October 14, 2026: All Newsclips

Lead Stories

Top G.O.P. groups pull support from first House incumbents

Top Republican super PACs aligned with President Trump and congressional Republican leadership are cutting off financial support for two Republican House members seeking re-election, according to three people with direct knowledge of the plans. The decision represents the first instance this cycle of national Republican groups abandoning incumbents as the party scrambles to prevent more widespread losses in the midterm elections. Officials with the two super PACs decided to cancel all remaining advertising booked for Representative Thomas H. Kean Jr. of New Jersey and Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa over the weekend after internal G.O.P. polling had showed their re-election chances dimming. National Republicans, after withdrawing funds last week from the open Nebraska seat of Representative Don Bacon, who is retiring, have now essentially ceded three House districts the party currently holds.

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In 2024, Republicans emerged from the election holding only a three-seat majority in the House. Since then, the party has tried to pad that slim margin through an aggressive redistricting push that reshaped the 2026 map. The Republican triage efforts also include withdrawing all of the remaining funds that had been reserved for targeting two Democrats running for re-election, Representatives Greg Landsman of Ohio and Kristen McDonald Rivet of Michigan, according to the three people with direct knowledge. One of the people said other seats were under active consideration to be abandoned as soon as this week. All told, the super PAC aligned with Speaker Mike Johnson, the Congressional Leadership Fund, is redirecting $10 million from the seats it is effectively ceding in Iowa, Michigan, New Jersey and Ohio and spreading it across 16 new districts, two of the people said. “For two years, we’ve built the resources and infrastructure that allow us to maneuver in a difficult environment,” Chris Winkelman, the president of the Congressional Leadership Fund, said in a statement. “These moves keep the pressure on the most vulnerable Democrats and preserve a path to 218 seats.”

Tarrant County judge denies request to reinstate polling sites

Tarrant County officials will not have to reinstate polling locations that were recently eliminated for the Nov. 3 midterm election after a district judge denied a temporary injunction request Tuesday, Oct. 13. Earlier this month, four plaintiffs sued Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare, county commissioners Matt Krause and Manny Ramirez and Elections Administrator Clint Ludwig after commissioners decided to cut 92 of the 316 county polling sites that were used in the 2022 midterm election. County commissioners Roderick Miles and Alisa Simmons opposed that decision, which came down in September, and were not named as defendants in the suit.

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The plaintiffs were Fort Worth City Council member Deborah Peoples (acting outside her capacity as a city leader), former district judge Maryellen Hicks, Kathleen Hicks and Camille Rodriguez, who is a Fort Worth school board trustee. Their attorney, Susan Hutchison, asked Tarrant County District Judge J. Patrick Gallagher to sign a temporary injunction ordering the county to reopen some, if not all, of the 92 polling places for election day. Gallagher denied that request. No explanation was immediately provided, but Assistant Tarrant County District Attorney Steve Lund, who represented the defendants, argued that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to reinstate polling sites with early voting scheduled to begin Monday. Over the better part of the day, Hutchison argued the reduction in polling locations placed an unequal burden on Black and Hispanic voters. Peoples testified that all three polling places in the majority-minority 76103 ZIP code, where she lives, were closed.

Federal energy regulators shoot down grid operator’s plan to cut power to data centers during shortfalls

The nation’s energy regulators have shot down a bid from a regional grid operator to cut power to some large data centers during a supply shortfall — leaving the issue largely in the hands of states. Regional grid operator PJM, which manages the electric grid for several East Coast and Midwest states, proposed an ability to cut power to new large consumers when it’s facing a shortage. Its proposal would have applied to large data centers that don’t bring their own power sources. However, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) rejected PM’s proposal, saying it may violate the Federal Power Act. The commissioners wrote that the law “leaves to the states alone ‘any other sale’ — most notably any retail sale” of electricity.

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The ruling comes after bipartisan governors and the Trump administration pushed PJM to do more to address rising electricity prices, in which data centers’ massive electricity demand is a factor. Jeff Dennis, senior counsel at consulting firm Co2efficient, said that the decision puts pressure on states to set their own policy. Dennis, a former FERC staffer, said that the policies that states put in place could differ significantly. He said that “adds to the number of things that the states and that PJM and to some degree, still FERC, have to sort out” to avoid high power prices and blackouts in the future. PJM spokesperson Jeff Shields said in an email that the grid operator is “reviewing the Commission’s order with an eye toward how we can fulfill FERC’s requirements while recognizing the responsibilities FERC indicated belong to the states and honoring the concept that existing electricity customers should not be unfairly burdened by new, energy intensive customers in the form of higher costs or decreased reliability.”

Texas DA says ICE intentionally hit immigrant with a car and may have withheld evidence

Videos collected by local investigators make it “pretty obvious” that an ICE officer intentionally ran over Miguel Parra Hernandez during an immigration stop Saturday, which could lead to assault charges, the district attorney said Tuesday. “This was an intentional striking and running over of the person by the vehicle, and in that case, that is an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Texas,” Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare told NBC News. Teare said the federal government is not cooperating with the investigation conducted by his office and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. He also said ICE may have allowed the erasure of critical data in the vehicle involved in striking Parra, who was on foot.

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Teare said that in his seven years as a Harris County vehicular crimes division chief, he has reviewed video from a number of other auto-pedestrian collision cases. He said the video his investigators have gathered in Parra’s case “goes above” the video that was posted online and obtained by NBC affiliate KPRC of Houston. “My viewing of it, and many other investigators that have viewed it, as well, it’s pretty obvious that this was an intentional striking and running over of the person by the vehicle, and in that case, that is an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Texas,” he said. Parra, 48, was left with multiple breaks and fractures in his body, according to his attorney and an advocate who has been speaking on his behalf. He had surgery on one leg and faces multiple additional operations, said Cesar Espinosa, co-founder and executive director of FIEL, an immigrant civil rights group. Video obtained by KPRC shows a white truck headed in the opposite direction of traffic on a busy roadway. It shows a vehicle jumping a yellow median and heading in the direction that Parra is running.

State Stories

Paxton says he won’t cut Social Security benefits, responding to leaked audio

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said, if elected to the U.S. Senate next month, he would not vote to cut Social Security benefits. The Republican candidate's statement follows a leaked recording of Paxton, published by The Texas Tribune last week, saying he favors cuts to mandatory spending to balance the federal budget deficit. “I’ve repeatedly said on the record that I will protect Social Security, including as recently as September 1 and August 21," Paxton said in a statement to Houston Public Media. "Social Security represents a sacred promise that seniors paid into, and they have earned every single dollar. I’ve also said either we keep spending ourselves into mountains of debt, or we find a way to cut spending."

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Nearly 5 million Texans receive old age, disability, or survivors' benefits through Social Security, while close to 600,000 more low-income individuals in Texas receive supplemental security income through the program. The leaked recording published by The Texas Tribune included Paxton's response to a question about reducing the federal deficit, saying cuts to mandatory federal spending were unavoidable and that, "We have to suck it up." Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid together account for roughly three-quarters of mandatory federal spending in the most recent fiscal year, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. "We have to solve the national debt while keeping the promises we made to everyone who paid into these programs," Paxton told Houston Public Media. "The fake news keeps spinning the same cherry-picked audio to mislead Texans and take my words out of context. I have never said I would take away entitlements from those who deserve or earned them."

San Antonio takes DHS, ICE to court over planned Eastside detention facility

San Antonio filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday seeking to halt development of a planned immigration detention facility on the East Side until federal authorities comply with environmental review requirements. The lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement seeks to stop the conversion of a nearly 640,000-square-foot warehouse acquired by ICE in January on Southeast Loop 410 into an immigration detention and processing facility capable of holding up to 1,500 people. City Attorney Andy Segovia announced the legal action Tuesday morning alongside Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones and several City Council members, marking the city’s most significant effort yet to challenge the proposed facility.

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The lawsuit centers on the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, which requires federal agencies to assess the potential environmental effects of major projects before proceeding. The city is asking a federal judge to prevent DHS and ICE from moving forward with development until the required environmental review is completed. Segovia said those reviews go beyond assessing air and water quality to consider how a project could affect the surrounding community, including its economy, history and culture. “With a facility of this size and scope, within the core urban core of San Antonio, these sorts of reviews are even more critical,” Segovia said. “It’s very clear to see that there will be these impacts, and the law is there to make sure that those impacts are mitigated.” The lawsuit follows months of unsuccessful attempts by city officials to obtain information about the conversion, development plans and potential environmental impacts of the facility. Since February, city officials have sent five letters to DHS and ICE seeking details about the proposed facility, including environmental reviews, permitting requirements and opportunities for public input. Federal officials responded to one letter in June, promising to coordinate with the city, seek community feedback and share engineering and design reports before beginning work. But Jones said the city has received none of that information, even as ICE awarded a $17.3 million contract to GardaWorld Federal Services, a contractor involved in Florida’s controversial “Alligator Alcatraz” detention facility, to renovate the warehouse. “We have been very patient with the federal authorities, in particular DHS and ICE, on this issue,” Jones said. “San Antonio is done waiting.”

Mercy Culture protests ‘evil spirits,’ prays for God’s intervention in Tarrant

Mercy Culture Church congregants gathered in front of the Tarrant County Administration Building on Tuesday, Oct. 13, praying for wickedness to be cast out and a righteous stronghold in the county. Emmanuel Cota, director of Mercy Culture ministry Citizens For Life, said the worship gathering was a “spiritual protest against the evil spirits that are influencing Tarrant County.” The group of roughly 50 worshipers sang Christian songs, prayed and took communion during the hour before the county commissioners court meeting. It was the second gathering hosted by the nondenominational Fort Worth-based church on the front lawn of the administration building. The first was ahead of the meeting when commissioners voted to reduce the number of Election Day polling locations.

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There were several prayers throughout the service to ask God to come to Tarrant County to demolish the wickedness, put righteous and just leaders into the right seats on Nov. 3 and establish the will of heaven. Cota said the church and Christians should pray over the government and courts so that the right decisions in God’s eyes will be made. When asked for examples of wicked decisions made by the county commissioners, Cota said he would have to consult his notes. As for righteous decisions, he said they could be as simple as lowering property taxes, which is a campaign promise of Republicans County Judge Tim O’Hare and Commissioner Manny Ramirez, who are on the Nov. 3 ballot. Cota also pointed to helping single income homes, giving grants to pregnancy centers, cracking down on human trafficking and generally easing the everyday life of Tarrant County residents. Cota couldn’t name them but said Mercy Culture has candidates of choice based on how their morals and decisions align with the Bible. “We’re here to ask the Lord for guidance, wisdom, wise counsel for everyone that’s coming up on these elections to make the right decisions according to what Scripture says,” Cota said.

Hood County rejects Comanche Circle data center settlement and permit appeal

Hood County commissioners rejected a proposed settlement with data center developer Sailfish Investors and unanimously denied the company’s appeal of its on-site permit applications Tuesday, following hours of public testimony and debate over development regulations, environmental impacts and the county’s authority. The proposed settlement would have reduced the Comanche Circle project’s footprint in Hood County from about 2,523 acres to approximately 1,375 acres. The company also offered commitments involving setbacks, cooling methods, light pollution and repairs to county roads The votes mark another setback for Sailfish managing partner Ryan Hughes, who has sought approval to move forward with the Comanche Circle data center project and related developments known as Project Lion and Project Panther.

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In an Oct. 1 email to county officials, Hughes argued the agreement would help avoid litigation and allow the project to proceed with additional restrictions. He warned that rejecting the deal could lead to a lawsuit and a larger project with fewer restrictions. Commissioners voted 3-1 to reject the settlement proposal. Commissioner Kevin Andrews was the lone dissenting vote. Commissioner Nannette Samuelson was not present at Tuesday’s meeting. The commissioners later voted unanimously to deny Sailfish’s appeal of the county’s decision on its on-site permit applications. Andrews, who represents Precinct 1, said the county should continue negotiations over the proposed agreement. “We have been offered concessions that we can’t regulate, and I think it would be a good idea for us to continue to negotiate to try to get to terms that work for the county,” Andrews said. Andrews also said the appeal was placed on the agenda on the advice of legal counsel and because county regulations allow the developer to appeal. Residents urged commissioners to scrutinize the project’s potential effects on water resources, wildlife, nearby properties and the county’s regulatory process.

A parent petition to avoid an Austin ISD takeover has divided families

Superintendent Matias Segura laid out how the district would update curriculum, enhance the school’s focus on math and reading and provide teacher stipends with a $1.7 million investment. The efforts would be replicated at two other nearby middle schools — Dobie and Webb — because all three had scored multiple years of failing academic ratings on the state’s report card. But months later, as the 2025-26 school year began, the plan didn’t go smoothly, said Ingrid Saucedo, the mother of current Burnet seventh- and eighth-graders. The school year started with teaching vacancies, which meant Saucedo’s children were taught by substitutes. Sometimes her children were marked absent even when they were in class because campus administration changed students’ schedules as administrators worked through logistical issues.

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“That’s why a lot of parents are mad with Matias (Segura) and the district,” Saucedo said. “He said he’d promise us stuff but didn’t give it.” Since then, Burnet and Webb have received their fifth failing state grade in a row, and Texas law requires Education Commissioner Mike Morath to either close the campuses or take over the district, replacing the elected school board with appointed managers. Even though Morath has yet to decide how the state will intervene, parents’ anger flared last month when Mayor Kirk Watson proposed they could petition to close their own middle schools to spare all of Austin ISD a takeover. Watson posed the process as a way for the community to act “instead of simply waiting for something to happen to us.” “It gives the families most impacted a say in what comes next,” he wrote in a newsletter pitching the plan. The petitions, which require a majority of parents at each school to sign, could be Austin ISD’s last, desperate chance to hold off a takeover. But for Burnet and Webb families — including parents like Saucedo who ultimately signed the petition — the campaign represents years of broken trust with a district that has failed to support their children. “To be honest, they don’t deserve our signature because they never help,” Saucedo said. “They never pay attention to us. They don’t deserve it.”

Will portion of street be renamed for Texas Stock Exchange headquarters?

Dallas City Council will hold another public hearing Oct. 14 on a proposal to rename a portion of North Harwood Street to "Exchange Place" as the Texas Stock Exchange prepares to move its headquarters to the future Bank of America Tower at Parkside, 1919 Woodall Rodgers Fwy. The change would apply to the stretch between Woodall Rodgers and Harry Hines Boulevard, giving the exchange a future address of "One Exchange Place."

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The proposal has already received recommendations for approval from both the Subdivision Review Committee and the City Plan Commission?. Because Harwood Street is a historic street name that dates to 1872, the renaming requires approval from three-quarters of the council. The council previously considered the item Sept. 23, when it sparked significant debate among members. The proposal received nine votes in favor and five against, falling short of the supermajority required for approval. Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Maxie Johnson did not vote because he was unable to connect to the meeting while traveling. Immediately after the vote, Council Member Jesse Moreno moved to hold the item under advisement, allowing it to return for further consideration.

FBI raids Texas 'laptop farms' helping North Korea fund nuclear weapons

An investigation uncovered a network of U.S.-based "laptop farms" that helped North Koreans secretly infiltrate American businesses, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas said Tuesday. The scheme aimed to fund the regime's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. What we know: During "Operation Lone Star Roundup," federal agents seized more than 185 laptops and devices from around 40 locations across Texas, U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould said. Agents found more than 100 of those devices right here in North Texas.

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The backstory: North Korean IT workers use fake identities to get remote contracts with U.S. companies. Because these workers actually live in North Korea, they rely on U.S. facilitators to receive company-issued laptops and host them in their homes. The U.S. facilitators install remote access software, allowing operatives in North Korea to log in and appear as though they are working from within the United States. The workers then funnel an estimated 85% to 90% of their earnings directly to the North Korean government. Raybould said the U.S. Treasury estimated that more than $800 million was sent to North Korea in fiscal year 2024. Officials said North Texas sees a high concentration of this activity due to the region's massive employment market.

Ashley Oborn: Texas is investing in rural justice. Better data can grow access

(Ashley Oborn is director of data analytics at Lone Star Legal Aid.) Texas is making a big investment in rural access to justice. The Texas Access to Justice Foundation in September announced a multiyear initiative funded with $26.7 million from the Supreme Court of Texas. Seven legal-aid organizations will work together to establish a network of 170 rural legal outposts, using in-person, virtual, and technology-supported services to bring civil legal assistance closer to rural Texans. The initiative aims to reach nearly 38,000 more people over five years. The investment comes at a critical time. Texas has more than 100,000 active attorneys, yet 123 of its 254 counties meet the American Bar Association’s threshold for a legal desert — fewer than one attorney for every 1,000 residents. Sixty-eight counties have five or fewer attorneys, and nine have none. Bringing more legal resources into these communities is essential. But as Texas undertakes an effort of this scale, we should reconsider how we identify legal deserts in the first place.

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Attorney counts tell us where lawyers are. They don’t necessarily tell us whether people can access legal help. My research at Lone Star Legal Aid examines legal access across five dimensions: attorney supply and demand, geographic distance, digital infrastructure, language access, and court infrastructure. Looking at those factors together reveals at least two distinct types of legal deserts. In acute legal deserts, multiple systems fail at once. These communities may have few or no resident attorneys, long travel distances, limited broadband, and fewer court-based resources. Thirty-four Texas counties fit this framework: 25 named by the Texas Access to Justice Commission and nine with no resident attorneys. But there also are chronic legal deserts — communities where attorneys may be nearby, yet other barriers prevent residents from obtaining meaningful legal assistance. High concentrations of low-income residents, transportation barriers, limited digital connectivity, language needs, and court infrastructure can all restrict access even when attorney counts appear adequate. That distinction matters because different legal deserts require different solutions.

House flippers are cashing in big in one Upstate NY metro— while Texas gets burned

Home flippers across America are watching their profits shrink, with the typical flip bringing in just $60,526 before expenses in the second quarter of 2026 — down from $71,000 a year earlier, according to a new report from real estate data firm ATTOM. That’s a return of 21.5% on what investors paid for the property, down from 27.6% a year ago. And that’s before paying for renovations, closing costs and other expenses — meaning the actual payday could be a whole lot smaller. “Flippers are still making money in most markets, but the typical return continues to narrow,” ATTOM CEO Rob Barber said in the report. “The second-quarter numbers continue the general downward trend in profit margins and gross profits we have seen over the past two years.” It’s a far cry from the days when soaring home prices made flipping houses look like an easy way to get rich. Now, with homes already expensive and buyers watching their budgets, investors have less room to make a quick buck. And fewer people are getting in on the action.

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And down in Texas, the house-flipping dream is looking more like a nightmare. San Antonio was the only major metro in the report where the typical flip actually lost money, with investors selling for slightly less than they paid — a negative 0.3% return. Dallas wasn’t much better, with a paltry 1.8% return. Austin came in at 2.8%, while Houston managed just 3.7%. The weak returns come amid a much tougher selling environment across the Lone Star State, where buyers have gained the upper hand. According to Redfin, sellers outnumbered buyers by 130% in Houston, 116% in San Antonio, 112% in Austin and 99% in Dallas in July, with sellers increasingly cutting prices and offering incentives to compete with an overflow of newly built homes. Those razor-thin margins don’t leave much wiggle room for a leaky roof, an unexpected plumbing disaster or a renovation that goes over budget. And because ATTOM’s figures don’t include the cost of fixing up a property, even flippers who technically made money on a sale could have ended up in the red. The report also suggests that bigger — and cheaper — isn’t always better.

Austin journalists mourn loss of editor Jim Phillips, who died at 74

Jim Phillips, longtime Austin reporter, editor and mentor, died early Tuesday morning after battling pneumonia and a MRSA infection. He was 74. "Jim was one of the very best of our kind," said Courtney Sebesta, editor in chief of the Austin American-Statesman. "He mentored countless young journalists at the Statesman. You could always find him hanging with the early-career journalists at a dive bar after work. He loved hearing about everyone's journalism adventures. He was no nonsense, but so loving and really cared about you as a person. He was a great editor but an even better friend."

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Phillips reported on major legal cases, local politics and big news events, such as the siege of the Mount Carmel Center of the Branch Davidians outside Waco from February to April 1993. "Jim was the newsroom teacher for as long as I was there and beyond," said Debbie Hiott, former Statesman editor in chief and former general manager at KUT and KUTX. "Personally, I learned what grace under pressure is from him. He did some of the toughest reporting, and came under considerable fire — even threats — because of that, but he always emerged calm, confident and credible. His reporting subjects loved him or hated him, but they always respected his work. I reached out to him for advice long after he left the Statesman." "One of Jim's biggest legacies is that he helped raise a generation of early-career journalists at the Statesman, and I'm proud to be one of them," said Tony Plohetski, associate editor of investigations. "When I first began at the paper 26 years ago, all the young reporters were sent to work with him because he was so patient with us and worked hard to make our stories shine and to set us up for long careers."

Jerry Jones donates $10 million to Clinton Presidential Center

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is donating $10 million to the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, Arkansas to support a modernization and renovation. The funding from Jones, who grew up in Arkansas, will help enhance the Clinton Center’s expansive educational facilities that house programming for students of all ages, teacher resources, adult and civic learning, as well as the Clinton School of Public Service in the University of Arkansas system, according at an Oct. 12 announcement. "It is one of my greatest honors to stand next to President Clinton and be able to make this donation with my wife, Gene, and our family,” Jones said in a statement. “Understanding that the state of Arkansas, Little Rock, North Little Rock and the University of Arkansas have all been at the core of our family’s experience while providing the landscape and foundation that formed and helped shape our lives and success, this is a remarkably heartfelt moment."

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Jones played football at the University of Arkansas and was co-captain of the Razorbacks' 1964 national champion team before later making his fortune in oil and gas. Jones purchased the Dallas Cowboys in 1989 for $140 million and built the club into the most valuable sports franchise in the world. Forbes most recently valued the Cowboys at $17 billion, while Jones and his family have an estimated net worth of $23.2 billion. He ranked among the five most wealthy billionaires in North Texas, according to an annual Forbes list. Clinton, a Democrat who served as the 42nd president of the U.S. from 1993 to 2001, expressed gratitude to Jones for the gift in a statement. “Jerry Jones is an American sports icon – someone who has competed at the highest level and won, without ever losing sight of where he came from,” Clinton said. Since opening in 2004, the Clinton Center has become an economic engine in Central Arkansas. The center has generated more than $4.9 billion in economic impact in Little Rock and North Little Rock while welcoming more than 5.5 million visitors from around the world, according to the announcement. The center has also opened its doors to 525,000 students and educators visit at no charge, while more than 700 students have graduated from the Clinton School of Public Service at the University of Arkansas.

National Stories

OPEC cuts oil demand growth forecast amid Strait of Hormuz conflict

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries cut this year’s forecast for global oil-demand growth again, as escalating attacks on Gulf shipping and Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia raise fresh risks to regional supplies. The group of oil-rich countries now expects global demand to grow by 180,000 barrels a day, down from 380,000 barrels a day previously. However, it raised its forecast for next year’s demand growth to 2.55 million barrels a day, from 2.36 million previously, driven in part by the need to replenish oil inventories depleted by the Iran war. The closely watched monthly report came as oil prices pulled back on Tuesday after three consecutive sessions of gains. Front-month Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, fell 1.7% to $104.86 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate futures slid 1.5% to $92.32 a barrel.

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Repeated attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, deadly Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia and surging freight costs are keeping geopolitical risk premiums elevated. OPEC+ ministers said Monday that shipping and insurance costs have climbed to unprecedented levels, exceeding a third of the value of the commodities being transported. Crude production among OPEC members rose by 920,000 barrels a day to 25.09 million barrels a day in September, driven by Saudi and Iraqi output. Production from OPEC’s de facto leader, Saudi Arabia, rose by 2.1 million barrels a day to 8.37 million barrels a day, according to OPEC’s latest data. Earlier this month, key members of the OPEC+ alliance agreed to keep output stable in November. According to data provider Kpler, oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz remain sharply below prewar levels, with confirmed flows averaging 9.7 million barrels a day over the past week, down about 43% from 17.1 million barrels a day before the conflict. Daily flows have been volatile amid escalating tanker attacks, though the latest figures are preliminary and could be revised higher.

U.S. probe of Rep. Ilhan Omar focuses on birth date, citizenship papers, people familiar say

The federal investigation that prompted the search of Rep. Ilhan Omar’s D.C. residence on Monday centers on claims that she or her late father may have lied on decades-old immigration paperwork to secure legal status and eventually U.S. citizenship, three people familiar with the matter said. Omar — a Minnesota Democrat who was born in Somalia and fled civil war there with her family before eventually immigrating to the United States in 1995 — has repeatedly rejected such allegations, which have circulated in conservative media for years. She dismissed them again in a statement Monday as “baseless lies and smear campaigns.” It is extremely unusual for federal agents to take public investigative actions related to a member of Congress just weeks before an election because doing so could cast a candidate who is not criminally charged in a negative light.

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In Omar’s case, the investigation is notable for other reasons as well: It involves long-ago paperwork from when she was a teenager, and Omar is a lawmaker who has frequently been singled out for criticism and vitriol by President Donald Trump and his allies. The president condemned her again in a social media post Tuesday, after U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro told Fox News that her office had launched a separate inquiry into Omar’s financial disclosure forms — a matter that has previously drawn the attention of House Republicans. “America wants answers, and we want them, NOW!” wrote Trump, mirroring his previous calls for Justice Department investigations of his perceived political enemies. The immigration-related inquiry, which could result in fraud charges and potentially an attempt by the Justice Department to strip Omar of her citizenship, is based on a renewed look at her immigration history launched earlier this year by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the investigative arm of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the people familiar with the matter said.

In blow to Rollins, judge halts USDA’s reorganization

A federal court temporarily halted the Trump administration’s sweeping reorganization of the Agriculture Department late Tuesday, dealing a blow to Secretary Brooke Rollins. The order from the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of California bars officials from moving congressionally appropriated money to fund the reorganization, such as through moving expenses, building closures and other costs. A federal court temporarily halted the Trump administration’s sweeping reorganization of the Agriculture Department late Tuesday, dealing a blow to Secretary Brooke Rollins. The order from the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of California bars officials from moving congressionally appropriated money to fund the reorganization, such as through moving expenses, building closures and other costs. The court’s move is a victory for federal employees’ unions, including the American Federation of Government Employees and the AFL-CIO, which sued the government earlier this year. It applies to the Forest Service; the Food and Nutrition Administration; the Agricultural Research Service, including the Beltsville Agriculture Research Center; the Foreign Agricultural Service; Rural Development; the Office of the General Counsel; the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights; as well as the mission areas Research, Education and Economics, and Farm Production and Conservation.

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The relief could be short-lived, however. Judge Vince Chhabria, an Obama appointee, noted that the “relevant appropriations statutes are set to expire in less than two months.” The order won’t prevent a reorganization after that if Congress agrees with USDA’s plan. The order doesn’t prevent USDA from closing offices in the Washington area, such as the South Building, which officials said earlier this year they intend to sell, or from moving employees within the region. USDA officials have argued that the reorganization, which moves staff to five regional hubs, is intended to move federal staff closer to the people they serve, including farmers. The vast majority of USDA staff already work out of regional, state or county offices across the country. The reorganization has led some employees to retire early or quit, prompting concerns about a loss of experience and expertise across the department. A spokesperson for USDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump's ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, resigns after allegations of improper conduct

The White House publicly asked for U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle's resignation on Tuesday as she faced mounting accusations of improper conduct, and she announced within two hours that she was quitting, ending days of talk and speculation about her professional fate. Guilfoyle insisted that she would "vigorously defend" herself. President Donald Trump's administration had said earlier Tuesday it had asked Guilfoyle to leave her post after she faced severe criticism over allegations she engaged in improper and possibly illegal conduct before and during her tenure in Athens. That revelation came in response to a question to freshly minted White House press secretary Katie Zacharia at her first media briefing Tuesday morning. Zacharia said Guilfoyle "has been a wonderful asset to the team, and we wish her well."

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"She went to Greece. She was doing a good job, but we didn't like what we were reading," Trump said just after Guilfoyle's resignation, which was posted on her X account. He said he had not spoken to her but "she will not be there." Guilfoyle's departure comes after its possibility was previewed to The Associated Press over the weekend and Trump registered his unhappiness on Monday at reports about her alleged conduct. Those comments came a day after the AP, citing a senior U.S. official, reported that Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were "extremely pissed off" by Guilfoyle's reported conduct. In a series of stories dating to late last month, The Wall Street Journal has reported questionable conduct by Guilfoyle, including an alleged threat to a host country official, accepting improper gifts and services and offering to use her influence inside the Republican administration in return for the payment of a large credit card bill. Guilfoyle addressed the accusations directly in her resignation post on X, saying, "These allegations are false, and I intend to vigorously defend my name, my reputation, and my integrity."

Katie Zacharia stepped to the lectern for the first time. It was a bumpy ride.

President Trump’s new press secretary, Katie Zacharia, made her debut behind the White House lectern Tuesday morning. It was a bumpy one. “Good morning!” she began. “I want to thank President Trump for his trust that he has placed in me. I have wanted to work for him for a very long time.” She spent the next eight minutes reading nervously from a script, looking up at the cameras every couple of lines. Then she said she was ready to take some questions. She called on only three reporters, dropped one wild piece of news, made a slip mixing up her husband and her president, then darted out of there after just five and a half minutes, leaving the White House press corps to scratch its collective head. All told, Ms. Zacharia picked only a few outlets from a list she was holding: Breitbart, Fox News and The Daily Mail.

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The White House press secretary gig is a tricky one that, when practiced well, involves more than reciting talking points on cable TV, which is what Ms. Zacharia was doing as a commentator on Fox News when she got picked for this job. Of the few questions she allowed on Tuesday, the most substantive one was also among the most predictable: “Has the U.S. stopped sharing intel with Ukraine?” For days, the breakdown of U.S. negotiations with the Ukrainians has been front page news — certainly it is the dominant story line in Washington this week — and yet, Ms. Zacharia was not prepared to answer the question. “I’ll have to get back to you on that,” she said. One of the few questions she took was about how she hoped to “manage” her new job with a husband and four kids at home (hard to imagine a male press secretary getting that one). There was a moment of levity in the room when she caught herself in a funny slip, and was able to laugh about it. “So, my president, excuse me, my husband,” she said, “that’s a good one.”

Judge extends block on Trump White House ban of MS NOW, CNN and Politico

A federal judge late Tuesday night indefinitely extended his block on the White House from enforcing a ban on three media outlets that President Donald Trump announced in mid-September. The preliminary injunction by Judge Timothy Kelly replaces his temporary restraining order against Trump’s ban of MS NOW, CNN and Politico from the White House complex as a lawsuit challenging the ban plays out. “President Trump’s own comments suggest that he intended the revocation of Plaintiffs’ hard passes to alter their reporting on him,” wrote Kelly, who was nominated by Trump for his seat in U.S. District Court in Washington.

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In his written opinion, Kelly said the three outlets were likely to succeed on their claim in their pending lawsuit, which argues they were denied due process when Trump summarily barred them without giving them a chance to argue against it. The judge cited two existing opinions by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which establish a due process right to journalists whose White House passes are targeted for revocation. Those appellate opinions are binding on federal District Court judges in D.C. The judge also said, for the first time in this case, the outlets were likely to succeed on two First Amendment claims in their civil suit, which allege retaliation and viewpoint discrimination. Kelly’s order Tuesday is not a final ruling on the merits of the suit. And it does not compel the White House to restore access to the Oval Office and Air Force One to the outlets.

Supreme Court case pits 1980s video rental law versus modern newsletters

The Supreme Court on Wednesday will examine the reach of a decades-old privacy law designed to protect video rental records in a case that could shape current and future lawsuits over digital tracking tools. The justices are weighing whether the 1988 Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA) protects consumers who subscribe to any of a company’s products or only those who subscribe to its audiovisual ones. The case arises from a class-action lawsuit brought against Paramount Global in 2022 by Michael Salazar, a subscriber to a 247Sports.com newsletter. The website is a hub for college sports and recruiting news that offers dozens of daily newsletters to its subscribers. Salazar alleges that Paramount has violated the VPPA by installing a Facebook tracking pixel on the website that allowed his data, including video viewing history, to be shared without his consent. That information was then used for targeted advertising.

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The VPPA makes a “video tape service provider” liable for damages when it knowingly discloses a consumer’s personally identifiable information without written consent. It was enacted in response to the leak of failed Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork’s video rental history to the press during his confirmation process. At issue is whether Salazar fits into the VPPA’s definition of a “consumer,” which is classified as “any renter, purchaser, or subscriber of goods or services from a video tape service provider.” Salazar argues he does, while Paramount claims he doesn’t. A federal judge in Tennessee found that Salazar’s subscription did not qualify him as a “consumer” under the law because the newsletter was not “audio visual materials” and dismissed the complaint. A divided panel for the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals later affirmed that ruling. Salazar appealed to the Supreme Court, asking the justices to resolve a circuit split over how to interpret the statutory language.

Copyright October 14, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved