October 26, 2026: All Newsclips

Lead Stories

Dozens of Texas agencies say they can't afford to make state-mandated budget cuts

In July, Texas' top elected officials directed most state agencies, appellate courts and public universities to cut spending by 3% in their base budget requests for the next two years. Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows said those reductions will help Texas hold a "strong fiscal position" by expanding property tax relief and maintaining public education funding when the legislature returns to Austin next year. Yet dozens of agency leaders have warned that the cuts, totaling hundreds of millions of dollars, are not sustainable. They would cause Texas residents to lose "essential" services and lead to losses in state revenue, leaders said at the capitol and in budget documents. Texas A&M University System Chancellor Glenn Hegar, a former lawmaker and state comptroller, acknowledged the complexities of state finances before asking budget writers to oppose the 3% cut to his system, which includes 12 universities, eight agencies and other institutions.

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"I've spent much of my career working on budgets from the other side of this table," Hegar said during a Sept. 25 hearing on the system's legislative appropriations request. "I understand that every request competes with other important needs and every dollar must deliver a return for the people of Texas." To avoid impacting student services, the university system plans to shrink several research programs if the funding cuts are enacted, according to university documents. "We are asking that the 3% reductions be restored for all institutions, so they can continue to protect education and the services students depend on without shifting additional costs to families," Hegar said. Other government institutions protesting the cuts include the comptroller's office, the attorney general, Texas' Cancer Prevention and Research Institute, state criminal justice agencies and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. This is not the first time state agencies have been asked to cut their spending. In the wake of a recession, state leaders mandated 5% cuts to budget requests in 2010 and required 4% cuts due to low severance tax revenues in 2016, according to Rahul Sreenivasan, a fiscal policy analyst at the nonpartisan think tank Texas 2036.

In Texas Senate race, Talarico leans into growing rivalry with Elon Musk

A rivalry between the world’s richest person and one of the most prominent Democratic candidates is intensifying during the final stage of this year’s midterm elections. On the campaign trail in Texas, James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for Senate, is increasingly criticizing Elon Musk over his role in the race. Mr. Musk made a huge contribution this fall to a group aligned with Ken Paxton, Mr. Talarico’s Republican opponent, recent campaign finance disclosures showed. The race in Texas, a pivotal contest that could determine control of the Senate, is now in part a test of whether Democrats can turn Mr. Musk into a political boogeyman and whether his infusion of cash can lift a Republican candidate who has lagged behind his opponent in fund-raising.

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“Elon Musk wants our land. He wants our water. He wants our tax dollars,” Mr. Talarico said at a rally in San Antonio on Saturday, as the crowd booed in disapproval of Mr. Musk. “He wants his very own personal United States senator.” Representatives for Mr. Musk and Mr. Paxton did not respond to requests for comment. Mr. Talarico has stepped up his attacks on Mr. Musk after campaign finance filings revealed earlier this month that Mr. Musk, a Texas resident who has major business interests in the state, donated $158 million to a Republican super PAC that then flipped the same amount to a group allied with Mr. Paxton. At the University of Texas on Friday, Mr. Talarico said Mr. Musk was trying to “stop the movement that we are building in our state.” The day before that, Mr. Talarico’s campaign released a digital advertisement accusing Mr. Paxton of being beholden to Mr. Musk. “Let’s remind Elon: Texas is not for sale,” says the narrator of the ad. Mr. Talarico is betting that Mr. Musk’s connection to the contest will hurt Mr. Paxton. It’s not the first time Democrats have made such a wager.

Russian diesel could be on its way to the U.S., but will it actually impact prices?

As diesel prices reached record levels last month across the country, an unconventional solution might be on its way to the U.S. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump announced he made a deal with Russia to bring over 300,000 tonnes of Russian diesel to the U.S. — with millions more to come. Now, media reports say tankers are on their way from Russia to the U.S. But Texas is unlikely to receive that diesel — that is, if the U.S. ever receives it. Energy Secretary Chris Wright recently told reporters, including the Houston Business Journal, at an event in Houston that Texas produces a lot of diesel through its refineries, but other parts of the U.S. will need to benefit. “In the Northeast, they often get diesel and (liquefied natural gas) from overseas to bring into that region because (of) a limitation on energy infrastructure. So if you saw Russian diesel arrive in the United States, maybe it comes to New England,” Wright said.

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But Ed Hirs, energy economist at the University of Houston, is skeptical that the diesel will even make it to the U.S. He said the country’s diesel prices are a result of global supply issues, but that local supply is relatively stable and that the U.S. is still exporting roughly 1.5 million barrels of diesel per day. “Why would we buy an inferior product?” Hirs said. “I don't think the diesel is going to make it here. It'll be traded off someplace.” Previously, Russian diesel and crude had been sold on the global market at discounted prices because it was sanctioned. With the U.S. bringing in shipments, even if they are sold off, Hirs said the diesel being sold at full price would simply benefit Russia. “In effect, what the president has done is he's given Vladimir Putin a huge bonus by allowing this diesel to be sold at the global market price at $185, $190 per barrel,” Hirs said. After Trump previously explored a ban on diesel exports and now is bringing in Russian diesel — both actions that have faced backlash — Hirs said the government doesn’t have the power to find easy solutions to global pricing issues. “You may be able to flout the laws of the land, but you can't flout the laws of supply and demand,” Hirs said.

US political candidates tailor messages for AI models used by voters

US political candidates have been engineering their campaign messages to appeal to the AI chatbots that more voters have been using to answer questions about issues, and documents seen by Reuters have revealed some of ?their strategies. One Powerpoint presentation proposed a strategy for Mike Minogue, Republican challenger to Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey. It aimed to convince ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and other chatbots to present him as ?the preferred choice on key issues, and went well beyond traditional search-engine optimization that candidates have used for years. As AI increasingly becomes a source of news, political campaigns must make greater efforts to control its output and become its recommendation when voters ask questions such as who is best on issues like taxes, housing and public safety. Some experts worry about fact-checking and misinformation in AI campaigns.

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Fees can range from hundreds of dollars a month for small AI monitoring jobs to tens of thousands per month if consulting ?and buying media are included. The presentation proposed that Minogue's campaign should create hundreds of AI-friendly policy pages and citations across the websites frequently cited by AI chatbots. It proposed ways to track ?how major chatbots respond to political questions, and systematically alter content until the answers reflect the candidate's platform. At the center of the pitch was the idea that ?in addition to persuading voters directly, campaigns can increasingly shape the information environment by feeding the internet, and AI assistants, data that influences how candidates are described, compared and recommended. "Campaigns using AI-influence training are now a reality that ?we face and it will be ubiquitous by the 2028 cycle," which will include a presidential election, said Joe Bonilla, managing partner of Relentless Awareness. The New York-based creative strategy firm has worked with companies and political ?candidates at the federal, state, and local levels. "The public increasingly cannot and will not be able to discern what is created by systems like Claude and ChatGPT versus human-originated content," Bonilla said.

State Stories

Republican Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker endorses Democrat Jon Rosenthal for Texas Railroad Commissioner

A month after multiple Republicans condemned Texas Railroad Commissioner candidate Bo French over a racist social media post, Republican Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker has endorsed his opponent, Jon Rosenthal. "Jon Rosenthal is the right choice for Texas Railroad Commissioner," Parker said in a statement shared by Rosenthal on X. "The Texas Railroad Commission is not a place for culture wars and bigotry - it’s the foundation of the Texas economy, and we cannot afford to hand it to the wrong leader." Parker additionally said Rosenthal has proven leadership, experience and a focus on regulation and policy in partnering with industry leaders and Texans. Rosenthal, a mechanical engineer who has worked in the oil and gas industry for more than 25 years, made his case for the office on Inside Texas Politics in June.

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“Sometimes my opponents have tried to say that I’m a Democrat that wants to destroy the oil and gas industry. My answer to that is it’s literally how I make my house payments. I’m not looking to cut the legs out from my own household,” Rosenthal said at the time. “I’m the expert in this race. My opponent has no experience.” French drew widespread criticism on the night the University of Texas football team beat Ohio State in September, when he shared a photo on X showing a group of predominantly South Asian fans celebrating at the game. He referred to the fans as “foreigners” and described their presence as a “problem,” drawing condemnation from Democrats and prominent Texas Republicans. Rosenthal responded to the controversy by writing: “A man who can't tell a Longhorn from a foreigner has no business regulating anything in Texas.”

Severe storms may bring flooding to Texas this week

After a rainy Sunday, wet weather will likely continue to drench a large chunk of West Texas to start the work week, with forecasters even warning residents that there's a chance of flooding. A large system whose tail has been hanging out across West Texas and the Texas Panhandle on Sunday will finally head north on Monday, according to the National Weather Service Office in Midland/Odessa on Sunday. But that tail will likely swing across West Texas, forecasters added, bringing possible showers on Monday afternoon. "This looks the best chance for rain this event," the forecasters wrote Sunday. High temperatures in the Midland and Odessa area will hover around 70 degrees Monday.

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The tail of that system should also impact the Panhandle, said the National Weather Service Office in Amarillo on Sunday. There's currently a 50 percent chance of showers Monday, with wind gusts that could be as high as 25 mph. But that isn't all that Panhandle forecasters are watching. "Heavy rainfall rates could cause some localized flooding for these areas," the forecasters wrote Sunday. The NWS has issued a "marginal risk of excessive rainfall" for much of the Panhandle through Monday. As of Sunday afternoon, there was a 5 to 14 percent chance of flash flooding within 25 miles of all areas of the Panhandle for Monday. Highs should be in the upper 60s. Drier conditions are set to return starting Tuesday, with temperatures beginning to climb into the mid 70s. Another round of showers could arrive late in the week as a system is expected to move in from Baja California.

Texas youth prison director resigns following controversial multiday lockdown

The director of the embattled agency that oversees Texas’ youth prisons has resigned, according to a message she sent to staff members on Friday morning. “I want you to hear directly from me that I have submitted my resignation,” wrote Shandra Carter, who has led the Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD) since 2022, in a message obtained by The Texas Newsroom. She added, “I will always be proud of TJJD, and I will always be rooting for your success.” Carter’s sudden departure comes just weeks after TJJD imposed an unprecedented multiday lockdown at all five of its youth prisons, confining hundreds of children to their cells day and night and prompting harsh criticism from advocacy groups.

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An investigation by KERA and The Texas Newsroom published in September revealed scores of episodes of self-harm by the children during the first few days of the lockdown. The investigation also exposed numerous instances in which agency staff struggled to handle the situation and expressed an urgent need for more resources, detailed in thousands of pages of shift logs. Carter has said she ordered the lockdown to give staff across the agency time to evaluate their safety procedures following an “exceptionally brutal assault” against a juvenile correctional officer. TJJD declined to comment for this story.

Ken Paxton’s anti-abortion influence already extended beyond Texas. He could take it further in the Senate

Early in his tenure as Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton issued a statement commemorating what he believed was a national tragedy. “It’s impossible to fill the void of more than 50 million missing human beings,” he said in 2016. He was marking the 43rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court ruling that protected abortion rights — and had long stood in the way of efforts to ban terminations in early pregnancy, when most abortions occur. Paxton spent the years that followed testing Roe’s limits and ultimately prevailed where others had failed: In 2021, he defended a near-total abortion ban that Texas legislators had designed to evade conventional legal challenges. The U.S. Supreme Court allowed it to take effect while Roe remained in force. After the justices overturned Roe the following year, Paxton kept pushing, pursuing new ways to extend the reach of Texas’ restrictions. He prevailed against the Biden administration, picked fights with states that protect abortion access and pioneered strategies that his peers later adopted or expanded.

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While Paxton’s tenure as attorney general has drawn criticism from across the political spectrum for his personal scandals and alleged misuse of the office, detractors and allies alike agree that his signal achievement as the state’s top legal official has been advancing restrictions on abortion. A close look at his record shows a clear pattern in his successes: He relentlessly tests the limits of the law and employs novel legal strategies to advance his goals. Paxton’s national role as an anti-abortion warrior would change if he wins his U.S. Senate race. As Texas attorney general, he has been able to act largely on his own authority. If he prevails in November, he would become one of 100 senators in a chamber where most legislation needs 60 votes to overcome a filibuster. But allies who have witnessed his victories see an opening. “He’ll have the ability to use some of the laws that he’s defended in Texas as influence to draft legislation in the U.S. Senate,” said Mary Elizabeth Castle, director of government relations at Texas Values, a Christian advocacy group that supports a national abortion ban.

Texas school policing report prompts Crockett to seek federal review

U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett has called on a federal watchdog agency to examine school policing practices nationwide, citing a joint investigation from the San Antonio Express-News and the New York Times. Crockett, a Democrat who serves as the ranking member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight, on Monday urged the U.S. Government Accountability Office to make recommendations to prevent unnecessary use of force against students. In May, the Express-News and Times reported that school discipline has transformed in Texas following a multi-billion-dollar investment in school policing. School police have tackled students, blinded them with pepper spray or shocked them with Tasers, at times over seemingly minor misconduct.

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In a letter to the GAO, Crockett noted that reporters had identified at least 2,600 use-of-force incidents in Texas schools from January 2022 to December 2025, but that the full extent was unknown because some districts did not disclose data. This month, the newsrooms reported that the influx of school police officers and a crackdown on misbehavior had routed an increasing number of elementary and middle school students into the justice system. Children ages 10 to 13 were referred for prosecution after incidents in schools more than 47,000 times over the last decade, the investigation found. “As Texans, we should be raising the bar for other states, not setting up our children to end up behind them,” Crockett wrote in a statement to the newsrooms. “A mistake in the hallway at school should not lead to the start of a criminal record that could follow them for the rest of their lives.” Crockett represents the predominantly Black and Hispanic 30th Congressional district, covering much of the city of Dallas. A former public defender and the daughter of a teacher, she is an outspoken civil rights advocate, known for sparring with Republican lawmakers.

Texas dad deported by ICE to Ghana was then forced to go to Mali, a country that's unsafe for him, he says

From thousands of miles away, a Texas dad, hiding in a country he doesn't know, reminded his son to vacuum the carpet each week. Moussa Diawara is from Mali, but spent nearly half his life living in the United States, where he married, had two U.S. citizen children, worked and paid taxes. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported him to Ghana over the summer. Diawara has no connection to Ghana, but a judge had issued an order that he couldn't be deported to Mali, because it was likely he'd be persecuted there. Diawara said that within days of his arrival in Ghana, local officials forced him onto a flight to Mali. "I still say to myself, 'This isn't real,'" Diawara said.

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Third-country deportations are a reality for many as President Trump's administration seeks to carry out the largest deportation in U.S. history. When the U.S. government decides an immigrant can't stay in the U.S., and can't be sent to their home country, it can send them to a third country. A 60 Minutes investigation found that some of the third countries accepting deportees from the U.S. are routinely sending them back to the very countries they fled — locations where U.S. immigration judges ruled they would likely be persecuted or tortured. Diawara, 57, came to the U.S. on a tourist visa when he was 32. He overstayed that visa, and later applied for refugee protection, arguing he would be persecuted if he were to return to Mali. Diawara had converted to Christianity, and Mali's a Muslim-majority nation with an Islamist insurgency. He has no criminal record. In 2012, a U.S. immigration judge ruled that Diawara could not be deported to Mali, but the U.S. could find a safe alternative if it ever wanted to remove him from the country. As a result of the ruling, Diawara was able to get a U.S. work permit. He worked as an Uber driver and was finishing a night shift on July 11 of this year when he found ICE agents waiting for him at the suburban Houston home where he lived with his wife and children, who are U.S. citizens. Diawara spent three weeks in ICE detention in Texas, unable to speak to his lawyer or a judge. He was loaded onto a plane and deported to Ghana, a country he never visited or had any ties to, on July 31. In Ghana, Diawara said he and others were detained in a hotel by armed guards and were not allowed to make phone calls.

Frisco Muslims vote in Texas midterms marked by anti-Islam rhetoric

As the Nov. 3 midterm elections approach, political observers are watching the U.S. Senate race in Texas because it could be key to Democrats taking control of the upper chamber. As Democratic State Rep. James Talarico and Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton battle for the seat, even small swings in turnout could lead to Texas electing its first statewide Democrat in the last 32 years, experts say. On Saturday, during the early voting period, members of the Islamic Center of Frisco hosted their first “BBQ and Ballots” event, where they grilled burgers and halal hot dogs in a park near a Collin County polling center. It was like any weekend barbecue, the only difference was members of the congregation sporting “I voted” stickers on their sleeves as they sprinkled cajun seasoning and drizzled mustard on their burgers.

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The mosque is a nonprofit and does not officially endorse candidates, but most attendees, regardless of whether they were Democrats, Republicans or Independents, agreed that Muslims in Texas need to get more involved in politics. For months, Republicans in Texas have been campaigning on promises to ban Shariah, the Islamic religious code, although the U.S. Constitution already precludes it from taking hold. Gov. Greg Abbott designated the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights organization, a terrorist group. This summer, the State Board of Education approved a social studies curriculum that predominantly portrays Islam as a religion connected to conquest and conflict. Locally, city council meetings in Frisco and McKinney have grown heated when zoning approvals for new mosques were on the agenda. One of the candidates in Frisco’s June mayoral runoff made national news for calling Islam a “terrorist group.”

Plans to make driving easier between Texas and Colorado just got a million dollar boost from the federal government

$1 million in federal funds are heading to Raton to help plan a potential interstate highway connecting Texas to northern New Mexico. The so-called Raton planning project will evaluate possible ways to connect Interstate 27 in Texas with Interstate 25 just south of the Colorado border. The proposal involves upgrading the existing path of U.S. Highway 87. Local and state officials in New Mexico say this upgrade would provide farmers, ranchers and energy producers with a more reliable way to get their goods to market. Also, they say it’ll help businesses grow in Northern New Mexico by bringing more travelers and commerce through communities like Raton and Clayton.

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“This is about more customers walking into Raton’s restaurants and stores, more opportunities for small businesses to grow, and more good-paying jobs so our children can build their futures here,” New Mexico Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández wrote in a statement about the funding. “Our farmers, ranchers, and energy producers need reliable roads to get their products to market. This million-dollar investment brings us closer to those opportunities, and I will keep fighting for additional funding to complete this project.” The new interstate connection is part of the Ports-to-Plains Corridor, which is designed to support trade with Mexico and Canada by connecting North America’s agricultural and energy core. The funds came through a process in the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations law and “will support studies, environmental review, and preliminary design to help Raton prepare for the future highway connection and development around it.” It’s likely years before this road is built.

From the bleachers to the ballot box, a community weighs a changing Texas

In the bleachers at any high school football game across Texas, you'll be hard-pressed to find something fans love more. Eric Schultz called high school football in Texas a "function of the community." He came to the Deer Park High School homecoming game in the suburbs of Houston with his wife and kids even without a player on the field. "No matter if you're in a big city or rural, rural Texas where I grew up everybody goes to the game," Schultz said. "You know it's the same principle as going to church." The football field remains common ground for Texans in a state where the political tide appears to be shifting. Once reliably red for Republicans, this year Texas is flashing shades of blue. From the economy to immigration, voters across the Lone Star State are wrestling with the top political issues while they consider the candidates.

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On the ballot this midterm election are two historically close races. Democrats Gina Hinojosa and James Talarico are forcing their Republican counterparts, Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton, into ultra-competitive contests for governor and Senate, respectively. Recent polling from the Texas Politics Project shows Talarico a few points ahead of Paxton and the race between Hinojosa and Abbott effectively tied. Emily Taylor, who came to the game to watch her niece Sydney cheer, said this cycle feels different to her. "The other day, I took some back roads leaving a restaurant that I had never taken before, and I saw two houses that had Talarico and Gina Hinojosa signs outside, and it made me so hopeful because I do not remember seeing that during Kamala Harris’s run," Taylor said. Taylor is a Democrat living in Deer Park, a traditionally conservative suburb of Houston. She said her faith is important to her and that she believes Talarico spotlighting his Christian values on the campaign trail will help him win the support of more moderate Republicans. "So many people in Texas feel like they have to vote red because their parents did [and] their grandparents did," Taylor said. "It’s instilled in them their Christian beliefs that they have to vote red, and that’s not the case." A Democrat has not won statewide in Texas in more than three decades. Democrat Beto O'Rourke energized the party in 2018 when he came within striking distance of beating Republican Senator Ted Cruz, but ultimately fell three points short. This cycle, however, Talarico has polled ahead of Paxton, a milestone O'Rourke never achieved, infusing the Democrats with renewed hope.

How water is defining the map for Central Texas residential development

Whiskey may be for drinking, but water is becoming worth more than just a fight. Water access is a growing challenge across the nation. But as utilities get more challenging for Central Texas residential developers to secure, water access is determining the local pathway for residential growth. When it comes to plotting out a potential neighborhood, utilities can be a defining factor for project viability. Specifically, water and wastewater each have a complicated flow chart of approvals and regulatory bodies that dictate access.

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Developers want to help determine the path forward, said Grant Rollo, vice president at Randolph Texas Development. He sees one of the best ways for residential players to get involved is through coordination. Strategic partnerships with municipalities, water-focused agreements with other entities and frank communication are all needed. "I think there's a lot of ego to get through all across the board to really find a solution," he said. "That's going to be the battle." The city of Austin and its water utility are at the forefront of water strategy, said Daniel Oney, research director for Texas A&M's Texas Real Estate Research Center. But the vast majority of the metro's single-family development is going up outside of city limits, a sprawl that only accelerated in recent years. “Before COVID, the biggest thing was your wastewater company … water was never really a concern back then,” Rollo said. “Fast forward to today, and we have the great Texas miracle that happened. We had record numbers of people moving to Central Texas" and more utility needs than many suburban cities were prepared for.

Nadira Goffe: I’m begging Matthew McConaughey to go back to what he does best

(Nadira Goffe is a staff writer of culture at Slate.) On Sunday, actor and Texas native Matthew McConaughey, posted a six-minute video to social media imploring people to consider voting independent in the upcoming midterm elections. With the stunningly maverick caption “Independent counts,” McConaughey says that he is endorsing two things, “fairness and reality,” because, to him, a “fair fight” is “not just two fighters throwing the same punches at each other for 50 years.” At some point, he states, “Here’s a fact: The No. 1 political identity in America today is not Republican. It is not Democrat. It is independent.” For the rest of the video, McConaughey goes on to use an unsurprising number of football metaphors—he refers to the percentage of House seats decided in party primaries as “not a competition” but “more like a scrimmage”; he compares the existing parties playing in their own “end zones” to independents who “keep the game between the 40s” (as in yard lines) “where most of America actually lives”—to uplift the independent candidacy. In his plea, he also praises former Sen. Joe Manchin’s organization, the Independent Leadership Council, which really tells you all you need to know.

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Finally, he ends his message with some uninspired wordplay about America’s foundation: “America’s brand was never R or D, it’s independence. Enjoy yours.” This statement earned McConaughey tsk-tsks from notable Democrats such as Hillary Clinton and San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones. Many of his fans also responded to the video with disapproval over McConaughey’s display of cowardly both sides–ing, effectively throwing his vote away to the advantage of the Republican Party. (Yes, he insists voting independent isn’t a waste, but in reality where the rest of us live, we all know that—to quote one of my colleagues’ reactions, referencing the sitcom 30 Rock: “That’s Republican; we count those.”) McConaughey is entitled to his own opinion, but frankly, I don’t want to hear it. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that I really don’t care to hear from him again unless it’s him announcing that he’s gone back to where he belongs: starring in romantic comedies. (Or another Magic Mike. I’d take that, too.)

This Texas startup is turning oil well waste into EV batteries

Across the Permian Basin, the vast, mineral-rich swath of land in West Texas that supplies much of the nation’s crude oil, derricks pump out massive amounts of oil, roughly 6 million barrels a day. But that amount pales in comparison with the amount of dirty, brackish water that’s also extracted during oil drilling. Drilling in the Permian Basin also unearths roughly 26 million barrels of water a day, about the same daily water use as all of New York City. This water is often black-gray from oil residue, and has a funky odor from underground bacteria. Traditionally considered a by-product of energy production, this water, concentrated seawater from prehistoric oceans, is mineral rich. The Houston-based startup Element3 found that this so-called wastewater is a rich source of lithium, and endeavored to filter it to create a domestic source of this high-demand mineral.

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(Lithium is the third element on the periodic table, hence the company name.) It’s a creative concept that, in a poetic twist, turns a waste product of petroleum drilling into the raw materials for EV batteries and a clean energy future. “It’s a wonderful circular economy, waste-to-value story,” said the company CEO and founder, Hood Whitson. Founded in 2021, Element3 is commercializing U.S. Department of Energy research from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory on ways to filter this oil by-product, and is working across Texas to figure out ways to scale up production. The firm has raised a little over $20 million and has 15 employees, per PitchBook. For years, DOE researchers have been looking into what Whitson called “unconventional brine mining,” finding ways to extract lithium from California’s inland Salton Sea, for example, or pull rare earth metals out of industrial waste sites. Aged for hundreds of millions of years, the Permian Basin water is five times as salty as today’s oceans, boasting lithium as well as magnesium and strontium. Whitson discovered the properties of this water, and realized that energy companies had built up a massive infrastructure to move it; in effect, paying for the infrastructure for extraction and returning filtered water to the larger system. It seemed like an ideal way to meet the rising demand for lithium, and build a domestic source for the metal, which is mostly processed in China. The U.S. imported more than $16 billon worth of lithium-ion batteries from China in 2024. “This is one of our nation’s largest untapped natural resources,” said Whitson. “It’s really a grand opportunity.”

National Stories

Brazil’s Lula completes shock comeback to win reelection, as Trump ally Bolsonaro rejects result

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was reelected to a historic fourth term Sunday, but his defeated rival and Trump ally Senator Flávio Bolsonaro said he would not accept the results and would mount a legal challenge. The 80-year-old leftist leader won more than 51% of votes, securing a runoff victory that bucks a broader rightward political shift across Latin America and comes after a campaign dominated by concerns over the cost of living, crime and corruption. Bolsonaro, who trailed Lula by about 4.4 million votes, said his team would challenge the result after the Supreme Court’s last-minute ruling to extend voting by two hours. “It is impossible to recognize the election result given how these events unfolded,” Bolsonaro told supporters in the capital Brasilia after Lula’s victory was declared. “We will take legal action. We will ask for this election to be annulled.”

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The vote marks the first time since the return of direct presidential elections in 1989 that a candidate has won the presidency after finishing second in the first round. “I can assure you that we are going to change the way we govern this country. We are going to give the people a greater role in our decisions,” Lula said after his reelection. Lula thanked the Brazilian people for their “generosity,” especially the country’s youth who “took to the streets to defend democracy.” In Rio de Janeiro, Lula’s supporters were seen hugging, beeping their car horns and raising the “L” sign. And in Belo Horizonte, capital of the key swing state Minas Gerais, supporters could be seen chanting and singing following Lula’s victory. Lula’s win is a major setback for the Bolsonaro political movement, with Flávio failing to accomplish what his father, imprisoned former President Jair Bolsonaro, also couldn’t to do in 2022: defeat Lula at the ballot box. But the results came after a turbulent election day, with voting being extended by two hours following last-minute pleas from both candidates to electoral authorities. Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin granted a request from Lula’s campaign, which asked for an extension citing “incidents” affecting buses that provide transportation to polling venues in several states.

U.S. energy execs say they quit startup over undisclosed Russian funding

A group of American executives has quit an energy startup that aspired to liquefy and export natural gas out of Alaska, alleging they recently learned it was secretly being funded by Russian gas giant Novatek. Polar LNG, the startup, was launched in March with what seemed like a long-shot goal. The U.S. company wanted to get a license to import a half-finished piece of equipment from the Russian company, with the goal of exporting a geyser of gas from beneath Alaska’s North Slope. The massive structure—as tall as the Statue of Liberty and suitable for frigid conditions—had fallen under sanctions during the Biden administration in response to Russia’s war on Ukraine. But Polar hoped its project would find favor with the Trump administration’s goal of “energy dominance” for America. The sanctions also meant the equipment was available at a knockdown price, people involved in the project said. Securing it would mean Polar wouldn’t have to build its own from scratch.

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Then the plans hit a snag: It turned out the project was being run and at least partly funded by Russian energy company Novatek, former Polar executives said. Joel Riddle, Polar’s CEO until September and a former ExxonMobil employee, says he resigned after the discovery, which he said emerged in budget discussions over the summer. “I felt uncomfortable that the Russian company Novatek was financing and ultimately controlling the strategic direction of the company,” Riddle said. Other executives left with Riddle. Their departures and the alleged Russian funding were earlier reported by the Financial Times and the New York Times. Novatek didn’t respond to a request for comment. The White House, the Treasury Department and the State Department didn’t return calls for comment. Novatek isn’t sanctioned by the U.S., and Europe has continued to buy its LNG since the invasion of Ukraine. Unlike many other Russian companies, Novatek has continued to have a presence in the U.S. and in European capitals during the war, paying lobbyists and elite law firms to try to influence sanctions and energy policy. Polar’s project required convincing the Treasury Department to give it a license to buy the infrastructure from a sanctioned entity, Novatek’s Arctic LNG 2 business. It hasn’t received the go-ahead.

Jamieson Greer on being tasked with rebuilding Trump’s unpopular tariff wall

Ask a Washington insider to nominate the most consequential figure in the Trump administration and you’ll get a mix of responses, including Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Vice President JD Vance, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent or even ever-present aide Natalie Harp. But as he wandered through the White House gardens in April, mingling with giddy children and their parents gathered for the annual Easter Egg Roll, President Donald Trump offered his own pick. “Ladies and gentlemen, we have the most powerful man in government with us today, Mr. Jamieson Greer. Have you heard of him?” the president asked the crowd. “Come on over here, Jamieson. How are we doing on trade?” Trump’s US trade representative, who at age 46 with a beard looks more like a suburban dad than a power broker, stepped forward. “We’re doing well, sir,” he answered confidently, citing a historic high in US exports. Greer was clearly surprised by the compliment from his boss, though in one of two in-depth interviews with Bloomberg Businessweek this month he played it down. “He says that to all the girls,” joked Greer, noting that Trump often flatters members of his cabinet.

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Still, for anyone tracking Trump’s efforts to engineer a new economic order, the message was clear. One year on from his chaotic “Liberation Day” tariff rollout, the president was publicly acknowledging the capable and increasingly influential general directing his trade wars. Over the course of his 20 months on the job, Greer has racked up victories but also defeats. The average effective US tariff rate now stands at 11.2%, the highest since the 1930s. That’s created leverage with trade partners that the administration has exploited to negotiate 20 or so deals, rolling back some duties in exchange for commercial concessions and investment pledges. (Some remain no more than outlines at this point.) Yet Trump’s initial plans to construct a protectionist wall around the world’s biggest market were set back earlier this year, when the US Supreme Court ruled that a raft of duties the administration introduced at the beginning of his term were illegal. Now, with elections approaching, Greer, who was confirmed on a largely partisan vote of 56 to 43, is confronting what could quickly become an uncomfortable political environment. If the Democrats win even one congressional chamber, the party may act on bills they’ve drafted to reclaim tariff authority. At the very least, Greer and Trump’s trade policies will be subject to scrutiny at oversight hearings.

U.S. measles cases more than double what they were last year as outbreak spreads

The U.S. is grappling with its worst resurgence of measles in decades, with cases particularly high in the state of Pennsylvania. New data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows there have been more than 4,580 measles cases reported in 2026 across the U.S. as of Oct. 22, which is more than double the number for the whole of 2025. The vaccination status of 96% of those who contracted measles in 2026 was "Unvaccinated or Unknown," according to data from the CDC. A measles outbreak across Pennsylvania has grown as officials urge residents to get fully vaccinated against the disease. At least 1,338 cases of measles have been confirmed in 44 counties across the state so far this year, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health on Friday. There were 21 new measles cases as of Oct. 21. More than 250 people have been hospitalized and 5 people have died, the department also said.

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In Lancaster and Mifflin counties, two of the counties with the highest number of cases, local Amish communities, which have low vaccination rates, are being impacted the most. Of the five who have died, three lived in Lancaster County On Thursday, Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen held a roundtable with Mifflin County healthcare providers to assess their needs in combatting the disease. "Our state metrics and data tell part of the story of the measles outbreak in Pennsylvania, but listening to the people on the ground caring for people in affected communities like Mifflin County is essential to refining our public health response," Bogen said in a statement. One of the best ways to protect oneself from getting the measles is vaccination, according to health officials. Two doses of measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine known as MMR, is nearly 97% effective against measles, according to the CDC. One dose is about 93% effective.

Blanche defends DOJ lawsuit blocking Alaska Senate results if Republican loses

U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche Sunday defended his department's lawsuit seeking to stop Alaska from automatically certifying the results of its Senate election if the Republican incumbent there loses. Earlier this week he had said the Justice Department could get involved in the vote certification process in a "doomsday" scenario. Pressed on CNN about whether the suit was setting the stage for President Trump to challenge the outcome of next week's midterm elections, Blanche denied it. The seat is seen as one vital for Republicans if they are to maintain control of the Senate for the second half of President Trump's term in office. The Justice Department claims that potential confusion over candidates with similar names is the reason for the suit, though some Democrats have argued that it is actually an attempt to interfere in the democratic process.

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A candidate on the Nov. 3 ballot is a retired schoolteacher from Petersburg, named Daniel J. Sullivan, with a remarkably similar name to the current Republican senator, Dan Sullivan. Republicans have accused Daniel J. Sullivan of running as a spoiler to try and divert votes away from the incumbent. But the other Sullivan has said the decision to run was his own and denied his candidacy was intended to confuse voters or siphon votes in Republican Sullivan's tight race against Democrat Mary Peltola, a former congresswoman. The Justice Department has argued in its suit that the name overlap risks confusing voters. "We're not laying any groundwork for the president to do that," Blanche told anchor Dana Bash on CNN's State of the Union, after she asked whether the administration was positioning Trump to overturn a result he did not like. "President Trump is not trying to take over a state election in any way, shape, or form," Blanche added.

Poll shows government graft is one of the defining issues of the midterms

President Trump walked out of the White House on Thursday afternoon and delivered a warning to his political allies. “I want my people to be honest, and if they’re not going to be honest, they have to be prosecuted,” he said. “If people are not honest, they’re stealing from me as president.” Trump’s rebuke came in response to a question about his longtime adviser, Corey Lewandowski, who The Wall Street Journal earlier reported was facing a Justice Department inquiry into allegations that he profited off his top position at the Department of Homeland Security. It was the latest in a series of damaging stories that have contributed to growing voter concerns about alleged government corruption less than two weeks before the midterm elections. Trump and White House aides have privately expressed frustration about the negative headlines that have been plastered across newspaper front pages and on cable news in recent weeks, according to people familiar with the matter.

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The stories have prompted hand-wringing from Republican campaign operatives, who worry that the alleged self-dealing could make an already challenging midterm election even more difficult for GOP candidates. Among the headlines: Trump’s ambassador to Greece resigned after being accused of soliciting $100,000 from a donor; the family of a billionaire Venezuelan banker who was angling for a pardon offered the president’s former personal lawyer a deal worth $50 million; a Russian businessman funded a lavish wedding afterparty for one of Trump’s sons; and two of the president’s top political advisers flew abroad to consult for a Russia-aligned government. Democrats have put Trump at the center of their allegations of corruption, pointing to the extraordinary growth of his wealth since he took office, including earning $1.4 billion last year from crypto ventures. They have promised to launch investigations into his efforts to get large companies to cut checks for projects such as his White House ballroom, his decision to accept a gifted luxury jet from Qatar, and his pardon of Changpeng Zhao, the founder of the crypto exchange Binance. Government corruption has climbed the list of voter concerns in recent weeks.

Trump escalates rhetoric against El-Sayed in Michigan

President Donald Trump intensified his anti-Muslim rhetoric against Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed on Sunday, portraying him as a threat to national security and questioning his loyalty to the United States in remarks that drew a sharp rebuke from a former top Arab American ally. Trump called El-Sayed, a former Detroit health official, a “jihadist” who was “on the side of the terrorists” and would “have to go through a metal detector before he’s allowed to go into the Senate.” He also repeatedly invoked the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, drawing a comparison between stopping El-Sayed from entering the Senate chamber and the passengers who fought back against the hijackers aboard United Flight 93.

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El-Sayed, who would become the nation’s first Muslim senator if elected, has called attacks on his loyalty to the country “shameful” and repeatedly denied any ties to extremist groups. The Republican president’s remarks were condemned by Bishara Bahbah, a founder of Arab Americans for Trump, the group that helped lead the president’s outreach to Arab American voters in 2024. “The president’s statements are out of line,” he said in a phone interview. “They are crossing a red line. They are racist.” With Republicans on the defensive over inflation, soaring fuel prices and the Iran war, the president has been trying to generate turnout by claiming that El-Sayed and other Democrats are existential threats to America, instead of electoral rivals. Michigan’s Senate race between El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers is among a handful of contests that could determine control of the chamber. Trump made his remarks in Port Huron, a Canadian border city about an hour north of Detroit and near communities where he made significant gains among Arab American voters in 2024. He became the first Republican presidential candidate since 2000 to win Dearborn, a city with one of the nation’s largest concentrations of Arab Americans.

Copyright October 26, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved