May 17, 2026: All Newsclips

Lead Stories

3 in custody following weekend crime spree of 12 shootings, multiple car thefts in Austin

Three people are in police custody in connection with 12 shootings and multiple car thefts across Austin this weekend. One shooting victim sustained serious injuries and three others have minor injuries, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said Sunday. A 15-year-old and a 17-year-old with stolen guns were taken into custody following a car chase in Manor, Davis said, while a third suspect who had also fled the scene remained at large into the evening. The Manor Police Department announced late Sunday that the third suspect had been detained. The two teenage suspects have not been identified but will be placed in juvenile detention, Davis said. Police were not sure how the third person was involved in the string of shootings.

click here for more

Several areas in Manor were under a shelter-in-place notice for several hours before authorities lifted it just before 8 p.m. Sunday. Manor police said they were ending an exhaustive search that involved nearly 200 officers, including canine, SWAT, helicopter and drone support. Davis said the first call came from a person around 4 p.m. Saturday who reported their vehicle stolen from an Austin apartment complex. Not long after, another call came in about a stolen gun. She said that over several hours, around 20 calls came in for shootings, primarily in South and Southeast Austin, including at two fire stations. After a lull, the shooting spree continued Sunday. The suspects appeared to be using multiple stolen vehicles. A shelter-in-place alert that went out just before 3:30 p.m. Sunday covered an area of South Austin bordered by Slaughter Lane, McKinney Falls Parkway, Ben White Boulevard and Escarpment Boulevard.

John Cornyn targets Ken Paxton’s North Texas base with electability warning before Senate runoff

Sen. John Cornyn spent Sunday deep in rival Ken Paxton country, standing before a packed barbecue crowd and delivering a blunt warning to Republicans: Nominate Paxton, and Texas could suddenly have a real Senate problem in November. On the eve of early voting in advance of their May 26 runoff, Cornyn zeroed in on North Texas, a vote-rich GOP region central to his hopes of surviving the fiercest challenge of his long career and cutting into Paxton’s political base. At Hard 8 BBQ in The Colony, Cornyn called the runoff bigger than a clash between two Republicans. He said the outcome could shape whether the GOP holds the Texas Senate seat comfortably, protects down-ballot Republicans and keeps President Donald Trump’s agenda on track.

click here for more

“The attorney general thinks all the scandals that he’s brought with him over the years are already baked into the cake and people don’t care,” Cornyn said. “Character is on the ballot ... if you care about the future of the Republican Party and the president’s agenda ... there’s too much at stake for any of us to stay home.” The senator, who finished first in the March primary but short of the vote needed to avoid a runoff, has ramped up his advertising assault on Paxton with deeply personal attacks aimed at raising doubts about the attorney general’s character and electability. Collin County state Reps. Matt Shaheen and Jeff Leach joined Cornyn. He praised then for showing courage in their 2023 House votes to impeach Paxton on misconduct allegations, though the Senate acquitted him. “The easiest thing to do would have been to run for the hills and hide from political controversy,” Cornyn said. “They didn’t do that. They stood up for you and our Texas values.” Cornyn repeatedly has cast Paxton as unfit for office because of past legal entanglements and alleged extramarital affairs. Paxton has used his ads to portray Cornyn as out of step with MAGA conservatives.

Trump’s more than 3,700 trades provoke Wall Street astonishment

President Donald Trump’s latest financial disclosures show that he or his investment advisers made more than 3,700 trades in the first quarter, a flurry totaling tens of millions of dollars and involving major companies that have dealings with his administration. The transactions, spelled out in more than 100 pages of documents filed Thursday with the US Office of Government Ethics, list purchases and sales in broad ranges, making it hard to calculate an exact value. But the volume of trading — more than 40 per day over a three-month period — stands out as much as the potential dollar value. “This is an insane amount of trades,” said Matthew Tuttle, chief executive officer of Tuttle Capital Management, in an interview, adding that it looks more like something done by “a hedge fund with massive algo trades” that buys and shorts securities than a personal account.

click here for more

In the first quarter, the president bought at least $1 million each in companies including Nvidia Corp., Oracle Corp., Microsoft Corp., Boeing Co. and Costco Wholesale Corp., according to the documents. Other trades involved eBay Inc., Abbott Laboratories, Uber Technologies Inc., AT&T Inc. and discount store Dollar Tree Inc. The disclosure reignites conflict-of-interest concerns that have shadowed Trump’s terms in the White House. Critics have regularly accused him of mixing his official duties with his business interests. Unlike his predecessors, Trump didn’t divest or move his assets into a blind trust with an independent overseer. His sprawling business empire is managed by two of his sons and operates in several areas that intersect with presidential policy. At the same time, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner helps manage billions in investments for Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates while simultaneously serving as a “volunteer” envoy for the president on issues affecting the war in Iran and the Middle East in general. The White House dismissed questions about potential conflicts, with spokesman David Ingle saying that Trump “only acts in the best interests of the American public.” He added: “There are no conflicts of interest.”

Iran energy crisis enters new phase as peak summer season approaches

Nearly 80 countries have now introduced emergency measures to protect their economies as the world approaches a new, more dangerous phase in the energy crisis driven by the Iran war. Governments are stepping up their responses ahead of a looming tipping point, when traders warn that oil prices could jump again sharply unless more fuel trapped in the Gulf can be exported through the blockaded Strait of Hormuz. Paul Diggle, chief economist at fund manager Aberdeen, said his team was now examining a scenario where Brent crude rockets to $180 a barrel, causing surging inflation and recessions in a host of European and Asian countries. “We are taking that outcome very seriously,” he told the FT, adding that it was not yet his base case. “We are living on borrowed time.”

click here for more

Malcolm Moore, Sam Fleming and Jonathan Vincent in London Published40 minutes ago 9 Print this page Get ahead with daily markets updates.Join the FT's WhatsApp channel Nearly 80 countries have now introduced emergency measures to protect their economies as the world approaches a new, more dangerous phase in the energy crisis driven by the Iran war. Governments are stepping up their responses ahead of a looming tipping point, when traders warn that oil prices could jump again sharply unless more fuel trapped in the Gulf can be exported through the blockaded Strait of Hormuz. Paul Diggle, chief economist at fund manager Aberdeen, said his team was now examining a scenario where Brent crude rockets to $180 a barrel, causing surging inflation and recessions in a host of European and Asian countries. “We are taking that outcome very seriously,” he told the FT, adding that it was not yet his base case. “We are living on borrowed time.” Demand for air conditioning and holiday travel at the start of the northern hemisphere’s summer will put further strain on supplies of crude oil, gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, when global stocks are already falling at the fastest rate on record. Australia has pledged to spend $10bn to boost its fuel and fertiliser stockpiles, while France has said it will “change the scope and scale” of its support to shield its economy from the crisis. India has urged the public not to buy gold or holiday abroad as it tries to shore up its reserves of foreign currency. The International Energy Agency estimates that the number of countries that have already been forced into emergency measures has reached 76, up from 55 at the end of March. Economists and traders warn the next phase of the crisis could bring another sharp jump in energy prices, broader fuel rationing, industrial shutdowns and a significant slowdown in global growth. If the Middle East conflict “does not end in the coming weeks and we don’t have the reopening of the Hormuz strait, I’m afraid a world recession could be on the table”, the EU’s transport commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas told an FT conference in Athens on Thursday.

State Stories

Mayor, APD chief talk license plate readers following shootings

During Sunday’s press conference over the multiple shootings around Austin, questions were raised about license plate readers, or Flock cameras and if they could have helped. Austin ended its contract last year with Flock, a company that provided license plate reader technology, amid privacy concerns. “I think the conversation is ripe to have, could that have helped? Yes, it could have helped,” said Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis when asked about license plate readers. Mayor Kirk Watson also weighed in on the technology.

click here for more

“What I will say is this, probably having license plate readers would have been helpful under these circumstances,” said Watson. “So, we need to make sure when we are trying to reach balance and perspective, we take all of that into account.” MOST READ: LIVE BLOG: All suspects in connection with south Austin shootings are in custody As of late Sunday, all three suspects were in custody in connection with an investigation into at least 10 shootings in the south Austin area over the weekend that injured four people. After two of them were found Sunday afternoon, the Manor Police Department said officers found and arrested the third around 9:30 p.m. The search for the suspect prompted the Manor Police Department and Travis County Sheriff’s Office to issue shelter-in-place orders for a portion of the area around 4:45 p.m. The orders were lifted shortly before 8 p.m. without the suspect being located, MPD said in a social media post.

Data center controversy in Texas heading to Legislature

Caldwell County Judge Hoppy Haden is frustrated about data centers. He estimated the county near Austin is looking at a $20-plus billion investment across at least four data center campuses coming on its tax rolls in the next five years. Local government constraints in Texas mean he can't do much about it, to the chagrin of his angry constituents, and he's scared of what it means for not only resources but the county's solvency. "I'm telling you, I'm directing every citizen that comes to me complaining to call the state rep and the state senator. I'm going to do everything I can to fill up their committee chambers with pissed off people cause I'm tired of it – because they're filling my chamber with pissed off people. So I'm directing them where to go," Haden said.

click here for more

Haden's predicament is emblematic of the growing frustration cities, counties and citizens have as the state continues to explode with data center investment, primarily in suburban and rural areas. Some municipalities have tried to stop – or at least slow – that boom but to little or no avail. Leadership in Hill County, roughly 55 miles south of Fort Worth, in mid-May became the first known county to pass a one-year pause on data center development, citing public safety and health concerns, according to media reports. Others, including Hays County, considered one but stood down. That all comes amid legal pressure from Texas Sen. Paul Bettencourt, who is chair of the Senate's Local Government Committee. When Hood County considered a moratorium, he sent a letter to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton that claimed it would violate state law. He has said that same letter applies to any county that attempts to do so. That means the next stop for local frustration is the Texas State Capitol. It's setting up what stands to be a contentious legislative battle when the legislature reconvenes next year, and what – if anything – gets done remains to be seen. Interim charges for both the state house and senate have listed data centers as a priority topic, and at least one committee has held a hearing to discuss their impact, with others expected to follow.

Cuellar urges caution after first screwworm case detected in Coahuila

U.S. lawmakers are raising concerns and outlining response efforts after the first confirmed detection of New World screwworm in a northern Mexican state near the Texas border. The detection, confirmed in the Mexican State of Coahuila, is drawing renewed attention from policymakers and the agricultural community, particularly in South Texas. U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar (D-TX), who represents Texas’ 28th District located on the U.S Southern Border, says cattle producers should remain vigilant as the threat evolves. “Well, you know that they just have to be aware because, as you know, all that that little fly — that larvae — needs just a little nick, or even through the nose or the mouth — it’s very dangerous, so they just have to be aware, you know, just like some years ago,” Cuellar told RFD News Correspondent Frank McCaffrey in an exclusive interview. “We were fighting the fever ticks. Now we are still looking at fever ticks, and we still have to deal with this new threat.”

click here for more

According to the Texas Department of Agriculture, the screwworm was detected roughly 119 miles from the Texas border — nearly the same latitude as Zapata, Texas, and north and west of the Rio Grande Valley. Cuellar warns that the economic stakes are high if the pest spreads further. “Absolutely. Look, you know, in Texas, the cattle industry is a $15.5 billion industry,” Cuellar said. “It’s a lot, and we saw the screwworms back in the ‘60s and the ‘70s. We beat him, but now we’re seeing this again, close across the river about 70, 80 miles away.” The dangerous parasite, known for attacking open wounds in livestock and wildlife, can cause severe, often fatal infections in cattle, raising concerns for both animal health and the broader agricultural economy. While there are many concerns among members of the South Texas ag community, and perhaps many nightmares, the congressman assures them that steps are being taken to keep them secure. Cuellar points to ongoing collaboration between the U.S. and Mexico, along with new infrastructure aimed at preventing the pest from reaching U.S. herds.

Texas’ upstream oil and gas jobs increase slightly as industry sees sustained high prices

Upstream jobs in Texas’ oil and gas industry have increased slightly, according to the Texas Oil and Gas Association. The state added 1,800 jobs in this sector in March, according to the association's analysis of Texas Workforce Commission data. Houston added 200 oil and gas extraction jobs that month, according to the Greater Houston Partnership. Many Texas oil companies expressed hesitation about increasing production in the first few months of the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran, saying it takes time to increase oil production – and supply disruptions, caused by war and other geopolitical factors, are often resolved before then.

click here for more

However, Texas Oil and Gas Association President Todd Staples said the market is beginning to respond to months of sustained higher oil prices, potentially contributing to the slight increase in jobs. "I think the continued depletion of the storage of oil (in) both private and public sectors has motivated some companies to expand their production," he said. However, he said, it's still hard to predict the long-term impacts of the war. "I don't think you're going to see any abrupt moves because once normality returns, you'll have to determine what the market looks like," Staples said. Overall, Texas added more than 46,000 non-farm jobs in March, with a slightly higher job growth rate than the rest of the country. Houston added 16,400 jobs in March.

Landgraf seeks pause on "Food Truck Freedom Act"

A new Texas law intended to slash bureaucratic red tape for mobile food vendors is instead serving up a case of sticker shock for West Texas entrepreneurs. State Representative Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa) met with dozens of local food truck owners Monday at the Downtown Grub Hub to address mounting "anxiety and concern" over Senate Bill 2844. Known as the "Food Truck Freedom Act," the legislation was designed to create a single, statewide license, allowing vendors to operate across city and county lines without paying for multiple local permits. However, the convenience comes with a hefty price tag. Local business owners say the new state fees, which can reach upwards of $1,800, represent a massive hike compared to current local costs.

click here for more

"The biggest thing everybody is really concerned about is the fee. The fee jumped $600," said Eddie Mitchell, an Odessa City Councilman and owner of Ed & Tom’s Bar-B-Que. "That’s killing people because if you have two food trucks, you’ve got to pay $2,800 or whatever the total is going to end up being. This is some people’s livelihood." The burden is felt most acutely by "stationary" vendors who operate out of permanent food parks like the Grub Hub and rarely, if ever, travel outside of Odessa city limits. Under the current structure of the law, these owners are forced to pay for a statewide "freedom" they do not intend to use. "I think if we had options where we could choose the state or the city... that would be helpful," said co-owner Laura Armendariz. "Some don't travel out of city or county limits." During the town hall, Landgraf admitted the rollout of the law hasn't been perfect and conceded that the fee structure wasn't exactly what he had in mind. He told the crowd he is now moving to hit the "pause" button on the legislation to protect the "little guy" from being priced out of the industry.

With millions of federal dollars at risk, Harris County to seek extension for post-Harvey flood projects

Harris County flood control leaders plan to ask for a deadline extension to use federal grant funds after a recent report revealed several post-Hurricane Harvey disaster relief projects — authorized by voters in 2018 as part of a $2.5 billion bond — won’t meet a state-imposed deadline early next year. The Texas General Land Office (GLO) would be responsible for granting Harris County an extension on a February 2027 deadline to use more than $245 million in grant funding from the federal government after the 2017 hurricane that devastated the Houston region. If the county doesn’t meet timeline benchmarks set by the Texas GLO and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), it could be forced to repay the federal government millions of dollars. Those federal grant funds, which were allocated by HUD and disbursed by the Texas GLO, have a final spending deadline of 2028.

click here for more

Discussions of an extension came a week after a report revealed most of the flood mitigation projects tied to the 2018 bond — six of 11 — won’t be complete by the February 2027 deadline imposed by the Texas GLO. Harris County Flood Control District Executive Director Tina Petersen, whose job was brought into question during an hour-long closed-door meeting at county commissioners court Thursday, subsequently told commissioners the flood control district will request a nine-month extension on those projects. “Looking at the schedules, we believe that that puts us in a very good place and there may be one, possibly two projects that go beyond,” Petersen said. “In conversations with the GLO, it is clear to me that we should be focused on only the areas where we need extensions. We want to work as hard as we can to see how far we can get before we go ask.” The six projects that could miss the Texas GLO’s deadline early next year — totaling $245.8 million — include channel conveyance improvements in precincts 1 and 2 and stormwater detention basin projects in precincts 2, 3 and 4. The county has broken ground on only four of those disaster relief projects that are on track to meet next year's funding deadline, according to the report.

Chris Hollins posts memes about Houston’s budget fight

City Controller Chris Hollins' beef about Houston's finances has now entered meme territory and social media is here for it. In a post Friday on the official Houston Controller's Instagram, the popular Homer Simpson meme where he appears to be holding in the letter "F" is depicted with the words above saying, "how hard I pronounce the F in 'f*ck no," when my buddy asks if the Houston Budget is balanced." Hollins then invited the public to RSVP for a town hall meeting on Sunday, a "reality check to learn more." Naturally, social media had to do its thing, amassing more than 700 likes on Instagram and 9,000 views on X. The reactions were exactly what you'd expect.

click here for more

"Not on the official page lol," one person commented on Instagram. "?? we shouldn't be laughing at this. But I am.... ???????," another user said. Another commenter added: "Heard the F all the way in ATL." It's no secret that Hollins has been vocal (and uncensored) about balancing the city's budget and criticizing Mayor John Whitmire for what he has previously described as "quick fixes" rather than structural solutions. Their disagreements have played out publicly over issues ranging from flood control funding to broader concerns about balancing Houston's budget. At the center of the latest debate is Whitmire's proposed budget plan, which includes a new monthly fee tied to solid waste services as the city faces mounting financial pressure. Of course, not everyone was amused by the meme. Council Member Sallie Alcorn shared her sentiments on X calling it not a respectful way to spark discussion.

Personal adversity, compassion drive Luz Elena Chapa's DA race

By her own telling, the leading candidate to become Bexar County’s next district attorney isn’t a great debater. She’s never been a prosecutor, and it took her three tries to pass the bar exam. That hasn’t slowed down 52-year-old Luz Elena Chapa, whose battles with adversity have long made her a rising star in a Democratic Party that wants to see more compassion in the justice system. As a young girl, Chapa’s early interactions with that system involved witnessing ugly custody fights between her immigrant mother and alcoholic father. “It was a struggle to collect child support, and it was a struggle for my father to follow through with his visitation schedule, and so we were constantly in court,” she said in a May 13 interview at the Guerra Law Firm.

click here for more

In the judge’s chambers at age 8, Chapa decided that she would put everything she had into helping mothers like hers. “Naturally, I wanted to go to law school to represent single mothers and help them collect child support,” Chapa said. The oldest daughter in her large family would grow up to do just that. She left El Paso to pursue an undergraduate degree at St. Mary’s University, spent a year in D.C. as a legislative correspondent for then-U.S. Rep. Frank Tejeda (D-San Antonio), and returned to St. Mary’s University for a law degree. “I took the bar three times,” Chapa said in the interview. “The first time was a dry run because I had so much anxiety as a young kid. The second time, however, I studied my a– off for three months and it was devastating.” Saddled with debt and panicked about her future, Chapa said her mom sat her down. “She said, ‘You’re trying to pass this exam for me, and you need to pass this bar for yourself,'” Chapa recalled. “Being the eldest Latina, you know, we do take a lot of responsibility.”

Bridget Grumet: Austin has a process for police damage claims. It always says no.

Sometime after 1 a.m., Austin police chasing a car thief kicked in the unlocked gate outside Spencer Harder’s home. Harder awoke that April 2025 morning to find $1,035 in damage that was now his problem. “I was like, ‘What the hell?’” the software engineer recently told me from his Northeast Austin home. “But I thought that maybe we can get (the city) to pay for this. It’s very obvious what happened.” Instead, he learned that when Austin police break it, you buy it — even if you’re just an unlucky bystander. We all want police to catch criminals and reach people who might need help. Sometimes that involves breaking down doors or gates. As I noted in the first installment of this “Damaged for Good” series last week, the question is what happens next: Who bears the collateral cost for public safety in Austin?

click here for more

In theory, the city has a process for people to seek reimbursement for damages caused by police. But that system, built on a narrow reading of a contested area of law, is as broken as Harder’s gate. Austin’s Law Department received 135 claims for building damages caused by police over the past six years. Each time, the city refused to pay. Those damages arose from everything from welfare checks to suspect pursuits to a handful of times officers kicked in the wrong door. One of the most maddening aspects of the claims review process is the pretense that there is one. Officers typically apologize and give residents the contact information to file a claim with the city’s Law Department. Residents write up what happened, submit photos and sometimes include receipts, believing there is a decent chance they’ll be reimbursed. Then the Law Department arrives at a denial with such binary efficiency that a chatbot could do it. As long as the case does not involve a car crash — which falls under different liability standards — the city cites governmental immunity and “respectfully denies” the claim. The process is so geared toward denial that sometimes the city tells residents the particulars don’t matter.

Tarrant County judge touts economic growth ahead of the World Cup in State of the County address

Tarrant County cities like Arlington and Fort Worth have seen a surge in economic growth — something that will only continue as the FIFA World Cup is set to begin in June and host nine games in Arlington, County Judge Tim O’Hare said during his State of the County address Wednesday. It was one of several topics discussed at the 15th annual address, hosted by O’Hare and the Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce. O’Hare also talked about affordability, county savings and the county jail. But the economy took up a bulk of his remarks, as he predicted a strong summer ahead of the World Cup games at AT&T Stadium. “We’re about to showcase to the world through the most matches of any city in the country in the whole FIFA World Cup,” O’Hare said. “We need to put on a great show, we need to be the friendliest, warmest, most welcoming people you could ever imagine.”

click here for more

Dallas-Fort Worth is projected to bring millions of tourists to the region. The World Cup is also projected to bring in $400 million and create more than 3,000 jobs. Still, the economic impact of the international sporting event remains to be seen. Hotel booking numbers are lower than expected after FIFA canceled some hotel block reservations in Dallas and Arlington. That’s a trend cities are facing across the country. O’Hare also pointed to the renewal of the $273 million Dallas Cowboys lease at AT&T Stadium as another good sign for the city’s economic future. “People are coming over here from all over the Metroplex, and sometimes all over the state, to watch a Cowboys game,” O’Hare told the Report after Wednesday’s speech. “Arlington has been a great model and example of how to use these things to bring in dollars, that people from outside your city spend money here.” O’Hare said the county saved taxpayers more than $921 million in the three years he’s held his seat. The county also saw an $81 million cut from its operating budget in that time while maintaining an increased budget for the sheriff and the district attorney’s office, he said.

San Antonio congressional candidate Maureen Galindo wants rival tried for treason

Democratic congressional candidate Maureen Galindo is again stirring up controversy, this time for saying her runoff opponent, former Bexar County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Johnny Garcia, should be tried for treason. “[Immigration and Customs Enforcement] is again part of [the Department of Homeland Security], which has headquarters and offices inside Israel,” Galindo said on Texas Public Radio’s The Source with David Martin Davies. “This is an Israeli occupation of America,” the candidate for San Antonio’s 35th Congressional District continued. “In fact, I was thinking this morning, maybe Johnny Garcia and others who support him, or anybody who is supported by Israel, should be tried for treason.”

click here for more

For reference, ICE is headquartered in Washington, D.C. And, while the agency has two offices in Israel, they are located within the U.S. diplomatic facilities, as is common in other U.S. diplomatic outposts. A bewildered Davies tried to respond before Galindo cut him off, warning that Israel could be planning genocide in the United States. She didn’t elaborate on how that might come about. Garcia, who was also on The Source on Wednesday, dismissed Galindo’s assertion that he should be tried for treason or that he is controlled by Israel. “I think she’s drawing these baseless claims from the group called AIPAC Tracker that put us on that website after the endorsement of the Democratic majority for Israel,” Garcia said. AIPAC (the American Israel Public Affairs Committee) is an advocacy group that lobbies the U.S. government to strengthen its ties with Israel.

Attorneys threaten suit if Dallas City Hall Plaza is redeveloped without OK.

Attorneys for a group seeking to protect Dallas City Hall warned Dallas leaders this week that they could sue if the city sells or redevelops City Hall Plaza without voter approval. It's the second time this week they've threatened legal action against the city. In a letter sent Thursday to the mayor, City Council and interim City Attorney Bert Vandenberg, the Save Dallas City Hall Coalition said the plaza is legally designated park land and a historic site. Under state law, its attorneys said, any sale would require voter approval and any project using park land would require a public hearing. A city spokesman Friday said the city was declining to comment due to the possibility of litigation.

click here for more

It marks the latest escalation in the fight over City Hall’s future. City leaders are weighing whether to repair the aging I.M. Pei-designed building or relocate, while some business leaders have pushed redevelopment ideas tied to a possible new sports arena. Preservationists, meanwhile, say City Hall and its plaza are civic landmarks worth protecting. The Landmark Commission last year approved beginning the process to designate City Hall as an official landmark, though the final decision rests with the City Council. The council on Wednesday is scheduled to review repair strategies for City Hall, which has decades of deferred maintenance. Consultants have estimated near-term repairs at about $329 million, while full modernization could cost more than $1 billion over the next 20 years. The coalition’s first letter, sent Tuesday, accused the city of violating its historic preservation ordinance by failing to repair City Hall, citing issues like waterproofing, emergency generators and deteriorating public restrooms. The coalition’s four lawyers, including former interim City Attorney Chris Bowers, have given the city 60 days to respond to their concerns before filing suit.

National Stories

U.S. Trade Rep appears to walk back Trump’s Taiwan arms sales stance

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer appeared to break with President Donald Trump on Sunday over the issue of arms sales to Taiwan, insisting there is “no change in American policy” just days after his boss openly stated that he was using arms sales to the island as a bargaining chip in negotiations with China. Doing so would violate decades-old foreign policy assurances for the island, something that Trump acknowledged during remarks to reporters last week. But Greer on Sunday seemed to contradict the president during an interview on ABC’s “This Week.” “The most important thing that needs to happen is we need to have no change in the status quo in the Taiwan Straits, and the president was really clear about this,” Greer said.

click here for more

The U.S. approved a record-breaking $11.1 billion arms sale to Taiwan in December, but the deal is effectively stuck in limbo as manufacturing and contract procurement stall the final delivery of weapons. The sale includes advanced rocket systems, anti-tank missiles and munition drones, among other artillery. A separate $14 billion package is set to expand on the equipment from the $11.1 billion deal and bolster Taiwan’s air defense capabilities, but that proposed sale is awaiting approval from the president. Trump teased using both packages as leverage in negotiations with Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of last week’s U.S.-China summit. U.S. policy regarding weapons shipments to the self-governing territory — which China claims to have sovereignty over — dates to 1979, when the U.S. recognized the People’s Republic of China as the sole, legitimate government of the country. That year, the Taiwan Relations Act became the cornerstone of U.S.-Taiwan policy. The act mandates that the U.S. provide Taiwan with arms of a “defensive character.”

‘Crush their souls’: Democrats ditch the niceties after GOP gains upper hand on redistricting

House Democrats say they tried playing nice. Now the gloves are off. After spending more than a decade pushing for anti-gerrymandering measures and other good-government initiatives, Democratic lawmakers said this week they are gearing up to play political hardball in the wake of stunning court losses on redistricting — potentially for years to come. “We will beat the far-right extremists,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Wednesday. “We’re going to win in November, and then we’re going to crush their souls as it relates to the extremism that they are trying to unleash on the American people.” It’s a marked reversal from years of high-minded Democratic rhetoric that included advocating for independent redistricting commissions, campaign finance curbs and more — even as Republicans used the courts and their control of state governments to consolidate and enhance their own party’s power.

click here for more

The U-turn was already underway, but it was cemented in recent weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court reinterpreted the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to allow states to eliminate majority-minority districts. Then the Virginia Supreme Court moved last week to invalidate a recent voter referendum paving the way for a Democrat-friendly map. Several Democratic states, including New York, have been hindered by their adoption of independent redistricting commissions and other processes meant to take partisan considerations out of the drawing of congressional lines. Now Democratic leaders are openly discussing overriding those safeguards. “All options should be on the table,” Rep. Ted Lieu (R-Calif.) told reporters Wednesday. “And other states that have redistricting commissions should be prepared to have conversations with their legislature and their voters in response to what we’re seeing in the South. And I think all of that is completely fair.” The party’s anger also translates to a growing appetite to remake the Supreme Court, which many House Democrats say is ushering in an era of “Jim Crow 2.0.”

Trump, GOP make midterm appeal to farmers with China deal, farm bill

The Trump administration and GOP lawmakers are seeking to win over U.S. farmers, a core constituency for the president during his 2016 and 2024 White House wins that has been aggravated by rising prices caused by his trade policies and the Iran war. Ahead of a midterm election season where the GOP is working to win every vote it can, the White House and its allies in Congress are reaching out to farmers in red and blue states alike. On the way back from Beijing after his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, President Trump assured farmers that they would be pleased with the deals he’d made with a major purchaser of U.S. agricultural goods that has cut down on its cash for U.S. soybeans and other goods amid a trade fight with his administration.

click here for more

“The farmers are going to be very happy. They’re going to be buying millions of dollars,” Trump told reporters on his way back from China. Earlier, Trump told Fox News’s Sean Hannity that Xi agreed to purchase U.S. soybeans, oil and liquified natural gas and other energy, along with Boeing jets. A White House official told The Hill that the agricultural agreements made “will help our farmers gain unprecedented access into Chinese markets.” U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told Bloomberg on Thursday that he expected China to commit $10 billion to purchasing agricultural products. But experts say there are questions about whether China will follow up with commitments on promises that may have been made between the two leaders.

Data centers are coming for rural America,

At its peak, the Androscoggin paper mill in Jay, Maine, a rural town about 67 miles northwest of Portland, employed about 1,500 people — until a pulp digester exploded in 2020, forcing the mill to close permanently. In 2023, the 1.4 million-square-foot facility was purchased through a joint venture by JGT2 Redevelopment and a number of other holding and capital companies. The project is led by developer Tony McDonald. Over the next three years, McDonald and his team broke down the mill’s machinery and shipped it to Pakistan, and worked to clean up the industrial site for resale. That resale agreement was finalized earlier this year, according to McDonald — turning Jay into the latest flashpoint over giant data centers in America. Maine is particularly appealing for data center developers for its relatively cool year-round temperatures, lax land-use statutes, and 54 percent renewable energy mix, the eighth highest in the nation. There is a handful of planned data centers around the state, which recently prompted the state legislature to pass a bill ordering an 18-month moratorium on permits and building of any proposed data center that consumes more than 20 megawatts of power.

click here for more

Lawmakers wanted to pause construction in order to study data centers’ impact on local economies, the power grid, and the environment. But that bill, which would have been the country’s first, was vetoed by Maine Gov. Janet Mills last month. In her veto, she cited one overriding reason: jobs. A $550 million facility proposed for the shuttered paper mill in Jay, she argued, would create 125 to 150 permanent, high-paying positions in a town that had watched its largest employer close. From mill towns in Maine to farm counties in Indiana to desert plots outside Abilene, Texas, data center developers are telling local governments: Bring us in, give us what we need, add some tax breaks, and the jobs will follow. More than 35 states have responded by offering incentives and more to attract the industry. There’s little research into whether massive industrial sites actually deliver the long-term economic gains they promise, but early reports suggest otherwise. Experts say that rural communities often lack the governmental expertise to properly assess how data centers might impact an area. According to recent Pew Research Center data, 67 percent of planned data centers in the US are headed to rural areas, and 39 percent are going to counties that currently have none. As data center development scales rapidly, it’s becoming clear that what rural communities around the country are actually getting isn’t jobs, but a power- and water-hungry industrial facility that temporarily employs about as many people as a midsize restaurant.

Foreigners with World Cup tickets won't have to pay bonds to enter US, Trump administration says

The Trump administration is suspending a requirement that foreign visitors from certain countries pay as much as $15,000 in bonds if they are confirmed World Cup ticket holders, the State Department told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The department imposed the bond requirement last year on countries it said had high rates of visa overstays and other security issues, as part of the Republican administration’s broader crackdown on immigration. Travelers to the United States from 50 countries are required to pay the new bond, and five of those countries have qualified for the World Cup — Algeria, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal and Tunisia. “The United States is excited to organize the biggest and best FIFA World Cup in history," Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar said. “We are waiving visa bonds for qualified fans who bought World Cup tickets" and opted in to the FIFA Pass system that allows expedited visa appointments as of April 15.

click here for more

The waiver is a rare loosening of immigration requirements under the administration and will ease travel burdens for at least some visitors to the U.S. for the World Cup, which begins June 11 and is co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. World Cup team players, coaches and some staff were already exempt from the bond requirement as part of the administration’s orders to prioritize the processing of visas for the tournament. Ordinary fans, even if they had confirmed tickets, had not been exempt until Wednesday. The administration has taken dramatic steps to restrict immigration in ways that critics say are incongruous with the type of unifying message that a global sporting event such as the World Cup is supposed to project. For instance, the administration has barred travelers from Iran and Haiti, though World Cup players, coaches and other support personnel are exempt. Travelers from Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal, also World Cup qualifiers, face partial restrictions under an expanded version of that travel ban.

Trump allies lead thousands in prayer to 'rededicate' America to God on National Mall

As House Speaker Mike Johnson stood before a crowd of thousands on the National Mall on Sunday (May 17), he did something not altogether unusual for the outspoken Southern Baptist: He closed his eyes, bowed his head and prayed. But as Johnson began speaking, his frame dwarfed by enormous screens featuring patriotic and religious imagery, he made clear this particular prayer was meant to hold more weight than usual. “Just as we in the beginning dedicated this land to your most holy name, today, here, Lord, in this 250th year of American independence, we hereby rededicate the United States of America as one nation under God,” said Johnson, a Republican, to cheers.

click here for more

It was one of many such moments at the daylong event, titled “Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee Of Prayer, Praise & Thanksgiving.” The effort was one of several projects overseen by Freedom 250, an organization partnering with the White House and other branches of the federal government to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Like Johnson, the speakers largely advanced the ideas that the U.S. has a religious — and particularly Christian — founding and that its future success depends on prayer. The event featured a video of President Donald Trump reading from 2 Corinthians, which he prepared for a separate event two weeks ago. After the clip ended, Pastor Lou Engle led the crowd in chanting “Revival! Revival! Revival!” The prayers moved Michelle Calhoun of Florida, a Catholic, to tears. “I think they’re bringing on the Holy Spirit over our country, and I’m proud to be an American,” she said, voice shaking.

‘Our hands are tied’: House Republicans insist they’re not driving redistricting strategy

House Republicans say they have little to do with the planning to redraw congressional lines across the South ahead of this year’s midterm elections. The decisions around that, they say, are owned by the White House and state legislatures. President Donald Trump’s push to create new, Republican-friendly congressional districts could determine whether the party controls the House of Representatives. Many of the members who already hold seats say they are leaving the gamesmanship to state-level party heads and are figuring out their new districts on their own. “I had been campaigning and going to diners and things in eight counties I no longer represent,” Tennessee Rep. Scott DesJarlais, whose race will be more competitive as his district takes up parts of Nashville, told NOTUS. “It’s just out of my hands, and so I just have to deal with what it is.” He called the move to redistrict in Tennessee “a top-down strategy.”

click here for more

Tennessee was one of the fastest states to redistrict following the April Louisiana v. Callais Supreme Court ruling that significantly weakened the Voting Rights Act. In a Truth Social post last month, Trump said he had spoken with Gov. Bill Lee about redrawing the state’s maps. Days later, the state approved a map friendlier to Republicans. “If the president hadn’t asked that to happen, it probably wouldn’t have. You saw Indiana,” DesJarlais said, referring to the state senators who, after refusing to redraw their lines, lost to Trump-backed challengers earlier this month. As Republicans take steps to make districts favorable for their party, Democrats are beginning to campaign against the power grab. They are mobilizing voters who are dissatisfied with the changes to head to the polls and planning their own redistricting efforts. Though Rep. Robert Aderholt’s district isn’t changing much in Alabama — another state that rushed to redistrict after the Supreme Court ruling — he told NOTUS that House Republicans “talk about” redistricting amid “a lot of uncertainty” about districts being redrawn and the new timing of primaries. But that doesn’t mean they get input. “Our hands are tied because it’s all done at the state level,” Aderholt said.

Copyright May 18, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved