February 19, 2026: All Newsclips

Lead Stories

'Abused his power:' Husband of Tony Gonzales aide breaks silence about affair

For more than five months after his estranged wife died after setting herself on fire, Adrian Aviles declined to speak publicly about allegations that she'd had an affair with her boss, U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales. In an interview with the San Antonio Express-News, he said Gonzales “abused his power” by becoming romantically involved with Regina Ann "Regi" Santos-Aviles, who worked in the Republican congressman's Uvalde office. “I said the truth would come to light when it’s time, and the time is now,” Aviles said via Zoom from his lawyer's office in San Antonio on Wednesday. “Tony abused his power. He should have held himself to a higher standard as a congressional leader.”

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Aviles said he doesn't want an apology. “I hope that Tony will stand up and be accountable for his actions,” he said. Aviles, 40, spoke a day after the San Antonio Express-News reported that a text message shared by a former Gonzales staffer showed that Santos-Aviles acknowledged having an affair with the married congressman. The text was from a phone number that the paper verified was Santos-Aviles'. It was part of a thread from April 27, 2025. In the message, she wrote, "I had (sic) affair with our boss.” Santos-Aviles, 35, was Gonzales’ regional district director. She and her husband had an 8-year-old son. On Sept. 13, 2025, authorities said Santos-Aviles poured gasoline on herself outside her home in Uvalde and was engulfed in flames. She died the next day at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. In November, the Bexar County Medical Examiner ruled her death a suicide by self-immolation. Police said home surveillance video showed she was alone when the fire started and that there was no evidence of foul play.

Prince Andrew arrested in connection with Epstein files revelations

Police have arrested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on suspicion of misconduct in public office, following the US government’s release of documents detailing the former prince’s ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mountbatten Windsor is the first senior royal in modern history to be arrested. He has denied all accusations against him and insisted that he never witnessed or suspected any of the behavior of which Epstein was accused. He has not commented on recent allegations of misconduct in public office. Police in the U.K. don’t normally name suspects when they are arrested. Police didn’t give any further details on the arrest, but disclosures about Mountbatten-Windsor’s dealings with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have dominated headlines in Britain, with the former duke stripped of his titles and moved out of his royal residence in Windsor. Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to his dealings with Epstein. Buckingham Palace didn’t have any immediate comment.

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King Charles III said he learned “with the deepest concern” of his younger brother’s arrest, and stressed that “the law must take its course.” In the meantime, Charles said: “My family and I will continue in our duty and service to you all.” Misconduct allegations: The allegations of misconduct likely relate to Mountbatten-Windsor’s decade spent as UK trade envoy. He stepped down in 2011 after coming under fire for his friendship with Epstein. Documents released by the US Department of Justice showed that the former prince was in contact with Epstein during his time as trade envoy. Sandringham estate: Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested at the Sandringham estate in Norfolk. He had moved there earlier this month after being evicted from the royal estate at Windsor, where he had lived since 2003, by King Charles III, his older brother. Sandringham is also where Prince Philip, Mountbatten-Windsor’s father, spent his final months before his death in 2021.

Fed minutes show no rush to restart rate cuts

Officials at the Federal Reserve signaled no rush to restart interest rate cuts after pausing reductions last month, according to minutes from January’s meeting. In fact, several policymakers even went so far as to raise the possibility of rate increases if inflation stayed stubbornly high. The record of the latest gathering, released on Wednesday, underscored the sharp divisions that have plagued the central bank as it contends with a mixed economic picture after a series of rate reductions last year. Several policymakers indicated that there was still a path to lower rates this year if inflation declined as expected, while a larger group signaled support to hold rates steady until there was “clear indication that the progress of disinflation was firmly back on track.”

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The minutes showed that several policymakers wanted the Fed to convey “the possibility that upward adjustments to the target range for the federal funds rate could be appropriate if inflation remains at above-target levels.” January’s meeting marked the first gathering since July at which the Fed held rates steady, voting 10-2 to maintain the previous 3.5 percent to 3.75 percent level. Two governors, Christopher J. Waller and Stephen I. Miran, dissented in favor of a quarter-point cut, arguing that the labor market was vulnerable without additional support from the central bank. The decision to pause came after three consecutive contentious meetings at which officials splintered over how to contend with a slowing labor market and intensifying inflationary pressures caused by President Trump’s tariffs. The Fed, prompted by growing concerns about rising unemployment, lowered rates between September and December by a cumulative 0.75 percentage point, although those decisions featured dissents in both directions. Some officials wanted the Fed to cut even faster, while others voted for the Fed to stay on hold.

To avoid state takeovers, Texas districts are spending millions to outsource struggling schools. Here’s how it works.

Texas school districts are opting to outsource their failing campuses to third-party operators in a little-known, but increasingly common attempt to avoid state takeovers, a WFAA investigation found. In exchange for paying millions to a third party with the promise of improved accountability scores, the TEA grants a two-year reprieve from state intervention and sends the district additional public education funds to help cover the cost. In these scenarios, superintendents and school boards keep their jobs and retain at least partial local control over their schools — all of which would be at risk with a state takeover. More and more districts are now turning to these "1882 turnaround partnerships" — named for the 2017 bill creating the option — as pandemic-paused accountability scores reach the five-year trigger for state intervention.

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The only provider with more than one turnaround partnership — the Colorado-based nonprofit Third Future Schools — estimates it may nearly triple the number of Texas schools it runs on behalf of districts next year. "I think we’ll land between 10 to 12 additional campuses due to many schools being in year three or four of the F ranking, and districts needing to do something to pause the accountability clock," said Third Future Superintendent Zach Craddock during a January board meeting. Questions remain about what happens to student outcomes once the contracts end and the turnaround partners — and their often highly-paid teachers — leave the schools back in the districts' hands. In one instance, a West Texas school that hired Third Future Schools saw its test scores decrease after their contract ended. In a situation with a district in Southeast Texas, Third Future’s contract ended early after a dispute over payment. "Status quo is not an option — [districts] have proven they have not been successful," said former Dallas ISD superintendent Michael Hinojosa, who now works as an education consultant. "I think it’s an interesting experiment, but it’s got to stand the test of time." No matter the outcome, the reality for districts choosing to contract with turnaround partners is the same: They lose local control of select schools and send hundreds of thousands of public education dollars to third-party entities.

State Stories

‘Horrible injustices’: Four men previously accused of Austin yogurt shop murders expected to be formally cleared

After spending decades of their lives wrongly accused of one of Austin’s most infamous crimes, four men previously believed to have killed four teenage girls at the I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt! shop on Anderson Lane in 1991 will finally see their names cleared. On Thursday morning, prosecutors will ask a Travis County judge to formally clear Robert Springsteen, Michael Scott, Forrest Welborn and Maurice Pierce. The hearing follows a major breakthrough in the case last fall, when Austin Police revealed ballistic and DNA evidence pointed instead to a known-serial killer, Robert Brashers, as the person responsible. APD cold case detective Dan Jackson said evidence shows Brashers, who has since died, acted alone.

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The hearing is expected to spotlight the failures of the justice system in this case, with remarks from Travis County prosecutors, as well as at least two of the men — Welborn and Scott — and their attorneys. According to a news release from the Travis County District Attorney’s Office, Springsteen’s attorney, the executive director of the Innocence Project of Texas, which is representing the late Maurice Pierce, and Det. Jackson will also play a role. The gruesome crime has captured the attention of people across the country, since the bodies of the four girls — Amy Ayers, Eliza Thomas, Sarah Harbison and Jennifer Harbison — were found with gunshot wounds and recovered from the burned wreckage of the yogurt shop. In the days and years that followed, police arrested Pierce, Welborn, Scott, and Springsteen in connection with the case. Scott and Springsteen were tried and convicted in the early 2000s, leaving Scott facing a life sentence and Springsteen on death row. During their trials, they both claimed the way police questioned them prompted them to deliver false confessions. Authorities have said no forensic evidence tied them to the crime, and an appeals court eventually overturned their cases on a constitutional violation related to their statements being the primary form of evidence against them.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn warns of a blue Texas if AG Ken Paxton wins Senate primary

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican trying to keep his seat in a heated primary election, warned of a blue Texas if Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton wins the March 3 race. Early voting started Tuesday, and U.S. Senate candidates are sweeping through North Texas as they try to turn out voters. A few dozen people gathered at the Fort Worth Police Association on Wednesday afternoon to hear from Cornyn, whose leading Republican primary opponents include Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, a Houston Republican. “It makes a difference who is at the top of the ballot, because if Ken Paxton is the nominee, we could well experience a massacre and the first Democrat elected since 1994 in the state of Texas,” Cornyn said.

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Democratic Senate primary candidates include Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Dallas Democrat, and state Rep. James Talarico, who represents the Austin area. Tarrant County recently saw a historically Republican state Senate seat won by a Democrat in a special election runoff. On the first day of early voting, the number of Democratic primary voters surpassed GOP primary voters. “I think Democrats are energized,” Cornyn told reporters at the campaign event, adding, that “they’ve got full blown Trump derangement syndrome” and an active base that turns out to vote. He encouraged Republicans to turn out and vote. The Senate candidates have exchanged barbs on the campaign trail, and Cornyn spent part of his time in Fort Worth working to distinguish himself from the embattled Texas attorney general. Cornyn boasted about trust and relationships he’s built during his more than two decades in Washington.

Messy House primary in Texas becomes proxy war in broader Democratic identity fight

Tejano music star Bobby Pulido is a favorite of national Democrats this cycle, as he mounts an uphill battle to flip a deep-red Rio Grande Valley House seat that President Donald Trump won by 18 points in 2024. But before he can take on Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-Texas) in the state’s 15th District, he must navigate the politics of a messy primary with emergency room doctor Ada Cuellar in a race that has turned increasingly personal — and mirrors the fight up the ticket for one of the state’s Senate seats. The primary has emerged as somewhat of a proxy war in the high-profile Senate primary between Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who has backed Cuellar, and state Rep. James Talarico, who supports Pulido.

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Both contests have become emblematic of larger divides facing a party that is still going through growing pains after across-the-board losses to Republicans in 2024. Pulido is running a race geared toward a general election with a Republican-leaning electorate. In an interview, he said he is “not trying to run a primary race,” but rather a “general campaign.” Cuellar, meanwhile, argues Pulido’s vision for the future of the party is out of touch with what’s on the ground. Cuellar herself is facing a tough path to even reach November. Pulido’s name ID alone may be enough to get him through to the general. Even still, she has mounted repeated attacks on Pulido across the airwaves, arguing he is too conservative of a Democrat. A few of them have landed. Pulido’s campaign has apologized for a past misogynistic comment directed toward Hillary Clinton. His opponents have also focused on past remarks in which he said he doesn’t live in Texas full time and used his friendship with a local judge to get out of a speeding ticket.

Houston anti-fascist group responds to Paxton suit alleging ‘violent terrorism’

A Houston-based anti-fascist organization denied allegations that it violated Texas law after Attorney General Ken Paxton announced he was suing the group over claims it incited "violent terrorism." On Feb. 6, Paxton said he was launching an investigation into the Screwston Anti-Fascist Committee to determine whether the group engaged in unlawful activity, including terrorism and "doxxing," or the act of publishing a person's personal information to encourage harassment or violence. He said the group was self-admittedly associated with Antifa, which was designated as a terrorist group by President Donald Trump in September.

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In a statement posted to its website on Wednesday, the organization said it was being targeted by the attorney general and called the lawsuit a "blatant act of intimidation." "This assertion of authority should concern everyone in Texas and beyond," the statement read. "He has used this tool against any perceived 'enemy' of his agenda, including organizations that provide valuable and fully legal services to marginalized groups across the state. We fully condemn this cynical erosion of rights to score political clout." Paxton claimed that merchandise sold by the group "promotes the death" of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and encourages "violence by mentally ill 'transgender' individuals."

Former Harris County Tax Office workers accused of taking bribes to skip vehicle inspections

Two former Harris County Tax Office employees and the owners of a local vehicle title-service company have been charged with engaging in organized criminal activity after investigators uncovered a bribery scheme in which vehicle registrations and title transfers were processed without required inspections, proof of insurance and other legal requirements. Harris County Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen said the case strikes at the heart of public trust. "This involves public corruption by those who violated the people's trust in government and abused their positions to line their own pockets," he said. "This scheme was brazen, and the schemers will now face justice."

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The four defendants charged are former tax office employees Renisha T. Wilkins, 35, and Sarah A. Anderson, 31, along with Oswaldo Perez, 51, and Adriana De La Rosa, 43, the owners of Bella's Multiservices, a South Houston vehicle title-service company. Wilkins, Anderson and De La Rosa have been arrested. Perez, who also goes by Osvaldo, remains a fugitive. Each defendant faces two counts of engaging in organized criminal activity, first-degree felonies each punishable by up to 99 years or life in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Detectives with Constable Precinct One's Special Investigations Unit conducted a two-year investigation into the scheme, which ran from at least November 2023 to April 2024, according to investigators. The two tax office employees were fired in April 2024. According to court records, Bella's Multiservices used TikTok and Facebook to advertise its ability to quickly process vehicle paperwork without the "BS" of meeting standard requirements. The company's owners paid tens of thousands of dollars in bribes to the two tax office employees in exchange for processing vehicle registrations and title transfers without valid proof of insurance, emissions testing, inspections and residency requirements. The employees also changed vehicle owner information to reflect Harris County addresses and ZIP codes to push through fraudulent transactions. The scheme was actually uncovered by officials at another Texas county tax office who spotted the TikTok advertisements. Those officials alerted state authorities, who then contacted the Special Investigations Unit at the Harris County Tax Office. Rosen credited the tax office for its role in bringing the case together.

University of North Texas warns of budget cuts amid $45 million deficit

A big reason for a UNT budget deficit might surprise you. The president of the university pointed to issues with visas and politics involving international students. The University of North Texas is now projecting a $45 million deficit, about $14 million larger than projected and a major factor the university president is pointing to is a sharp decline in one category of master’s degree students. These students typically pay much more in tuition and fees than their in-state counterparts.

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In his letter to staff, UNT President Harrison Keller called the deficit structural and not temporary, saying that the university will now have to make some hard decisions to stabilize its finances and warned of budget cuts that will be felt across the university. "Nobody could have envisioned what was going to be happening in international student enrollments," said Keller. "A significant number of those master's students, particularly in some fields, data science, computer science, were international master's students." "That has a significant impact on our budget, on our budget forecast," said Keller. According to the university, it grew rapidly over the last decade in part because of those students. But now shifts in federal immigration policies have made it harder for many international students to enroll and stay in the United States. In January, the state department said it had revoked 8 thousand student visas as part of its mission to "Keep America safe." According to data released by the national student clearinghouse research center, there were almost ten thousand fewer foreign students enrolling at the graduate level in Fall of 2025. "When I talk to colleagues across the state, this is part of a larger trend that we're seeing," said Keller.

Head of Border Patrol union will be John Cornyn’s guest at Trump’s State of the Union

Sen. John Cornyn has named Border Patrol union chief Paul Perez as his guest at Tuesday’s State of the Union address, a pick heavy with political implications as Cornyn fights for survival in the March 3 GOP primary. The union has endorsed Cornyn’s reelection bid, with Perez joining him at campaign events to show appreciation for his work on border-related legislation. Cornyn highlighted Perez’s role in providing his union members with needed resources to secure the border. “I’m proud to welcome him to President Trump’s State of the Union address next week as my guest and look forward to continuing our work together to bolster border security, counter the disgraceful demonization of law enforcement by the Left, and keep Americans safe,” Cornyn said in a news release.

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In a statement, Perez called Cornyn a strong advocate for the Border Patrol union and of Trump’s policies. “Our mission couldn’t be accomplished without Senator Cornyn’s leadership,” Perez said. Cornyn is facing Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt of Houston in the March 3 primary. Each member of Congress typically receives a guest seat in the House gallery for the president’s big speech. Some choose to hand the coveted ticket to a spouse, another family member or friend. Many go with guests intended to deliver a political message. Presidents from both parties have followed a similar course, filling the first lady’s section of the gallery with guests who illustrate key points in their speeches. In the Texas campaign, immigration and border policies remain potent among Republican voters, even as border crossings fall and the emphasis shifts to interior enforcement. Paxton and Hunt have attacked Cornyn as resistant to Trump on immigration, pointing to his past skepticism of building a “giant wall between the United States and Mexico from sea to shining sea.”

Outgoing Bexar County DA backs 4 candidates in crowded Democratic primary

Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales picked four candidates he thinks are suited to be his successor ahead of March’s primary election. Gonzales, a Democrat who announced in June that he would not seek a third term, said he would likely endorse one of four candidates in a crowded field to replace him. Three of them already work in his office. He said his endorsement would come during a potential run-off or general election in November. “The ideal candidate to take over should be somebody who's done this job before, who's been a prosecutor,” Gonzales said. “It's important that the voters know that this is not the kind of job that one should have on-the-job training.”

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In an interview with the Express-News, Gonzales said his top picks are his juvenile division chief Jane Davis, his family violence chief Melli Powers and prosecutor Oscar Salinas Director of Bexar County’s Managed Assigned Counsel Office Jim Bethke is also high on the list, but Gonzales says the three others have an edge over him. Since Gonzales announced he would not run for reelection, a mix of prosecutors, defense attorneys and county officials have jumped into the race for their shot at the Democratic nomination. The winner of the general election will be responsible for overseeing a county office of more than 500 employees and a budget of over $55 million. “I'm in an awkward position,” Gonzales said. “It would be unfair of me to single out one over the others; that's why I've avoided making an endorsement until the primary.” Gonzales said Davis and Powers have done a "great job" leading their respective divisions and have decades of prosecutorial experience. He said Salinas has "a lot of energy and would do well" in the DA role. He then said Bethke has the administrative experience necessary for the job.

Federal lawsuit claims Texas motels ignored signs of sex trafficking

A sex trafficking survivor filed a lawsuit in Lubbock’s federal court against the Lubbock and Amarillo Red Roof Inn and its owners, alleging they knowingly benefited from sex trafficking on their hotel premises. The victim, Jane Doe, said she was trafficked between 2013 and 2018 by two men, according to court records. Court records said Doe’s traffickers used several methods to control her, including forcibly injecting her with heroin. According to federal court documents, the traffickers repeatedly used the Red Roof Inn locations in Lubbock (now the Regency Inn) and Amarillo. The lawsuit claimed the hotels were chosen because their staff regularly ignored “obvious and pervasive” signs of ongoing trafficking.

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The petition, which was originally filed in Lubbock County and removed to federal court, outlined dozens of “red flags” for trafficking that should have been noticed. Some red flags included paying with cash or prepaid cards, high volumes of men at rooms at unusual times and guests arriving with few possessions for extended stays. The lawsuit alleged that staff commented and acknowledged the illicit behavior but took no action. “The organizations who developed these red flags then educated and trained the hotel industry about them,” court documents stated. “For example, the United States Department of Homeland Security’s Blue Campaign initiative issued specific guidance to the United States hotel industry through a Hospitality Toolkit describing human trafficking warning signs that could be detected by various categories of hotel staff.” In one instance at the Amarillo motel, the lawsuit said a hotel employee believed to be a manager told the traffickers that he “knew what was going on and should call the police.” Court records said despite this, the manager did not contact law enforcement and allowed the group to keep renting rooms.

Can labor candidates help Texas Dems win back power?

After pulling off an upset special election win for the solid-red Tarrant County Senate District 9 in late January, Democrat Taylor Rehmet told his cheering supporters at the Nickel City bar in Fort Worth: “This win goes to everyday working people.” The local Machinists’ union president beat his right-wing Republican opponent Leigh Wambsganss by 15 percentage points in a district Trump had won by 17 just two years ago. Wambsganss had raised 10 times the amount Rehmet raised for his campaign. Democrats have been looking for a path forward since facing devastating losses two years ago—including by redoubling their efforts to shore up support among working-class voters. Rehmet’s stunning victory has not just energized the Democratic Party heading into the 2026 midterms; it’s seen as proof of concept for an upstart slate of candidates who have come from the ranks of organized labor to run for office and, ideally, shake up the status quo of Democratic politics in Texas. “People are tired of the same old politics,” Leonard Aguilar, the new president of the Texas AFL-CIO, told the Texas Observer in an interview in early February.

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The state labor federation announced its 2026 primary election endorsements in January. “The working people of Texas are looking for somebody that is actually going through what they are, who can understand what their kitchen table issues are and make sure they have somebody that fights on their behalf. That’s what Taylor and the other labor candidates are about.” Take, for instance, Marcos Vélez, a Gulf Coast region labor leader-turned-upstart candidate for lieutenant governor, who made some waves when the Texas AFL-CIO endorsed him last month over four-term Austin state Representative Vikki Goodwin. These days, Vélez’s day job as the assistant director of the United Steel Workers District 13—which covers the union’s workers in Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico—starts before dawn and goes until the afternoon when he begins campaigning for lieutenant governor for the rest of the evening and weekends. “You have working people all over the state of Texas that work 16- to 18-hour-days, and they can barely keep food on the table. So I’m not going to complain, because I’m very blessed for the job that I have, and it’s going to take long hours to get this done for the people of Texas,” Vélez told the Observer at his Steelworkers union hall in Webster.

Bexar County moves voter registration vendors for 2026 midterm

Forced to choose between a new paid voter registration system or a free state program that’s been faulty, Bexar County Commissioners voted Tuesday to move to a new private vendor for the 2026 midterm election. The contract totals roughly $2 million for a voter registration and elections management system software package. Like other large counties, the Bexar County Elections Department was thrust into chaos last summer when its longtime voter registration vendor, Votec, went under. They had to quickly onboard to a free state system, known as TEAM, at the same time that system was undergoing a massive update. The result was a massive backlog of voter registrations that the county had to hire temporary staff to manually enter in the days before early voting for the state’s November constitutional amendment election.

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A similar backlog occurred in the lead up to the March 3 primary and was also resolved in the nick of time. However, voter registration cards — one of the many forms of identification people can use when they go to vote — have still not been delivered due to the delay. Under pressure to resolve the issues, this week county leaders forewent the traditional request for qualifications process to purchase services from a new vendor, VR Systems. VR Systems is now the vendor of choice for a number of other large Texas urban centers, including Tarrant, Denton, Collin and El Paso counties. One of its executives even attended a January meeting of the Commissioners Court to complain that Bexar County was causing unnecessary delays in the contracting process. But county leaders said they were being extra cautious to ensure that VR Systems would truly provide better services than the free state system once the TEAM System update is fully functional.

School board rejection of prayer in schools grows

Trustees from a handful of Tarrant County districts recently voted not to create a daily period for voluntary prayer in public school classrooms stressing that students already have religious rights. Lake Worth, Hurst-Euless-Bedford, Eagle Mountain-Saginaw, Mansfield and Castleberry join a growing list of Texas districts declining the option in a vote a new state law requires of every Texas public school board by March 1. So far two area districts — Keller and Aledo — adopted the prayer period. A new Texas law requires trustees to take a recorded vote in a public meeting on whether to establish the designated prayer period in public schools. If districts adopt the period, they must set aside time during the school day for students to pray or read religious texts in segregated spaces. Parents would have to consent and waive their right to sue over constitutional claims related to the policy.

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On Feb. 16, Lake Worth trustees unanimously rejected the prayer period after administrators explained how students already have broad rights to religious expression under existing law and district policy. “Our students do have the right to have self-expression,” said Sylonda Burns, executive director of campus leadership and school improvement. Students may pray individually or in groups before, during or after school and may read religious texts on campus — practices allowed under federal and state law, Burns noted. It would also cause logistical issues, she said. “So just like you have eight periods a day, now you would have like 8.5,” Burns said, describing the scheduling impact. Trustees said they received no complaints about current practices and that religious expression has long been accommodated on campuses. “Prayer has never been taken away from this district,” trustee Cindy Burt said. “We’ve always let students do what they believe.” The next night, Mansfield ISD trustees unanimously rejected the separate period as well. The vote came under the consent agenda, which allows elected officials to vote on multiple items in a single vote without discussion.

National Stories

Nation's only unsalaried legislature asks New Mexico voters to reconsider its volunteer status

Members of the country’s only unsalaried legislature are asking voters to reconsider their volunteer status that has endured for 114 years since statehood in New Mexico. The state Senate on Tuesday night narrowly endorsed a constitutional amendment that would do away with the state’s prohibition on legislative direct compensation. That allows voters to decide in November whether to tie legislative salaries to the median income level in New Mexico — about $67,000 currently. After stalling for years, the initiative was promoted successfully this time by a group of young female legislators who have talked about the challenges of balancing work, family and legislative duties.

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“Can working parents juggle child care, a mortgage and legislative service? Some of us do, but it’s not sustainable,” said Democratic state Sen. Angel Charley of Acoma, a sponsor of the measure. “When service requires personal wealth or extraordinary sacrifice, representation narrows. ... Democracy shrinks.” New Mexico taxpayers already foot the bill for travel expenses, and an allowance for meals and lodging, when the Legislature is in session. Many lawmakers also have access to public pension benefits. New Mexico’s “citizen legislature” of volunteer politicians has long been a source of civic pride in the state. But advocates for professionalizing the New Mexico Legislature say the current system discourages young, working-class candidates from serving and can inhibit progress on complex policy issues as legislators juggle separate paid and political careers. In New York and California, legislative salaries exceed $100,000, while New Hampshire opts for a nominal $100 annually per lawmaker.

Gorsuch’s ‘told you so’ moment on Trump’s tariffs

Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch is having an ‘I told you so’ moment when it comes to President Trump’s tariffs. At November’s blockbuster arguments, Gorsuch raised alarm about what he called a “one-way ratchet” of authority from Congress to the president if Trump wins a case that challenges his use of emergency powers to impose duties on a host of countries. “It’s going to be veto-proof,” Gorsuch warned of Trump’s declared emergencies. “What president’s ever going to give that power back? A pretty rare president. So how should that inform our view?” Gorsuch’s concern is now in the limelight as the justices prepare to return to the bench to issue opinions on three separate days between now and next Wednesday.

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Last week, Trump saw one of the first major pushbacks from Congress on the matter, when six House Republicans joined Democrats in voting 219-211 to repeal Trump’s Canada tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). That measure now heads to the Senate, where four Republicans joined Democrats last year on a similar effort. The new vote only needs a simple majority. But even if it gets to Trump’s desk, the revolt is largely symbolic. The bipartisan support for repealing the tariffs falls far short of the two-thirds majority needed in both the House and Senate to override an expected veto. Gorsuch saw it coming — and he wasn’t the only Trump-nominated justice to read the tea leaves back at November’s arguments. “Let’s say that we adopt your interpretation of the statute,” Justice Amy Coney Barrett told the government. “If Congress said, ‘Whoa, we don’t like that, that gives a president too much authority under IEEPA,’ it’s going to have a very hard time pulling the tariff power out of IEEPA, correct?” Congress can amend IEEPA at any time to make clear whether the 1977 law does, or does not, authorize Trump’s tariffs. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has expressed no appetite for doing so, leaving the nine justices to parse the nearly half-century-old phrasing that has left global financial markets in suspense for months.

Billionaires’ low taxes are becoming a problem for the economy

California’s plan to hit its richest residents with a one-off wealth tax is a long shot, and its design has problems. But a look at who picks up the tab when billionaires scrimp on taxes, and how wealth concentration is affecting the wider economy, shows why the issue isn’t going away. The risk is that the U.S. economy becomes increasingly dependent on a narrow group of very rich households, whose spending is tied to the performance of the stock market. This could mean the entire economy pays a steep price in the next market correction. California has the highest concentration of billionaires in the U.S. with 255 individuals, or slightly more than a fifth of the country’s billionaire population, data from wealth-intelligence firm Altrata shows. Federal cuts to the state’s Medicaid program will leave its health system short of billions of dollars. A California healthcare union wants an emergency, one-time 5% levy on the wealth of any resident worth over $1 billion to plug the hole.

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The proposal still needs to get enough signatures to qualify for a ballot in November, and a majority of voters would then need to approve it. Problems are already appearing with its design. The levy will be calculated based on whichever is the higher of a billionaire’s voting interest or economic interest in a company. The Tax Foundation says this could hurt tech founders, whose supervoting shares can be many multiples of their economic interest, resulting in outsize tax bills. Wealth taxes are hard to administer, and the ultrarich can simply leave if they don’t like where a state’s tax policies are headed. Google co-founder Sergey Brin recently left California. Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel says he might follow. Worries about California’s billionaires leaving and taking jobs with them may be enough to turn voters against the initiative. But debate about how much tax billionaires pay is likely to grow as America’s fiscal situation deteriorates and its wealth gap widens. Data from the Federal Reserve shows that only the richest 1% of households have grown their share of overall U.S. wealth since 1990. Their share hit a record 32% in the third quarter of 2025, equivalent to $54.8 trillion.

Walmart reports strong holiday growth, but earnings outlook falls short of estimates

Walmart said on Thursday that holiday-quarter sales rose nearly 6% and its quarterly earnings and revenue surpassed Wall Street’s expectations as gains in e-commerce, advertising and its third-party marketplace boosted its business. For the full current fiscal year, Walmart said it expects net sales to increase by 3.5% to 4.5% and adjusted earnings per share to range from $2.75 to $2.85. That earnings outlook fell short of Wall Street’s expectations of $2.96 per share, according to LSEG. In an interview with CNBC, Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey said speedy deliveries from stores are helping Walmart attract more shoppers, particularly those with higher incomes. “Our ability to serve customers at the scale that we have, combined with the speed that we now have, is really translating into continued market share gains,” he said. “Those market share gains are occurring across all income cohorts, but consistent with last quarter, the last few quarters, most notably in the upper-income segment.”

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Rainey also said consumer price increases from inflation and President Donald Trump’s tariff hikes should ease in the coming months. Food inflation at Walmart in the fourth quarter was just above 1%, while it was slightly higher for general merchandise, he said. “It seems to be a little bit more of a normalized price environment,” he said. “I think we have, largely as a retail industry, absorbed or seen the brunt of the impact from tariffs.” Here is what the big-box retailer reported for the fiscal fourth quarter compared with Wall Street’s estimates, according to a survey of analysts by LSEG: Earnings per share at 74 cents adjusted vs. 73 cents expected with revenue at $190.66 billion vs. $190.43 billion expected The results also show an inflection point in the industry. For the first time, Amazon topped Walmart as the largest retailer by annual revenue, as the company posted $716.9 billion in sales for its most recent fiscal year compared with $713.2 billion for Walmart.

How a recent shift in DNA sleuthing might help investigators in the Nancy Guthrie case

Investigators in Arizona are hoping that DNA found in and around Nancy Guthrie's house in Tucson could lead them to a suspect — and the missing woman. Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, was last seen on Jan. 31. So far, a key tool — the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a federal database of genetic records mainly taken from people suspected or convicted of crimes — has not returned a match for samples that have been tested, according to the Pima County Sheriff's Department. But in cases where CODIS can't help, other DNA tools are available. "Investigators are currently looking into additional investigative genetic genealogy options for DNA evidence to check for matches," the sheriff's department said on Tuesday.

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An important option is forensic investigative genetic genealogy (FIGG), which incorporates public genealogy websites with DNA analysis. It has cracked high-profile cold cases such as the Golden State Killer attacks — prompting the National District Attorneys Association to proclaim in late 2023 that FIGG was ushering in a "new era in crime solving." That same year, FIGG helped solve a notable case. "The most obvious one that was recently used was the Bryan Kohberger case in Idaho, where he killed four college students," says Kathleen Corrado, executive director of the Forensic and National Security Sciences Institute at Syracuse University. That case, she says, showed FIGG "can be used in active investigations." Now that includes Nancy Guthrie's case. Here's a brief guide to FIGG and other DNA investigative tools that authorities could use as they continue the search for the missing woman:

DOT wants to block transit money to states that aid migrants

The Trump administration is pushing a legal change that could block states, cities and towns from offering free transportation to unauthorized immigrants, according to a proposal obtained by POLITICO — the latest in a series of Trump administration moves that seek to encroach on local transportation decisions. The draft law from the Department of Transportation would prohibit state and local governments from using federal transit money to help migrants elude federal immigration enforcement. But the proposed language could encompass a much broader range of activity, such as any free transportation to migrants, said a person familiar with the plan who was granted anonymity to discuss an internal matter. Such services have typically arisen in Democratic-run cities and states.

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The proposal would ensure that “systems that receive Federal funds are not using them to circumvent or break Federal immigration law,” the text reads. It would cover all federal programs the Federal Transit Administration administers, including buses, subways, light rail and ferries. The plan is part of a package of measures — including prohibiting speed cameras in Washington and restricting funding for free buses — that DOT and the White House are considering for inclusion in the surface transportation reauthorization bill that Congress is supposed to approve this year. The current law expires Sept. 30. The DOT proposal takes aim at instances in which cities have provided free buses to help migrants reach resources, such as intake centers or shelters, according to a person familiar with the proposal. Many of those migrants had reached those communities after being shipped north by Republican governors during President Joe Biden’s time in office: Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas bused migrants to Democratic-run cities like New York, Chicago and Washington, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis flew migrants to Martha’s Vineyard.

Copyright February 19, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved