June 28, 2026: All Newsclips

Lead Stories

Unease about Talarico’s Black support on display at Texas Democratic Convention

Black Democrats caucusing at the Texas Democratic Party convention Friday cheered when state Rep. James Talarico, the Democratic U.S. Senate nominee, said November would bring an end to three decades of one-party statewide rule. But some of the most emphatic applause he received during his remarks came when he acknowledged the Democratic Party’s “troubling history of taking Black voters for granted.” “Let’s just be very honest,” Talarico said Friday to a room in Corpus Christi packed full of Black Democrats from around the state. “I am committing to you to not make those mistakes. I am committed to working with the members of this caucus to show up for, invest in and fight for the votes of every Black Texan.” Nearly four months after defeating U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas — one of the state’s most prominent Black politicians — for the U.S. Senate nomination, Talarico’s quest to coalesce Black Democrats behind his candidacy was still ongoing among the party’s rank-and-file activists at a convention where Texas Democrats were looking to present a forceful show of unity.

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The unease about Talarico’s standing with Black Texans stems from a primary in which polls consistently showed the Austin Democrat with meager support — sometimes under 10% — from Black voters. The rest went to Crockett, forming the basis of her 46% vote share in the March primary. She endorsed Talarico the day after her loss and urged Democrats to “rally around” their nominees. More recently, however, Crockett has cast doubt on whether Black voters have unified behind Talarico and the broader statewide ticket. Ahead of this week’s convention, which she skipped, Crockett also declined to commit to campaigning for Talarico, telling the Dallas Morning News she was “more focused on down-ballot races.” Energizing the Black voters core to the Democratic base will be critical for Talarico’s chances in November, when he’ll need a surge in turnout among left-leaning voters, even as he also works to appeal to independents and moderate Republicans — namely those repelled by the legal and ethical scandals and hard-right politics of Republican U.S. Senate nominee Ken Paxton, the attorney general. “I don’t have to tell this caucus, though, that there is no way to win this race without Black Texans — no way at all,” Talarico said. “This is not going to be easy. This is a big state, and we don’t have a lot of time. But I am looking forward to being your partner in this fight, because we have to win.” Talarico — who also stopped by several other caucuses Friday, including the Latino, labor and Stonewall Democrats’ meetings — was well received at the Black caucus, with a notable portion of the room jumping to their feet when he appeared.

Texas will require students to read Bible passages in new state curriculum

In what appears to be a national first, Texas students will be required to read Bible passages as part of a new statewide reading list. The State Board of Education gave final approval to updated Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills – known as TEKS – on Friday, capping off a week of meetings and often tense public discussion. The board also approved rewritten K-8 social studies lessons that narrow the view of history from a global one to a focus on U.S. and Texas history. The state will begin rolling out the new standards beginning in the 2030-31 school year. The literacy TEKS typically includes Shakespeare and Sophocles. Now there’ll also be Psalm 23 and the Prodigal Son – the King James version. State Board of Education District 2 representative Brandon Hall, from Aledo, northwest of Fort Worth, is one of 10 Republicans on the 15-member elected board. The pastor championed the inclusion of Bible passages and Christian stories as a valuable reflection of American culture and what he wants every Texas student to learn.

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“America and Texas have been a Christian nation and a Christian state forever,” Hall said. “And this is why, you know, the proportion of the impact they’ve had is why they’re included. Of course, there are other faiths that are represented, but they’ve had a minimal impact.” Nearly 500 people signed up to offer testimony for or against the new social studies and reading curriculum. The lists add at least one Bible passage to each grade’s required reading starting in the first grade. Kim Middleton, from Lubbock, spoke in support of the board’s efforts, saying students need to learn those biblical references. “Let's pick back up our Bibles and allow our Judeo-Christian foundations to shine bright in our classrooms,” she said. Opponents of the changes say they emphasize Christianity over other religions and misrepresent history. Rabbi Joshua Fixler said he’s worried his children won’t learn as well. “This proposed list provides only Christian religious texts, and it does so in ways that are not age appropriate,” he told the board. “For example, my fourth grader would have to read three religious texts. All three center on Christian messages of faith and theology to which my family does not ascribe.”

S&P Global improves outlook on city of Houston’s finances

One of the "Big Three" credit ratings agencies improved its outlook on the city of Houston's financial position on Thursday, two weeks after city officials approved major reforms to the city's revenue flow. In a news release announcing the "stable" outlook, the agency said the city "made substantial progress in materially reducing its budget gap ... through various structural changes." S&P Global lowered the city's outlook in 2024 amid rising public safety costs tied to the more than $1 billion blockbuster settlement with the firefighters' union, which included immediate backpay and hiked salaries by more than 30% over the five-year agreement. The "negative" outlook signaled the possibility of a credit downgrade, which would raise the city's borrowing costs.

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This year, Houston Mayor John Whitmire's administration redirected about $100 million in revenue from the city's water and wastewater utility to the $3 billion general fund, which supports most departments including police and fire. At the same time, the administration moved the more than $100 million solid waste department out of the general fund and into the utility while adopting a $5 monthly fee for garbage customers. Altogether, the changes essentially erased the projected deficit for this fiscal year, which runs through June 2027. Steven David, Whitmire's chief operations officer, said the improved outlook is "just a validation of the work that Mayor Whitmire has been doing for the past two-and-a-half years.” "If fiscal stability is a house, we’ve laid the foundation with this fiscal year, and it’s good to see that S&P is recognizing that," he said.

Opposition to AI data centers grows in Texas, poll shows

Texans are voicing growing concern about the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence data centers, putting new pressure on state leaders to balance economic development, national security and local worries over water and electricity. A newly released poll from the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas found 56% of Texans oppose the construction of data centers in their community. Opposition was higher in rural and suburban communities where current and planned data center construction is more prevalent. Some of those concerns came up Tuesday during a Texas House Natural Resources Committee hearing, where lawmakers heard from local officials, industry representatives and residents worried about the strain data centers could place on Texas’ water supply and power grid.

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Some lawmakers said they understand why voters are skeptical. State Rep. Trent Ashby, R-Lufkin, said the feedback he hears from constituents is “overwhelmingly” negative toward data centers, but he also questioned how to weigh that against broader national security concerns tied to the race to develop artificial intelligence. Several county-level leaders asked the state to give local governments more authority to block or regulate data centers before they are built. Gov. Greg Abbott has also been responding to voter concerns. In an interview with NewsNation’s Ali Bradley, Abbott said when it comes to data centers “Texans are going to be protected.” “Here’s what I outlined so far, and that is, data centers must bring their own power,” Abbott said in the interview. “They must reuse their own water. And they must reduce electricity costs for residential customers as well as small business customers. Those are bottom line expectations.”

The extremely online Senate race testing Democrats’ midterm strategy

To understand the future of the Democratic Party — maybe even the future of politics writ large — you have to charter a plane or board a ferry and cross some five miles of choppy waters across the Straits of Mackinac, where Lake Huron meets Lake Michigan, to reach Mackinac Island, a roughly 4-square-mile scrap of land shaped like a turtle and wedged between Michigan’s upper and lower peninsulas. It feels like traveling back in time. There are no cars on the island; horse-drawn taxis clip-clop amid the Victorian architecture. The place seems about as far from the digital cacophony that is politics in 2026 as you could get. Yet one week in late spring, the three millennial candidates in what has become the nation’s most online primary all arrived here by ferry for their first real statewide televised debate amid days of politicking. The stakes couldn’t be higher.

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If Democrats lose the general election in November to prospective Republican nominee Mike Rogers, it will be all but impossible for them to reclaim the Senate — and the GOP knows it. Already, the Senate Leadership Fund, the Super PAC aligned with GOP Senate Majority Leader John Thune, has reserved $45 million in ads for Rogers this fall. In hypothetical general election matchups, the margins are thinner than the lilac cotton candy you can buy over at the Sanders Candy and Fudge Shop here. Beyond control of the Senate, the Michigan primary could help determine what kind of Democratic Party will emerge from the midterms at a time when Democratic voters are furious with the party’s second electoral loss to President Donald Trump and hungry for major change. Two of the Michigan candidates — former public health official Abdul El-Sayed and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow — have called for a change in Democratic leadership. El-Sayed has said he’s the only candidate that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wouldn’t be “OK with winning.” McMorrow called for Schumer to step aside last March. On the other hand, primary candidate Haley Stevens, a U.S. representative, has Schumer’s endorsement and the support of the party establishment in Michigan. They are also debating how to rein in ICE and whether to adopt Medicare for All (El-Sayed backs the latter, while McMorrow and Stevens support a public option approach).

State Stories

Austin City Council has been voting in secret for years, despite the city’s claims of transparency

Austin Energy says Austin City Council members have taken secret votes for years on matters involving the publicly owned utility, and that those votes don’t appear in any public record. The disclosure only came after KUT News reviewed more than 1,000 City Council meetings and challenged the utility’s claim that such votes “ARE indicated in council minutes.” Last month, the council took what appears to be its first documented secret vote on Austin Energy, approving the purchase of gas-powered electric generators estimated to cost more than $1 billion. The vote occurred in a closed session under a narrow carve-out to the Texas Open Meetings Act that allows elected officials who oversee power companies to vote in secret on "competitive matters.” The final vote tally was never released. A record of the meeting on the city’s website simply says the measure was “conducted and approved.” Council members and city staff have refused to disclose the vote breakdown, effectively shielding elected officials from any political backlash and firing up critics.

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When KUT News asked whether the vote was unprecedented, Austin Energy insisted it was not. The utility’s spokesperson, Matthew Mitchell, said council members have taken similar closed-door votes for years and they were “not infrequent.” Erik Johnson, a spokesperson for the city, suggested that KUT should “review the voting record manually” to seek previous examples of executive session votes. In an effort to show that secret votes are part of regular business, Austin Energy provided a list of 16 meetings from 2019 to 2025 during which it said “discussions or votes” occurred behind closed doors. Such closed-door votes “ARE indicated in council minutes," Mitchell said. But a KUT News review of every City Council meeting dating back to 1999 found no public record of such votes. When KUT presented those findings to Austin Energy, the utility changed its explanation, saying the absence of records proves nothing because even the existence of a secret vote may be confidential. “The fact that minutes do not reflect that a vote was taken, does not mean that a vote was not taken,” Mitchell said in an email. With no public record of any vote and council members committed to secrecy, it’s difficult to know how many votes may have taken place since the 1999 law allowing for them took effect.

Lubbock Matadors SC Partners with Communities In Schools of the South Plains for Giveback Night on June 27

Communities In Schools of the South Plains is proud to partner with Lubbock Matadors SC for a special Giveback Night on Saturday, June 27, bringing the community together for an evening of soccer, family fun, and support for local students. Fans can use promo code CISSP when purchasing tickets to receive discounted admission, and 50% of every ticket purchased with the promo code will be donated back to Communities In Schools of the South Plains. Communities In Schools of the South Plains will also be on-site at the game sharing more about its mission and selling raffle tickets for a 2026 Jeep Willys. The Jeep will be set up at the gate, giving fans a chance to see it in person and purchase raffle tickets during the event.

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The winner of the Jeep Raffle will be announced at LaceUp806 Presented by Michael Postar’s Affordable Storage on August 8. LaceUp806 is Communities In Schools of the South Plains’ annual fundraiser and plays a major role in helping CIS expand its reach to more students, families, and campuses across the region. Last year, LaceUp806 raised enough money to add CIS services to more than 10 schools across the South Plains. This year, the organization is working toward a record-breaking goal of raising $500,000. “We are so proud to partner with the Lubbock Matadors for this Giveback Night,” said Kenna West, CEO of Communities In Schools of the South Plains. “The Matadors have built something special in Lubbock, and their commitment to community aligns so well with the work CIS does every day in schools across the South Plains. This is a great opportunity for families, soccer fans, and our entire community to come together, enjoy a great night of soccer, and support local students.” Lubbock Matadors SC has quickly become a meaningful part of the local sports community, helping grow the game of soccer in Lubbock while creating opportunities for athletes and inspiring the next generation of players. The Matadors are led by a passionate ownership group that includes former Major League Soccer leadership, soccer entrepreneurs, successful business owners, Texas Tech alumni, and local investors who share a love for Lubbock and a commitment to the community.

Jim Hogg County confirms first New World screwworm case

Jim Hogg County officials have confirmed the county's first case of New World Screwworm, marking another development in South Texas as state and federal agencies continue efforts to prevent the pest from spreading. County Judge Juan Carlos Guerra announced Friday that the confirmed case was identified in the Guerra area of Jim Hogg County. While the discovery marks the first case reported in the county, local officials stressed that residents should remain alert rather than alarmed. "We have been preparing for this possibility for several months," Guerra said in a statement. "This confirmation is not a reason to panic. It is a reminder that we must all do our part by increasing vigilance and reporting any suspected cases immediately."

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New World Screwworm larvae feed on the living tissue of warm-blooded animals, making livestock, wildlife and household pets vulnerable to infestation if wounds are left untreated. County leaders are urging ranchers, hunters, veterinarians and pet owners to routinely inspect animals for open wounds or unusual signs of infestation. Officials say early detection and rapid reporting are critical to limiting the spread of the pest and allowing response teams to act quickly. Jim Hogg County officials said they are working with the Texas Animal Health Commission, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and local veterinarians to monitor the situation and coordinate response efforts. Guerra also credited local ranchers, wildlife managers and agricultural producers who have already participated in educational meetings and preparedness efforts in recent months.

Texas agricultural officials issue emergency quarantines across 21 counties for screwworm parasite

Dyed sterile fly pupae used to combat the spread of the New World screwworm at Chapparosa Ranch in La Pryor, Texas, US, on Thursday, June 11, 2026. The US's best weapon against a deadly cattle parasite threatening the beef industry is more than a yea Federal and state agricultural officials have confirmed that the number of New World screwworm cases in the United States has reached 26, as Texas authorities issue a wave of emergency quarantine orders to contain the flesh-eating parasite's expansion into Deep South Texas.

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According to official records, 25 of the confirmed cases are concentrated across Texas, with one domestic animal case identified in Lea County, New Mexico. The latest wave of detections has prompted Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) Executive Director Dr. Lewis R. Dinges to sign multiple emergency orders expanding strict animal movement restrictions. In a major geographic expansion, Dr. Dinges signed an emergency order on June 26, 2026, establishing Infested Zone 10. This new zone comes after the aggressive parasite was detected on June 25 in a bovine located in Jim Hogg County.

Houston judge dismisses Tony Buzbee's claims against Jay-Z, Roc Nation

A Houston judge has dismissed several lawsuits filed by prolific attorney Tony Buzbee over allegations that Jay-Z and his company, Roc Nation, recruited Buzbee's former clients to sue his law firm. The ruling by Judge Kristen Hawkins this week is the latest development in a legal battle that began in December 2024, when Buzbee amended a lawsuit that was part of a series of legal actions he brought against music mogul Sean Combs to also name Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter. Buzbee's client alleged that Carter and Combs raped her when she was 13 at a party in 2000, allegations Carter and Combs denied. The woman later voluntarily dismissed her lawsuit.

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Days later, Buzbee's law firm sued Carter and Roc Nation’s lawyers, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart and Sullivan, accusing them of trying to recruit current and former clients of Buzbee to sue the attorney's firm in retaliation for the legal action against the musician. "Buzbee filed with fury; the court ruled with finality," said Gregg Costa, who represented an attorney from Roc Nation. Buzbee on Thursday told the Chronicle that he would appeal the decision or "refile in a different form." "The conduct we have caught on tape and supported by multiple witness affidavits is egregious. I won’t allow these shady characters to come to Texas and get away with this kind of foolishness." Earlier this month, without directly naming Buzbee, Carter referred to the Houston lawyer as a "1-800 ambulance chaser" during a freestyle rap at the Roots Picnic music festival in Philadelphia, reviving an insult he had previously used.

South Texas candidates navigate redistricting at Texas Democratic Convention

As Democrats from across Texas gather in Corpus Christi for their state convention, one issue is shaping nearly every campaign conversation: redistricting. New political maps have redrawn congressional and legislative boundaries across the state, leaving many candidates scrambling to introduce themselves to voters they have never represented before. For some candidates, that means spending months traveling thousands of miles across newly configured districts in hopes of building name recognition before November. For Tanya Lloyd, a public school educator challenging incumbent Republican Michael Cloud in the newly redrawn 27th Congressional District, that effort has meant crisscrossing a district stretching from the Austin suburbs to Aransas County. "I have put 65,000 miles on my car these past two and a half years. Everywhere I'm invited I go," Lloyd said.

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Despite losing to Cloud by roughly 90,000 votes in 2024, Lloyd said her two decades in the classroom have prepared her for the long campaign ahead. "I have been in the public school classroom for two decades. If that doesn't teach you perseverance, I don't know what will," she said. Other Democratic candidates described similar challenges in newly redrawn districts. Bobby Pulido, the Tejano musician challenging incumbent Republican Monica De La Cruz in the redrawn 15th Congressional District, said he believes his race is more competitive than many expected. "I know I took a heavily gerrymandered district that most people thought could never be in play. It's in play right now. We're fighting, and I think we have a good chance of flipping the seat," Pulido said. Pulido also said candidates should prioritize the people they represent over party loyalty. "You know people running for office have their loyalty to the party and not to the people they want to serve. So I think the most important thing is letting the people know they are the priority, not the party. If it means sometimes going against your own party because it would hurt your constituents and go against what your constituents would want, I think you have to be courageous enough to take those votes," he said. Former Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa said issues such as economic inequality, education and access to quality healthcare continue to resonate with voters across the state. "Economic inequality, education, making sure that every person in this state has access to quality healthcare. That's what keeps people up at night. That's what people want to hear about," Hinojosa said. Hinojosa also pointed to South Texas as a key battleground in statewide races this November, including the gubernatorial campaign of his daughter, Democratic candidate Gina Hinojosa. "If Mr. Talarico and Gina win South Texas by past margins or even higher, that would be a positive sign. But the turnout is ultimately going to decide who the next governor and next United States senator from Texas is," he said.

From outcast to insider: The arc of Glen Maxey's long life in politics

Glen Maxey remembers when members of the Texas House, many of them from his own party, would not so much as shake his hand even though he was a duly elected state representative. The year was 1991, and at 41 he had already had nearly two decades of experience as a Democratic organizer. He had been a legislative staff member and a public policy advocate. He was also openly gay at a time when fears surrounding AIDS had further marginalized his community. But most of all, Maxey was undaunted. Through more than a little persistence and a refusal to let grudges stand in the way of progress, he helped colleagues navigate the countless obstacles that often derail legislation under the Capitol dome. Maxey was Texas' first openly gay elected official to serve at that level. But he wouldn't be the last.

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LGBTQ+ rights were not among the planks in his party's platform. But before he retired from the House after six terms, they would be. And they remain so. "The world has finally caught up with Glen Maxey," the still-active 74-year-old Democratic activist said in an interview while staffing a booth at the party's state convention on Friday. Maxey came of age in an era when his party could take victory in statewide elections for granted. But not the candidates he backed. In 1972, he was a young staffer in the upstart gubernatorial campaign of Sissy Farenthold, a reform-minded state representative. She lost the nomination to the establishment-backed Dolph Briscoe, a Uvalde rancher and part of the conservative faction of the Texas Democratic Party. Four years earlier, while in his teens, he volunteered for Eugene McCarthy, who challenged President Lyndon Johnson before the Texan ended his bid for reelection. Maxey, who later represented part of Austin in the House, was born into a rodeo family and graduated from Sam Houston State University in the conservative East Texas city of Huntsville. He taught elementary school in equally conservative Navasota.

Mariachi musician stopped for speeding — and turned over to ICE

Hebert Kaleth Ibarra Castro was still wearing his mariachi uniform when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents handcuffed him and took him into custody. The 20-year-old San Antonio musician was driving home Thursday morning after performing at a birthday party when a police officer in China Grove, a small city 12 miles east of San Antonio, stopped him for speeding. China Grove's police department is among local law enforcement agencies in Texas that have agreements with ICE to carry out some immigration enforcement duties.

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Hebert texted his wife from the roadside: "Baby, I’ve been pulled over." He also called Miguel Guzman, music director of Mariachi Los Galleros de San Antonio, who was driving home from the same performance with his son and another member of the ensemble. They went to where Hebert had been pulled over, near a gas station off U.S. 87 East in China Grove. Hebert was accused of driving 69 mph in a 50-mph zone, and the officer issued him a ticket and took the keys to his gray 2014 Toyota Camry. Guzman said two unmarked ICE vehicles arrived soon afterward, and two agents got out: a man dressed all in black and a woman with her face covered. Hebert is now in an ICE detention center in South Texas, his fate uncertain. U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, a San Antonio Democrat, is working with Hebert's family to secure his release. The case illustrates the precarious situation of non-citizens living in the U.S. as the Trump administration aims to remove anyone who is in the country without legal authorization.

Gracie the Giraffe has been found

Gracie was found Friday morning after being missing for several days in the Hill Country. The Real County Sheriff’s Office (RCSO) confirmed that the giraffe was discovered during an aerial search at 7:30 a.m. Gracie was reported missing on June 22 after escaping from Cedar Hollow Ranch. According to RCSO, she was found about 4 miles south of the ranch. RCSO said Ranch Manager Vick Jones has since contacted his veterinarian and planned to put together a team to safely capture Gracie and bring her home.

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Worker’s death at SpaceX factory followed hundreds of injuries in recent years

Around 4 a.m. on May 15, in the 1-year-old South Texas town of Starbase, Jose Luis Bautista, a 25-year-old man from nearby Donna, rode a scissor lift around 50 feet up toward the ceiling of the “Starfactory,” where Elon Musk’s SpaceX makes parts for its Starship rockets. Bautista and other workers with Delta Fabrication and Machine Inc., a contractor out of Daingerfield, needed to replace metal beams supporting the structure of the factory with new ones. Bautista strapped himself to a white beam that weighed nearly 8,000 pounds and was about 5 stories off the ground. The beam, Bautista’s supervisor would later tell Cameron County sheriff’s officers, had “not been adjusted correctly.” The supervisor, named as Brent Lee Harvey in the sheriff’s office case report, said that he had contacted a foreman, Omar Alvarado, and instructed his team to “properly adjust and secure the beam to the structure.” According to the report, Bautista was attaching himself to another beam when the one he was already secured to started falling.

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Alvarado told a sheriff’s investigator that he was on the phone when the beam fell and took Bautista with it. Alvarado further told the investigator that Bautista may have thought the beam was secure because it had anchor bolts already installed on it. Bautista would hit the beam on the way down before falling to the concrete factory floor. Harvey said, per the report, that “he did not know why Jose Luis would have attached himself to the improperly secured beam.” Harvey also said that the bolts on the beam were temporary. Within minutes of Bautista falling, a man described with the acronym “EHS”—likely an environmental health and safety specialist—started doing CPR, and security guards arrived to help load Bautista into one of Starbase’s ambulances, the report states. Doctors would pronounce him dead at a Brownsville hospital the same day. Three days later, after an autopsy, Cameron County would declare his cause of death “multiple blunt force trauma due to a fall.” The Cameron County Sheriff’s Office declared Bautista’s death an accident.

Fort Bend braces for legal fight over Daniel Wong’s status as county judge

Fort Bend County’s two Democratic commissioners, Grady Prestage and Dexter McCoy, along with Republican Daniel Wong, have signaled there will be a legal battle to settle their dispute over Wong’s appointment as interim county judge. Prestage is the senior elected official on the county’s five-member commissioners court and said ahead of Thursday’s meeting that he would preside after a civil lawsuit tied to Wong’s appointment was dismissed earlier this month. But that did not end up happening as Prestage’s motion to remove Wong from office failed along party lines, and the meeting continued with Wong presiding over commissioners court. Wong is the GOP nominee for county judge and will face McCoy, the Democratic nominee, in November’s election. McCoy and Prestage walked out of Thursday’s meeting after the 2-2 vote regarding Wong’s status.

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"I've been here 36 years. This is not fun," Prestage said. "This is the darkest day that I've seen in this county. It's ridiculous. Our discourse has been infected by evil, hateful speaking, hateful actions. I don't know where it's coming from, but I hope it goes away." McCoy and Prestage said they plan to pursue legal action regarding Wong’s status as county judge. In April, Galveston County District Court Judge Jeth Jones suspended the embattled KP George from his role as Fort Bend County's top elected official and appointed Wong as county judge on an interim basis. The decision by Jones, a Republican serving as a visiting judge in the case, was in response to a civil lawsuit filed by a county resident against George in 2025, accusing him of incompetence and of violating her First Amendment rights during a commissioners court meeting. Separately, George was convicted of felony money laundering in March and earlier this month was sentenced to 180 days in jail and five years’ probation. He has filed an appeal.

National Stories

The Trump Pentagon appointee who has divided top Republicans

Last fall, one of the top Republicans in Congress left the Pentagon suspecting he’d been told a lie. Rep. Mike D. Rogers, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, had learned that the Trump administration planned to remove thousands of soldiers from Romania — even as his committee demanded that the Pentagon consult with Congress before initiating any major withdrawals. So the Alabama lawmaker devised an honesty test, people familiar with his thinking said. In an October meeting with Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon’s policy chief, the congressman asked whether any troop reductions were coming. Colby, Rogers recounted in an interview with The Washington Post, said he wasn’t aware of any. Two weeks later, the administration announced that it was removing an Army brigade that had fortified NATO’s eastern flank since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

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Rogers, who is so pro-Europe that Romania awarded him the honorary rank of commander in 2017, was livid. “I took him at his word,” Rogers said. In his own interview with The Post, Colby denied having misled the congressman. The policy chief said that military leaders had also recommended removing the brigade and that, at the time of the October meeting, the final order to do so hadn’t been given. Colby argued that he was not, then, “in a position to commit the department one way or the other.” “I am very careful about what I say and what I don’t say,” Colby said, noting that in a formal letter he’d asked Rogers to retract the accusation of dishonesty. Rogers has not. In the months since, House and Senate Republicans have conducted more aggressive oversight of Colby than nearly any other Trump appointee. They have overruled his policies and blocked the confirmation of two officials nominated to serve as his top deputies. At least two prominent Republicans have publicly accused him of dishonesty.

Julia Letlow’s victory in Louisiana completes Trump’s revenge on Cassidy

President Donald Trump just finished the job in Louisiana. First, he successfully ousted Sen. Bill Cassidy — a longtime rival who voted to convict Trump on impeachment charges — last month. Then on Saturday, Trump got his preferred pick, Rep. Julia Letlow, over the finish line in the runoff to replace the senator. It was a return to form after several recent misses in primaries, with Trump’s endorsed candidates going down in Iowa and Georgia and after the Republican he initially endorsed in South Carolina flopped. Saturday’s result reaffirms his grip on the Republican party: With Trump’s backing, Letlow overcame a late surge from rival John Fleming, the hardline conservative state treasurer who was also trying to rally the MAGA base behind him. Letlow’s win sends another Trump ally to Washington, continuing the MAGA takeover of the party, and shows the continuing power of Trump’s blessing that lifts candidates even when others have conservative credentials of their own.

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It also bolsters the power of GOP Gov. Jeff Landry, whose steadfast support of Letlow was also crucial to her victory. This primary was the latest test of an emerging question that will help shape the future of the GOP: How powerful is Trump’s endorsement against opponents who are also MAGA acolytes? Unlike in primaries pitting MAGA against the establishment or against the president’s enemies — which MAGA is clearly winning — several contests this year have involved multiple candidates all seeking to run in the America First lane. In Louisiana and Alabama, Trump’s endorsees won, though both Letlow and Rep. Barry Moore were given a major run for their money by fellow pro-Trump candidates. But in a pair of governor’s contests, Rick Jackson’s billions helped him clinch the nomination in Georgia and Zach Lahn pulled off a surprise upset in Iowa, as both bear-hugged the president. Fleming, a House Freedom caucus founder and former White House aide, ran as an unabashed Trump ally and spent the campaign arguing he represented MAGA’s ideological roots. He tried to cast Letlow as the establishment pick powered by elected officials rather than grassroots conservatives. But Republican primary voters ultimately sided with the candidate carrying Trump’s seal of approval.

European soccer fans marvel at the splendor of America’s suburbs

Frank Everink hadn’t even heard of Kansas City. But when the Dutch soccer fanatic saw his team would be playing along the border of Missouri and Kansas, he made a detour in his worldwide road trip. Everink got into his camper van and drove south from Toronto, making stops in Detroit, Chicago and Indianapolis. Along the way, he—and other European fans who flocked to Kansas City for the World Cup—beheld the fruits of the American economy from a vantage point few foreign tourists typically see: suburban superstores, hulking plates of food, quiet streets. He marveled at the sprawling houses, a contrast from the tightly packed homes of the Netherlands. “It’s spacious,” he said. “You go here for your shopping, and there for your dentist. People are so rich here. I think that’s why they can be so nice.”

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The throngs of Dutch fans that flooded Kansas City and its suburbs this past week got a taste of day-to-day life in the U.S., reigniting a long-running trans-Atlantic debate: Who lives better, Americans or Europeans? The Europeans had plenty of thoughts on American culture. “We are a bit shocked about all the food you are eating,” said Dutch national team superfan Sandra Tatee. Fans also balked at the size of the Costcos and the vastness of the highways. In recent days, social media has been filled with videos of Europeans gawking at the staples of suburban American life—a two-car garage, a walk-in closet, a second refrigerator. One Brit went viral for trying Chick-fil-A for the first time: “That was absolutely banging,” he said. In another, he toured the inside of an American fire station, marveling at the size of the trucks and the station itself. “This is nuts, honestly,” he said. The data sheds some light: The average American home is about 1,800 square feet, with new single-family homes measuring well over 2,000 square feet, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Europeans’ homes are about 1,100 square feet on average, according to data from U.K. and European Union data agencies.

In a first since Trump deployed the guard to D.C., Democrats are sending troops

For the first time since President Trump controversially deployed the National Guard to the nation's capital last year, several Democratic governors have sent members of their respective guards to the city. Kentucky and North Carolina began the trend in recent weeks, each sending just a single guard member as D.C. readied for America 250 celebrations. Michigan then sent more than 100 last week, and Minnesota followed suit with 107 earlier this week, according to numbers made public by the D.C. Joint Task Force, which is coordinating Trump's deployment in the city. Those troops are joining thousands of uniformed, armed guard members who have maintained a continuous presence in the city since August. Until recently, troops have come from Washington, D.C. and more than a dozen Republican-led states, which offered up members of their guard as part of a joint federal task force launched by Trump to fight crime in the city, which was already trending down. U.S. territories Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands have also contributed members of their National Guard.

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But these are the first troops sent from states led by Democrats, leading many legal experts who have been watching Trump's deployment in D.C. to wonder whether those guard members will participate in the routine – and controversial – neighborhood patrols and overall militarized feeling of the nation's capital that has become a trademark of this administration. Democrats have largely opposed the president's deployment to the city. D.C. is currently filled with more than 4,800 uniformed National Guard members patrolling residential streets, city parks and metro stops. That number has nearly doubled in the past month after federal officials announced a "summer surge" in law enforcement ahead of planned America 250 celebrations. The deployment now costs upwards of $2.8 million per day, according to an estimate by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. When contacted by NPR, spokespeople for each respective governor's office made it clear that their guard members were sent to help with the influx of crowds expected for America 250 celebrations taking place in the city this summer, not for law enforcement purposes as part of the larger ongoing federal Joint Task Force operation. But troops from all four Democratic-led states are listed as part of the official federal Joint Task Force numbers released to the public.

Trump taps former Oklahoma trooper as new ICE director

President Trump said on Saturday he was nominating Lance Schroyer, a former Oklahoma state trooper, to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In a post on Truth Social, Mr. Trump told the Senate to move quickly to confirm Mr. Schroyer, who would be the first Senate-confirmed leader of the high-profile agency since 2017. “Lance has firsthand experience getting Illegal Aliens OFF our streets and, just like ME and our Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, he LOVES the men and women of ICE,” Mr. Trump wrote. ICE has been at the center of the Trump administration’s push to ramp up deportations across the country. Those efforts have brought heavy scrutiny to the agency, particularly after immigration agents killed two Americans in Minneapolis earlier this year.

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Mr. Schroyer appears to have limited experience managing national policies, and had never worked at ICE before Mr. Mullin took over as homeland security secretary in March. He is currently a senior adviser to Mr. Mullin, and previously was a major at the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety. He served as a U.S. Marine. Mr. Schroyer was part of a security detail for Mr. Mullin when Mr. Mullin served in the Senate. He was assigned by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, a Department of Homeland Security official said. In May, Mr. Trump tapped David Venturella, a former career Immigration and Customs Enforcement official, to lead the agency in an acting capacity. Mr. Venturella will stay on as acting director until Mr. Schroyer is confirmed, the official said. The agency has been without a Senate-confirmed director since an Obama administration official retired in January 2017. In his first term, Mr. Trump tried to install Tom Homan, who now serves as the White House border czar, as the permanent director of ICE. His nomination stalled in the Senate. Mr. Schroyer hails from the same state as Mr. Mullin, the new homeland security chief, who praised the pick in a post on social media. “With over 29 years of law enforcement experience, Lance will play a vital role in helping deliver on the President’s mandate from the American people to target, arrest, and deport illegal aliens,” Mr. Mullin wrote.

Chaos came to CBS News. What’s in store for CNN?

Over nearly five decades, CNN has survived multiple owners, ratings ups and downs, and attacks by President Trump. Now, its journalists are bracing for its most dramatic transformation yet: a corporate merger that would put the 24-hour cable network under the same ownership as CBS News. David Ellison, the technology heir who controls Paramount, the owner of CBS, is poised to complete a $111 billion purchase of CNN’s parent company as soon as next month. Mr. Ellison has not publicly detailed what he has in store for CNN. But the network’s newsroom is wary of his conspicuous coziness with Mr. Trump and the prospect that he may assign some oversight of CNN to Bari Weiss, his pick to run CBS News after he bought Paramount last year. Ms. Weiss, who had virtually no broadcasting experience before taking over in October, has reshaped CBS News in occasionally chaotic ways, recently firing the leadership of the network’s flagship, “60 Minutes.”

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Several on-air correspondents who were fired later accused her of editorial interference, which she has denied. Mr. Ellison and his deputies are weighing whether to put Ms. Weiss in charge of CNN, which is far larger than CBS News and is a major profit center, two people familiar with their thinking said. He has remained supportive of Ms. Weiss, despite grumbling from journalists. Anderson Cooper, the channel’s biggest star, has told colleagues at CNN that he does not want to work for Ms. Weiss, two people familiar with his remarks said. Mr. Cooper, who overlapped with Ms. Weiss at CBS as a correspondent at “60 Minutes,” left that show this spring after 20 years. A spokeswoman for Mr. Cooper declined to comment. One option under consideration by Mr. Ellison would be to pair Ms. Weiss with a more experienced TV executive who could handle the technical and financial aspects of the network, two people briefed on internal discussions said.

Trump again threatens Iran with annihilation as Kuwait and Bahrain report attacks

President Donald Trump again threatened Iran on Sunday with annihilation following U.S. attacks on Iranian military targets in retaliation for Tehran’s latest strikes on shipping in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s neighbors, Kuwait and Bahrain, reported incoming missiles and drones overnight. “United States aircraft just struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations, and coastal radar sites, for violating the Cease Fire Agreement, AGAIN!,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The U.S. military attacked a number of Iranian targets after a commercial tanker in the Strait of Hormuz was reported to have been struck by a projectile on Saturday. The attacks were the latest escalation of tensions between the two countries in recent days, following an interim agreement meant to bring an end to hostilities in the region.

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U.S. Central Command said early Sunday that fighter jets struck 10 Iranian military targets in and near the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for a drone strike on the Panamanian-flagged tanker, the M/T Kiku. The ship was transiting the strait with more than two million barrels of crude oil, CentCom said late Saturday. “There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable, and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started. If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!” Trump wrote. Trump has repeatedly threatened to send Iran back to the “stone age.” In an April Truth Social post, Trump threatened “a whole civilization will die tonight” and raised the specter of nuclear war. “For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them,” Trump said in a post in May.

Copyright June 28, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved