidates in cheaper states makes more sense to Cornyn, who isn’t sure Paxton can win. “The president picked Paxton, and he’s got $350 million dollars. I think he can spend his money,” Cornyn said of Texas and Trump. “I’m going to try to help in other places.”

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Democrat James Talarico shifts focus to rising costs in new ad

Standing in a small market with a bag of groceries in hand, Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico uses his latest ad to promise relief for Texans struggling with rising costs. The spot marks a shift in emphasis for Talarico, whose campaign has spent weeks responding to Republican attacks centered on his past comments about religion, gender and other cultural issues. “Too many Texans feel like they’re drowning — the cost of groceries, gas, healthcare,” Talarico says directly to the camera. The 30-second ad features the state representative from Austin walking through the store before touting what he describes as a bipartisan record in the Legislature.

“Capping the cost of insulin, cutting taxes for small businesses, and passing the largest property tax cut in Texas history,” Talarico says in the ad before climbing into his Chevy Colorado pickup. “In the Senate, I'll take on corruption and keep fighting to lower your costs.” The focus on affordability contrasts with much of the race's early messaging, as Republican nominee Ken Paxton and his allies have targeted Talarico over his views on cultural and social issues. Paxton, after defeating Sen. John Cornyn in the GOP runoff last month, released an ad featuring short clips of Talarico asserting there are six biological sexes, calling the American flag a complicated symbol and making other statements. Republicans also have used social media to share snippets of Talarico, from saying God is “nonbinary” to talking up the environmental benefits of reducing meat consumption. Talarico has acknowledged some past statements were intentionally provocative and cringey – and he has chowed down on a pile of barbecue in front of cameras to rebut suggestions he is vegan.

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Fatal Tesla crash into Texas home now under federal safety investigation

U.S. auto-safety regulators have opened an investigation into a fatal wreck involving a Tesla that crashed into a home Friday evening and killed one person inside. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the top auto regulator in the country, said Monday that it would examine a crash involving a Tesla Model 3 near Houston. The driver of the Tesla told police he was operating with an automated driving assistance system, according to a statement by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. The vehicle left the roadway, “entered through the brick residence at a high rate of speed,” and struck a woman who was inside, sheriff’s officials said. The woman, identified as Martha Avila, later died from injuries sustained in the crash, officials said.

Footage from a home camera that was posted on social media and shared with The Wall Street Journal shows the blue Model 3 speeding up to the house in Katy, Texas, crossing over the yard and driveway, and slamming into the front wall of the home. NHTSA said Monday it was launching a special crash investigation into the incident. The regulator’s division that handles such investigations opens more than 100 cases annually to examine incidents involving unique circumstances or outcomes from an engineering perspective, according to NHTSA’s website. Tesla didn’t immediately return a request for comment. In a post on the Elon Musk-owned social media platform X, Tesla’s vice president of AI and software, Ashok Elluswamy, said that the driver manually pressed the car’s accelerator pedal down and had the pedal pressed even after the crash. The incident marks the latest effort by NHTSA to examine Tesla’s suite of advanced driver-assistance technologies. The agency has been conducting a defect investigation of Tesla’s system, known as Full Self-Driving (Supervised), which controls driving and steering functions but requires drivers to continuously monitor the road. Defect probes can result in automakers conducting a safety recall.

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State Stories

Chevron plans massive Texas power plant for Microsoft, eyes oilfield wastewater as water source

Chevron announced Monday it plans to develop a massive power plant in West Texas to fuel a Microsoft data center as a boom in artificial intelligence reshapes the state’s oil and gas industry. The power facility, which will be co-located with the data center in Reeves County, is expected to deliver 2.67 gigawatts of electricity, enough to power roughly 667,500 homes for one hot summer day in Texas. The Houston oil giant said the project — its first power plant for AI — will benefit the Texas economy while mitigating impacts to water resources and the grid. Large Texas oil companies such as Chevron, Exxon Mobil and Diamondback are branching into electricity generation for the first time, cashing in on AI growth as data centers create surging demand for power.

Locating the power facility on the same site as Microsoft’s data center enables Chevron to sidestep grid connections and supply it directly with electricity, which will be made onsite using natural gas produced in the Permian Basin and gas turbines, the company said. Chevron said the project will generate more than $10 billion in state and local tax revenue and will support nearly 2,000 jobs. “Chevron is uniquely positioned to deliver power to customers with certainty, speed and at a competitive cost, leveraging Permian natural gas and our proven execution capabilities,” Jeff Gustavson, Chevron’s president of New Energies, said in a statement. “This project links Chevron’s traditional strengths to emerging demand, creating differentiated value for our shareholders and the communities where we operate.” Chevron plans to use non-potable, brackish groundwater sources for its power generation operation, it said. The company also aims to reuse oilfield wastewater, known as “produced water,” as a water source.

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Oak Cliff gas explosion: Judge approves restraining order against Atmos Energy

An attorney representing victims of a deadly Oak Cliff apartment explosion says gas line records show the building had six reported leaks in the weeks before the blast — and that Atmos Energy knew the pipes were dangerous but failed to act. The five-alarm explosion at The Clyde Apartments killed three people, including Sylvia Collins, a community activist and Democratic Party volunteer. Her daughter, Michelle Collins, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Atmos Energy, Barba Drilling, and the building's owners, alleging negligence. Attorney Chris Hamilton, who is also pursuing a separate lawsuit against Atmos Energy, said the pattern of leaks at the property was a clear warning that went unheeded.

"At this particular property there were six leaks reported, six different 811 calls since March 20, so in the seven weeks approximately before," Hamilton said. Hamilton said drilling crews followed proper procedure before the explosion, calling 811 to have gas lines marked before breaking ground. But he said the lines were marked in the wrong location — off by 15 feet or more. "There was no way that this driller could possibly know there was a pipeline here," Hamilton said. "He drilled exactly where he was supposed to." Atmos Energy disputes that account. In a statement, the company said the driller — who was not working for Atmos — struck the pipe, and that Atmos had hired a third party to mark the gas lines. "The safety of our communities and employees is our first priority. Our hearts go out to the people who were lost, their families, and everyone who has been impacted," a spokesperson said in a statement. A Dallas County judge on Monday indicated she would sign a restraining order requiring Atmos Energy to notify Hamilton of any work in the area around the explosion -- needed, he argued, because he plans to argue the pipes in the area were old and leaky and contributed to the blast.

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City audit petition certified, moves forward to November ballot

Austinites will get a chance to vote on an amendment that would force regular external audits onto the city of Austin in the upcoming November ballot. This follows a petition, backed by Save Austin Now, sent to the city early June regarding a proposed charter amendment related to city spending and accountability. Those signatures were certified by the Austin city clerk on Monday, moving the amendment forward to the November ballot.

Save Austin Now launched the charter petition effort last year. It would require regular external audits of the entire city budget within a year of the contract engagement — with the independent contractor selected within 120 days. It also requires the city of Austin to review its budget every five years, or no less than one year before the city of Austin asks voters for more money in a tax rate election. “The more than 20,000 Austin residents who signed our petition only want transparency, accountability and efficient spending for the high taxes that we pay,” Save Austin Now co-chair Matt Mackowiak said in Monday’s press release. “If Austinites want to see their tax dollars spent wisely and efficiently, then we must pass this outside audit amendment

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Gov. Abbott orders Texas agencies to expand trade and workforce training

Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday directed four state agencies to immediately expand workforce training programs, apprenticeships and career education opportunities as Texas employees cointnue to seek more skilled workers to fill high-demand jobs. Speaking at a press conference at the Governor's Mansion, Abbott announced a series of directives developed by the Texas Jobs Council, a group created by the Governor in March to identify ways to strengthen the workforce pipeline in Texas through executive action, or actions conducted by an agency. "The demand for a high-skilled workforce has never been greater," Abbott said. "We want to make sure we have the best-trained workforce in the United States."

Texas Jobs Council co-chairs Megan Mauro, interim president of the Texas Association of Business, and Brent Taylor, Southern Region vice president of the Teamsters, joined Abbott at the announcement. The directives affect the Texas Workforce Commission, Texas Education Agency, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Under Abbott’s order, the Texas Workforce Commission is directed to do the following: Expand apprenticeship opportunities. Create a centralized online hub for career planning resources and develop career pathways for Texans facing barriers to employment, including veterans, foster youth and people with disabilities. Work to improve connections between employers and jobseekers by launching digital Learning and Employment Records through the Tri-Agency Workforce Initiative.

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Ye concert still on at the Alamodome despite blowback from Mayor Jones, others

The city of San Antonio appears to be keeping a concert by Ye on the city-owned Alamodome’s schedule despite blowback from Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones and other elected officials over the rapper’s history of antisemitism. City spokesman Brian Chasnoff didn’t directly say whether the controversial show would go on as planned, but he said it’s expected to draw more than 60,000 people. As of Monday, 50,000 tickets have been sold, including more than 14,000 within Bexar County and thousands of sales from outside Texas.

“Once Alamodome staff books an event, conceptually, the City Council can direct the City Manager to cancel it,” Chasnoff said in a statement late Monday. It’s unclear if Jones or City Council members want to call a vote on the concert. Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, is slated to perform at the Alamodome on July 4 as part of his international tour promoting his new album, “Bully.” Ye announced June 14 that he was coming to the Alamo City and tickets went on sale June 18. Jones took to social media on Saturday evening to call for the concert to be canceled. Her post drew national attention, appearing in the New York Times, USA Today and Rolling Stone, among other outlets. “Military City USA should not host someone with a record of hate speech and antisemitic comments in a city-funded facility like our Alamodome — not ever, and certainly not on July 4th, our Nation’s 250th birthday,” Jones wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “Standing up to antisemitism is exactly what it takes to achieve a more perfect Union.”

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Supporters raise over $125,000 for woman who made anti-Islam remarks

A viral video of a woman making anti-Islam comments at a grocery store prompted one state lawmaker to condemn hate speech — but also sparked a groundswell of support for the woman from conservative influencers and their followers who raised more than $125,000 for her. The video shows a woman in medical scrubs telling two women, “You need to leave. You’re not welcome here. This is not a Muslim country, this is a Christian country.” The text on the video says it’s an H-E-B in Conroe, but the grocer didn’t reply to the Houston Chronicle’s inquiry. The confrontation drew attention from figures ranging from Democratic state Rep. Suleman Lalani of Sugar Land to online conservative commentator Sara Gonzales.

A white nationalist influencer with the display name Tom Hennessey launched the fundraiser after social media users shared the woman’s personal information, such as an address and phone number they believed to be hers. The fundraiser on GiveSendGo — a Christian platform — says the woman was fired as a result of the viral interaction. The woman did not respond to requests for comment from the Chronicle. “She said the quiet part loud in the grocery aisle while the rest of us are simply trying to shop without a full-blown cultural invasion,” the GiveSendGo description says. Lalani condemned the comments in the video, saying they weren’t an isolated incident. “Perhaps the most disturbing part is the conviction this woman has in believing neighbors shopping at H-E-B are a threat to her and her country,” he wrote on social media. “This ‘hate virus’ is a contagion we must confront with facts, truth, and unity.” Muslims in Texas have been raising concerns regarding their safety as the GOP has spent months campaigning against “Sharia law,” which members of the faith group say is a moral and spiritual framework central to their faith. Muslims say the rhetoric from Republicans is putting them at risk.

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Data breach exposes personal information of over 3 million Texas hunters, fishers

A cybersecurity incident involving the vendor managing the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s (TPWD) license system may have exposed the personal information of more than 3 million hunting and fishing license customers. The Texas Cyber Command “recently detected a cybersecurity incident” in the TPWD license vendor system, according to a press release. Data exposed includes driver license information, passport numbers, email addresses, phone numbers and residential addresses. The data was tied to hunting and fishing license holders. The agency said there is no evidence customers younger than 18 were involved in the breach.

“We recognize the seriousness of this issue and have identified and implemented additional security options to better protect customer information,” said TPWD in its press release. There is no evidence that any specific group was targeted, according to the state agency. “Many of our staff are hunters and anglers and were affected by this incident. We are committed to continuing to work with the license system vendor to implement increased safeguards to prevent future incidents,” TPWD said. No Social Security numbers, dates of birth or financial information, including credit card details, were believed to have been leaked. TPWD said it is working with its license system vendor to improve security and implement additional safeguards. Those impacted by the breach will get a free year of credit monitoring and can call 844-959-7123 if they have questions. The enrollment deadline for free credit monitoring is Sept. 14. License sales still continue on schedule for August and the next license year, according to the release. “We recognize the seriousness of this issue and have identified and implemented additional security options to better protect customer information. Many of our staff are hunters and anglers and were affected by this incident. We are committed to working with the license system vendor to implement increased safeguards,” the department said in a statement.

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Robert Wilonsky: Still no concrete plans for Dallas’ 112-year-old Concrete House, owned by a state senator

State Sen. Royce West was wondering who was taking pictures of the house next to his Oak Cliff law offices Saturday. And: Why? Uh, well, that was me, I told him Monday morning. Because it’s among the entries on Preservation Dallas’ latest Endangered Places List being released this week. “List for what?” he asked. I told him again, then ticked off some of the other places: the 10th Street Historic District, the perennial concern not far from the West & Associates digs on South R.L. Thornton Freeway; the 151-year-old Garvin Cemetery on Northwest Highway, a city landmark yet again being eyed by developers; the former Hotel St. Germain in Uptown, imperiled by a planned high-rise; the crime-ridden Cole Manor Motel on Harry Hines Boulevard, which is more than endangered, as it’s coming down as I type.

And, of course, Dallas City Hall, whose abandonment creeps ever closer with each vote of City Council members who forget they’re but transient occupants. “That house has been there since 1914,” said West, referring to the manse designed and built by Czechoslovakian immigrant Joseph Kovandovitch. It’s made almost entirely of concrete. One of the city’s first poured concrete houses, actually. Which is why city Landmark Commission designation documents refer to it as — wait for it — The Concrete House. “It’s not going anywhere,” West said. Then he laughed. I’ve seen the future of Dallas City Hall. It’s where Eads Street in Oak Cliff dead-ends into vacant land and a thicket of trees, also owned by West, adjacent to the burgeoning Bottom neighborhood. An architectural marvel made entirely of concrete. Indestructible. Meant to last for a few lifetimes. Which it has, despite numerous fires set by the unsheltered and, according to one history, a cult. And boarded up for as long as anyone can remember.

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3 killed at Midland trucking company — city's second large shooting in 10 days

Authorities are investigating a deadly shooting in the Midland area that happened Monday morning in East Midland. The shooting happened in the area of North County Road 1140 and East Highway 80, at JAT Partner Logistics, a local trucking company, at approximately 6:58 a.m. Details are limited at this time, but a company spokesperson confirmed that at least three employees are dead following the incident. The Midland County Sheriff's Office confirmed that the deaths are from apparent gunshot wounds.

A witness at the scene claimed that the an employee had arrived at the scene and shot two coworkers before turning the gun on himself. Neither the company nor law enforcement officials have confirmed such details. One victim has been identified so far. The family of 45-year-old Jeff Waugh, has come forward to identify him as an employee of the company who passed away in the incident. Family members described Waugh as a hardworking father who is now survived by his two teenage children. Officials say that the motive for the incident remains unclear. An investigation is underway by the Midland County Sheriff's Office and the Texas Department of Public Safety. There is no risk to the public at this time.

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Lackland flu outbreak raises questions about Pentagon vaccine policy

At least 222 trainees have gotten sick during a flu outbreak at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. The Air Force says it has been working to contain the virus for the past three weeks. The Air Force says medical personnel are isolating and treating sick trainees, monitoring those who may have been exposed, and administering antiviral medications to help contain the outbreak. The number of reported illnesses has climbed to 222, according to U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio. Earlier in the week, Castro said nearly 160 members of the 37th Training Wing had gotten sick.

Castro has called for a full accounting of the outbreak and an investigation into the death of trainee Keon McDaniel, who suffered a medical emergency during the outbreak. Military officials say the cause of death remains under investigation and have not said whether influenza played a role. In April, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ended the military's long-standing influenza vaccine requirement, arguing the mandate weakened military readiness. A Pentagon spokesperson said the policy change was intended to "maximize operational readiness, lethality, and force generation, while safeguarding at-risk populations." The spokesperson said the department remains committed to the health and readiness of service members and civilian personnel. San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones, who previously served as Undersecretary of the Air Force, said the outbreak was preventable.

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Texas board hears heated testimony on social studies standards as final vote nears

Dozens of speakers called on the Texas State Board of Education to move forward with a set of revised social studies standards during testimony that began Monday afternoon and stretched well into the night. Dozens more asked the board to amend the standards to give more attention to certain cultures or chapters in history. Monday’s meeting represented the last opportunity for the public to weigh in on the standards before the board takes them up for a final vote. More than 250 people signed up to give public testimony on the issue. Board members are expected to discuss proposed amendments in the coming days before taking a final vote on Friday. The proposed standards would lay out what students are expected to learn in their social studies classes at each grade level. The standards have drawn controversy, with critics saying they place too much emphasis on Christianity while giving short shrift to other world religions. For example, biblical figures such as Abraham and Moses are included alongside figures from American and Texas history such as George Washington and Sam Houston.

The portrayal of Islam in the standards was a point of debate during the meeting. The mention of Islam in the proposed standards is limited, and mostly centers on conflicts like the Spanish Reconquista and acts of terrorism like those that occurred on Sept. 11. Earlier versions of the proposals included material dealing with the development of Algebra and astronomy in the Muslim world, but those were stripped out in the amendment process. Yusuf Shaikh, a Plano ISD graduate, said accurate portrayal of Muslims in world history classes matters. When Muslim students see Islam portrayed in history textbooks only as a source of conflict and not its contributions to math, science and other disciplines, they can be left with the impression that they don’t belong. He also noted that the seventh grade standards include the 1948 creation of the modern state of Israel, but don’t mention the mass displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians that followed. Inshirah Daher, a 15-year social studies teacher and a Palestinian American, took issue not only with the standards’ portrayal of Islam, but also the grade levels at which that material is introduced. She noted that fourth graders would be asked to learn about al-Qaeda before they’re taught foundational skills like how to read a map or how to distinguish a fact from an opinion. “This is not education,” she said. “This is a shortcut that skips the hard work of actually teaching children to be critical thinkers.

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Fort Worth-Tarrant County Innovation Partnership names new leader

The economic development and innovation group in charge of creating industry partnerships with Texas A&M-Fort Worth has a new leader. Cameron Cushman, former assistant vice president of innovation ecosystems at UNT Health Fort Worth, replaced Darryl Heath as executive director of the Fort Worth-Tarrant County Innovation Partnership. The partnership’s mission is to develop innovation hubs around the area’s key industries: aerospace, agriculture, media and healthcare. The organization is funded by the city, the county and Texas A&M University. Heath, who retired in 2015 after more than three decades at the consulting firm Accenture, returned to work and launched the program, Cushman said.

“As an A&M graduate and with an extensive background in innovation, Cameron is the perfect person to continue with Darryl Heath’s leadership and carry us to new heights,” said John Goff, CEO of Crescent Real Estate and a driving force behind Texas A&M’s Fort Worth investment. Texas A&M had already brought Cushman in to focus on some of the hubs. Now, with the first Texas A&M building opening in time for fall 2026 classes, it was time for the organization to begin finalizing those partnerships, he said. The $185 million Law and Education Building broke ground in June 2023. The second structure is the $260 million Research and Innovation Building that will be home to collaboration and research in key sectors, including engineering, aerospace, defense and health sciences. That building will also include key Texas A&M research programs, including a transportation institute, engineering experiment station, AgriLife and the Texas Division of Emergency Management.

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National Stories

Why Democrats are running against the ‘Epstein class’

After Graham Platner secured the Democratic nomination for Senate in Maine, his first ad of the general election didn’t mention his opponent, Sen. Susan Collins, or the Republican Party. It focused on the late disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and who he called the “Epstein class” of elites in both parties. “Some of the most powerful Democrats and Republicans in the country were on Epstein island,” Platner said in the ad, referring to Epstein’s former residence in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Platner, whose economic-populist campaign combined with controversial online statements and a since-removed tattoo of a Nazi symbol have drawn national attention, framed himself in opposition to this elite class. “It seems the only thing the party establishments can agree on is a love of Jeffrey Epstein, and a hatred of me,” he said. “I’m Graham Platner, and I approve this message because together, we will take back our government from the Epstein class.”

It’s not just Platner: In midterm races from Texas to Maine, Democrats and at least one Republican are running against Epstein and “the Epstein class,” a term Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California first used last year to describe the men among the economic and cultural elite who traveled in Epstein’s social circles and helped rehabilitate his reputation after the multimillionaire ex-financier became a convicted sex offender in 2008 for soliciting prostitution of a minor. “I’ll give the survivors credit, but I did coin the phrase ‘Epstein class’ because they’re a group of rich and powerful people who are not playing by the rules, and it offends the sense that we have one tier of justice,” Khanna told The 19th. The number of candidates highlighting Epstein in their campaign messaging, Khanna argued, “shows what a powerful issue this is to win the midterms and win back the trust of the American public.” In two of the most competitive races to determine control of the U.S. Senate, Platner and Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia, who is running for reelection, have castigated the “Epstein class” and what they say is elite corruption in their ads and messaging.

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What to watch Tuesday: Mamdani, AI industry flex political power in New York

Two opposing factions in the artificial intelligence industry square off in a Democratic primary for a U.S. House seat. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani tests his political clout by backing fellow democratic socialists. And President Donald Trump, after two of his chosen candidates for governor lost Republican primaries this month, ensured it won’t happen again — by endorsing both candidates in a South Carolina runoff. Those are a few of the races to watch on Tuesday as voters head to the polls for primaries in Maryland, New York, South Carolina and Utah. The crowded Democratic primary became a proxy battle between two powerful camps of the artificial intelligence industry because of one candidate: New York Assemblyman Alex Bores.

Bores, a former Palantir employee who cited ethical concerns in leaving the company, pushed one of the more sweeping state-level AI regulation bills in the country. Now, Bores points to that legislation — which faced some industry pushback — as a framework for how he’d approach regulation in Congress. So when he stepped into the race for the New York congressional district being vacated by retiring Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler, a political group underwritten by investors in OpenAI spent more than $7 million on ads against Bores. Then an opposing wing of the industry, one more in favor of regulation, rode to Bores’ aid. Political groups partly funded by Anthropic, which makes the chatbot Claude, spent more $10 million to boost Bores’ candidacy. Anthropic was co-founded by former OpenAI employee, Dario Amodei, who left the company partly over concerns about AI safety. The election will offer some measure of the political might of the two AI industry factions. The New York City mayor endorsed Democratic primary candidates hailing from his own political camp — a progressive and two democratic socialists — who are challenging more established candidates, some backed by party leadership.

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As Vance leads Iran negotiations, Trump creates disruptions in his path

As Vice President JD Vance entered the fifth hour of negotiations with Iranian leaders over the weekend, President Trump weighed in with an ill-timed threat to start bombing again. If the Iranians closed the Strait of Hormuz, Mr. Trump told a Fox News reporter, the negotiators talking to Mr. Vance would never make it back to their country — in fact, they would have no country to return to at all. For Mr. Vance, this was the latest example of his increasingly tricky role as the frontman in the U.S. negotiations with Iran, as Mr. Trump repeatedly creates disruptions in his path. On Monday, Mr. Vance said the first round of talks had laid “a successful foundation” for peace. But now, Mr. Vance will have to find a way to end a war that he opposed at the start, while navigating his boss’s whims and an adversary that has proved itself, at least in part, immune to Mr. Trump’s threats.

“What we told the Iranians yesterday is when you guys engage in what us millennials might call trash talk, you can’t expect the president of the United States not to respond and not to correct the record,” he said on Monday at a news conference. “So when they say things that aren’t true, the president is going to respond to it.” Both sides have signed a memorandum of understanding to end hostilities and are now trying to strike a lasting nuclear deal in 60 days. But for Mr. Vance, the presumptive favorite for the 2028 Republican nomination, the situation remains politically precarious. “If it works out, I’m going to take the credit,” Mr. Trump said of the peace deal last week. “If it doesn’t work out, I’m blaming JD.” Mr. Vance has said the president was joking, but Mr. Trump has never shied away from deflecting blame onto others — and how Mr. Vance handles the future of the negotiations will factor into Republicans’ performance in the midterm elections and his future as a potential successor to Mr. Trump.

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America’s intractable air traffic problem

Hours after a fatal collision at New York’s LaGuardia airport last March, America’s accident investigation agency dispatched one of its top air traffic control specialists to the scene. She barely made her flight. At the time, a partial government shutdown meant security agents at US airports were not being paid and often did not show up for work. Travellers across the US were forced to wait hours to be screened. Aides had to “beg” officials in Houston to get the investigator out of the queue she’d been stuck in for three hours and on to her flight to New York, said Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board. “It’s been a really, a really big challenge to get the entire team here, and they’re still arriving as we speak,” she told reporters the day after the crash.

America’s air transport system is under strain as never before. Insiders speak of near misses in the air and of staffing shortages in critical sectors that have heightened concern about passenger safety. With traveller numbers at near-record levels, congestion is rising around major hubs while occasional federal government shutdowns are wreaking havoc on operations. Frequent flight delays and cancellations caused by technology outages have prompted federal auditors to warn of the danger posed to air safety by ageing infrastructure. The World Cup, which is bringing millions of football fans to venues across the US, will only ratchet up the pressure — just as the summer travel season peaks. “The US system moves a lot of traffic very efficiently and has for years, but it’s super-strained by a lack of funding and understaffing,” says Brian Vogelsinger, a former Chicago-based air traffic controller. Vogelsinger is not the only one to worry about the staffing crisis in his profession. The National Air Traffic Controllers’ Association (Natca) puts the shortfall at 3,800. That means a lot more work for those currently in the system. “Forty per cent of our facilities are working six days a week, 10 hours a day,” says Anthony Schifano, a controller in Charlotte, North Carolina. “Some of these people?.?.?. never see a weekend off.”

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House Republicans slam Trump’s ‘risky and uncoordinated’ military funding strategy

House Republican appropriators are publicly rebuking the Trump administration for seeking must-have military cash through a party-line reconciliation bill that’s not guaranteed to clear Congress. In a report they plan to release later this week, obtained by POLITICO, House appropriators warn that the White House is trying to fund “critical efforts” like weapons and military equipment through the party-line process, rather than using it to “scale up” military dollars beyond Congress’ regular government funding bills.

“This approach is risky and uncoordinated,” reads the report, an official addendum that goes along with the chamber’s defense funding bill for the fiscal year that starts in October. In particular, appropriators criticized President Donald Trump’s budget request for splitting funding for the F-35 fighter, the most expensive program in Pentagon history, between the two bills. The annual government funding bills and the reconciliation process are “entirely separate tracks, with different timelines, committees of jurisdiction, and approval processes,” the report notes. Many Republican lawmakers are also doubtful GOP leaders will succeed in enacting another party-line package this year.

Read this article at Politico - Subscribers Only

Senate passes bill to lower housing costs and restrict Wall Street from buying homes

The Senate voted overwhelmingly Monday to pass a sweeping housing affordability bill aimed at lowering costs, putting Congress on the brink of a rare bipartisan victory in President Donald Trump’s second term. The vote was 85-5. Several senators missed the vote due to severe thunderstorms in the Washington area that led to a ground stop at Ronald Reagan National Airport. The legislation, which would make it easier to build homes and slap limits on Wall Street investors’ buying up houses, now goes to the House, which hopes to vote on it in the next few days. Then, it would go to Trump’s desk to be signed into law.

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act would be a desperately needed win for Republicans, who have seen their 2026 midterm election prospects deteriorate throughout the year as voters believe Trump and the GOP-controlled Congress haven’t done enough to tackle the cost of living. A mid-June poll by The Associated Press found that Trump’s overall approval rating is 37%, dragged down by the fact that just 33% said they approve of his handling of the economy. Other surveys have shown him getting low marks on handling the cost of living, the main issue that powered him to victory in 2024. And a June NBC News poll showed nearly 80% of U.S. voters believe the “American Dream” is harder to achieve than it was a generation ago. The bill represents a tangible victory on a top affordability concern. The “four corners” deal reached last week among key committee chairs, which was blessed by party leaders, brought together an eclectic mix of lawmakers from all over the ideological spectrum. It was negotiated by Sens. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Reps. French Hill, R-Ark., and Maxine Waters, D-Calif.

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Tucker Carlson says he'll no longer support GOP

Longtime conservative commentator Tucker Carlson said on a podcast that “there’s no chance I would support the Republican Party” ahead of the November midterm elections, dismissing the political affiliation he’s defended as a pundit for decades, including as one of Fox News Channel’s most popular hosts. “Not gonna support the Democratic Party,” Carlson was quick to add, speaking late last week on the show “Can’t Be Censored.” “I don’t know what I’m going to do.” Carlson, who has amassed a large following on his own podcast since being fired from Fox News in 2023, has more recently diverged from the party, a disillusionment supercharged by President Donald Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran in February.

Carlson supported Trump in 2024. After the war began, he apologized for supporting the then-presidential candidate and “misleading people,” saying it wasn’t intentional. He’s repeatedly criticized the war as being at the behest of Israel at the expense of Americans, and attacked the party for failing to represent its own voters, citizens and nation. “They are making decisions on the basis of other criteria, what’s best for this company, what’s best for Israel, what’s best for our donors,” he said. “That’s not just, like, they are off in the wrong direction, like, that is unacceptable, that’s treasonous, it’s immoral, it can’t continue.” “I’ve been a consistent defender for 35 years of the Republican Party, I mean very consistent defender, but there’s no defending this,” he said. “So no, I’m out. And if I’m out, then I think a lot of other people are out.”

Read this article at Associated Press - Subscribers Only

Five arrested as part of Trump’s reflecting pool ‘vandalism’ crackdown

Five people have been arrested and an additional five cited for vandalism at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, President Trump said Monday as he blamed political saboteurs for the peeling paint and a green algae bloom wrecking his much-hyped $14 million renovation. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that vandals “very violently” cut close to a 300-foot gash in the pool’s new “American flag blue” lining with “a box cutter or knife of some kind.” A White House official added that 14 police reports were filed in connection with vandalism on the Reflecting Pool, including one report regarding the large gash Trump described.

National Guard members and officers from various regional law enforcement agencies have been patrolling the area around the Reflecting Pool since this weekend, when Trump said “disgraceful vandalism” was responsible for damage to the newly renovated pool. He said the pool would once again be drained and fixed. “We had people lifting up – it’s not a lot of damage, but we’ll probably have to let the water out and fix it,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday. Neither the president nor the White House has offered specific evidence that the pool was purposefully vandalized, and questions remain whether the fast-tracked sealing and painting of the pool may be to blame. The Trump administration awarded Atlantic Industrial Coatings a no-bid $6.89 million contract in April to resurface the pool with his color choice, “American flag blue.” Millions more were added to the contract in May and June, bringing the total cost for the paint job and waterproofing to nearly $15 million.

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Federal judge halts Trump administration effort to subpoena Walz in immigration enforcement probe

A federal judge has blocked an attempt by the Trump administration to subpoena Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and other state officials, calling it an effort to “harass and retaliate against them.” In a ruling unsealed Monday, U.S. District Judge Patrick Schlitz found the “dominant purpose” of the subpoenas was to “coerce Minnesota officials into assisting the federal government with enforcing civil immigration law and to harass and retaliate against them for failing to do so.” The subpoenas were served in January as part of an investigation into whether Walz and other officials obstructed or impeded law enforcement during a sweeping immigration operation in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

The subpoenas, which seek records, were sent to the offices of Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her and officials in Ramsey and Hennepin counties. The judge ruled that there appeared to be “extremely weak to nonexistent” connections between the information sought in the subpoenas and any possible criminal violation. The subpoenas seek materials “that largely if not entirely relate to constitutionally protected conduct,” the judge wrote, noting that Minnesota has the legal right not to devote its resources to enforcing federal immigration law. The Justice Department “is not conducting a criminal investigation,” the judge wrote, “but is instead using the grand jury process for other (unlawful) purposes.” The evidence that the subpoenas were issued for unlawful reasons is overwhelming, the judge said, arguing that the Justice Department “has struggled — without success — to identify a single plausible investigatory justification” for them.

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Lead Stories

Jasmine Crockett refuses to endorse Talarico in Texas Senate race

There is a tradition in Texas of people named Crockett making famous last stands. For Davey Crockett, it was at the Alamo, but the hill that Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, seems inclined to die on is stopping James Talarico, who beat her in the primary, from winning his Senate race. The famously sassy Crockett told The Dallas Morning News this week she has "no idea" when asked if she would support Talarico in November, saying she is focused on the down-ballot races. Crockett also declined an invitation to speak on Talarico’s behalf at the upcoming Texas Democratic Party Convention. In fact, she is just skipping the whole thing. On one hand, this refusal to play ball could just be the ire of a woman scorned, but even if that is so, there are a few reasons for Democrats to be worried about Crockett taking her endorsement and going home.

The first reason Crockett's refusal to endorse Talarico would hurt is that it takes away an important political weapon, specifically, the fact that long-serving GOP Sen. John Cornyn, who lost his party's primary, is also refusing to endorse the man who beat him, Ken Paxton. Talarico would love to slap on a smug smile and tell Texas voters, "Even John Cornyn, who is as Republican as it gets, won’t back my extreme opponent," or whatever. But if his own primary opponent, a sitting member of Congress, is snubbing him too, it just evens out. The deeper problem for the party that Crockett’s recalcitrance reveals is a growing worry among Black Democrats that their power in the party is being marginalized and diminished. In our deep blue cities, the Democratic Socialists of America are actively replacing old Black power within the party with immigrant candidates. The voters most aggressively fueling this shift are well-off, well-educated White people who always rank most progressive-leaning in polls.

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Alan Greenspan, former chairman of the Fed, dies at age 100

Alan Greenspan, who presided over the Federal Reserve for 19 years under four presidents and mastered the art of obfuscation known as Fedspeak, has died. He was 100. The influential economist died Monday from complications of Parkinson’s Disease, said his wife of 29 years, Andrea Mitchell, the chief Washington correspondent and chief foreign affairs correspondent for NBC News. Greenspan was appointed Fed chairman in 1987 by President Ronald Reagan and held the position — through busts and booms — until retiring in 2006. His tenure was the second longest, four months short of that of William McChesney Martin, who presided over the central bank from 1951 to 1970.

In an apparent bid to avoid rocking the markets or not showing the Fed’s hand until it was time, Greenspan would cloak his utterances in language that left the sharpest minds — including those of contentious members of Congress — scratching their heads. “His long, convoluted sentences seem to take away at the end what they have given at the beginning as they flow to new levels of incomprehensibility,” The Washington Post’s Bob Woodward said in his 200 biography “Maestro: Greenspan’s Fed and the American Boom.” But it was his unusual frankness in one televised speech, on Dec. 5, 1996, that set off a bit of market madness. Discussing the challenges of setting monetary policy, he said: “How do we know when irrational exuberance has unduly escalated asset values, which then become subject to unexpected and prolonged contractions as they have in Japan over the past decade? ... We should not underestimate or become complacent about the complexity of the interactions of asset markets and the economy.”

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Microsoft and Chevron sign 20-year power deal For Texas data center

Chevron Corp. signed a 20-year deal with Microsoft Corp. to provide natural-gas fired power for a proposed West Texas data center, which could be one of the biggest in the US. Project Kilby, as the power plant is named, is expected to provide first power by 2028 and will ramp up to 2.67 gigawatts over time, Houston-based Chevron said. The oil giant, which is collaborating on the development with investment fund Engine No. 1, plans to make a final investment decision later this year. Bloomberg News previously reported the companies were in exclusive talks over a long-term power deal.

Microsoft is doubling down on building data centers as it competes with Alphabet Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. to expand in artificial intelligence. The longtime backer of ChatGPT maker OpenAI plans to double its data-center footprint over the next two years. The partnership with Chevron, one of the country’s biggest gas producers, is expected to supply the large-quantities of reliable power needed for AI’s energy-hungry models. Overall, the US is expected to double its data center capacity to 77 gigawatts by 2030, according to BloombergNEF. That is expected to put severe pressure on the power grid and is already raising costs for consumers, prompting political backlash around the US. Chevron’s plant will feed cheap gas from the Permian Basin, America’s biggest oil field, to several large GE Vernova Inc. turbines that will power a data-center campus that Microsoft plans to build on that site near the city of Pecos, Texas. The project will generate its own power, meaning it will not draw from the grid or involve a local utility, Jeff Gustavson, Chevron’s president of New Energies, said in an interview. “Consumers are concerned about and are already feeling the effect of power-demand growth,” he said. “We specifically designed this, in this part of the country, to avoid any of that.”

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GOP group confirms primary meddling

A Republican group seeded pop-up super PACs with $4.4 million last month to meddle in Democratic primaries. A new trove of FEC data reveals the fullest picture yet of the GOP’s efforts to choose its preferred Democratic opponent in key battleground seats.

Conservative Americans PAC funded Lead Left PAC and Real Change PAC, groups that played in Democratic primaries in Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Texas, Maine and New Jersey. It also funded California Blue PAC, which meddled in a red-leaning seat in the Golden State. “Republicans are leveling the playing field after over a decade of Democrats meddling in our primaries,” Samantha Bullock, a spokesperson for the PAC, told us. “And with the Democrat Party in the midst of a civil war, Republicans would be stupid not to take advantage while pushing their candidates farther left.” The American Prosperity Alliance, a GOP-aligned nonprofit, funds Conservative Americans PAC. Democrats have been highly suspicious of Real Change PAC and Lead Left PAC, which initially took great effort to hide their leadership and partisan affiliations. But a few clues were pointing to Republican meddling. The group is now confirming the role it played. This effort has had some success. Conservative Americans PAC got its preferred candidates in Nebraska and Maine. But it’s not clear how decisive their spending was.

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State Stories

Travis County lawsuit could change Texas child welfare investigations

A Travis County judge is weighing a case that could force Texas to change how it labels parents accused of child neglect, potentially reshaping child abuse investigations statewide. The debate came from a lawsuit filed by Temecia and Rodney Jackson, parents from Dallas County, who had their third child, M.J., taken from them for nearly a month just days after she was born in 2023 following a home birth with a Texas-certified midwife. At the center of the case is a Texas Department of Family and Protective Services designation known as “unable to determine,” which allows the agency to conclude it cannot determine whether abuse or neglect occurred. Unlike more serious findings, the designation cannot be appealed, a policy that Jacksons argue is unconstitutional.

“Mrs. Jackson's decision to use a midwife for a home birth is one that should have been a beautiful experience that the agency essentially robbed her of,” said ACLU staff attorney Charelle Lett, who represents the Jacksons. “The distrust in this Black family to choose proper health care for their child is really disheartening, and the distrust in midwives who are trained and licensed by the state of Texas to do a job has also been disheartening.” The Jacksons, who opted for a home birth with a state-certified midwife, went to their pediatrician's office in the days after M.J.'s birth for a routine appointment. Dr. Anand Bhatt, the Jacksons' pediatrician of 12 years, called Temecia Jackson to tell her M.J.'s test results showed potential jaundice warning signs and to advise her to take M.J. to a hospital for monitoring. Temecia Jackson told Bhatt that she'd consult with her midwife and husband, and after doing so, she decided to pursue an alternate treatment plan at home. Temecia Jackson then laid down for a nap, according to court filings. As she slept, Bhatt called Temecia Jackson, whose phone was on silent. After she did not immediately respond to repeated calls from the doctor, he called the police to perform a welfare check the same night. Bhatt did not call Rodney Jackson. Police arrived, and after they left, the Jacksons called Bhatt to let him know they'd be following the advice of their midwife.

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Letitia Plummer says anti-Islam messaging from GOP is a distraction

Democrat Letitia Plummer is ready for the fight. At a time Republicans are ramping up anti-Islamic messaging, Plummer, a Democrat who could become the first Muslim woman to lead Harris County, said she’s not going to let the GOP use another culture war to divert focus from the real mission of tackling affordability and public safety. “It’s another distraction that I think Republicans are doing to divide us,” Plummer said in an exclusive interview on this week’s Texas Take Podcast.

At the Republican Party of Texas Convention last week in Houston, delegates held discussions about how to fight the “Islamification of Texas” and passed a legislative priority package that included “stopping Sharia law” in Texas. Sharia law is the religious, legal and moral code of Islam. But what it is and how it is defined varies. While in majority Muslim nations it can be part of the legal system, in places like the United States, Sharia is more commonly a set of moral and religious principles that guide people in prayer and diet. For the state's GOP delegates and Gov. Greg Abbott, the concept is a threat. “This next session, we need to leave no doubt by totally banning Sharia law,” Abbott said in a speech to the delegates. Plummer is concerned about where the rhetoric is heading. But said if she wins in November, she’ll try to find common ground where she can with GOP leaders for the sake of Harris County residents and the issues they are battling day to day. “When people are having culture wars, we’re bringing hope,” she said. “And when people are driving fear, we are driving with hope and ambition.” Plummer, a former Houston city council member, stunned many by defeating fellow Democrat and former Houston mayor Annise Parker in a primary runoff battle last month. She faces Republican Orlando Sanchez, former county treasurer, in November to see who will replace Lina Hidalgo as county judge. After two terms in office, Hidalgo is not seeking reelection. Plummer said she wants to be a new voice for Harris County and promises to mend fences with the city of Houston and Mayor John Whitmire. "I will be a different type of leader," she said. "I understand how to negotiate. I can find similarities and focus on those and work through our differences."

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Driver told deputies Tesla was on Autopilot during crash through Katy-area home, killing woman: HCSO

A 76-year-old woman was killed after a Tesla crashed through a home in the Katy area on Friday evening, authorities say. According to the Harris County Precinct 5 Constable's Office, the Tesla crashed into a home in the 21300 block of Rose Hollow Lane near Park Brush Lane at 8:30 p.m. The driver told investigators that he had the Tesla on Autopilot, according to the constable's office. "We're still evaluating what caused that car to fail to control its speed just before this crash," said Sgt. A. Turman. "We've asked people who are familiar with Teslas, as well as the driver involved in the car, to see what role the driver's control over the car played in this crash."

Officials said the driver of the Tesla was taken to the hospital by ambulance, and the older woman, who was inside the house, was taken by helicopter to Memorial Hermann. According to the Harris County Sheriff's Office, the woman was later pronounced dead. Neighbor Bryan Diaz said he and his family were outside celebrating a birthday party when the crash happened. "The kids were scared and my mom and my uncles," Diaz said. "It's insane what just happened, especially right in front of us." Diaz told Eyewitness News the Tesla appeared to be driving fast on the road before the vehicle failed to stop and struck the home. HCSO stated the driver failed to drive in a single lane, left the roadway, and struck the house at a high rate of speed. Video obtained by Eyewitness News showed the car speeding along the street moments before the crash. "Just flew straight into their home and just happened so quick," Diaz said. Authorities said the investigation remains ongoing.

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“Mass euthanasias”: Screwworm could have deeper implications for Texas’ already-crowded animal shelters

After the New World screwworm was found in a dog in Texas, pet owners across the state worried how it might affect their animal companions. But the state’s uncontrollable stray animal population has the potential to make the spread of screwworm worse. And in some cases, animals in shelters could die as a result of this outbreak, without ever being touched by the screwworm. “They will do mass, mass, mass euthanasias if they aren’t allowed to move the animals out of the quarantine zones,” said Rebecca Giamona, assistant medical care director for Austin Pets Alive. “There could be thousands of animals dying in shelters because they don’t have the space to continue to cover those animals.”

For years, animal advocates across Texas have been raising awareness about the overcrowding in animal shelters all over the Lone Star state. According to Best Friends Animal Society, an animal welfare nonprofit, an estimated 568,325 cats and dogs entered Texas shelters. Then the New World screwworm burrowed its way to the U.S. The parasitic fly lays eggs in open wounds, which then turn into larvae that feast on the living flesh of warm-blooded animals. And it isn’t limited to cattle, livestock and wildlife — anything with a wound is at risk of attracting the fly. This includes cats, dogs and humans. Earlier this month, Gov. Greg Abbott issued a statewide disaster proclamation for all of Texas’ 254 counties in response to screwworm cases in the state. The parasitic fly has mostly infested livestock so far, but it was also caught in a dog. After a screwworm infested zone was established, the Texas Animal Health Commission put quarantine orders in parts of 13 counties: Coke, Edwards, Gillespie, Kerr, Kimble, La Salle, Schleicher, Sutton, Tom Green, Uvalde, Val Verde, Webb and Zavala.

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San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones supports canceling Ye’s July 4 concert at Alamodome

San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones expressed her concerned opinions through social media on Saturday about the Alamodome hosting a Ye concert next month. The Grammy Award winning rapper, Ye — formerly known as Kanye West — has been involved in multiple controversial moments throughout his two decade career. The mayor made it clear she dislikes the idea of a city-funded stadium being used for his concert. “I support canceling the Ye concert,” Jones said on X. Jones also does not like San Antonio hosting Ye on the United States’ birthday, the Fourth of July. “Military City USA should not host someone with a record of hate speech and antisemitic comments in a city-funded facility like our Alamodome—not ever, and certainly not on July 4th, our Nation’s 250th birthday,” Jones continued on X. “Standing up to antisemitism is exactly what it takes to achieve a more perfect Union.” Ye was recently barred from entering the United Kingdom where he was scheduled to headline the Wireless Festival in July, after a backlash over Ye’s history of antisemitic remarks, the Associated Press reported in April. KSAT has reached out to the Alamodome for a comment.

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Dallas City Council skipped budget talks as some members left for FIFA

City officials were supposed to talk about a $51 million shortfall in next year’s annual budget and how they were going to overcome it. Instead, they got a ride to the World Cup. Some council members went to Wednesday’s soccer match between Croatia and England, which started half an hour after the council voted 9-5 to authorize evaluation of relocation sites for City Hall and emergency operations, the Dallas Observer first reported. But what was not known was that council offices received an email with transit information exactly five minutes after the vote: “Please let your CMs know that if they wish to utilize provided transportation to today’s FIFA game at 3pm, there are two SUVs located on L1 Green,” read an email sent by a senior administrator in the mayor and city council office.

A city spokesperson said in a statement that city leaders often attended events in their official capacity to represent the city, "which is necessary to support diplomatic relations, economic development, opportunities, and key hospitality efforts." The spokesperson declined to offer specifics about the transportation provided by the city citing security reasons. The public meeting didn’t continue after that because not enough council members — nine — were present in person or online to conduct business. Council meetings and smaller committee meetings have been mired in lost time, cancellations and infighting. Elected officials go over a bulk of the city’s business during this time and when council members don’t show up or leave midway, pressure grows on how fast and efficiently the city can address resident needs. Council members Maxie Johnson, Kathy Stewart, Bill Roth, Cara Mendelsohn, Gay Donnell Willis and Paul Ridley were present in council. Council members Chad West and Laura Cadena tuned in virtually. Zarin Gracey told The Dallas Morning News he was at the game. Council members Jesse Moreno, Jaime Resendez, Adam Bazaldua, Lorie Blair and Mayor Eric Johnson did not respond to The News’ inquiry. Some blame the dynamics on the council. District 9 council member Paula Blackmon said she left the meeting when she saw others leave for the game because she was “emotionally whipped.” “I look at the council and it’s just a sad place to be,” she said about the barbs traded among the council. “I’m guilty of it too and I’m trying to be careful. But I’m going to court, suing my own city. It’s not fun.”

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In post-DEI era, Trump admin turns to San Antonio for more veteran-owned businesses

As President Donald Trump’s administration forces an end to race- and gender-conscious contracting preferences, governments at every level are ramping up their goals to award more contracts to veteran-owned businesses instead. There’s just one problem, however: finding enough veteran contractors who have the certifications to complete the work. Top officials from Trump’s Small Business Administration are now scrambling to fill the gaps as the federal government ramps up its own goals for small veteran-owned businesses — and could soon go even higher.

Beneath an arch of red, white and blue balloons on a sticky Friday morning, Trump’s SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler visited San Antonio to personally christen a new Veterans Business Outreach Center [VBOC] that her office is standing up at St. Philip’s College. The agency has long operated centers across the country that help mentor veterans as they start and grow their businesses, including one in the Rio Grande Valley and one in Arlington. But the San Antonio location is the first of its kind in response to rapid policy changes happening in federal government contracting. The city has one of the nation’s largest concentrations of veterans — as well as roughly 80,000 active-duty service members who could open businesses as they transition into civilian careers. SBA’s new center is designed to help them build and grow businesses that could compete for federal contracts under the same roof where the Texas Veterans Commission already has staff doing similar work for state contractors.

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The troubling disappearance of ‘El Gallito’

Ernesto Gonzales liked to hold court in the morning from a corner booth of El Rancho in Harlingen, a busy local eatery festooned with multicolored papel picado party banners—one of several spots he frequented after rising at dawn and reading the Bible. Between slurps of coffee—he drank it like water—and bites of breakfast taco, he would pause to finger his brushy, ample mustache and call out greetings. No one could predict from his deadpan expression whether the 62-year-old attorney might glance up to deliver a skewering remark, a sly joke, or, more rarely, a compliment. After decades of trail riding, running a solo law practice, and serving as mayor of the nearby town of Primera, Gonzales seemingly knew secrets about everyone, gleaned from his encyclopedic knowledge of the Rio Grande Valley and his voluminous divorce and criminal case files. He lived perpetually surrounded by friends—and by enemies. His flamboyant style verged on cantankerous.

As a young attorney, a judge noticed the flourishes of aggressive energy he deployed in court, earning him the moniker “El Gallito,” the Little Rooster. But in late middle age, the Rooster had strayed from his flock. He spoke infrequently to his only son, and never to his former wives, though he’d quietly made sure they’d benefit in the event of his death. In June 2017, he began to fight with two of his seven siblings over their mother’s treatment and medications. He soon filed related formal complaints against the home healthcare business run by his sister, a nurse, accusing her of patient abuse, neglect, and Medicaid fraud. (She denied all allegations.) A Primera patrolman was summoned to the family home on June 21 over an argument Gonzales began over whether his mother, Francisca, bedridden after suffering small strokes, needed emergency treatment. Over his loud objections, the ambulance was sent away. Gonzales later alleged his mother had been “unduly influenced by my siblings to say she did not want to go to the hospital though I have the power of attorney.” He blamed siblings, nieces, and their husbands when she died days later, executing a posthumous maneuver to exclude some from the list of pallbearers.

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Montgomery County on pace to see increase in murders for 2026

Montgomery County is on pace for a slight increase in murders in 2026, but law enforcement officials say that doesn’t indicate a growing threat to public safety. Since the beginning of the year, the county has recorded nine murders, including the recent shooting death of James Blount, 81, according to the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office. “Based on the number of cases we have seen so far this year, we are currently on pace for approximately 21 murders in 2026,” District Attorney Mike Holley said. Homicides are when one person causes the death of another. Murder is a type of homicide that is the unlawful killing of a human being with malice.

The county recorded 17 murders in 2024 and 17 murders in 2025, according to the DA's office. Holley said one factor in the increase is population growth. Montgomery County has grown from around 620,000 people in 2020 to more than 800,000, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. “Given the continued growth and changing demographics of our county, such a figure would not be unexpected,” Holley said. Holley said murders committed by a stranger are rare. Of the 43 murders that have occurred in Montgomery County since Jan. 1, 2024, only two involved a suspect who was a stranger to the victim. In many counties, including Montgomery County, murders are commonly the result of family violence. Texas saw 240,925 family violence offenses in 2025, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Of those, 454 were murders. “Many murders involve family violence, often accompanied by the use of drugs or alcohol,” Holley said. “This is one reason why law enforcement and prosecutors in Montgomery County devote substantial resources to addressing family violence.”

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State Board of Education to vote on new curriculum emphasizing Texas, Christian themes

The Texas State Board of Education is voting this week on new curriculum that includes references to Christian texts and emphasizes Texas history. At its meeting in Austin, the 15-member board is expected to give final approval to changes to history, social studies and reading lists that every public school student in Texas child is taught. Advocates for the changes say they put Texas and Christianity in their proper perspective of their impact on U.S. history, as well as advocate for freedom and capitalism. Critics say the curriculum favors Christianity over other religions and includes inaccuracies.

“There's a concerted effort to teach history from a perspective that highlights Christian contributions and ignores others,” said Southern Methodist University religious studies professor Mark Chancey. “So Christian contributions to American society are emphasized but not those of other groups, other peoples.” The proposed curriculum would teach third-graders about Moses’ “contributions as a law-giver through the Ten Commandments,” and “how Christian beliefs … helped shape American ideas about equality, rights, and treating people with dignity.” The state board adopted the new social studies framework last year and worked on rewriting the standards earlier this year. A board-appointed academic adviser told SBOE the changes would “create an American and Texas identity.” Rocia Fierro-Perez, political director of the left-leaning Texas Freedom Network, said the same tenets are found in other religions. “To attribute these values exclusively to Christianity misrepresents the world and ignores the contributions of other beliefs that help shape American culture,” she said. The new curriculum would go into effect in 2030. Members of her organization plan to testify before the board this week before it takes the final vote. “Texans need to know what’s going on,” she said. “We would love to have a reasonable conversation with members, but that seems further and further away.”

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2 new screwworm cases detected in Edwards County over last 24 hours, USDA says

Three new cases of New World Screwworm were detected within 24 hours, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Sunday, bringing the total detections domestically up to 15. Two of the new cases were detected in Edwards County calves, the USDA said in a post on its Screwworm Rapid Response page, which were found in animals already inside the currently affected area. The USDA said the new Edwards County cases were anticipated, even with sterile fly dispersals underway, because it does not kill existing larvae but instead prevents future generations.

“Because a fly’s life cycle is an average of 21 days, it takes multiple reproductive cycles for populations to die off following sterile fly releases,” the USDA said. “As such, we may continue to see cases occur in already affected zones — a sign that our surveillance is working." Another case was detected in a lamb Saturday in Crockett County, Texas, which is west of the previously affected areas. The USDA said it plans to start sterile fly dispersal flights over Crockett County to combat cases in the newly infested zone. The Texas Animal Health Commission has a map of infested and adjacent surveillence zones on its website.

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National Stories

Staggering amounts of fentanyl hit streets as the DEA watched and took no action, records show

Even as it battled the deadliest drug epidemic in American history, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration permitted hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to hit the streets of New Mexico between 2023 and 2025, according to three current and former DEA agents and government records reviewed by The Associated Press. DEA agents repeatedly monitored shipments of fentanyl pills — but did not seize them — as federal prosecutors sought to bring bigger criminal cases against traffickers of a synthetic opioid that the White House last year designated a “ weapon of mass destruction.” Agents and experts, however, said the tactic amounted to a gamble with public safety that potentially imperiled communities in and around Albuquerque and may have violated U.S. Justice Department rules intended to safeguard the public.

“We poisoned our community to make cases,” DEA Special Agent David Howell told AP in a series of interviews in New Mexico. “Through our own willful blindness, we get to say, ‘We don’t really know what happened to the drugs.’ But we 100% got people killed.” The DEA has long contended it would not be plausible to seize every shipment of every drug. But the strategy of allowing staggering amounts of counterfeit painkillers to hit the streets shocked several veteran agents who spoke with AP. Ridding the streets of illicit fentanyl, manufactured mostly in Mexican labs, became DEA’s top priority over the past decade as overdose deaths surged. At the same time, its lethality — a few milligrams can kill the average adult — upended time-tested tactics that had been used to combat drugs like cocaine and heroin.

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Keir Starmer says he will resign as prime minister; Andy Burnham expected to be next U.K. leader

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Monday that he will resign, paving the way for the country’s seventh leader in a decade after facing an uprising within his center-left Labour Party. The announcement clears the path to power for Starmer’s likely successor, Andy Burnham, the popular ex-mayor of Greater Manchester who secured a return to Parliament last week. Burnham confirmed Monday, shortly after Starmer said he would stand aside, that he would seek to replace the departing leader. He is now the runaway favorite. Starmer said he had spoken to King Charles III to inform the monarch of his decision to stand down, but that he would remain in the job as caretaker until a new leader is chosen.

“The question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election,” Starmer said, as he spoke in front of supporters outside No. 10 Downing Street on a sweltering summer morning. “I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question, and I accept that answer with good grace,” he said. Starmer’s voice choked as he talked about the support of his wife, Victoria, and his two children — a rare public display of emotion for the prime minister. “Every decision I have taken has been about putting the country I love first,” Starmer said. “That is why I will resign.” Starmer said that nominations to replace him as leader of the Labour Party, and thus prime minister, will open on July 9 and close when Parliament breaks up for its summer recess on July 16. If no challenger emerges to Burnham he could be in office shortly after that. If there is a contest, Starmer said a new leader will be chosen by September 1. Starmer’s “decision marks the beginning of a transition and it is important that this process is conducted in an orderly and responsible way,” Burnham said in a statement. “I will put myself forward as part of this process.” One of the few people who had been expected to challenge Burnham, former health secretary Wes Streeting, said Monday that he would in fact back his leadership bid.

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A California man's case highlights gaps in care and oversight at DHS detention centers

Just about every Saturday, Ulises Parias drives two hours to visit his father, Carlitos Ricardo "Richard" Parias, at the Adelanto Detention Center in California. They talk on the phone regularly. Parias tells his father about his 16-year-old sister and about his college classes. Occasionally, his dad's health comes up: his left arm hurts and he gets headaches, fevers and blurry vision. It has been over eight months since Parias' father was shot by federal agents during an immigration enforcement arrest in Los Angeles. Immigration attorneys representing Parias allege he is not receiving adequate medical care, including pain medication and physical therapy, following an encounter with federal agents that resulted in Parias being shot near his left elbow.

"The last thing he told me was, have a good day at school. Then, like five minutes later, I heard some commotion outside," Parias, 20, said in an interview with NPR. "My heart stopped for a minute, and then I quickly went outside [to] the streets. And that's when I found my dad's car. The window was shattered." Attorneys for Parias have tried to secure his release from detention while his immigration case plays out. So far, that request has been denied. Parias' case, his attorneys say, is one that exemplifies the challenges facing many detainees in a judicial and detention system with limited resources and dwindling avenues for any recourse, including for people with no criminal record. This year brought increased scrutiny on federal law enforcement's use of force, after two federal agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis, and on the conditions within immigration detention centers, including medical care amid some of the highest numbers of people in detention and of deaths of those in custody.

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Apple to work with Intel on US chip design and production, Trump says

President Donald Trump said Thursday that Apple has agreed to work with Intel on designing and producing chips in the U.S. "When I won my Second Term, it was clear America needed its Semiconductor Industry to come back to the U.S.A. We design everything, but we need to BUILD it here, NOW! So I decided to help Intel because we need to design and build our Chips right here in America," Trump wrote on Truth Social. The partnership could help Apple diversify its manufacturing base as it looks for additional chip capacity. The tech giant relies heavily ?on the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, which has advanced production ?lines in ?high demand from AI chipmakers such as Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices.

Intel shares rose in premarket trading following the announcement from the president. "The Technology the World relies on was invented in America. We all remember 'Intel Inside.' Stupid Presidents took our Economy for granted, and let Taiwan and others steal our Semiconductor Factories," Trump said. Intel reportedly reached a preliminary agreement to make some chips for Apple after more than a year of talks. Apple and Intel have not publicly detailed which chips or products would be involved. An Apple contract would give Intel steady demand from a top consumer electronics company after its reputation and manufacturing business fell behind TSMC in recent years. Earlier this week, Intel announced that a new generation of its manufacturing technology, 18A-P, had entered initial production, as the chipmaker works to meet demand for advanced processors. The Trump administration took a roughly 10% stake in Intel last year and announced plans to invest billions of dollars in the chipmaker to build or expand factories in the U.S. Trump previously said he "should have asked for more" of a stake in Intel after the value of the federal government's Intel position rose sharply. "When was the last time a President made America money??" Trump wrote on Thursday. The administration has been boosting efforts to secure U.S. supply chains for critical minerals and semiconductors, including by taking equity stakes in companies as part of an effort to cut reliance on China.

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Why Trump has been attacking the Supreme Court, with 3 key rulings ahead

When Supreme Court Justice Neil M. Gorsuch hosted a gathering of his former clerks last year, a prominent attorney and Donald Trump ally who had played a key role in Gorsuch’s rise was notably absent. Gorsuch had nicknamed his friend Mike Davis “the general” for helping him secure his first federal judgeship, leading a campaign to get Gorsuch confirmed to the Supreme Court and then serving as one of his inaugural clerks. But the relationship soured last year as the Supreme Court began to rule on some of Trump’s policies, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue.

One recounted how Gorsuch became upset when Davis lashed out at Justice Amy Coney Barrett, calling her a “rattled law professor” for siding with the court’s liberals in a pair of rulings against Trump. The other said Davis was angered by Gorsuch’s vote to block Trump’s use of a wartime authority to deport Venezuelans. The people differed on whether Gorsuch had asked Davis not to come to his clerks’ gathering or he chose not to. Either way, the rift highlighted the growing conflict between Trump, his MAGA allies and the justices, which has burst more fully into public view in recent months. That turbulence makes for a tense backdrop in the waning days of the Supreme Court’s 2025-26 term, as the justices prepare to rule on three signature Trump initiatives: limiting birthright citizenship, firing the heads of independent agencies and reshaping the Federal Reserve. Many legal experts believe that the justices have signaled they will rule against Trump on two out of the three, blocking his bid to deny citizenship to those who were born to parents here illegally or lacking permanent residency, as well as his effort to remove a governor of the Fed board.

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Trump administration shuttered a criminal probe into fraudster’s clemency

President Trump’s political appointees quashed an early-stage criminal investigation into the circumstances surrounding his clemency grant to a convicted fraudster, according to five people with knowledge of the events. The investigation, which has not been previously reported, had begun examining whether improper payments were made to help facilitate the commutation awarded to David Gentile, a private equity executive who was convicted in a $1.6 billion scheme that defrauded thousands of mostly mom-and-pop investors, some of whom lost their retirement savings. The clemency grant freed Mr. Gentile last November less than two weeks into a seven-year prison sentence, and wiped away the possibility of forfeiting more than $15.5 million to the government.

Within a few months, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, where Mr. Gentile’s conviction had been secured, opened an investigation into how the commutation came about. Among the evidence they gathered was information about jailhouse communications in which Mr. Gentile discussed making payments of $2.5 million or more to people or companies to help facilitate his clemency, according to two people with knowledge of the investigation who were not authorized to discuss it. One of the people who came under scrutiny by investigators was the Rev. Frank Mann, a retired Catholic priest from Queens who is friends with Mr. Trump. In an email sent to The New York Times, Father Mann denied having anything to do with the clemency. But people with knowledge of the prison communications say that the priest corresponded with Mr. Gentile about lobbying the president on his behalf. By May, the investigation had come to an abrupt halt after The Times inquired about the matter with the White House and the U.S. attorney’s office in the Eastern District of New York, where the career prosecutors pursuing the inquiry worked. In a phone call with Joseph Nocella Jr., the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Aakash Singh, an associate deputy attorney general, expressed concern about the investigation, according to two people with an understanding of the sequence of events.

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Lead Stories

Texas Democrats seek unity at state convention without Jasmine Crocket

Texas Democrats will gather next week in Corpus Christi, seeking to project unity and build momentum behind state Rep. James Talarico's Senate campaign. One of the party's most recognizable stars won't be there. U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas, who lost a hard-fought Senate primary to Talarico in March, told The Dallas Morning News she does not plan to attend the state convention and instead is focusing on helping down-ballot candidates across the country.

Crockett also said she’s not sure whether Democrats, particularly Black voters, have united fully behind Talarico and the rest of the ticket. She said the lack of a Black nominee for major statewide office could dampen enthusiasm among some voters. “I've not heard a bunch of kumbaya,” she said. “People don't seem to be convinced at this point, but there's a lot of time between now and November.” Asked whether she would actively campaign for or with Talarico, Crockett said: “I have no idea. I am more focused on down-ballot races in general.” Crockett’s absence from the convention reflects a lingering divide between her and Talarico, who served together in the Texas House and became rivals during the hotly contested Senate race. He faces Republican Ken Paxton in November. She said she received what she described as an “afterthought invite” on June 8 from Talarico, based on the preview message on her cell phone. “I had a missed call that I've not returned, nor have I listened to the message from Talarico,” Crockett told The News. “It seemed like an afterthought invite. I can't say for sure, because I haven't listened to it.”

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Texas job growth climbs with 17,800 jobs added in May

Texas added more than 17,000 new jobs last month as the state continues to outpace the nation in growth. The state added 17,800 positions in May, according to the Texas Workforce Commission, bringing the total number of nonfarm jobs in the state to more than 14.4 million. Texas has added 98,000 new jobs in the last year, putting the state's growth rate at 0.7% since last May. The national growth rate in that time is just 0.3%. "The addition of more than 17,000 positions in May highlights the industriousness of Texas employers and expanding opportunities for Texas’ highly skilled workforce,” said TWC Chairman Joe Esparza in a statement. “Driven by our entrepreneurial spirit, Texas continues to outpace the nation in job growth, and TWC offers a wide variety of programs to maintain this momentum.”

The state's job growth is aided in part by the continued expansion of its labor force, which grew by 6,800 people last month. Texas's employment numbers so far this year reflect a bounceback from 2025, when political uncertainty, declining immigration and higher tariffs led to stagnant job growth in the state and nation, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. The Dallas Fed expects year-over-year job growth of about 1.1% by the end of 2026, an improvement from last year but still "well below" the state's historical average of about 2%. The trade, transportation, and utilities industry led the state in job growth last month with 7,100 new jobs. The leisure and hospitality industry added 3,900 jobs, while the mining and logging field added 3,800. The construction industry posted the highest growth rate for the 22nd straight month, growing by 2.1% in May.

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Trump faces new hurdles after deal: Iran’s leverage, Israel’s attacks, MAGA’s backlash

President Donald Trump’s effort to strike a deal with Iran faced significant headwinds on Sunday, as Tehran flexed its control of the Strait of Hormuz, Israel and Hezbollah traded strikes and the right flank of Trump’s party continued to accuse him of making too many concessions to secure an agreement. The challenges underscored the difficulty of Trump’s task as he seeks to turn a fragile ceasefire into a lasting agreement after months of war sent energy prices skyrocketing. Ending the fighting addressed Trump’s immediate concerns about oil prices and the stock markets, but it left unresolved the question at the heart of the conflict: what limits, if any, Iran will accept on its nuclear program. Vice President JD Vance is set to meet Sunday with senior Iranian leaders in hopes of keeping Iran from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon in exchange for sanctions relief. Trump may have less leverage than he did during talks in February before the war. Then, Iranian leaders feared a U.S. attack could topple the regime.

Now the government has proved it can survive, even after the Feb. 28 killing of its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Trump has made clear that a halt to oil shipping out of the Persian Gulf is a pressure point. And Tehran has shown that it can send shocks through global energy markets with just the threat of attacks on ships. Vance and other senior U.S. officials seeking a breakthrough at the bargaining table must haggle over the many issues Trump deferred to halt the fighting and reopen the Strait of Hormuz — restoring what amounted to the status quo before the initial U.S. strikes on Feb. 28. The concessions the White House has already offered to get back to the bargaining table have become a central line of attack for Trump’s critics. Trump is no longer demanding regime change, despite promising Iranians that help was on the way. He says he understands why the country needs ballistic missiles, upsetting U.S. allies who feel threatened by those weapons. And he has made clear he wants to avoid anything that would derail the stock market’s upward trajectory.

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Vance and Iranian officials set to launch talks in Switzerland

U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Sunday is meeting with top Iranian officials as the White House looks to build out the interim deal to end the war in Iran reached by the two sides last week. Vance was expected to meet with Tehran’s negotiators, including parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, at a Swiss mountainside resort near Lake Lucerne. Mediators from Pakistan and Qatar were also in the room for the direct engagement. Iran dealt two quick blows to the interim agreement with the United States on Saturday, angered by Israel’s continued attacks in Lebanon, saying it had closed the Strait of Hormuz and announcing that while its negotiators were going to Switzerland for talks, not much is likely to happen there.

Iranian officials appeared to avoid being seen during a brief appearance by Vance in front of reporters before the start of the talks. IRIB, the Iranian state broadcaster, announced the four-way talks had begun shortly after Vance delivered a statement to media and took a couple of questions from reporters. The U.S. side is looking to get Iran locked into negotiations over its nuclear program. But the on-again, off-again conflict in Lebanon, between Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants, continues to threaten to derail the effort for the U.S. to win concessions from Tehran on its nuclear program and keep the Strait of Hormuz open. Iran’s main focus during negotiations on Sunday would be the ongoing war between Israel and Lebanon, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told Iran’s state news agency ahead of the meeting with Vance.

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Texas Senators Cruz, Cornyn express concerns over President Trump and VP Vance's Iran deal

After supporting President Trump's war against Iran, Texas Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz said they're now concerned by the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Iran. Cruz questioned some of the provisions of the deal in remarks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol late last week. "History demonstrates that giving billions of dollars to theocratic lunatics who want to murder us is an exceptionally bad idea," said Cruz. "And I think, unfortunately, the president is receiving some really bad advice on this deal. I don't want to see us send a penny to the Ayatollah." Cornyn said he hadn't seen the MOU when asked about it Thursday. "I'm looking forward to seeing it, but everything I've heard about it causes me concern," he told reporters.

"I supported the President's Operation Epic Fury because I believe he has delayed the Iranian regime's ability to get a nuclear weapon, which is very, very important," Cornyn added. "But my hope would have been that he would have finished the job and basically eliminated that threat in the future." For their part, both President Trump and Vice President JD Vance — who led the negotiations with Iran — praised the deal. In France last week, the president told reporters, "Ending the current conflict, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and preventing Iran from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon. That's what it was all about." At the White House, Vance said, "The only way the Iranians get any of those resources, not a single penny by the way, from the United States of America under any circumstances, but the only way that they would ever get any benefit of the bargain is if they comply fully and change their behavior." Under the MOU, Iran will be given a way to have its economic sanctions lifted, the ability to sell its oil on the world market, and potentially receive hundreds of billions of dollars, but not from the U.S., to rebuild its country. Cruz said the regime shouldn't be allowed to receive the money no matter where it comes from.

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State Stories

How Gina Hinojosa is trying to convince 'MAGA moms' to turn on Greg Abbott

Gina Hinojosa’s recent campaign swing felt more like a public vent session than a conventional political tour. A teacher at her Richardson stop detailed his frustrations with his school district’s broken air conditioning and aging buildings. In Fort Worth, dozens of parents worried that the recent state takeover of the district would kickstart a staff exodus. Even in the wealthy suburbs, like Grapevine-Colleyville ISD, moms fretted about the recent closure of two elementary schools forcing larger class sizes. It’s this frustration about the state of public schools that the Austin Democrat is hoping to tap into as she takes on Gov. Greg Abbott, betting that she can galvanize parents across the political spectrum to reject the Republican's approach to education.

In stops through North Texas last week, Hinojosa roused loud cheers with her “day-one” promise to fire Mike Morath, Abbott’s education commissioner, who has overseen the adoption of controversial Christianity-infused textbooks and initiated the takeover of several large districts. She accused Abbott of diverting property taxes meant for public schools into his own “corruption schemes,” including his private school voucher program. “I am counting on that anger and that love for our public schools, from parents, Democratic moms, Republican moms, to be the difference in this election,” Hinojosa said at a stop in Grapevine. It’s the first time a candidate challenging Abbott has made education so central to the campaign, and Hinojosa may face an uphill climb. Josh Blank, a political scientist at the University of Texas-Austin, said his polling shows only one in five Texas voters has school-aged children. Even fewer named schools a top issue compared to concerns about inflation and immigration, he said. “There’s a certain limit to the salience of what is going on in schools,” Blank said. “For most voters, it’s just not of direct concern.” Last election cycle, Texas Democrats running for the Legislature campaigned against Abbott’s private school voucher plan, arguing it would sap much-needed funds from public schools. The message didn’t seem to land, as the party failed to flip any of their targeted seats. Still, Blank said the focus could help shore up hardcore supporters with direct ties to public education.

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Talarico calls for Paxon to release the 'Hoffman Files' in Adam Dean Hoffman case

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico held a press conference Thursday, June 18 outside the McLennan County Courthouse, demanding that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton release all emails, text messages, memos and internal documents related to the AG's office handling of the Adam Dean Hoffman case. The "Hoffman Files", as Talarico calls them, center around the plea deal that Paxton's Attorney General's Office gave Hoffman, which allowed him to serve only 29 days in jail after admitting to sexually abusing a child. Talarico calls the plea deal an "Epstein-style sweetheart deal" and says that Texans deserve more answers from Paxton on the case.

"We need answers to these questions immediately," Talarico said. "It's why today I am calling on Ken Paxton to release the Hoffman files, all text messages, all emails, all documents, all internal memos relating to the Adam Hoffman case. Those documents need to be made public immediately, so Texans can get answers." The Adam Dean Hoffman case is now becoming part of Texas' high-profile U.S. Senate race. The case started with Adam Dean Hoffman, a former Waco attorney, who accepted a plea deal in a child sex abuse case. The case was prosecuted by the Attorney General's office after the McLennan County District Attorney's Office recused itself. The request to release the "Hoffman Files" come after months of controversy surrounding that plea deal. After he was initially sentenced to 30 days in jail, a judge doubled Hoffman's sentence to 60 days following public backlash. He was released just 29 days into the sentence. Talarico believes that public pressure will lead to more transparency and answers from the AG's office.

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As independent candidates race to collect enough signatures, a national group is taking up their cause

Now that the Republican and Democratic primary runoffs are over, independent candidates are scrambling to qualify for the November ballot in Texas. Instead of paying a filing fee or appearing on the primary ballot like major party candidates, state law requires independent candidates to collect hundreds or even thousands of signatures to get on the ballot. The names can only be from people who didn’t vote in either party’s primary — and candidates only have a narrow window to find them. The collection process starts after the Republican and Democratic primaries are over their race, and must be submitted to the Secretary of State’s office by June 25. As of this week, one San Antonio-area congressional candidate who’s been preparing his campaign for nearly a year now said he’s quickly found the signature collection process to be all but impossible.

U.S. Air Force IT specialist Gerard Villalobos planned to run as an independent in U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro‘s (D-San Antonio) 20th Congressional District, and even bought a digital billboard to help get his name out. “I have been trying hard [for] the past two months … my platform is sincere,” he said Monday. “Unfortunately, per the Texas Legislature, I can only move forward after I have 500 signatures validated … and I doubt I reach that number.” Several other Bexar County candidates are also hustling to meet the deadline. Defense attorney Jason Wolff is waging an independent bid for District Attorney, while Jonathan LaFevers is trying to get on the ballot in the hotly contested Texas House District 121 race. Each must collect 500 signatures before the end of next week, while Mike Collier, who is running as an independent candidate for lieutenant governor in Texas, needs more than 80,000 for his statewide race. This week all of Texas’ independent hopefuls got a boost from a national group trying to build a third political party in the U.S. —which is suing the state over its signature requirements.

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Texas tribe to open state's fourth tribal casino

Shovels broke ground and dirt flew on a 95-acre patch of land belonging to the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas — a historic moment that commemorated the start of construction on the state’s fourth tribal casino. “It’s been a long way, baby,’’ Alabama-Coushatta Vice-Chairwoman Nita Battise, who was among a line-up of tribal members and casino employees who held shovels to mark the official groundbreaking on Thursday in Leggett. “Keep in mind, we had all these obstacles going against us,” Battise said. “But we are reminded that we are resilient people and we will move forward and this is what we did.”

When completed in 2028, the new casino resort will house a 685,000-square -foot resort casino with a large gaming floor that includes 3,400 electronic gaming machines, a multi-story 366-room hotel, a resort-style pool complex and an event and conference center. The event and conference area are expected to include a grand ballroom that will accommodate 1,000 guests and will be designed to attract conferences, special events and group gatherings from across the region, tribal officials said. For years, Texas leaders had blocked efforts by the Alabama-Coushatta to open a casino on its 11,000-acre reservation in Livingston, roughly 73 miles northeast of Houston in deep east Texas. That all changed when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Texas could not impose its regulations on reservation gaming, which is overseen by the federal government.

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Supreme Court of Texas denies appeal in case challenging Harris County’s 2024 elections conduct

The Supreme Court of Texas announced Friday that it would not hear an appeal on behalf of conservative activist and Republican megadonor Steven Hotze, in a suit in which he and three other plaintiffs accused the Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector's Office of failing to uphold election integrity by properly maintaining the county's voter registration roll. An appeals court had earlier ruled in favor of Tax Assessor-Collector Annette Ramirez, on the grounds that Hotze and his fellow plaintiffs lacked standing to sue.

Hotze initially filed the lawsuit in mid-October 2024, just weeks ahead of that year's presidential election. Joining him in the suit against then-Tax Assessor-Collector Ann Harris Bennett were Joseph Trahan, a Republican nominee for Texas State Senate District 15, and Caroline Kane, a Republican running for Congressional District 7 of the U.S. House of Representatives. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller later joined the suit as a fourth plaintiff. Hotze alleged Harris County's voter roll was "bloated" by "tens of thousands" of illegal voters, who he expected would vote for Democratic candidates. By allowing this, Hotze argued, Bennett had violated the Texas Election Code. Hotze demanded that the alleged illegal voters be removed from the county’s voter roll. The lawsuit asserted that the registration roll includes voters "who have moved out of Harris County, voters who have died, voters who are felons, voters who have registered at post office or private mail boxes with commercial mail receiving agencies, scores of voters who are not related to each other but have registered at the same address, voters who have registered at a commercial address and do not reside there and voters who claim to live on vacant [properties]."

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Nonprofit organization serves more than 9,000 NBISD students in 2025-26 school year

Communities in Schools of South Central Texas, or CISSCT, a nonprofit organization working to support students at risk of dropping out, served 9,607 New Braunfels ISD students in the 2025-26 school year, according to preliminary data presented by CISSCT CEO Susan Wetz during a June 15 school board meeting. x Approximately 923 students received continuous intensive services, and 2,405 students received targeted services for additional support ranging from food, school supplies and resources for parents to ongoing individual and small group services. There were 9,607 students who received schoolwide prevention services, according to the presentation. CISSCT provided 985 students with attendance-related services. Of those, 53 students received rides to or from school for a total of 258 trips, according to board documents.

The organization also provides mental health and counseling services through site coordinators and clinical counselors. Site coordinators provide daily interventions, referrals, parent consultations, individual and group counseling as well as suicidal ideation and self-harm interventions. Clinical counselors provide intensive, solution-focused therapy to students experiencing anxiety, depression, self-harming behaviors or suicidal ideation, the presentation stated. Site coordinators served 864 students, and clinical counselors provided 83 students with therapeutic counseling, according to the presentation. “Those therapeutic and preventions are all grant-funded; that cost is not passed onto the school district,” Wetz said. “In addition to that, we helped students with five suicide protocols, and it is decreasing every year, which makes me very happy, but there’s still work to do.” Hispanic students make up the largest demographic served by CISSCT, followed by white students and Black or African American students. The organization is in 60 schools across several districts, including: Luling ISD, Marion ISD, Comal ISD, Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD, Seguin ISD, and Navarro ISD.

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Principal reassigned over social media posts sues Fort Worth ISD

The Council on American-Islamic Relations has filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Fort Worth principal who was reassigned after backlash over old social media posts about the Black Lives Matter movement and Sharia law, the organization said in a news release Friday. Shayma Alzubi is suing the Fort Worth Independent School District for allegedly violating her First Amendment and equal protection rights under the U.S. Constitution, according to the complaint. The 15-page lawsuit was filed Thursday in Tarrant County. “This is the clearest violation of the First Amendment our organization has seen all year,” CAIR attorney Gadeir Abbas said in the release. “We call on the school district to realize the unlawful path it’s walking down, change course, and return our client to her school.”

Alzubi was announced as the incoming principal of Western Hills High School on May 22, but Fort Worth ISD officials said four days later that the Muslim educator had been reassigned to another position. According to the district’s statement, officials had become aware of several social media posts by Alzubi that didn’t align with the district’s policies or expectations. The lawsuit alleges that Alzubi’s reassignment was really due to “the demands of online hecklers.” “School officials made the decision to punish the incoming principal because some people online were upset,” the lawsuit states. “But those people were upset not at what Shayma said or how she said it. The online hecklers were upset that Plaintiff was Palestinian and Muslim.” Alzubi has worked in the district in various capacities, including chemistry teacher and assistant principal, since 2013. She was promoted to the role of principal for the 2026-27 school year, and was supposed to have started her official duties at Western Hills on June 1, according to the complaint.

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Dallas Morning News Editorial: Gov. Abbott, don’t ditch Texas’ open primaries

Every time we think our politics couldn’t get any bleaker, the Texas GOP says, “hold my beer.” The Republican Party has a stranglehold on state government, from the statehouse to the Supreme Court to the governor’s office. But the party won’t be satisfied with controlling every branch; it must also control every member. Even good-faith disagreement within the ranks won’t be tolerated, as conservative lawmakers who opposed Gov. Greg Abbott’s school voucher plan found out the hard way when Abbott teed up opponents to oust them in the 2024 primary.

Those electoral victories didn’t satiate the governor’s need for party purity. At the state party’s convention in Houston this month, Abbott indicated that he would support a push to close primaries in Texas, the Texas Tribune reported. That means forcing Texans to officially affiliate with a party instead of letting them choose their primary every two years. We criticized the Texas GOP last fall for filing a lawsuit to stop the Texas secretary of state from enforcing the state’s open primaries. Our illustrious Attorney General Ken Paxton, who will go to bat for party leaders but not the state agencies he has a duty to defend in court, filed a motion with the Texas GOP asking to toss open primaries. The whole thing came across as a foolish stunt. Party leaders had tried and failed to get state lawmakers to end open primaries during the 2025 legislative session. Secretary of State Jane Nelson, an Abbott appointee, defended her office against the lawsuit — and did so gingerly.

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3 men have now died in Tarrant County Jail custody this week. A family demands answers

Three men have died in Tarrant County Jail custody within four days this week — raising serious concerns for at least one family, a county commissioner and several community members. Mack Greer, 46, was pronounced dead Thursday afternoon at John Peter Smith Hospital after he suffered internal bleeding in his brain, his parents told KERA News Friday. "We don't deserve this pain," Lea Hurd, Greer's mother, said through tears. "Our children are supposed to bury us. We're not supposed to bury our children because of somebody else." Hurd said she received a call from the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office early Wednesday morning that her son was in the hospital, but wasn't given details on his condition or what happened prior.

She and her husband arrived at the hospital shortly after but weren't able to see Greer until hours later when he was already brain dead, Hurd said. While at the hospital, an officer told Greer's parents their son had asked for a blanket and was found slumped over and unresponsive when a guard returned to give him one. Hurd said the officer told them he may have intentionally banged his head against the wall to have caused the bleeding in his brain. His parents don’t believe the story. "Mack was scared of pain," Hurd said. "Mack didn't hurt nobody, and he sure wouldn't hurt himself." Joseph Hurd, Greer's father, said there were multiple bumps on his head when he saw him. "I just want to know the truth, and what they're saying that happened is not the truth," he said. His parents also said it's not possible he had an altercation with another inmate as he had been moved to a psychiatric hold by himself, suffering from depression and bipolar disorder.

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Texas homeowners face nation’s highest home insurance costs

Texas homeowners continue to face some of the highest home insurance costs in the nation, with average annual premiums nearing $4,000. The state ranks fifth nationwide for these high costs, according to a recent report from LendingTree. The average annual home insurance premium in Texas is $3,969, which is 65.7% above the national average of $2,395. This comes despite a minimal 0.6% increase in 2025, which was the third-smallest increase in the nation for that year. However, home insurance rates in Texas have risen 55.9% since 2020. Lindsay Bishop, a home insurance expert at LendingTree, highlighted the ongoing financial impact on residents. “While rate growth has slowed in Texas recently, homeowners are still paying substantially more for coverage than they were just a few years ago,” Bishop said. She added, “The affordability challenges created by years of steep increases don’t disappear simply because annual rate hikes begin to moderate.”

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Pete McCanna: My father’s final years showed me our healthcare system must be rebuilt

(Pete McCanna is CEO of Baylor Scott & White Health.) For much of my adult life, my father and I talked on Sundays at 3 p.m. We talked about family, work and his beloved Green Bay Packers. But in his final years, as Parkinson’s took more from him, our conversations became less about football and more about medications, appointments, symptoms and frustrations. My father did not complain often, so when he did, I listened. I began to hear more about the suffering, not just from his disease, but from conflicting healthcare instructions, lingering questions and incomplete handoffs. My siblings and I, many of us from afar, filled those gaps the best we could. We compared notes and tried to help manage the care. When I traveled back to visit him, I took my dad to as many appointments as I could. One of the most painful visits began the way so many do — with a clipboard and forms. Parkinson's had made it hard for him to hold a pencil steady, and I will never forget the frustration and embarrassment on his face that day. Watching him struggle made it impossible to ignore how many healthcare processes are designed around the system's needs rather than the people it should serve.

I spent 40 years in this industry focused on optimizing organizations to perform. I believed strong systems produced better outcomes for patients, and I still do. Healthcare requires disciplined structures, focus on quality and precise execution. But the experiences with my father and our Sunday conversations near the end of his life made clear to me the central flaws in American healthcare — and my own complicity in them. American healthcare is often extraordinary when there is a serious and urgent condition and people know where to go. But most needs do not require an emergency room, hospital stay or complex procedure. Today, most patients seeking care in our ERs can likely be treated outside of a hospitals’ walls. That requires more care options and effective, accessible navigation assistance. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3 out of every 4 American adults live with at least one chronic condition, like my dad did. They are largely left to manage their care themselves and seek emergency care when that fails. Fixing this requires timely, reliable clinical support between appointments, including monitoring, a care plan and medication coordination. We also know the onset of most chronic diseases could be delayed or avoided in the first place. We should focus as much on proactive prevention, education and timely guidance as we do episodic care.

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How North Dakota could overtake Texas and Florida as the most tax-friendly state

Texas and Florida usually come to mind when Americans think of tax-friendly states. But another deep red enclave has quietly joined the club: North Dakota. Tax cuts, strong finances and billions in oil revenue have combined to create one of the nation's most competitive tax environments while other states grapple with budget shortfalls and debates over tax hikes. The issue is likely to remain front and center for governors and state lawmakers as they look to attract residents, businesses and investment in the years ahead, and amid a growing affordability crisis in the United States.

Most states do not sit atop one of the nation's largest oil formations like North Dakota does, but tax experts say the broader lesson to take from the state is applicable almost anywhere — strong revenues can lower tax burdens and strengthen state finances rather than fuel spending increases. The payoff for North Dakota has been straightforward — residents keep more of what they earn, businesses face fewer tax burdens and the government remains on solid financial footing. And while tax policy is only one piece of the equation, Nicole Fox, senior policy analyst at the nonpartisan Tax Foundation told Fox News Digital that the group's analysis of IRS migration data points to a clear trend. "States that have experienced net in-migration are states with more competitive tax structures and lower overall costs of living," Fox said. While North Dakota ranks second in tax collections per capita, it remains one of the country's more tax-friendly states — a welcome contradiction for the state's government and residents.

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National Stories

Mamdani burns allies in making a big bet for Congress and the Left

A year ago this week, Zohran Mamdani’s surprise victory in the Democratic primary for mayor upended New York politics. Now, in the closing days of another primary season, he has thrown himself back onto the campaign trail, this time risking his political capital in a high-stakes bid to catapult fellow leftists to primary victories against the old Democratic guard. Mr. Mamdani and allies are attempting to unseat two Democratic incumbents, Representatives Daniel Goldman and Adriano Espaillat, whom they view as too friendly to corporate donors and Israel. They want to lay claim to a third House seat. And down the ballot, they have designs on expanding the socialist block in Albany.

If he prevails on Tuesday, Mr. Mamdani, 34, will go a long way toward establishing socialists as a major faction in New York City politics and himself as a kingmaker capable of vaulting relatively unknown candidates to victory and sidelining erstwhile power brokers. But a string of losses could be disastrous, weakening the mayor’s political standing just six months into his term, empowering political opponents and creating new ones. His involvement has already alienated Black and Latino progressives, powerful labor unions and the left-leaning Working Families Party, all of which helped him get to City Hall and partnered with him as mayor. Some, like Representative Nydia Velázquez, have taken the rare step of publicly declaring they have lost trust in him. “I have a pit in my stomach because of secondhand anxiety,” said Michael Lange, an elections analyst and fellow democratic socialist who rose to prominence chronicling Mr. Mamdani’s ascent. “This is a way to remake the Democratic Party,” he said. “But if he loses, the knives would be out. They would be really out. The risk is that they’ll say this is more man than movement.”

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UK's Starmer considers political future, could decide as early as Monday

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was considering his ?political future on Sunday, after rival Andy Burnham's decisive election victory to parliament prompted more ministers in the governing Labour ?Party to call for him to go. Struggling with some of the lowest popularity ratings for any British leader, Starmer could decide as soon as Monday whether to step aside or fight a leadership contest against Burnham, one source said. Get a look at the day ahead in European and global markets with the Morning Bid Europe newsletter. Sign up here. The scale of victory Burnham won for a parliamentary seat in northwestern England on Friday has piled ?pressure on Starmer, with dozens of lawmakers and some ministers privately calling for him to set out a timetable for his ?departure to clear the way for the former mayor.

A source with knowledge of the matter said Starmer was ?spending the weekend thinking about and discussing his position with his family but that an expected conversation with Burnham would clarify matters. "Keir likes ?to think about things," the source said. Starmer's unpopularity was laid bare by Labour's heavy losses in local elections in May, and polls of party members ?indicate Burnham would win a formal leadership contest. Should Burnham take the helm, he would become Britain's seventh prime minister in the past 10 years. Sky News reported that it understood foreign minister Yvette Cooper had called on Starmer to stand down in a private conservation over the weekend. Her spokesperson did not ?immediately respond to a request for comment. Her apparent appeal, alongside other ministers and dozens of lawmakers, increased the sense that it was now ?a case of when, rather than if, Starmer would step aside. Starmer said only a few days ago that he would stand in any formal Labour leadership contest ?that sought ?to replace him. While Starmer's team believes his landslide national election win in 2024 gives him the mandate to stay in post until 2029, business minister Peter Kyle said the prime minister was reflecting on the "the political challenges that he faces in this moment".

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Kennedy Center says tarp will stay in place for maintenance after Trump's name was removed

A tarp covering the area where President Donald Trump's name was removed from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts remained in place Friday. According to a Kennedy Center official, the tarp will remain while crews address maintenance needs involving marble and soffit panels. Officials did not specify why the covering was installed. The issue drew renewed attention Friday after the Kennedy Center filed a court-ordered status report outlining plans for the facility amid an ongoing legal dispute over a proposed closure. The center was directed to explain why a full two-year closure may be necessary.

In its filing, the Kennedy Center said it intended to remain open beyond a previously discussed July 5 closure date and was evaluating several options, including a possible full closure, for the board to consider during a vote expected in mid-July. Attorneys representing Rep. Joyce Beatty argued in court filings that Kennedy Center leadership was failing to properly manage the institution and accused officials of using the tarp to shield conditions at the facility from public scrutiny. The dispute follows months of debate over the condition of the building after Kennedy Center Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer Matt Floca publicly highlighted what he described as extensive water damage and maintenance concerns during a tour of the facility. Critics, including former Kennedy Center volunteers and arts advocates, have challenged those characterizations, arguing the center's maintenance issues do not justify a prolonged closure and warned any extended shutdown could disrupt programming and discourage audiences from returning. Demonstrators gathered outside the center Friday evening to protest the proposed closure and broader changes at the institution, saying they plan to continue their efforts as the board weighs its options. The Kennedy Center's board is expected to consider potential next steps, including whether any temporary or long-term closure is necessary, during a meeting next month.

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Why Richard Nixon has suddenly gone viral

He’s tanned, rested and ready — and he’s been dead for 32 years. Amazingly, Richard Nixon, the most nefarious American political personality of the 1970s, appears to be making a comeback, at least online. It’s being called Nixonmaxxing, and it involves a series of slickly edited social media videos that cut archival Nixon footage to rap tracks and turn the 37th president into the sort of stone-cold, sigma male-style antihero that Gen Z bros can’t get enough of these days. As it turns out, the videos are the work of the Richard Nixon Foundation, a Yorba Linda, California-based nonprofit founded in 1983 — by Nixon himself — that has long been dedicated to protecting Tricky Dick’s public image. Which they’ve now apparently decided should look something like Walton Goggins in a Tarantino pic.

Of course, Nixon has never fully disappeared from the pop culture ether. Over the decades, he’s popped up as a head-in-a-bottle on Futurama, had a whole story arc on HBO’s Watchmen, appeared on rubber masks during a bank robbery in Point Break and most recently turned up in Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day, where he’s shown giving a tour of dead alien bodies at a secret government base — a nod to a bonkers bit of UFO lore in which Nixon supposedly took his golfing pal Jackie Gleason to an Air Force base in Florida to show off top secret E.T. corpses. Still, let’s make one thing perfectly clear: The Nixon Foundation videos — which include snippets of EsDeeKid’s “Rottweiler” and BIA’s “We on Go,” as well as a clip of Mad Men’s Don Draper throwing his support behind RMN (“Kennedy? I see a silver spoon. Nixon? I see myself”) — are a whole other thing, more posthumous political rehabilitation than nose-tweaking satire. And they appear to be working: The foundation’s Insta account has 107,000 followers, while its most popular video has 1.4?million views. As for who’s behind the audacious social campaign? The foundation credits its marketing team for “meeting new audiences where they are” — but it’s also known that its 33-year-old CEO, Jim Byron, who started at the organization as a 14-year-old marketing intern, is back at the job after taking 14 months off to serve as President Trump’s guy at the National Archives. We’re going to guess he’s the one to blame, or credit, depending on whether you agree with Don Draper or not.

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Trump doubles down on feud with Italian Prime Minister Meloni, insisting she asked for G7 photo

US President Donald Trump deepened his feud with Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni on Saturday, doubling down on claims that she insisted on a photo with him at the G7 summit in France this week. “Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni asked, over and over, for a picture with me during the G-7 meeting in France,” Trump wrote on social media of a leader who has been a key European ally. He claimed that Meloni’s popularity was plummeting, suggesting it was a result of her refusing to help the US in its conflict against Iran. But the Italian leader was quick to rebuff Trump’s declarations, suggesting his argument was nonsense and advising the president to direct his attention toward his own popularity rather than hers.

“President Trump, these constant and gratuitous attacks are senseless,” Meloni wrote on Facebook later Saturday. She added that her friendship with the US leader has never contributed to her popularity, as the president claimed. The right-wing leader said her popularity endures because of her “ability to defend Italy’s national interests,” which, she said, is why she denied the US access to Italian military bases earlier this year. “In any case, my popularity is none of your concern,” Meloni added. “I’d suggest you focus on yours.” The spat is the latest dip in the deteriorating relationship between the once-close leaders and a further fracture between the US and its European allies, coming after tentative signs of repair at the G7 summit this week in France. Trump’s remarks come after Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced Friday he was canceling a planned trip to the United States, where he was due to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio over the heated exchange. The two were snapped during the summit, but the spat began when, in an interview with Italy’s La7 TV this week, Trump claimed Meloni had “begged” him for a photo, and he obliged because he felt sorry for her, according to a dubbed Italian translation posted by the outlet.

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Trump likely to drain Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool again, following peeling paint and algae

President Donald Trump said Saturday night that he was likely to drain the Lincoln Memorial’s Reflecting Pool again, as workers contend with paint peeling off its surface and algae blooming in the wake of his $14 million effort to resurface it. The president made his announcement, after what he said was a meeting with contractors while he was at Camp David in Maryland for the weekend. It comes 16 days after the government began refilling the pool following a renovation that Trump had said would result in clean water and “could last for 100 years.” Since pieces of peeling paint started floating to the water’s surface earlier this week, the Interior Department has not responded to questions about the paint and why the pool surface is separating.

The agency said in a statement Wednesday that it is treating the pool with hydrogen peroxide and “high-tech nanobubble ozone technology” to limit the spread of algae. “We met with contractors today, will probably be forced to release and drain much of the water in order to do the necessary repairs, but will have them done as quickly as possible,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Saturday evening. The president spent the weekend at Camp David with senior advisers, as Iran said it has once again closed the Strait of Hormuz, testing the fragile ceasefire in place with the United States. Trump blamed the damage on “disgraceful Vandalism,” an accusation he also made earlier this week. “Many additional people” were arrested, he said. The U.S. Park Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the number of arrests. The Park Police patrolling the Lincoln Memorial area on Friday afternoon observed an individual peeling paint from the pool, a spokesperson for the department said via email. The person was arrested on charges of destruction of government property.

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Lead Stories

Texas Democrats seek unity at state convention without Jasmine Crocket

Texas Democrats will gather next week in Corpus Christi, seeking to project unity and build momentum behind state Rep. James Talarico's Senate campaign. One of the party's most recognizable stars won't be there. U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas, who lost a hard-fought Senate primary to Talarico in March, told The Dallas Morning News she does not plan to attend the state convention and instead is focusing on helping down-ballot candidates across the country. Crockett also said she’s not sure whether Democrats, particularly Black voters, have united fully behind Talarico and the rest of the ticket. She said the lack of a Black nominee for major statewide office could dampen enthusiasm among some voters.

“I've not heard a bunch of kumbaya,” she said. “People don't seem to be convinced at this point, but there's a lot of time between now and November.” Asked whether she would actively support Talarico's campaign, Crockett said: “I have no idea. I am more focused on down-ballot races in general.” Crockett’s absence from the convention reflects a lingering divide between her and Talarico, who served together in the Texas House and became rivals during the hotly contested Senate race. He faces Republican Ken Paxton in November. She said she received what she described as an “afterthought invite” on June 8 from Talarico, based on the preview message on her cell phone. “I had a missed call that I've not returned, nor have I listened to the message from Talarico,” Crockett told The News. “It seemed like an afterthought invite. I can't say for sure, because I haven't listened to it.” According to Talarico’s campaign, he called Crockett and left a message suggesting she make the keynote speech at the convention. In a statement to The News, Talarico said that “Texans are coming together…to do something extraordinary.”

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Hormuz relief may not ease the economic toll that's already 'baked in,' analysts warn

Early signs that the Strait of Hormuz is reopening have eased the most acute threat to global energy supplies, but economic damages from the nearly four months of war will take months to unwind, analysts warned. The U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum Thursday to open the Strait of Hormuz, ending a war that has upended global energy supply chains, pushed inflation higher and dented the outlook for growth. But even if shipping through the strait normalizes, higher inflation has already been largely “baked in” across many economies, Simon MacAdam, deputy chief global economist at Capital Economics, said in a note this week.

“It can take many months for higher energy and fertiliser prices to be passed along food supply chains to end-consumers,” MacAdam said. Prices of natural gas piped to households typically lag the upstream market by around three months, he said. Oil prices retreated to around $80 a barrel on Friday, down from a peak of $118 in March when the war was at its height. Goldman Sachs cut its oil price forecast Tuesday, projecting Brent to average $80 in late 2026 and $75 in 2027, citing a faster-than-expected recovery in Persian Gulf crude flows. Higher energy costs and upstream supply disruptions would take longer to feed through to the downstream food and energy sectors. A backlog of vessels waiting to transit the Strait of Hormuz could further delay a full recovery in freight flows. The World Bank, which last week lowered its global economic growth forecast to 2.5%, the slowest pace since the pandemic, expects global inflation to climb to 4% this year, up from 3.3% in 2025, even if disruptions to oil flows ease in the coming weeks. Fertilizer prices could jump as much as 38% this year as supply disruptions and shortages of key inputs from the Gulf ripple through agricultural markets, it said.

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Report heading to Texas leaders cites Camp Mystic emergency planning failures before 2025 flood

No written emergency plans. Stalled evacuations. Chaotic incident management and re-unification efforts. Those were some of the main findings included in a new investigative report on Camp Mystic’s response to last year’s historic July Fourth flood that killed 25 of its campers and two counselors. The 115-page document, which was adopted Thursday by a special joint committee in the Texas Legislature, paints a troubling picture of Camp Mystic’s preparedness prior to the flood. “This report represents months of careful work by the Senate and House General Investigative Committees to establish a complete and factual record of the events surrounding this tragedy, honor the memories of those that were lost, and identify lessons that can help prevent future loss of life,” said state Sen. Pete Flores (R-Pleasanton), a committee chair.

More than 130 people were killed in the July Fourth floods. The majority of those deaths took place in Kerr County in the Texas Hill Country, where Camp Mystic is one of many popular summer camps lining the banks of the Guadalupe River. Now, lawmakers say the report’s findings will be used to guide policy changes for the Texas Legislature to take up when they reconvene in 2027. This move comes after state lawmakers passed a package of bills during a special session last year aimed at improving youth camp safety and boosting the state’s emergency preparedness and response planning. State Sen. Charles Perry (R-San Angelo), told the panel on Thursday that he believes a good portion of the issues cited in the new report on Camp Mystic were already addressed by that legislation, and that he believes only a few tweaks are needed going forward. “What I don't want to do is have to effectively bring back the hurt that comes with these conversations if we've already addressed it the way it needs to be addressed — to the legislature's credit,” said Perry. The report was created by Casey Garrett and Judge Michael Massengale, investigators hired by the legislature to look into the flood and its response — including what went wrong at Camp Mystic.

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Paxton breaks with Texas GOP’s anti-IVF platform, saying he supports the procedure

Attorney General and Republican U.S. Senate nominee Ken Paxton broke with his state party’s opposition to in-vitro fertilization Thursday, calling himself a “strong supporter” of the fertility treatment. “Strong families are the foundation of a strong nation,” Paxton said in a statement shared exclusively with The Texas Tribune. “Every child is a blessing, and every family hoping to welcome a child deserves support and compassion. I am a strong supporter of IVF and pro-family policies that help Americans experience the wonders of parenthood.” Paxton’s support puts him in the same camp as President Donald Trump, but on the opposite side of the issue as the Republican Party of Texas. The state party, in a platform and legislative priorities adopted last weekend at its Houston convention, called on lawmakers to “protect fetal life from destructive practices, such as IVF and commercial surrogacy.”

Another plank of the state GOP platform states that the party opposes “public funding for procedures that destroy embryonic life, including IVF”, and called for regulation to prevent “embryo discarding, eugenic practices and commodification of human life.” But Paxton’s campaign said he would work to safeguard IVF if elected to the U.S. Senate. The Republican nominee supports the IVF Protection Act, a bill from Sens. Katie Britt, R-Alabama, and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to bar Medicaid funding for any state that bans IVF. Paxton will cosponsor the bill if elected. Paxton had taken heat from Democratic nominee James Talarico’s campaign over the Texas GOP’s stated opposition to IVF. Polling on IVF finds the treatment to be highly popular; a 2024 Pew Research Center survey found 70% of Americans say access to IVF is a good thing, while only 8% say it’s bad. But while high-level Republicans, including President Donald Trump, are supportive of IVF, the treatment is divisive among conservative activists and abortion opponents. The fertility treatment was thrust into the political spotlight in 2024 when the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are children, under a state law extending rights to “unborn children,” and that fertility clinics could be found liable for wrongful death if embryos are destroyed. The ruling immediately chilled IVF access in the state, with several providers pausing treatments. Top Republicans came out in support of IVF, including then-candidate Trump, and Alabama’s Republican Legislature quickly passed a law shielding IVF providers and patients from civil and criminal liability for embryo destruction, allowing the state’s clinics to resume fertility treatments.

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State Stories

Public Utility Commission of Texas finalizes new data center standards

The Public Utility Commission of Texas on Thursday approved stricter standards for data centers looking to connect to the state's power grid — the final step in the development of new regulations meant to weed out speculative projects. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, which operates the state's main power grid, approved the new standards earlier this month, before passing them onto the Public Utility Commission for final approval. When large energy consumers want to join the state's power grid, ERCOT will now evaluate them in a group study, rather than individually. ERCOT says it will notify applicants for the first study, known as “Batch Zero,” in August.

The study will prioritize projects that are further along in the development process, and require large energy users to post a financial security equal to $50,000 per megawatt of the proposed project in order to be included. "This new process represents a fundamental shift in how ERCOT manages the significant growth of large load interconnection, providing a structured, transparent path forward that protects reliability for Texans while supporting the state’s continued economic growth," ERCOT President and CEO Pablo Vegas said in a news release. Data centers and other large energy consumers looking to connect to the grid are requesting five times the amount of power used to power the entire state during record-breaking demand. ERCOT is trying to figure out which data centers are actually ready to build in Texas — and what infrastructure will be needed to connect them to the power grid. Bryan Clark, a partner at the global energy firm Bracewell LLP, said unprecedented economic growth has created a need for Texas to build more transmission infrastructure — such as power lines and transformers. "I think it’s both organic to the data center industry but also just unprecedented economic growth in Texas," he said. Jared Berg, another partner at Bracewell, said the state's clear standards are part of the reason data centers are flocking to Texas. "Why is there so much industrial load that’s attracted to the state?" he said. "It’s because we have that inclination to set the rules of the road and make it clear so that companies know how to operate and the right way to operate."

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Supreme Court sides with Texas marijuana user who was barred from owning guns

The Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously limited the use of a gun law used to prosecute President Biden's son Hunter. The case, however, did not affect Biden, who was pardoned by his father. The case was brought by a Ali Hemani, a Texas resident who admitted to FBI agents that he used pot several times a week at the same time that he owned a legally purchased gun. He was soon indicted under the federal Gun Control Act, which makes it a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison for an individual to use illegal drugs and to have even a legally purchased gun. While it is the same law used to prosecute Hunter Biden, the Supreme Court's decision was sufficiently narrow that it may not insulate from prosecution those who, like Biden, use more serious drugs, and own a gun.

In explaining the decision, Justice Neil Gorsuch stressed that the ruling was extremely limited, in part because marijuana use has become so ubiquitous, widely accepted and is now legal to one degree or another in 40 states. Indeed, as Gorsuch observed, the federal government itself has reclassified many marijuana products from a schedule one, high-potential-for-abuse category, down to a schedule 3 drug. Therefore, said Gorsuch, the only thing before the court is the government's "ambitious theory" that could "could automatically strip Mr. Hemani of his Second Amendment right to own a gun because he uses marijuana a few times week." The court's answer was basically, no you can't do that. The decision was unanimous, though several justices filed concurring opinions. So, was this a big win for gun rights advocates? "It's a good question" said Stephen Stamboulieh, a lawyer for Gun Owners of America. "I think it's a pretty significant win when we have basically the entire court saying that a federal statute can't go as far as it tried to go." Eric Ruben, a law professor at Southern Methodist University had a different take. "I think the outcome of this case was based on the view that most Americans may hold, which is that weed is the new booze. The narrowness of Thursday's ruling, plus the fact that a total of five justices filed concurring opinions that spelled out different approaches, is a reflection of the many divisions among the justices on the subject of guns and gun regulations. In 2022 the court's conservative majority declared for the first time that in order for a gun law or gun regulation to be constitutional, it had to be analogous to laws at the nation's founding in the 1700s and early 1800s. Since then, however, lower court judges, and the Supreme Court itself, have struggled with how to apply such a rigid rule.

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Texas version of Epstein files? Talarico targets Paxton over child sex abuse deal

James Talarico is deeming a child sex offender’s plea deal the Texas version of the Epstein files. And he wants everything that led to the bargain from the Texas attorney general’s office released to the public. State Rep. Talarico, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, is running against Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a race that’s garnering nationwide (and White House) attention. On Thursday, Talarico is calling for Paxton’s office to release “the Hoffman files.” Here’s what you need to know.

Former Waco attorney Adam Hoffman, 49, was arrested in June 2022 and charged with continuous sexual abuse of a young child after a friend of his son’s told authorities that he had been abused since he was about 7 years old. Hoffman initially faced between 25 years to life in prison on the first-degree felony charge. The McLennan district attorney recused himself in the case, which is why the Attorney General’s Office took over. The victim testified when the case went to trial, but it ended with a hung jury. The victim, now 14, didn’t want to testify again in an effort not to be re-traumatized, according to Paxton’s office. In March, Paxton’s office offered Hoffman a plea deal that included reduced charges and 30 days in jail if he pleaded guilty. Before the bargain, Hoffman was facing a life sentence without parole. Talarico called it an “Epstein-style sweetheart deal.” Hoffman pleaded guilty on April 16 to reduced charges of indecent assault and displaying harmful materials to a minor, Class A misdemeanors that could lead to up to a year in jail. The judge in the case extended the jail time to 60 days. On day 29 in the McLennan County Jail, Hoffman was released for good behavior. The jail often grants similar “two-for-one” deals when inmates exhibit good behavior, according to KWTX-TV in Waco. After moving to Omaha with his wife, Hoffman was required to register as a sex offender in his home county of Sarpy County. Because of the plea deal, Hoffman was not required to register in Texas. At a press conference, Talarico said no matter a person’s political leaning, anyone can agree that child molesters must be brought to justice. “So today I am calling on Ken Paxton to release the Hoffman files, all text messages, all emails, all documents, all internal memos relating to the Adam Kaufman case,” Talarico said at a press conference in Waco. “Those documents need to be made public immediately, so Texans can get answers about this corrupt deal.”

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Records challenge UT Austin’s allegations against former KUT leader Debbie Hiott

Earlier this week, the University of Texas at Austin fired KUT Public Media’s General Manager Debbie Hiott, marking an extraordinary and unprecedented intervention in the governance of the public radio station that has been housed at UT for decades. The move has reverberated across journalism and higher education circles, with many asking the same questions: Was this really about a dispute over the planning of a KUT event on campus, as the university claims? Is Austin’s NPR station being deliberately targeted amid explicit attacks on public media and attempts to reshape higher education institutions across Texas? Hiott’s termination letter simply cites her “oversight and management of planning for the KUT festival” as reason for her firing. The letter also appears to reference the fact that she publicly denied allegations by UT that the station had engaged in “insufficient planning” related to the event.

But in an interview with KUT, Hiott said her firing was a symptom of “pettiness” within the university and that its current leaders don’t “have any sense of accountability or concern” for the station’s audience. University leadership has changed in recent years as Texas Republicans exert more influence on the state’s flagship public school. “I was just holding out hope that they would let it all die down, because the station never did anything wrong. I never did anything wrong,” Hiott said. “They're just angry because they looked stupid through it all — the whole festival back-and-forth.” In a text message on Monday, UT Austin spokesman Mike Rosen said “the university does not comment on personnel matters.” University officials also did not respond to a detailed request for comment. KUT and its sister music station, KUTX, are editorially independent from the university. While they are based at UT's Moody College, they are funded by community and business donations, rather than tuition or state taxpayer dollars. Last month, KUT requested records of communications between UT Austin officials and KUT staff and festival planners in an attempt to square the two competing narratives. The university asked for $536 for the records but has yet to provide them.

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Debate over sterilized screwworm flies plays out in Texas Capitol

Texas lawmakers heard competing approaches Thursday for how to combat the New World screwworm, as federal officials defended the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s current eradication strategy while private sectors urged the state to invest in alternative sterile fly production methods. Sterile flies are used to disrupt the reproduction cycle of the screwworm. The hearing, chaired by state Rep. Ryan Guillen, R – Rio Grande City, comes as Texas and federal officials continue responding to recent New World screwworm detections in the state.

Nathan Moses-Gonzales, CEO of M3 Agriculture Technologies, testified that Texas should consider investing in modular insect-rearing facilities that use x-ray technology to sterilize flies, arguing the approach could quickly expand the supply of sterile insects used to suppress screwworm populations. Moses-Gonzales told lawmakers his company is seeking roughly $4 million from Texas to partner with the University of Veracruz in Mexico and help produce additional sterile flies while larger federal facilities come online. Moses-Gonzales told lawmakers he could produce 100 million sterile flies per week in a year. The USDA is currently building a $619 million facility on 19 acres of land at Moore Air Base in South Texas that will be capable of producing up to 300 million sterile flies per week. But it could take years for the facility to reach that level of output. “We see ourselves as partners with and enabling USDA to have this capacity as a bridge until Moore Airfield comes online,” Moses-Gonzales said. He described the proposal as a short-term way to boost production capacity and support broader eradication efforts. Federal officials, however, cautioned against adopting x-ray sterilization before additional research is completed.

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Rep. David Cook backs residents fighting Tarrant County wastewater facility

At a public meeting at the Forest Hill Civic and Convention Center on Thursday night, residents from the southern edge of Tarrant County urged the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to reconsider permitting a wastewater treatment facility that would discharge treated wastewater into a creek already being monitored for high levels of the bacteria E. coli. During public comments and an informal question-and-answer session, several of the approximately 200 in attendance, many wearing red in a show of solidarity, voiced concerns about effects on the environment and people’s health. State Rep. David Cook — who requested the public meeting at the behest of some of his constituents — addressed the TCEQ staffers present and asked the agency to reject the wastewater permit application, raising questions about whether the applicants had followed proper protocol.

This fight began more than a year ago when Greg Coontz, a Burleson attorney, and his sister, Cathy Frederick, a Burleson real estate agent, applied for a TCEQ permit for a domestic wastewater treatment facility. According to application documents, the facility would be built on land Coontz and Frederick own at the corner of FM 1187 and Bill Levey Road near Burleson. It would handle wastewater for a planned mobile home community on the site, discharging treated wastewater into a normally dry creek bed that runs into Village Creek, which in turn feeds into Lake Arlington. Since 2010, TCEQ has categorized Village Creek as impaired because of its high E. coli concentrations. When asked whether the wastewater treatment plant could worsen that, a TCEQ spokesman told the Star-Telegram it would not. “The permit and proposed facility are designed to provide adequate treatment to protect the stream from bacterial loads,” the spokesman wrote in a statement.

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Dallas nabs defense lawyer discount to fight Paxton gun suits

An acclaimed Texas trial lawyer with a long record of supporting Democratic candidates is charging half his hourly rate to help Dallas thwart Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton‘s (R) push for guns in more public spaces. High stakes litigator Jeff Tillotson represents the city in a trio of firearms lawsuits from Paxton’s office over whether the lessor of government property for a private event can deny access to patrons legally carrying a gun. Dallas, thus far, is getting favorable rulings in all three suits. In an interview with Bloomberg Law, Tillotson said he bills a typical client at an hourly rate of about $2,000. According to a contract reviewed by Bloomberg Law obtained through public records, he’s charging the city just $895 per hour in one of the cases.

“They have many, many fine lawyers in the city’s office so the fact they’d give me the opportunity to work on this is an honor,” Tillotson said. Dallas declined to release invoice statements from his firm, Tillotson Patton, showing how much it’s spending in legal fees to defend the gun restrictions. The city is on the hook directly for one case and for the other two could recoup expenses from private organizations whose firearms bans drew the suits. The final resolutions will be felt not only in Dallas but throughout the deeply-red state where the legislature has passed some of the most firearms-friendly laws in the country. People in Texas can carry a handgun openly in libraries, recreation centers, the Texas State Capitol, and government buildings except for when a meeting is happening. Paxton, a right-wing champion of firearms protections, argues Dallas must also allow them in public spaces that are leased by a private entity, because the city can’t confer authority to a third party to ban them that itself lacks.

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Scores fall ill at Texas Air Force base after Hegseth makes flu vaccine optional

A major flu outbreak has sickened nearly 160 troops at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas less than two months after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that U.S. troops would no longer be required to be vaccinated for the flu, defense officials said. The outbreak at the base in San Antonio raced through an Air Force Basic Military Training wing, where new recruits sleep on bunk beds in open bays and share meals at large communal tables. A trainee in his sixth week of basic training died after falling ill on Friday and being taken to Brooke Army Medical Center, the Air Force said in a news release. It was not immediately clear whether the death of the trainee, Keon McDaniel, was related to the flu outbreak. A comprehensive medical review into his death is underway to determine the cause, according to the Air Force.

In the weeks since Mr. Hegseth’s vaccine policy took effect on April 21, only about 40 percent of Air Force trainees have opted to take the vaccine, which had long been mandatory, an Air Force official said. In the aftermath of the outbreak, the Air Force issued an exception to the voluntary vaccine policy, requiring that all recruits at Lackland get flu shots — part of a broader effort to stem the virus’s spread. Sign up to get Maggie Haberman's articles emailed to you. Maggie Haberman is a White House correspondent reporting on President Trump. Mr. Hegseth cast his decision to make the flu vaccine optional as a matter of religious freedom and medical autonomy. “Under the disastrous Biden administration, this Pentagon waged an unrelenting war on our warriors on many fronts, including when it came to denying them simple medical autonomy and the freedom to express their religious convictions,” he said in a video announcing his decision in April. He described the longstanding flu vaccine requirement as an “absurd, overreaching” mandate that had served to “weaken our warfighting capabilities.” At the time, many lawmakers, including some prominent Republicans, expressed puzzlement and dismay at Mr. Hegseth’s decision.

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Brazoria County hires Houston attorney after deputy fatally shoots Mendoza Jr.

Brazoria County hired a Houston attorney as legal counsel in a dispute over the deputy-involved shooting that killed a Texas State University student in Lake Jackson earlier this month. Norman Giles, a civil rights and police defense litigation attorney for the nationwide law firm Lewis Brisbois, told the Chronicle he will represent Brazoria County as it grapples with the fallout of the shooting. A Brazoria County sheriff's deputy shot and killed 18-year-old John Mendoza Jr. in his father's garage after a failed traffic stop turned into a slow pursuit in the early morning hours of June 1.

Another Houston attorney, Charles Adams, represents Mendoza Jr.'s family. He said Mendoza Jr. and his three friends were unarmed and had their hands up at the time of the shooting. The sheriff's office has not said what prompted the traffic stop, but Adams said the young men were hanging out, playing basketball and walking a park track before the deputy began trailing them. Brazoria County Sheriff Bo Stallman has since fired former Deputy Kevin Tippit, and the Texas Rangers opened an investigation into the shooting with the Brazoria County District Attorney's Office. Neither office has released its findings, and Tippit has not been formally charged with any wrongdoing.

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Harris County set to name Marcus Stuckett as new chief of Flood Control District

The Harris County Commissioners Court appears set to name a longtime employee as executive director of the Flood Control District on Thursday, two weeks after Tina Petersen resigned amid concerns about the handling of a federal grant program. According to documents provided by the agency, commissioners plan to name Marcus Stuckett to be the post at their next meeting June 25. Stuckett has worked for the Flood Control District since 2015, most recently as director of engineering, according to his LinkedIn profile. Tina Petersen stepped down June 11 after commissioners had discussed her job performance in closed sessions. Criticism over Petersen's performance emerged after commissioners learned this year that the city was at risk of losing hundreds of millions of dollars in federal Hurricane Harvey recovery aid due to projects expected to miss spending deadlines. Petersen said she "plan(s) to continue to be available to implement a transition plan."

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Ed Longanecker: Fifty years of permitting dysfunction may finally be coming to an end

(Ed Longanecker is president of the Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association.) For decades, the American oil and gas industry has watched viable infrastructure projects collapse under the weight of a federal permitting system that was never designed to deliver timely decisions. Projects with strong economics, willing investors, and genuine public need have spent five, six, or ten years waiting for federal approvals before a shovel touched the ground. That is now changing, through a convergence of executive action, landmark legislation, and agency reform that together constitute the most significant overhaul of energy permitting in a generation. On January 20, 2025, President Trump signed EO 14156 declaring a National Energy Emergency under the National Emergencies Act and EO 14154 titled “Unleashing American Energy,” directing all agencies to identify and eliminate regulations imposing undue burdens on domestic energy development.

U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright followed on February 5, 2025 with a secretarial order directing the Department of Energy to prioritize more efficient permitting for energy infrastructure. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued Order No. 908 on June 30, 2025, authorizing reliance on environmental reviews completed by other agencies and eliminating redundant parallel reviews. On October 7, 2025, FERC permanently rescinded Section 157.23, which had barred natural gas pipeline companies from proceeding with construction while rehearing requests were pending. Executive orders are reversible, which is why the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed last July 4, represented a more durable development. The OBBBA capped Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) reviews at 150 pages and two years and created a fast-track mechanism under which a project sponsor pays a fee equal to 125% of anticipated preparation costs and receives a completed environmental assessment within 180 days or a full EIS within one year. It replaced the presidential permit requirement for cross-border energy infrastructure with a Certificate of Crossing issued by FERC or DOE, removing the State Department and White House from a process subject to political manipulation, as demonstrated by the Biden administration’s cancellation of the Keystone XL permit. The Interior Department was ordered to mandate a minimum of 30 oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of America through 2040, restart Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) lease sales, and the OBBBA raised the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) revenue-sharing cap from $500 million to $650 million annually through 2034, benefiting Texas and three other Gulf-producing states.

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USDA moves Rural Development roles to new D-FW hub

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is moving some roles from the Washington, D.C.-area to D-FW, the federal agency announced Wednesday. The roles fall under the umbrella of the USDA’s Rural Development arm, which offers various loan and grant programs designed to help rural Americans with housing, infrastructure, healthcare and other needs. The bureaucratic operation oversees a loan portfolio of more than $200 billion and counts several thousand employees in Washington, D.C. and hundreds of offices around the country, including one in McKinney that’s responsible for programs in Collin, Cooke, Dallas, Denton, Fannin, Grayson, Hunt, Kaufman, Palo Pinto, Parker, Rockwall and Tarrant counties.

The USDA is relocating some positions from the D.C.-area to D-FW to create a new “operational hub” that will support loan and grant processing and program management, according to a news release. The agency is also creating a new hub in St. Louis as part of the same initiative. Further details about the relocation, including how many roles are being moved and whether the operation will be based at the existing McKinney office, were not immediately clear. A representative for the USDA did not immediately respond to questions from The Dallas Morning News about the move on Wednesday. While the relocation comes as part of a broad effort by the Trump Administration to reduce the federal government’s footprint in Washington — as a candidate in 2024 Trump said he wanted to move 100,000, or roughly one in three, federal jobs out of the capital, expanding on a similar initiative from his first term — USDA executives this week framed the moves to D-FW and St. Louis as an effort to more efficiently serve rural communities. “When rural communities collaborate with USDA they deserve a streamlined experience,” Stephen Vaden, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, said in a statement. “This reorganization injects new attention to our systems and processes that will eliminate unnecessary layers of bureaucracy, improve our ability to engage with our customers and conduct responsible oversight of federal investments.” The USDA, an agency now led by the Glen Rose-native Brooke Rollins, announced last year that it would undergo a broad restructuring that included vacating a Maryland research center and moving more than half of its nearly 5,000 Washington-based employees to five hubs around the country, prompting criticism from a major federal employee union. The agency's Rural Development division has around 3,000 total employees nationwide, less than half of its total staff in 2005, according to the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, an advocacy group. Last year, the division lost around 1,500 employees — including over 30% of its staff in Texas — from DOGE-related reductions, according to the group.

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The World Cup in Arlington is imperfectly perfect

The World Cup being played in Arlington is, in a word, unnatural. It is unnatural—and sometimes a little jarring—to witness such an overt melding of old-world soccer rituals and American stadium sports schlock, like a fusion restaurant getting very extra about Philly cheesesteak eggrolls. Because there’s no preparing a seasoned watcher of both European soccer and American stadium sports for the mashup of the English national team and the Chicago Bulls’ entrance theme. Or an overly peppy PA announcer barking out “let’s see who’s cheering on Croatia!!” by way of introducing fans clad in the country’s traditional red-and-white checkered kits. Same goes for the traditional unfurling of flags, the captain’s handshake at midfield, and the pre-match team photos all playing out beneath the JerryTron. And a hydration break sponsored by Powerade, featuring a performance by the Dallas Cowboys’ drum line and dancers.

Our touches are as manufactured in this sport as theirs are organic, which isn’t a matter of laziness versus this just being what America has to contribute to a sport still relatively new in these parts. (That, and a place of employment for Croatia’s Petar Musa, who plays his club matches for FC Dallas.) You can be cynical about that if you’d like. Chances are the fans in attendance yesterday afternoon would pay you no mind. Because North Texas is now two for two in its group stage matches, after the late drama from Sunday’s Netherlands-Japan tilt was bettered by England and Croatia providing arguably the match—and inarguably the half—of the tournament thus far. That was to be expected from two of the top 10 teams in the world, each of which skews ambitious in its play. Something would have had to go especially wrong for Harry Kane to stay silent in front of net and Jude Bellingham to be muted in the midfield. England is a team with so much leftover ammunition that Bukayo Saka, one of the pillars of Arsenal’s English Premier League title team, had to come off the bench. Regrettably, something did go wrong for Croatia, when the legendary Luka Modric was subbed off in the 57th minute because his 40-year-old legs lacked the juice to keep up with England’s pace and power. But the team that punched higher above its weight than any other in Europe over the past decade landed a couple of haymakers to make this a spectacle.

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National Stories

California labor union could scale back billionaire tax proposal

A labor union behind a controversial tax on California billionaires significantly scaled back its proposal a day after it qualified for the November ballot, but the offer Thursday wasn’t enough to get the governor on board. The proposal from the Service Employees International Union Healthcare Workers West to impose a one-time, 5% tax on individuals whose net worth exceeds $1 billion faces staunch pushback from a wide swath of critics, including Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. The union said Thursday that it would abandon the 5% tax proposal if Newsom would join them in supporting a 2% levy. The updated proposal would instead have to be passed by the Legislature, given a June 25 deadline for the measure to qualify for the ballot. Tara Gallegos, a spokesperson for Newsom, said scaling it back doesn’t change its “fundamental flaws that harm working Californians.”

“The Governor supports making the wealthiest Americans pay their fair share, but this poorly designed state-only measure will defund teachers, schools, clinics, and public safety,” she said in a statement. The tax, to be paid by those living in the state as of Jan. 1, 2026, is meant to generate $100 billion in revenue, mainly to counter federal cuts to healthcare for low-income people with some money going to food assistance and education programs. “A 2% one-time tax on that accumulated wealth is modest by any objective measure especially if it means keeping emergency rooms open and saving patient lives,” backers wrote in a letter to Newsom. Secretary of State Shirley Weber, a Democrat, said Wednesday night that petitioners collected more than the roughly 875,000 signatures needed to place the original proposal before voters. States have been debating how to respond to the major tax breaks and spending cuts legislation President Donald Trump signed last year. The proposal has already divided Democrats and major labor unions and triggered an expensive campaign to defeat it. The proposed tax is backed by prominent progressives including Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

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Meta lobbies Congress for protection from child-harm lawsuits

Meta Platforms has lobbied the U.S. Congress for legal immunity from child-harm claims tied to social media products such as Instagram, as it faces thousands of lawsuits from young users and their families, according to ?a source familiar with the matter and proposed legislative language reviewed by Reuters. If adopted by lawmakers and passed into law ?as part of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) under consideration in the U.S. Senate, such a provision could undermine thousands of lawsuits against Meta and other online platforms over ?harms to children. Meta and Google's YouTube face a combined $6 million in damages after they lost the first case at trial early this year. While legislators have given no indication of adopting the language, the lobbying effort shows the kind of legal protections Meta is seeking amid the biggest attempt to regulate online platforms in the U.S. since the 1990s.

The proposed language reviewed by Reuters would make online companies "immune from suit or liability under state law ?with respect to all claims for loss caused by, ?arising out of, relating to, or resulting from the safety or privacy of individuals under the age of eighteen online or otherwise related to the provisions" of KOSA. The provision appears alongside language that would preempt state ?laws on children's online safety and privacy. Asked about the lobbying effort and the proposed language, Meta spokesperson Stephanie Otway said the provision "does not extinguish existing lawsuits, nor does it represent blanket immunity." "Instead, it establishes uniform national standards for online youth safety, ensuring these critical issues are governed by comprehensive federal legislation, ?not plaintiffs' ?lawyers or patchwork state legislation," she said.

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Rebel lawmaker’s election win clears path to oust U.K.’s Starmer

British politics is set for a fresh bout of chaos after Labour politician Andy Burnham won a special district election, allowing him to enter Parliament and launch a leadership challenge against the deeply unpopular Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Burnham, the 56-year-old mayor of Manchester, was elected by a comfortable margin in voting Thursday to represent the district of Makerfield in northern England, defeating a candidate from the anti-immigration party Reform UK. By entering Parliament, Burnham can now attempt to unseat Starmer as Labour leader and prime minister, raising the prospect that the U.K. could get its sixth prime minister in seven years, a period of unprecedented turmoil in one of the world’s oldest and most stable democracies.

“Everyone knows that politics isn’t working, everyone can feel that the country isn’t where it should be,” Burnham said during a victory speech. “Tonight could, just could, be the turning point.” Starmer, who took Labour into power with a big majority just two years ago, is under pressure from his own lawmakers as his party trails Reform in the polls. Many Labour lawmakers fear losing their jobs in the next general election in 2029 and think swapping out Starmer gives them the best chance of survival. Speaking on Friday, Starmer said he won’t quit and would face down any leadership challenge. He added that now wasn’t the time for a change of prime minister. “I don’t think that is a good thing for the country, to plunge us into chaos,” he said. It is unclear when Burnham will formally launch his leadership challenge, or if Labour ministers will rise up en masse to try to topple the prime minister. Starmer, a former prosecutor turned politician, is likely to come under growing pressure in coming days from lawmakers and some of his own cabinet members to step down and avoid a drawn-out leadership fight.

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Firm tied to Trump donor got no-bid contract to clean reflecting pool

A business tied to a longtime supporter of President Trump was given a no-bid contract to install a water-purification system in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool earlier this spring. Now that work is coming under scrutiny after algae blooms have come back and turned the iconic pool in Washington a vibrant shade of green rather than the American-flag blue Mr. Trump says he chose. The contract shows that the National Park Service bypassed the competitive-bidding process that is typically required, and gave a $1.7 million contract to the firm, Greenwater Services of Brookfield, Ohio.

Federal contracting records show that firm’s ultimate owner is the J.J. Cafaro Investment Trust, led by John J. Cafaro, a donor to Mr. Trump and a neighbor to Mar-a-Lago, the president’s private club in Florida. The water treatment company also listed Mr. Cafaro’s Palm Beach mansion as its address in Florida corporate records, and listed his investment trust’s phone number and email in Ohio lobbying records. Mr. Cafaro, a longtime Republican donor whom Mr. Trump has described as a “fantastic man,” was once involved in a high-profile bribery scandal. He has also donated to Democrats in the past, and his daughter Capri Cafaro served in the Ohio State Senate as a Democrat from 2007 to 2016. On Thursday, when a photographer for The New York Times visited the pool, about half of its water remained green, as workers sought to vacuum out algae. Workers have also added hydrogen peroxide to the water in recent days in an attempt to kill the algae, the Interior Department said in an email to The Times.

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Israeli military strikes in southern Lebanon in intense fighting as US-Iran talks postponed

Israel’s military struck targets throughout southern Lebanon overnight into Friday and Hezbollah reported intense fighting in the area, threatening the nascent agreement between Iran and the United States to end their war. Lebanese media reported at least 18 people killed in the strikes, and Israel said four soldiers died. The conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah is the most precarious part of the Iran deal. Neither Israel nor the militant group signed the agreement — but it is supposed to end their fighting, and Iran has signaled its willingness to risk renewed war in the region for the sake of its interests in Lebanon and its most important regional ally. Iranian officials didn’t travel as planned to Switzerland for talks on Friday with the United States, in part over the fighting, a regional official said. U.S. Vice President JD Vance also called off his trip, and mediators are now scrambling to reschedule the meetings, which were supposed to begin addressing how to restrict Iran’s nuclear program — the core issue over which Israel and the U.S. went to war on Feb. 28.

The talks are also supposed to bring about a permanent end to the conflict. The interim deal has already reopened the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping, after Iranian attacks and threats all but stopped the flow of oil and natural gas through the waterway. That caused energy prices to skyrocket far beyond the region, and President Donald Trump said he signed the agreement to avoid “economic catastrophe” in the U.S. The Israeli military said strikes were ongoing on Friday after four of its soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel, were killed in an attack on a tank in a village near the southern Lebanese city of Nabatiyeh. An explosive drone attack wounded another five, it added. Israel then launched multiple strikes against “Hezbollah infrastructure sites” in Nabatiyeh and other areas, according to a military statement, which accused the militant group of “blatant ceasefire violations.” Later, the military said it also struck targets in the Beqaa Valley in eastern Lebanon, with Lebanese media saying the village of Douris was hit. “Israel will not tolerate attacks on our soldiers or on our territory, and it will exact a very heavy price from Hezbollah for these attacks,” Netanyahu said in a statement Friday.

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Senate targets Hegseth’s travel in standoff over apparent Iran school attack, boat strikes

Frustrated senators are threatening to withhold 75 percent of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel budget unless the Pentagon provides Congress with answers about an apparent U.S. strike on a girls school in Iran and the military’s ongoing attacks targeting alleged drug smuggling boats in Latin America. The proposal is tucked into an early version of the Senate’s 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), sprawling, must-pass legislation that sets Defense Department priorities. It reflects the growing bipartisan frustration over the Pentagon’s refusal to comply with congressional requests. The Pentagon said it would not comment on pending legislation. For months lawmakers have sought the complete, unedited video of the first, and highly controversial, boat strike in which the U.S. military killed two survivors of an initial attack that mostly destroyed the vessel.

Since that episode in early September, U.S. forces have killed more than 200 people in strikes on small boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean. The Republican-led Senate Armed Services Committee advanced the bill by a vote of 18-9 last week and has since made the legislation public. The committee is seeking unedited footage of every boat strike in waters around Latin America. Lawmakers have also sought information on the military’s investigation into how a girls school in Iran was apparently targeted by a Navy Tomahawk missile on Feb. 28, during the war’s initial hours. The strike, for which the U.S. government has not publicly accepted blame amid an ongoing investigation, killed more than 170 people, most of them children, Iranian officials have said. No one has yet been held accountable for those deaths. The investigation is being conducted by U.S. Central Command.

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Everyone in Trump’s Cabinet is eating sauerkraut

A new diet is sweeping through President Trump’s cabinet—and it involves heaping portions of sauerkraut. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Vice President JD Vance have all embraced the diet, drawn by the promise of slimmer waistlines and glowing skin. They all apparently have determined the health benefits outweigh the slightly sulfurous odors that have been the cause of some domestic friction. “Within 30 days I lost 20 pounds,” Kennedy said at an event in Michigan this week. “JD Vance is also on the diet and you can see how different he looks.” The diet is the brainchild of Dr. Sean O’Mara, who advises his high-profile patients to eat fermented foods such as sauerkraut and kimchi, alongside grass-fed steak—and to abstain from alcohol and sugary food.

O’Mara says the diet leads to a reduction in visceral fat, which wraps around organs, as well as a more robust microbiome, which can help with digestion. Kennedy, 72, was the first to convert. Lutnick, 64, and Duffy, 54, followed suit. Vance, 41, committed to the diet for Lent earlier this year, and has stuck with it. “I tend to like to work with older people because the ROI is so much greater…. it’s like taking over a sinking ship, a company that is headed to bankruptcy,” O’Mara said. He declined to discuss his patients, citing privacy concerns. But people familiar with the matter said Kennedy, Lutnick and Duffy have all seen O’Mara. Kennedy began the diet about a year ago after meeting with O’Mara. Though he is sometimes turned off by the tangy and pungent taste of sauerkraut, he found the diet helped him shed fat, and reduced aches and pains. He also credits it with eliminating the atrial fibrillations he had been experiencing. The Trump administration officials on the diet have been known to trade tips when they are gathered at the White House. Online commentators recently remarked that Vance was looking thin in a photo posted earlier this month.

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Kash Patel accused of directing $1m to ‘slush fund’ to pay bonuses to loyalist agents

Kash Patel, the FBI director, has been accused of directing more than $1m in taxpayer-funded bonus payments to a small circle of loyalist agents as part of a “personal slush fund” that may have violated federal law. Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the ranking member of the House of Representatives judiciary committee, alleged Patel had authorized substantial recurring payments to agents in his inner circle and security detail. According to information received by the House judiciary minority committee, some agents received payments of nearly $8,000 every two weeks, despite already earning at the federal salary ceiling. While the exact total received by each individual remains unclear, the committee says it can confirm a number of agents received at least five such payments in consecutive pay periods, amounting to close to $40,000 per person.

The pace of disbursements was so rapid, the committee says, that FBI reserve accounts set aside for bonus payments were drained dry, causing some payments to bounce back from exhausted funds. “Why are these agents receiving extra pay simply for doing their jobs?” Raskin wrote in a 15 June letter to the FBI director. “Are they, in fact, collecting bonus compensation for engaging in actions outside of their duties and outside of the law?” He added: “We write to find out precisely how much slush fund largess you have put on the American taxpayer’s tab.” The FBI did not respond to a request for comment. As the minority, Democrats have no authority to compel the bureau to hand over documents, though they would gain that power if they retake the House in November’s midterm elections, as some forecasts suggest they may. The main beneficiaries, according to Raskin, were agents serving on Patel’s “director’s advisory team”. The unit was created in 2025 and tasked with examining internal documents and government materials to expose and discredit federal law enforcement officials who had investigated Trump and his allies.

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Copyright June 27, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved