October 28, 2025: All Newsclips

Lead Stories

Texas energy policy leaders see a future for batteries in Texas

The head of Texas’ electric grid and the state’s top energy regulator said Monday that industrial-scale batteries are still in their early phases, despite rapid growth. The growth of battery storage’s prominence as part of Electric Reliability Council of Texas,the state’s stand-alone power grid, has been nearly unrivaled in the United States. In the past two years, Texas’ capacity to store electricity at large-scale battery stations has almost quadrupled. Industrial-scale batteries can now power at least 3.7 million homes. They are regularly releasing power into the grid during times of high demand and charging up when power demand and prices are low. Renewable energy advocates see batteries as complementary to weather-dependent wind and solar power, and many battery storage developments are now being built alongside renewable power generation facilities in hopes that together they can provide power 24 hours a day, regardless of whether the sun is shining or the wind is blowing.

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The perception of unreliability has been the biggest political headwind for renewable energy. Lawmakers in the Texas Legislature have generally preferred legislative proposals that favor natural gas power plants for their ability to start generating power at the flip of a switch. During the Trump administration, the federal government has also rolled back tax incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act that made it cheaper to build renewables and batteries. American Clean Power Association CEO Jason Grumet said industry insiders feel when the state Legislature convenes every two years that the industry begins a biennial “fight for our lives” despite batteries’ growth in Texas. ERCOT CEO Pablo Vegas said Monday at a battery storage industry event in Austin that lawmakers’ intentions are “misunderstood.” “It’s grounded in good intentions,” Vegas said, adding that his refrain since he was hired to run ERCOT in the aftermath of the 2021 deadly winter freeze was an all-of-the-above approach to creating more power resources on the grid.

See what Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and her staff are asking ChatGPT

As major companies rush to embrace artificial intelligence, Harris County officials have also begun adopting the technology for everything from email editing to policy research. The Houston Chronicle secured ChatGPT queries submitted by employees of Judge Lina Hidalgo’s office between July 1 and Sept. 18 through a records request. The technology has clearly found its place in the judge’s office — staffers queried ChatGPT on everything from policy research to email wording, including one example in which an employee instructed the software to restructure an email to “sound like it was written by a man.” Hidalgo said in a statement that her staff is constantly working to determine how to use the technology to improve efficiency. “Our office does not rely on artificial intelligence to make policy decisions,” the statement read. “As AI tools continue to develop and become more common, we’re working with our team to implement guidelines and ensure that they’re using the tools effectively and responsibly. We continue to update our AI guidelines as needed.”

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While the responses provided by the platform were redacted, the Houston Chronicle found Hidalgo’s staffers used the technology for basic research and copy editing. Nancy Sims, a political science lecturer at the University of Houston, said she doesn’t see any issues with government employees using ChatGPT to help iron out kinks in the policy-making process — so long as adequate controls are in place to address potential hallucinations or inaccuracies. “It's the same as AI everywhere; it needs to be checked and double checked,” Sims said. “So if it can be used to save time and make services more efficient, great, but it still needs to be checked and double checked because you can't rely on it completely.” As with many other educators, Sims has grappled with the rising prevalence of large language models, such as ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, in her classroom. Sims said the technology is really no different than a search engine — it can provide information, leads and context, but it can’t be solely relied on without human oversight.

The good vibes are back on Wall Street

From trade deals and foreign elections to merger announcements to corporate earnings, investors are finding plenty of reasons to be happy. Stocks hit fresh records on Monday, marking a significant pickup in momentum after a bumpy stretch in which tariff fears and worries about loan losses at regional banks weighed on major indexes. The optimism isn’t limited to U.S. markets. Benchmarks in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan notched new records Monday, while the Shanghai composite closed at its highest level in more than 10 years. Argentine stocks rocketed 22% higher, powered by a decisive political win for President Javier Milei in the country’s midterm elections.

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“There’s just a lot of stuff in the ‘good’ column and not a lot in the ‘bad’ column,” said Jed Ellerbroek, portfolio manager at Argent Capital Management. All three major stock indexes hit new all-time highs on Monday, with tech companies leading the charge. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained around 337 points, or 0.7%. The S&P 500 added 1.2%. The Nasdaq composite rose 1.9%, notching back-to-back gains greater than 1% for the first time since May. Stocks were lifted by hopes for improving trade relations between the U.S. and China. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said there was a “very successful framework” for President Trump and Xi Jinping to discuss Thursday, while a senior Chinese official said the two sides had reached a preliminary consensus on key issues. The good mood marks a reversal from just a few weeks ago, when a social-media post from Trump threatening higher tariffs against China sent stocks tumbling. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq composite both had their worst day since April.

Trump administration plans shakeup at ICE amid frustration over lagging immigration arrests

The Trump administration is planning another shakeup at Immigration and Customs Enforcement amid frustrations over lagging immigration arrests, according to four sources familiar with the discussions. The White House set a lofty goal of 3,000 daily arrests earlier this year—a high bar for an agency that’s historically been strained for resources and personnel. And despite ramping up arrests, ICE has largely fallen short of that goal. That’s fueled tensions between the White House and ICE. Planning has been underway to reassign at least a dozen directors of ICE offices nationwide who senior officials believe are underperforming, the sources said. ICE has 25 field offices.

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“While we have no personnel changes to announce at this time, the Trump Administration remains laser focused on delivering results and removing violent criminal illegal aliens from this country,” said Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin in a statement. Since receiving its mass deportation edict after President Donald Trump took office in January, ICE has fielded criticism from people inside the administration who think they aren’t doing enough, lawmakers and advocates who think they are doing too much, and an incensed public that in some cases is taking drastic action to impede immigration enforcement. To bolster immigration arrests, DHS tapped US Border Patrol agents to fan out across the country. They’ve have been involved in high-profile confrontations with protesters and at the center of some of the administration’s most controversial and aggressive enforcement actions.

State Stories

AISD’s steep enrollment drop fueled by factors inside and outside the district

Jessy Reyes didn’t go looking for the neighborhood charter school. Her daughter enjoyed sixth grade at the Austin school district’s Dobie Middle School, where she made friends, learned from her teachers and joined the school band. But in the spring, after hearing from administrators that Dobie could close, Reyes thought she had no other option. She found a charter school and enrolled her daughter there for seventh grade. The decision was difficult and made her daughter sad to leave behind her friends and clubs, so Reyes was surprised when staff from the supposedly shuttered Dobie called asking about her daughter — the campus hadn’t closed after all. The closure had been widely discussed but was ultimately scrapped after the Rundberg-area school failed to meet state academic ratings. “They were talking about it closing,” Reyes said in Spanish. “All summer I didn’t hear anything — if it was going to be open, that it wasn’t going to be closed.” Because of that miscommunication, Reyes’ children became part of the district’s 4% enrollment drop this year.

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Fewer than 70,000 students enrolled this fall, the lowest number in three decades and a drop of almost 3,000 from last year, according to data obtained by the American-Statesman. The sharp decline followed several years of smaller losses and was fueled largely by families leaving the district, even though Austin’s child population has grown slightly, said Victoria O’Neal, the district’s executive director of campus and family engagement. About two-thirds of the students who left last year moved away, she said. Despite the city’s continued population growth, the district’s student losses aren’t new. Rising housing costs have driven many families to nearby counties such as Williamson, Bastrop and Hays. But this year, the city is also feeling the effect of a nationwide immigration crackdown. Facing fear or financial strain, many Austin families without legal status have left the country. With fewer new immigrants arriving too, local classrooms are thinning further. But not all factors pushing students away force them out of the city. More than 15,000 students who live within the Austin district attend a charter school — publicly funded campuses that operate independently of traditional districts and have no attendance zones or elected boards.

Dan Crenshaw goes on offense in GOP primary battle

U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw has the power of incumbency and is one of the most recognizable members of Congress. But five months ahead of the GOP primary, the Houston Republican is already on the offensive against his expected top rival, state Rep. Steve Toth, a Conroe Republican. Though Toth is regularly rated as one of the most conservative members of the Texas House, Crenshaw’s campaign has blasted him over votes on law enforcement, the future of NASA and property taxes. "Texas deserves leaders who will back the blue, not betray them when it matters most," the Crenshaw campaign put in one statement to reporters.

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Toth said all the charges are false and prove that Crenshaw is getting desperate. Toth said he always backs law enforcement, supports NASA in Houston and wants lower property taxes. “He’s coming out of left field with some of these ridiculous hits,” Toth said. Toth said his internal polling shows he is in a great position to knock Crenshaw out of office. “He knows it, which is why he’s attacking me early,” he said. Specifically, Crenshaw has slammed Toth for opposing a bill in May that would have required cities and counties with more than 75,000 people to go to the voters anytime they wanted to raise taxes. Toth voted against the bill, saying he wanted to force changes to apply the rule to smaller cities and counties too. The bill never passed the Legislature. On NASA, Crenshaw’s team pointed to a Toth vote against a resolution asking Congress to move the space agency’s headquarters to Houston. Toth said it was a meaningless resolution that only asked Congress to do it and had no real influence. He said he votes against many of those resolutions, like one that honored Beyoncé, because they are a waste of time when the House should be working on serious issues.

Fort Worth city council member runs for Texas House 93 seat

Far north Fort Worth residents won’t have to wait until 2027 for another city council election. Council member Alan Blaylock, who represents parts of Fort Worth surrounding Haslet, announced he is running for the Texas House District 93 seat. The district covers the northeast part of Fort Worth, a slice of Saginaw and all of Haslet and Blue Mound. The district is represented by Republican Nate Schatzline, who announced Monday that he was leaving the seat to take a position at the National Faith Advisory Board. Blaylock pointed to his track record on the Fort Worth City Council of opposing property tax increases, and increasing tax exemptions for senior and disabled residents, in a press release announcing his candidacy.

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He has consistently pushed the city to approve the so-called “no-new-revenue” tax rate during annual budget discussions. “Big government doesn’t build prosperity, freedom does,” Blaylock said in the press release, adding families, businesses and faith thrive with low taxes, safe streets, and little to no bureaucracy. Blaylock joined the Fort Worth City Council in a 2022 special election to replace former council member Cary Moon. Moon, who had served on the city council since 2015, left to run unsuccessfully for the same House District 93 seat. A special election to replace Blaylock on the city council could come as early as May 2, 2026, according to the Texas Secretary of State Office. Whoever succeeds Blaylock on the City Council would finish out his term, which expires in May 2027. Blaylock joins Northwest school district trustee Steve Sprowls in the Republican primary for the HD 93 seat. Sprowls positioned himself as a candidate who listens to residents, delivers results and puts families first, in a press release announcing his candidacy.

Austin Democrat Sarah Eckhardt announces she will run for Michael McCaul's seat in Congress

Democratic state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt announced she is running to represent Texas' newly drawn 10th Congressional District. Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, who has represented the district in Washington, D.C., since 2005, announced last month that he will not seek reelection in 2026. Eckhardt, who made her announcement Monday, has spent the last five years representing Travis County as a state senator. Before that, she served as Travis County Judge and Travis County Commissioner. "We can do big things that tackle our challenges and bring real solutions that last just as long as Mansfield Dam, not just until the next election cycle," Eckhardt said, referring to the location of her campaign announcement. "That's why I'm running to represent the 13 counties inside Congressional District 10."

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The district was redrawn this summer to include more Democratic areas of Austin, while still keeping the district majority Republican. Eckhardt compared the district, which is made up of 13 counties, to the original 13 British colonies. "Our Founding Fathers, back in the day, declared a revolution against one-party rule in a government that they had no say in," she said. "But they worked hard and they found common ground among 13 original colonies that were very different and created a Republic where we write our own laws and we govern ourselves rather than being subjects of a single ruler." Eckhardt said her campaign is about finding "common ground" among the people who live in the district. "We’re all concerned that our healthcare is getting too expensive. We can’t access it. We’re all concerned that we can’t make ends meet because cost of living is going up so high, and we’re all concerned that our kids aren’t going to have the education and opportunities that we had," she said. "We need to work together, find that common ground, and start building lasting solutions."

Texas emerges as a hotbed in bank M&A boom

Texas has emerged as a center of dealmaking between banks this year, drawing CEOs who are competing for access to the state’s deposit base and broader growth relative to other markets, even as some indicators tracked by the government reflect pressure on the economy there. The state is home to the largest share of banks targeted by other U.S. banks for acquisitions in 2025, according to an analysis by S&P Global Market Intelligence. A multibillion-dollar deal announced Monday became the latest in a series of Texas tie-ups that fit into a broader wave of bank mergers the Trump administration has helped to usher in. On Monday, Ohio-based Huntington Bancshares said it would acquire Cadence Bank, a Houston- and Tupelo, Miss.-based bank with some $53 billion of assets and 390 branches. The all-stock deal valued at $7.4 billion underscores the rapid pace of bank consolidation in recent months.

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Huntington said just last week that it completed its $1.9 billion acquisition of Dallas-based Veritex Holdings. Cadence, meanwhile, has completed two bank deals of its own this year, including one based in Industry, Texas. Huntington and Cadence expect their combination to create a top-10 U.S. bank by assets and close in the first quarter of 2026. Between the bank’s additions of Cadence and Veritex, Huntington is “building a powerful financial powerhouse in Texas,” Brant Standridge, who leads the firm’s consumer and regional banking, told analysts on Monday. He cited the state’s growth opportunities, like expectations it will lead U.S. population growth through 2031, and called the area known as the “Texaplex”—the triangle between Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio—a “juggernaut of economic growth.” Some 190,000 new households are forming in the Texaplex region each year and 53 companies in the Fortune 500 are now based there, Standridge noted on the call with analysts. The state’s latest real gross domestic product growth rate of 6.8% outpaced the national average of 3.8%, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. (North Dakota, with a rate of 7.3%, is the fastest-growing, the latest data show.)

Former Council Member Kathie Tovo running for Texas state representative

A former city council member and former UT adjunct faculty member announced a campaign for Texas state representative on Monday. Kathie Tovo will run as a Democrat for House District 49, which includes the University, West Campus, Downtown Austin and parts of South Austin. Tovo previously represented UT and West Campus in the City Council and came third in last year’s mayoral race. Tovo is the first Democrat to announce a run in a seat that has voted for a Democrat in every election since 1990. “I’ve stood up to powerful interests on the Austin City Council, and I’m ready to stand up for District 49,” Tovo wrote in an email. “Throughout my public service, I’ve demonstrated my ability to be thoughtful and prepared while ensuring fairness during the legislative process. I’ll bring my critical eye and my dedication to thorough examination to the State House.”

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Big Bend region could see border walls, new surveillance tech under Trump’s ‘Smart Wall’ plan

Border walls and new surveillance technology could be coming to the greater Big Bend region and the rest of Texas’ southern border as part of a sweeping “Smart Wall” plan announced by the Trump administration this month. In a press release, the Department of Homeland Security described the plan as a system that “combines steel barriers, waterborne barriers, patrol roads, lights, cameras, and advanced detection technology.” An accompanying map shows multiple segments of the project planned for the greater Big Bend region. Though many details remain unknown, the map alone suggests that Big Bend National Park would be spared from physical border walls. One project that would run through the entirety of BBNP is described in the map as “detection technology” and entitled “BBT Technology Only.”

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A DHS spokesperson did not respond to Marfa Public Radio’s request for clarification, including a question about what the project title means. Meanwhile, the administration is already waiving a wide range of federal contracting regulations to speed up construction related to border security, according to recent federal regulatory notices. In one notice published Oct. 15, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote that the department had determined there is an “acute and immediate need to construct physical barriers and roads” in the U.S. Border Patrol’s Big Bend Sector. That sector spans a broad swath of the region, from around Sierra Blanca to Sanderson, and includes the national park. Similar notices with nearly identical language were published the same day for Border Patrol sectors across the southern border. “This is the first time they’ve signaled any intention or started taking actions that would allow them to build walls in Big Bend, which for the longest time has just been a ridiculous idea,” said Laiken Jordahl, an advocate with the environmental group Center for Biological Diversity.

Fire Chief resigned over safety disputes with Fort Worth’s firefighters union, attorney says

Former Fort Worth Fire Chief Jim Davis resigned over disagreements with the firefighters’ union about reviewing the fire department’s safety standards, an attorney representing Davis said. Before Davis was placed on leave in mid-September, he had pushed for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to launch an external investigation into a recent firefighter’s injury, said Davis’ attorney, Stephen Kennedy. Davis ultimately submitted his letter of resignation, which will take effect Oct. 31. The Fort Worth Professional Firefighters Association, or Local 440, opposed the external investigation, Kennedy said. The attorney argued union officials worried the investigation’s findings would reflect poorly on the union’s leadership and positions they had taken.

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“Fort Worth taxpayers and the hardworking men and women in the fire department, they should be asking the (union’s) leadership why they took the official position of opposing Chief Davis’ request for an independent review of safety conditions by a third party,” Kennedy said. On Friday, union officials announced members took a vote of no-confidence against Davis’ leadership, citing failures in safety enforcement and emergency response standards, according to the union’s statement. “Chief Davis’ failure to correct violations of safety standards, recognize acceptable on-scene times for EMS and fire response, and ensure accurate dispatch of resources have led the membership to this result,” the statement read. Kennedy argued the vote amounted to retaliation against Davis. Representatives from Local 440 declined to comment further on Davis’ leave or Kennedy’s assertions about a third-party investigation.

Texas Supreme Court gives prelim OK on rules affecting Bexar, Travis courts

The Texas Supreme Court is a step closer to rolling out new rules that would change how civil district courts in Bexar and Travis counties have long operated. While not explicitly calling for elimination of the central-docketing system in the only two counties using it, that’s essentially what the rules would do — a potential outcome that’s sparked strong disagreement within the legal community. Under the current system, a civil case filed in state district court is randomly assigned to one of the 14 courts in Bexar County or one of the 12 in Travis County. But pretrial hearings are scheduled on a central docket overseen by a judge who typically assigns the hearings to other jurists.

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Now, the state’s high court has given preliminary approval to proposed amendments to judicial administration rules, including one that requires a newly filed case “be randomly assigned to a judge authorized to preside over the case.” The “originally assigned judge must maintain full responsibility for the case” from start to finish, unless there’s an official transfer of the case to another judge. That’s an outcome Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai has said would be “catastrophic,” requiring millions of dollars to pay for more courts and personnel. Judge Christine Hortick, who started the ball rolling for the changes in Bexar County, questions that. She says the changes would benefit those within the system, which she says forces litigants to rehash basic facts each time they go before a different judge, risking “retraumatizing the parties” — especially in cases involving children. She welcomed the high court’s preliminary approval. “I’m pretty happy that the Supreme Court’s taking steps to address the concerns that I’ve had and other people have had about how cases are handled in Bexar County,” Hortick said in a telephone interview. She has a case pending before the Supreme Court on her bid to opt out of the Presiding Court system, also referred to as the central-docketing system.

‘Landman’ creator moving from Paramount to NBCUniversal

Taylor Sheridan is packing his bags and heading to a new studio. Puck News’ Matthew Belloni reported Sunday that Sheridan is leaving Paramount for NBCUniversal after securing a new film and television production deal. The Fort Worth high school graduate has worked with Paramount for nearly a decade. The deal will see Sheridan create new film and television projects for NBCUniversal, which owns NBC and Peacock and releases movies theatrically. What does this mean for Sheridan’s wealth of shows on Paramount+, such as “Landman” and “Lioness”? Here’s what to know.

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Why is Sheridan leaving Paramount? There are a couple of reasons, mainly revolving around the new regime running Paramount. In August, Skydance Media purchased Paramount Global. The move saw several of the executives Sheridan worked with fired or marginalized, including Chris McCarthy and Keyes Hill-Edgar. The budgets of a few of Sheridan’s shows were also in question from the new brass, according to Puck. Shows like “1923” and “Lioness” carried budgets of $15 to $20 million per episode. Other shows such as “Tulsa King” and “Mayor of Kingstown” have smaller budgets. Another wrinkle is Warner Bros. making “F.A.S.T.,” a movie from a script Sheridan wrote before his Paramount deal. Paramount tried to secure distribution in some markets, which annoyed Sheridan, according to Puck. Paramount also recently bought “Discretion,” a new Dallas-set show starring “Lioness” star Nicole Kidman. Apparently, the company did not give Sheridan a heads-up about the deal, and he did not love that.

Jason Hadavi to serve as Austin's next city auditor

Deputy City Auditor Jason Hadavi was tapped to take over as Austin's next city auditor starting in January. Austin's city auditor is appointed by City Council to oversee internal reporting on a variety of government operations and financial issues. This year, city auditors analyzed topics like the Austin Police Department's recruitment efforts and use of automated license plate readers, city spending on nonprofit partnerships, water infrastructure maintenance, and local responses to pedestrian crashes. Auditors also regularly investigate ethics issues like misuse of city resources and conflicts of interest. After longtime City Auditor Corrie Stokes announced she'd be departing the role earlier this year, city officials began the search for her successor. That process led to Hadavi's selection this fall when members of council's audit committee recommended him for the role following interviews with three finalists.

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The full council voted on Oct. 24 to have Hadavi's compensation and benefits negotiated by recruitment firm Ralph Andersen & Associates, and that package will be formally approved Nov. 6. Mayor Kirk Watson noted excitement around the selection after council advanced the process in October. "I think everybody is going to be sad to see Corrie go, but I anticipate we’re going to be very pleased that we’re elevating our deputy city auditor to the position of city auditor," he said. Hadavi was chosen over candidates Spencer Bright, an internal audit manager for the Port of Seattle, and Suresh George, Citibank's senior vice president of quality assurance in New York. In his application for the role, Hadavi highlighted his nearly two-decade career at the city including management of the auditor's office as key experience for the role.

The Marshall Project says ICE partnerships also hurt local police retention

The City Council isn’t meeting or holding briefings this week, which means the question of whether Dallas should consider participating in the federal 287(g) program, which would, in essence, deputize Dallas police officers as ICE agents, will linger a bit longer. So far, 10 council members have issued memos jointly or separately, all expressing various levels of concern about the idea. All also pretty much uniformly point out that immigration enforcement should fall to the federal government, and local police should be in the business of helping the communities they serve. They also all point out that partnering with ICE could erode the trust the department has worked to build with the community.

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But the Marshall Project’s Closing Argument newsletter points to another unintended consequence of partnering with the agency: ICE is now luring officers away from the departments it partners with, causing retention issues for local law enforcement agencies that are already finding it difficult to staff their ranks. ICE is apparently sending recruiting emails to officers, offering higher pay, signing bonuses, and more. “Some of the emails from ICE appear to be specifically targeting people from agencies that have already agreed to deputize officers as part-time federal agents to help find and detain undocumented immigrants,” the newsletter explains. Should Dallas decide to join the 287(g) program, it could ill afford to lose more officers, as it is under a voter-approved mandate in the city charter requiring the department to have 4,000 officers. (Dallas had 3,215 officers in June, and has a goal of hiring 350 new officers a year.)

Tornado touched down during storms that brought 100 mph winds to South-Central Texas, NWS confirms

The National Weather Service released a preliminary damage survey that confirmed an EF-1 tornado touched down just north of Canyon Lake during Friday night's storms that swept through South-Central Texas. On Oct. 24 heavy rains surged through the area, causing several flood watch and flood advisory warnings to be issued throughout the night. But it wasn't until Sunday when NWS released the preliminary damage survey results and confirmed that an EF-1 tornado touched down near Kendalia before tracking east along FM 306, impacting neighborhoods just north of Canyon Lake. NWS said the twister's path went on for about 20 miles, covered a width of 300 yards and created estimated peak winds of approximately 110 mph. No one was injured due the tornado but, according to NWS, the twister took down several light poles, trees and fences while also causing plenty of shingle damage to houses in the area. NWS says this information is preliminary and subject to change pending final review of the event.

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Pro-Spurs PAC has spent more than $7M to boost Props A and B

A PAC supporting the new downtown Spurs’ arena has now spent more than $7 million on its campaign to support Propositions A and B on the Nov. 4 ballot. Most of the money came from the San Antonio Spurs LLC, but the group is also now getting help from businesses like Pearl Real Estate Company and Bartlett Cocke General Contractors as well. The last campaign finance reports before the election were due Monday, covering money raised and spent from Sept. 26 through Oct. 25. The Spurs-aligned Win Together PAC reported raising and spending about $5 million in that span, counting in-kind donations — on top of the $2 million it had already raised previously.

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Final totals from this election won’t be known until January, when semi-annual reports are due. The aggressive campaign is a reflection of just how much the team has on the line in this Nov. 4 election. As it stands, Prop B is the only public vote they need in a bid to secure about $800 million in city and county money for the overall $1.3 billion arena. If it fails, local leaders have signaled they’ll keep negotiating. But the team’s owners would have to decide which compromises are worth it as they make plans to leave the Frost Bank Center, which they’ve deemed incompatible with the team’s future. “Everybody asks [whether the Spurs will leave San Antonio if Prop. B fails],” Spurs Sports & Entertainment Chairman Peter J. Holt said at last week’s San Antonio Report CityFest event. “We’re not focused on that …. we’re focused on this election. We think it’s really important, and we wouldn’t be investing so much time and energy in the campaign — and then so much investment dollars in the actual project — if we didn’t think that it was absolutely the right thing for the Spurs and the community.” The Spurs plan to put up $500 million for the arena’s construction, while the county would contribute $311 million from fees on hotels and rental cars, known as Prop B.

National Stories

Trump says he underwent an MRI during his Walter Reed visit

President Donald Trump revealed Monday that he underwent magnetic resonance imaging during his visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center this month. Trump, 79, didn't disclose the purpose of the MRI, saying only that it was "perfect." The White House previously said only that Trump underwent "advanced imaging" during the evaluation. "I gave you the full results," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on the way to Japan when he was asked whether he had received one that day. "We had an MRI, MRI and the machine, you know, the whole thing, and it was perfect."

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Asked for additional details, Trump said, "You can ask the doctors," adding: "I think they gave you a very conclusive — nobody has ever given you reports like I gave you, and if I didn’t think it was going to be good, either I would let you know negatively, I wouldn’t run, I’d do something. But the doctors said some of the best reports for the age, some of the best reports they’ve ever seen." The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. The White House described the visit, which came after Trump's annual physical exam in April, as a "follow-up evaluation" at the time and released a memo by the president's doctor, Sean Barbabella. Trump's visit was "part of his ongoing health maintenance plan and included advanced imaging, laboratory testing and preventive health assessments conducted by a multidisciplinary team of specialists," Barbabella wrote. The summary also said Trump received flu and Covid shots, but much of the health information was vague and didn’t mention that he had received an MRI specifically or the reason for the imaging.

GOP, Democrats face rising pressure on multiple fronts to end shutdown

Pressure is building on Democratic and Republican leaders to end the 28-day shutdown after the nation’s largest federal workers union called for an end to the stalemate as rank-and-rile GOP lawmakers sound the alarm over rising health insurance premiums. The blunt message from Everett Kelley, the president of the American Federation of Government Employees, is one of the biggest developments in the monthlong standoff. It appeared to be aimed squarely at Senate Democrats, who have voted a dozen times to block a clean seven-week continuing resolution passed last month by the House, and it came from someone representing 820,000 federal and D.C. workers.

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In calling on Congress to “pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today,” Kelley argued that “both political parties have made their point” and that it’s time to bring hundreds of thousands of government employees back to work. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.) said the statement would have a “lot of impact” and that Democrats would discuss it in the days ahead. “They’ve been our friends, and we’ve worked with them over the years. I’ve had a good connection with them and I’ve talked to them. They’re in a terrible mess. So many of their workers are not being paid,” Durbin said of the union. Even so, other major unions, including the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents between 1.4 million and 1.6 million state and local workers, haven’t broken with the Democratic position. Durbin, the No. 2-ranking Senate Democratic leader, said the expiration of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding starting Nov. 1 is another major concern.

Citing autopen use, House Oversight Committee finds Biden actions ‘illegitimate’

The House Oversight Committee released a report on Tuesday that questions the legitimacy of former president Joe Biden’s executive actions, and calls on the Department of Justice to open a new investigation into the Biden administration. The report is the result of a five-month-long investigation into accusations made by President Donald Trump and his allies, that aides covered up a decline in Biden’s cognitive ability, and that the Biden administration misused the presidential autopen to issue executive actions without Biden’s direct involvement. The committee said its investigation found there was no record that Biden approved executive actions in several instances, including ones related to presidential pardons. The committee also said it found Biden’s autopen — a mechanical device that can replicate signatures and that presidents often use to quickly sign documents — may have been used to sign off on actions without his knowledge.

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Because of this, the report states that unless the Biden administration can prove the president approved a given action, the committee “deems those actions taken through use of the autopen as void,” and that it “finds numerous executive actions — particularly clemency actions — taken during the Biden Administration were illegitimate.” The committee sent a letter Tuesday to Attorney General Pam Bondi asking the Department of Justice to investigate every executive action taken during the Biden administration to make sure Biden gave them his approval, and to investigate whether any legal consequences should follow from the committee’s findings. “The committee requests that you investigate all executive actions taken during the Biden Administration to ascertain whether they are duly authorized by the President of the United States,” Chairman James Comer (R-Kentucky) wrote in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday. The investigation relied on the testimony of more than a dozen former Biden administration officials. There are no publicly available medical assessments that show Biden was mentally incapable of making decisions, or that his mental state required his aides to perform his duties for him.

Hurricane Melissa collides with U.S. military mission in Caribbean

President Donald Trump’s military campaign against drug cartels in Latin America could soon collide with a humanitarian crisis in the Caribbean Sea, as Hurricane Melissa bears down on Jamaica with an unusually large fleet of U.S. military ships deployed nearby. Eight warships, collectively carrying about 6,000 troops and several dozen aircraft, are assembled in the region as the Trump administration carries out a series of military strikes against alleged drug boats off the coast of Venezuela and eastern Pacific Ocean. But many of the personnel also are trained to respond to natural disasters, serving on ships with a long track record of doing so. Hurricane Melissa was south of Jamaica on Monday after intensifying into a catastrophic Category 5 storm, with sustained winds of about 160 mph and peak winds estimated at up to 190 mph. The storm is expected to make a direct landfall by Tuesday, unleashing significant storm surge, and 30 to 40 inches of rain in some areas, triggering powerful flash floods and mud slides.

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The storm already has raked Haiti and the Dominican Republic and could strike eastern Cuba and the Bahamas. The United States has long provided support to countries in the Caribbean after natural disasters, carrying out search-and-rescue operations as well as delivery of food, water, generators and other urgent supplies. But the Trump administration has cut billions of dollars in foreign aid this year and dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), absorbing its remnants into the State Department. During President Donald Trump’s first administration, he came under sharp criticism for his response to Hurricane Maria, which devastated the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico in 2017. Trump has repeatedly claimed the U.S. response was a success, but others familiar with his thinking at the time have said he was reluctant to send help to Puerto Rico. An independent inspector general investigation later found that the administration imposed bureaucratic obstacles that stalled billions of dollars in hurricane relief.

Indiana governor calls special session to push Republicans into redistricting

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun called the state legislature back to the Capitol for a special session next week in an attempt to push a group of recalcitrant Republicans into approving new congressional maps called for by President Donald Trump. “I am calling a special legislative session to protect Hoosiers from efforts in other states that seek to diminish their voice in Washington and ensure their representation in Congress is fair,” Braun said in a statement. The move comes almost a week after Indiana Republicans said the state party did not have the votes it needed to pass Trump’s redistricting effort. Braun said Monday, speaking to local station 91.3 FM WBIC, that any comments about Republicans lacking the votes are not speaking from within the party.

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“When you hear, ‘The votes aren’t there,’ that’s mostly coming from Democrats and others that don’t want it to occur,” he said. “Once this goes public, you’ll have people getting off the fence, and you’re going to see the votes will be there.” State House Speaker Todd Huston and Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray have yet to publicly say where they stand on redistricting. A poll commissioned by Unite America this month found that 44% of Indiana residents oppose redrawing the congressional districts, with just 31% supporting it. On Monday, Huston said in a brief statement to Indiana Capital Chronicle that House Republicans “received the Governor’s call for a special session and will continue having conversations within our caucus and with our counterparts in the Senate on our next steps.”

Trump win praise, but no movements on trade in Japan

Inside a gold-drenched palace in Tokyo on Tuesday, President Trump heaped praise on Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s new prime minister, telling her that their countries were “allies at the strongest level” and vowing to come to Japan’s aide on “any favors you need.” The leaders signed two vaguely worded agreements — one declaring a “new golden age of the US-Japan alliance,” and another to cooperate on expanding the supply chain for rare earth metals — but there was little sign of any breakthrough in the details of the trade deal both countries signed onto in July. There was no public talk about a major point of contention between the two countries: the details of how Japan intends to spend a promised $550 billion investment into the United States. The promise came as part of the trade deal, and in return for the large investment, Japan was to receive a 15 percent tariff on its exports — a lower rate than Mr. Trump had initially threatened.

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Instead, both leaders focused more on what they had in common: A warm relationship with Shinzo Abe, the former Japanese prime minister who was assassinated in 2022. Ms. Takaichi is a protégé of his, and the Tuesday meeting was considered a major test of how well she had studied Mr. Abe’s approach to handling a mercurial American president. During Mr. Trump’s visit to Tokyo in 2019, Mr. Abe treated the president to a round of golf, hibachi and a sumo match. Within minutes of meeting Mr. Trump, the new prime minister showed that she had closely studied that relationship. During the visit, she gave Trump a golf bag signed by Hideki Matsuyama, a Japanese professional golfer, and a putter that had belonged to Mr. Abe, along with a map of places within the United States that the Japanese plan to invest money, according to the White House. On his way into Tokyo, Mr. Trump had kept expectations reasonably low, telling reporters that he had plans to “just announce a great friendship” while in the Japanese capital.

‘It is a crisis’: Mayors share how grappling with housing has shaped their jobs

In U.S. cities big and small, mayors are finding their tenures shaped by housing shortages, and efforts to build more homes, so that people of any income can afford a place to live. In a series of conversations, mayors of big cities such as Atlanta and Seattle, as well as of midsize Midwest cities like Columbus, Ohio, and Madison, Wisconsin, told Stateline that housing is the No. 1 priority for mayors to tackle. “Housing is by far one of the most important issues facing every mayor in America. It impacts everything from safety to the workforce to transit,” said Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther, who also is the immediate past president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. “Mayors are on the front lines of our nation’s housing crisis. And it is a crisis.”

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More than half of mayors in a recent bipartisan survey expect affordability in their cities to decline over the next year, and nearly all say their residents are dissatisfied with current housing costs. The survey was released in June by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, along with the Bipartisan Policy Center and the Capital One Insights Center. And while a large share of big-city mayors are Democratic, members of both parties are seeking some nonpartisan solutions. Republican Mark Shepherd of Clearfield, Utah, and Democrat Rex Richardson of Long Beach, California, are pressing Congress to expand rental assistance and affordable housing programs, while also partnering with business leaders to boost supply. The two mayors help lead a coalition called Mayors and CEOs for U.S. Housing Investment. Housing is a pivotal issue in next month’s mayoral races in Minneapolis, New York City and Seattle. But even as mayors set ambitious targets, they’re often working within narrow lanes of authority.

Amazon lays off 14,000 corporate workers

Amazon.com announced job cuts of 14,000 workers Tuesday, a first move in layoffs that are expected to affect as many as 30,000 corporate jobs, according to people familiar with the matter. The reductions are the latest cost-cutting move for the tech giant, which is seeking to slim down and conserve cash, the people said. The planned cuts, which won’t all happen this week, are expected to amount to roughly 10% of the online giant’s corporate workforce. The thousands of corporate pink slips that are going out Tuesday cut across the organization, hitting human resources, cloud computing, advertising and a number of other business units, the people said. The total number of reductions hasn’t been finalized, one of the people said.

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In a note to employees, Amazon senior Vice President Beth Galetti called the workforce reduction a way to “get even stronger by further reducing bureaucracy, removing layers, and shifting resources to ensure we’re investing in our biggest bets and what matters most to our customers’ current and future needs.” Amazon’s job cuts come as large companies in the U.S. are looking at ways to reduce or slow the growth of their head count, including by employing artificial intelligence. Rising prices, a tighter labor market and the ebb and flow of President Trump’s trade war have led corporate leaders to look at ways to tighten belts without hurting growth. Amazon Chief Executive Andy Jassy has been on a yearslong campaign to cut expenses as the company ramped up spending on AI in the face of increased competition for its cloud-computing business.

Copyright October 28, 2025, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved