October 9, 2026: All Newsclips

Lead Stories

Talarico’s 12-day absence from trail becomes fodder for GOP in Texas Senate race

James Talarico has been absent from the campaign trail over the past 12 days as the Texas Senate race enters a critical stretch, prompting Republicans to open a new line of attack on the Democratic nominee. At a campaign rally in San Antonio Wednesday, Texas attorney general and GOP Senate nominee Ken Paxton led the crowd in a chant about his opponent’s whereabouts. “Where is James Talarico?” Paxton prompted the crowd to ask. Paxton’s campaign has also drawn attention to the topic in social media posts in recent days, and President Donald Trump has jumped into the debate on Truth Social, describing Talarico as “MISSING IN ACTION.” Talarico’s campaign said the Texas Democrat has been getting over being sick.

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“James looks forward to being back out this weekend after recovering from the flu,” said JT Ennis, a spokesperson for Talarico’s campaign, on Thursday. “It’s been 83 days since James challenged Ken Paxton to come out of hiding and answer Texans’ question in a debate, which even President Trump called on him to do last night. Ball is in Paxton’s court.” Talarico revealed his flu diagnosis September 30 when he spoke virtually with the United States Hispanic Business Council, an event he was supposed to attend in person. “I was starting to feel kind of under the weather a few days ago and last night it got so bad that I went to the urgent care here in Dallas, and I was diagnosed with the flu,” Talarico told the crowd gathered in Edinburg, Texas, over video conference. “I’m running a fever, and I’m at my most contagious right now, and I guess I’ve been shaking too many hands on the campaign trail and so I want to keep everybody safe.” Talarico’s last public appearance in Texas took place on September 26 when he held a press conference on suspending the federal gas and diesel tax and ending the war with Iran.

Why this election could be more complicated for Democrats than polls suggest

The party out of power typically makes gains in midterm elections. With President Trump unpopular and gas prices stubbornly high, both parties expect Democrats to win seats. Will it be a blue wave, though? And if so, will it be strong enough to flip both chambers of Congress? Not all waves have the same gravitational force. In 2006, when President George W. Bush and Republicans faced a backlash over the Iraq War, Democrats flipped 31 seats in the House and five in the Senate, winning both chambers. Mr. Bush called it a “thumpin’.” In 2018, in Mr. Trump’s first term, the wave was even larger in House races, with Democrats flipping 41 seats. They failed to win control of the Senate, however, and actually lost two seats to Republicans.

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Signs are now piling up that another Democratic wave may be coming. Many officials in both parties privately say that they expect Democrats to win back the House, and that the main question is how many seats will change hands. The Senate, long seen as easier for Republicans to hold, now appears to be a tossup. Polls suggest that the party is playing defense even in states Mr. Trump won by double digits two years ago. Election forecasting is a dangerous business — Republican fortunes could still turn around — but history is often a useful guide. That is why officials in both parties wonder if these midterms will look like 2006, when Democrats flipped both chambers, or 2018, when Republicans were wiped out in House races but picked up two seats in the Senate. “All these races that are showing we’ve got a two- or three-point lead or it’s a tossup, we could end up losing all of them by two points,” former President Barack Obama said on Wednesday at a fund-raiser for Senate Democrats. “It’s within the margin of error.” Democrats currently face challenges that did not exist in those earlier midterms. Republican redistricting gains have narrowed the House battleground. The party also has a significant cash advantage. Most of this year’s battleground Senate races are in states Mr. Trump won easily in 2024. The country has only grown more polarized. And the Democratic Party’s brand remains diminished, with liberal voters mistrustful of its leaders.

U.S. budget deficit jumps to nearly $2 trillion

The U.S. budget deficit climbed to nearly $2 trillion in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, according to the Congressional Budget Office, deepening the federal government’s persistent red-ink trend. The $1.993 trillion deficit was 12% above the 2025 level in nominal dollars, reaching the highest level since 2021. The U.S. spent $7.4 trillion last year, up 6%, and it collected $5.4 trillion in revenue, up 3%. The deficit also stayed high as a share of gross domestic product, the metric that economists watch closely. Although the final fiscal 2026 GDP number hasn’t been released yet, budget experts expect the deficit to surpass 6% of GDP, compared with 5.8% in fiscal 2025.

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CBO’s preliminary full-year deficit reading shows the country’s finances stuck in an unusual rut that alarms policymakers but hasn’t moved them to change course. Six-plus years into an economic expansion, the U.S. is running annual deficits normally seen only during recessions and wars. This year’s jump in bond yields makes the fiscal trajectory even more challenging, because it drives up annual interest costs on the $32 trillion publicly held debt. The Trump administration and the Republican-controlled Congress took several steps to reduce red ink since gaining full control of Washington in early 2025. They shrank the federal workforce, curtailed clean-energy tax breaks, let some healthcare subsidies expire and lowered food-stamp enrollment. But President Trump’s hoped-for surge in tariff revenue didn’t happen fully because the Supreme Court ruled that he overstepped his legal authority, forcing the government to issue refunds and pushing net tariff collections below 2025. And Republicans increased deficits by expanding immigration-enforcement spending, extending expiring tax cuts and cutting taxes further.

Inflation on many everyday items was entirely due to tariffs, NY Fed says

The cost of many everyday items would have declined last year and early this year without President Donald Trump’s tariffs, according to the New York Federal Reserve. The cost of 67 categories of goods was 2.9 percentage points higher as of February thanks to tariffs, according to a paper from a team of researchers at the central bank’s New York arm. Without the levies, the team found that prices for the products they studied would have pulled back by almost 1%. The New York Fed’s report offers the clearest evidence yet of the impact of Trump’s tariffs — a core policy of his most recent campaign and second term in the White House — on consumers’ wallets. Economists had widely expected his levies to push up prices, though the precise effects had been hard to estimate due to the changing nature of the policy and the lack of transparency on how companies set their prices.

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“The Trump administration has consistently maintained that the cost of tariffs will ultimately be borne by foreign exporters who rely on access to the American economy,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said in a statement to CNBC. The researchers didn’t say which 67 types of goods they evaluated. For each percentage point increase in the average tariff, the team said that consumer goods prices were higher by roughly a quarter of a percent a year later. Annual price growth in the dozens of goods they tracked peaked at the start of 2026, according to the report. But consumers are still expected to pay elevated prices into 2027 as a result of the policy, it said. Roughly two-thirds of the tariff-related price impact has directly come from the levies themselves, according to the New York Fed’s report. The remaining increase was driven by knock-on effects, such as U.S.-based companies that use imported parts and materials in their products. “Tariffs have a larger and more drawn-out impact on consumer prices than the direct effect alone would suggest,” the study’s three authors, Mary Amiti, Sebastian Heise and David Weinstein, wrote. Trump argued that companies could absorb the increased cost from tariffs rather than pass them down to shoppers in the form of price hikes. The New York Fed team said that around 26% of last year’s tariff increases ended up trickling into higher prices. The Supreme Court in February struck down many of Trump’s tariffs, resulting in billions of dollars in refunds to retailers. The White House has vowed to push forward with levies through alternative measures, and products imported from many countries now often face tariffs of about 10%. In many cases, that is significantly less than what they were under the earlier round of tariffs.

State Stories

Firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan will be livestreamed, Pentagon says

The firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan will be livestreamed, the Pentagon said Thursday, a stunning revelation about plans for the first military execution in more than 65 years after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had described it as being “public.” The Army announced this week that the execution would take place at Fort Hood on Dec. 3 after Hasan was convicted of killing 13 people and injuring 32 others in a shooting at the military base in 2009. Hegseth, speaking to the conservative TV outlet Real America’s Voice on Wednesday, said, “We’ll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it’s public.” Officials in the Pentagon clarified Thursday that the execution would be livestreamed and that more details would follow.

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The revelation from Hegseth about the public nature of the execution — let alone one as violent as a firing squad — has raised further questions about how the death penalty is carried out in the U.S., especially after the botched lethal injection of Christa Pike in Tennessee. Hasan could choose to resist execution and file a habeas petition — a legal request to review the legality of a detention — in civilian court, which could significantly delay the execution, experts said. “It frankly might outlast the current administration, and who knows if the next one will have the same penchant for executions,” said Eugene R. Fidell, a visiting lecturer at Yale Law School specializing in military law. Deborah Denno, a death penalty expert and law professor at Fordham University, said livestreaming an execution could make the process “much more transparent” and inform the public about all that capital punishment entails. Those are benefits that she said would be useful at a time when Pike's botched execution has raised fresh questions about the manner by which criminal defendants are put to death for their crimes. “I think it could possibly be a good idea because it would be transparent and the public would be fully aware that it’s happening,” she said.

Cypress residents analyzed nearly 500 water bills. Here’s what they found

A Cypress neighborhood is raising questions about Aqua Texas’ interim water and wastewater rates after residents say their bills have increased significantly despite similar water usage. One Aqua Texas customer and their neighbors collected 491 billing statements from 57 households, covering April 2024 through September 2026. The customer transcribed the statements and checked the calculations against the totals printed on the bills. The bills show significant increases for the same amount of water used before and after Aqua Texas’ interim rates took effect on March 9, 2026. For a standard 5/8-inch household meter, the bills reviewed showed: 5,000 gallons: $138 to $172, a 25% increase. 10,000 gallons: $172 to $257, a 50% increase. 15,000 gallons: $206 to $370, an 80% increase. 20,000 gallons: $239 to $482, a 101% increase. For a 1-inch meter, 20,000 gallons increased from $300 to $634, a 112% increase. Liz M., an Aqua Texas customer in Cypress, said she noticed a dramatic change in her bills despite relatively consistent household water use.

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“Well, it’s been an uproar, to be honest," she said. She said she was seeing bills increase even when her household's consumption remained similar. “We’re talking, 4,100 gallons, 4,500 gallons to $600.” Another customer said her bills showed a similar pattern. “We have a 5/8" meter, and I look at the bills. It was similar every year. It wasn’t changing a lot, the consumption of gallons, but price is going crazy.” The residents' review also found a significant change in wastewater charges. Under the previous rates, the group said none of the 282 statements it reviewed included a per-gallon sewer charge. Since the interim rates took effect, all 152 full-month statements reviewed charged $5.25 per 1,000 gallons for sewer based on 100% of the water used. The highest verified bill in the data was $808.56 for 27,300 gallons of water on a 1-inch meter in September 2026. Of that amount, $306.61 was attributed to sewer. Aqua Texas filed its statewide rate case with the Public Utility Commission of Texas in 2025, seeking to increase its annual revenue. The company says the interim rates reflect infrastructure investments made to improve reliability, water quality and service. Aqua Texas says it has invested nearly $700 million in infrastructure between 2004 and 2024 and that the current case represents its first statewide base-rate change in 20 years. The company also says the new tiered rate structure is designed to encourage water conservation. Texas faces increasing pressure on water supplies and more frequent drought conditions, according to Aqua Texas. The interim rates took effect March 9, 2026, but the rate case has not been finalized. Texas state Rep. Cody Harris has asked the PUC to stop the rate change, writing that the case has raised “serious concerns” among members of the Texas Legislature about protecting Texans and the regulatory framework governing investor-owned utilities. Customers say they want more clarity about how the new rates are calculated and what is driving the increases. “The fluctuations in the amount of water usage year over year, month over month, doesn’t make any sense.” Aqua Texas said the interim rates are subject to refund once the PUC issues a final order. The PUC has not yet scheduled a hearing to vote on the final rate case.

After Garces Perez has surgery to remove bullet, Austin lawyer questions Dell Seton

Eleven days after being shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, Wilber Rafael Garces Perez finally had surgery to remove the bullet in his upper back last Thursday, Oct. 1, according to one of his attorneys, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch. Garces Perez had told press during a Sept. 21 press conference that the bullet hadn’t been removed during his Sept. 20 visit to the hospital because it was too close to his spine. Austin’s Dell Seton Medical Center had released Garces Perez into ICE custody only four hours after being shot with the bullet still in his body. Now, Dell Seton’s actions on Sept. 20 are being questioned by Austin-area Catholic advocates and the founder of the Texas Civil Rights Project, attorney Jim Harrington. In an Oct. 5 letter, after Garces Perez’s bullet had been removed, they asked the hospital why Garces Perez was released into immigration detention before his medical treatment was fully completed.

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“We are also concerned that, if Dell Seton was unable or unwilling to continue his care, he was not transferred to another appropriate medical facility or medical professionals who could do so. Instead, ICE transported Mr. Garcés-Pérez to the Pearsall detention center, which is not a medical facility,” they wrote. On Sept. 22, an Ascension Seton spokesperson wrote to the Chronicle and other outlets that “established procedures and policies related to interactions with law enforcement” were “strictly followed” by the hospital that day. “We find that response troubling. If the circumstances surrounding Mr. Garcés-Pérez’s release were indeed consistent with standard procedures, then we believe those procedures themselves warrant careful review,” the letter’s co-signers continued, demanding that Dell Seton and Ascension Seton explain “what policies govern the treatment, discharge, and transfer of patients who are in ICE custody or who may be taken into ICE custody.” Just a day before his surgery to remove the bullet from his back, last Wednesday, Sept. 30, Garces Perez appeared in federal court in Austin under a new criminal charge: that Garces Perez had used his vehicle as a “dangerous and deadly weapon,” hit an ICE agent with his side mirror, and attempted to hit the agent a second time before being shot on Sept. 20, per the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

CPS Energy drops rate hike request citing 'financial pressures' on customers

CPS Energy, the city-owned power utility, has decided to drop its quest to increase rates through approval from the San Antonio City Council. But efforts to do so again, may resume next year. With San Antonians already facing higher grocery bills and gas prices, CPS Energy decided the time wasn’t right to ask customers to pay more. "We decided to defer a rate review at this time," said a statement from the utility. "We recognize the financial pressures facing our customers and will continue to implement efficiencies and cost-saving measures while maintaining safe, reliable service." "We have deferred two rate reviews and will revisit the need for our next rate increase in mid-2027. In the face of 20% cumulative inflation over the past five years, CPS Energy continues to hold the line on costs for our customers.

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Rate support continues to be necessary to improve infrastructure for our community," the statement said. CPS Energy has said rapid population growth, energy demand and aging infrastructure are among the main reasons a rate hike will be needed in the near future. The San Antonio City Council on Dec. 7, 2023, approved a rate increase of 4.25% by CPS Energy. It went into effect on Feb. 1, 2024, and is the last rate hike on record. Texas Public Radio reached out to CPS Energy for a comment on its rate plans but did not get an immediate response. The utility has undergone some changes at the top this year. Frank Almaraz was recently named the president and CEO of CPS Energy, replacing Rudy Garza. CPS Energy has assistance programs, like the Casa Verde Weatherization Rebate Program and Affordability Discount Program (ADP). They are designed to support low-income and vulnerable residents. The utility reports that those in need can contact the customer service line at 210-353-2222 for energy bill assistance, payment plans, and additional information about customer programs. CPS Energy calls itself the nation’s largest public power, natural gas, and electric company with 970,000 electric and 390,000 natural gas customers in San Antonio and parts of seven nearby counties. They assert their energy bills rank among the lowest of the top 20 largest U.S. cities.

Ted Cruz calls JD Vance ‘insecure’ as pair quarrel over presidential ambitions

Pop the popcorn, political junkies. Looks like the fight over who gets the 2028 Republican presidential nomination is already getting ugly. In comments to Politico, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, took aim at JD Vance for suggesting the senator is already ginning up his next political bid. Cruz blasted the veep as “insecure” and denied he’s doing anything but helping his own party get ready for the midterms. “In my experience, people engage in political bomb-throwing when they’re feeling insecure,” Cruz told Politico. “So he’s welcome to make whatever comments he likes. I’m going to keep focusing on the midterms and helping us win on Election Day in the next 30 days.”

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Cruz made the remark in response to an NBC News interview last week in which Vance accused the senator of launching a White House bid instead of helping the GOP retain control of both houses of Congress. “It is really obvious to me that, at this very moment, Ted Cruz is running for president,” Vance said. “At this moment, I’m not. I’m trying to help elect Republicans. That’s what I’m going to keep on doing.” However messy things get between the two, some political observers said they’ll likely put aside their differences once one lands the GOP nomination. After all, during the 2016 presidential contest, Cruz blasted President Donald Trump as a liar and philanderer before helping phone-bank for him. For his part, Vance labeled Trump “America’s Hitler” before becoming his 2024 running mate. “While Vance and Cruz may be butting heads now, I suspect they’ll eventually kiss and make up,” Guardian columnist Arda Mahdawi wrote. “They are pragmatists, which is a polite way to say soulless opportunists.”

Nakeenya Wilson: 'The numbers have names': Delaying maternal death report waters down severity of lives lost

(Nakeenya Wilson is a founding member of the Maternal Health Equity Collaborative and served as community advocate on the Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee.) The Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee has delayed releasing this year's report. This has happened before. I know how all this works. For three years, I attended meetings as the appointed community advocate on the MMMRC. I logged into the Maternal Mortality Review Information Application system and reviewed cases of mothers who died bringing life into this world. We called them Maria, to remind ourselves that the numbers have names. We held great reverence for reviewing the facts of each case, determining cause of death and preventability, and making recommendations to reduce future losses. We learn from loss. Loss should gain something.

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The state's joint biennial report on maternal morbidity and mortality is a formal way to do this. It goes beyond death certificates and the number of maternal deaths alone. It tells the collective truth of the women who died, identifying trends in their experiences before, during and in the 12 months after pregnancy ended. The review examines possible changes at the patient-family, provider, facility, system and community levels, and recommends what can be done differently to save pregnant and postpartum women in Texas. When I began my tenure on the committee, we were several years behind on case cohort review. The 2020 report was published while review of the cohort was still underway. Releasing it by the Sept. 1 statutory deadline made its findings available to inform policy decisions. Then September 2022 came. The draft was complete in the summer and was set to meet the deadline. On the day it was to be shared in the quarterly meeting, Department of State Health Services announced that it would not be released. My colleagues and I sat on the dais stunned.

‘He’s trying to divide’: What Bo French’s racist posts mean for him, Republicans and American politics

When the No. 4 University of Texas Longhorns beat No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes in a 24-23 upset on Sept. 12, Texas Railroad Commissioner hopeful Bo French didn’t join other Texans in celebrating the victory. Looking at photos of the post-game festivities in the stands, the former Tarrant County GOP chair saw a problem in the sea of burnt orange shirts: the faces of the celebrating students, cheering and smiling, were brown. ?“I heard UT graduation this year looked like this,” he wrote in a post on X. “I didn’t believe it. The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined.” As state and national condemnation followed, French doubled down on his initial comments with other posts. “Like body-cams expose criminals, social media is exposing how many Americans have been displaced by foreigners,” French wrote in the post. “It’s everywhere and far worse than any of us could imagine.”

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Now, French’s post, and his history of similar hateful rhetoric on social media, could have real effects on his campaign for an office that has only been held by Republicans for decades. But it’s not just French who could be impacted. The ripple effects could also extend beyond French’s campaign, testing Texas’ GOP coalition at a time when Republicans were already concerned about voter turnout and enthusiasm this election. “Most Republicans look at what Bo French did and say that it was repugnant, it shouldn’t have been done,” University of Houston political science researcher and professor Brandon Rottinghaus said. “But not all of them said he should step down from the race or in the past when he’s made such comments to remove himself from politics.” French did not respond to multiple interview requests for this story. Rottinghaus said the biggest overarching effect of French’s rhetoric is changing what voters view as acceptable from politicians. “The Overton window is shifting on this,” Rottinghaus said. “The more to the extreme candidates talk about these issues, the more likely that the next generation of candidates upcoming will talk about those things in the exact same way.” That could happen regardless of the outcome in French’s race, but a win would signal to other politicians that more overtly racist rhetoric is acceptable to voters. Political linguist David Beaver agreed it will have effects on both political discourse and daily behavior of Texans and Americans at large. Beaver, a professor at Universitat Graz in Austria and professor emeritus at the University of Texas, studies how the linguistics used in politics shapes discussions, mindsets and political behavior.

Blue Origin announces expansion in Texas, creating 2,000 advanced jobs

On Oct. 8, Blue Origin announced it is expanding its footprint with a new state-of-the-art manufacturing campus in Hutto, Texas, named Constellation Park. The 1.3-million-square-foot multi-facility complex will serve as a central production hub for several of the company’s satellite and communications programs. “Texas has long understood what it takes to lead in space exploration,” said Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp. “We’re proud to grow our footprint here in Texas, tap into the world-class talent this state has to offer, and help ensure America remains the leader in space innovation.” Constellation Park will support manufacturing for TeraWave, Blue Origin’s satellite communications network, which delivers up to six terabits per second of symmetrical data anywhere on Earth, according to the press release. The facility will also expand production for Quartz, a global communications network featuring 3.7-meter aperture antennas that enable S-band and X-band connectivity.

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Parker, Collier say Fort Worth ISD takeover leaves key questions unanswered

Mayor Mattie Parker paused, seeking the right word. Fear came to mind first, but she said that’s not the word. What she has heard from Fort Worth ISD parents as a result of Texas taking over the 60,000-student district in March is more complicated. Anxiety. Parker and state Rep. Nicole Collier, D-Fort Worth, each discussed the takeover Wednesday during an event hosted by The Texas Tribune at Texas Christian University. Both said the state’s takeover process leaves key questions unanswered. “I always knew it was going to be a difficult transition, and that’s understandable,” Parker said.

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FWISD needed change, Parker and Collier said. The state needs to give school districts enough time for a locally led turnaround, Collier said. But the legislator noted it shouldn’t be too much time. Intervention happens when a school or a district receives five straight F’s in the state’s academic accountability system, which is mostly based on STAAR. The threshold triggers a consideration by the Texas education commissioner on whether to either close down a failing school or replace a locally elected school board and superintendent with state appointees. Collier sees a flaw in the law: Elected trustees are sidelined the entire time without any power. She is proposing a bill that creates a continuity board that allows for a smooth transition of power from the state-appointed board of managers back to elected trustees. “What if the board of managers don’t do well? Why do you keep them in place?” Collier said. “They said that they were supposed to evaluate the progress of the school (district) within two years. If you haven’t done anything, you just need to give it back.”

The border counties that swung to Trump are now short of workers. They may swing back.

Across his two businesses in this once-booming border town, David Reyna sees signs of ramped-up immigration enforcement everywhere. Fewer customers are coming to his lumberyard. Even fewer people are calling his upstairs real estate business. And the house he is building? It is stalled, a set of concrete slabs and wooden planks untouched for months. “We didn’t think this administration was going to crack down on undocumented workers that hard,” Reyna said, but “it is completely devastating the local construction industry. It’s grinding it down to a halt.” That slowdown has been weighing heavily on the 50-year-old as this slice of South Texas could determine control of Congress this fall. The Rio Grande Valley is carved up into three highly competitive House contests, all of which could be key in next month’s midterm elections. The region is also pivotal in unusually competitive races for Senate and governor.

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Voters like Reyna, a second-generation Mexican American, helped Trump flip this overwhelmingly Latino area for the first time in generations, in part due to the president’s promise to lower the cost of living and secure the border. Trump rallied for GOP candidates in San Antonio on Wednesday. But here, in a part of the country that depends on illegal immigrant labor to fuel the economy, a different part of Trump’s immigration agenda — his effort to deport people already in the United States — has come into conflict with his economic agenda. And interviews with more than two dozen business leaders, local officials and economists suggest what polls show: Republicans may suffer as a result. A sharp uptick in arrests by federal agents has taken undocumented immigrants out of local labor forces that depend on them, from construction sites in new subdivisions — building permits are down sharply across the state — to shrimping boats on the Gulf Coast. A ban on commercial driver’s licenses for some immigrants has left the trucking industry hurting, too. The effects have been severe enough that some business owners traveled to Washington earlier this year to warn Trump administration officials that raids on construction sites could lose them the midterm elections.

GOP super PAC quietly launches, then removes, outlandish smear against Talarico

For weeks, major Republican-aligned super PACs have been attacking James Talarico, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas, on trans issues. Since September 6, Talarico’s opponents have spent an astonishing $37 million on these trans attacks. This includes over $30 million, mostly on broadcast ads, from Texas PAC, a super PAC created by Senate GOP leadership; over $4 million on streaming ads from MAGA Inc., President Trump’s super PAC; and $1.3 million on digital ads from America PAC, the super PAC created by Elon Musk. Several of these ads falsely claim that Talarico supports “taxpayer-funded sex changes on kids.” But Talarico never voted for such a policy and publicly supports a national ban on such procedures. This attack against Talarico has been rated “false” by PolitiFact. (In practice, such surgeries almost never occur.)

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On Tuesday, Texas PAC launched a new digital-only ad on Meta platforms. In the ad, a woman named Miriam, who identifies herself only as “a mom of five,” looks into the camera and accuses Talarico of supporting putting “parents in jail if they do not support surgically transitioning their children.” “If you care about your children, do not vote for James Talarico,” Miriam concludes. Popular Information obtained the ad through the Meta Ad Library. It’s notable that Texas PAC, which has spent the vast majority of its dollars on broadcast ads, is running this ad on a digital platform. This allows Texas PAC to micro-target the ad to voters it believes may not closely scrutinize its claims. Digital ads, in general, also attract less media attention. The ad is not posted on the Texas PAC YouTube page or featured on its website. The new attack on Talarico is more outlandish than previous attacks, but equally false. The bill had nothing to do with surgeries or criminal proceedings. The claim that Talarico supports jailing parents who do not permit their children to receive gender transition surgeries is completely baseless. The woman who appears in the ad is Miriam Evans, a Republican activist in the Dallas area. She is a board member of Protecting Texas Children, a right-wing advocacy group that promotes “a Biblical view of gender and sexuality as stated in Genesis 1.” A recent post by the group celebrates that a “quiet rebellion is taking shape across Texas as communities increasingly reject Pride Month proclamations in favor of family-centered values.” Evans regularly speaks about her efforts to similar groups, including Moms for Liberty and local Republican Party chapters. Evans did not respond to calls or text messages seeking comment. Texas PAC did not respond to a phone call and email. About two hours after Popular Information reached out to Evans and Texas PAC about the ad, it was made “inactive” on Meta’s platforms.

Bud Kennedy: Who’s to blame if Ken Paxton loses to James Talarico? Paxton has an idea

The big question this fall is not whether Ken Paxton, Greg Abbott, Bo French or TIm O’Hare will lose. They’re all in elections that are too close to call. James Talarico, Gina Hinojosa, Jon Rosenthal and Alisa Simmons are pushing them like no Democrats in 30 years. But no matter whether those Republicans lose, other Democrats will get elected across Texas. At least two local Texas House seats in Fort Worth, Arlington and Mansfield — maybe three — are on the verge of flipping to Democrats. That’s not only thanks to Talarico. Democratic thank-you notes also go to all the disenchanted Republicans who wanted to re-elect Sen. John Cornyn, Railroad Commissioner Jim Wright and Comptroller Kelly Hancock in the March primary instead of trashing them in favor of Paxton, French and now-Comptroller Don Huffines.

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Over and over, Texas Republicans chose MAGA insurgents over sitting officials who had a combined total of 15 election victories. Is it any wonder this election is close? I’m not going to say that either Paxton, Abbott, French or O’Hare will lose to Talarico, Hinojosa, Rosenthal or Simmons. But some Republicans are already assigning pre-blame. You might even say that Paxton himself has already pinned the tail on an (elephant?) donkey. On Sept. 24, speaking in Washington to would-be donors, Paxton said President Trump’s off-year midterm Republican National Convention “dropped our numbers. Everybody’s numbers dropped.” The words were caught on audio leaked to The New York Times. Other guests verified them. The same day, according to Politico, Paxton also said his campaign is “all coming — you know — from D.C. I don’t control message.” And the online Axios news site had more choice Paxton audio. “It’s the war,” he said in the same talk. “It’s gas prices. It’s diesel. ... I don’t know what’s behind some of the decisions.” Notably, he did not blame Gov. Abbott forcing school vouchers onto rural schools, or welcoming 600 data centers. Both discouraged many faithful Republicans. More notably, Paxton did not blame Paxton.

Houston Chronicle Editorial: He's already done this job well. Republican Chris Daniel for Harris County District Clerk

Put this one in the two solid choices bucket. Voters should be relieved to have a choice between qualified attorneys who understand how the Office of the Harris County District Clerk affects the end users — lawyers and their clients. Delays matter in criminal and civil matters. A delayed protective order, for example, could put a child at risk. A late publication of a ruling could make an appeal all but impossible to file on time. We’re endorsing Chris Daniel, 44, because has done the job before, and he did it well. This Republican was elected district clerk in 2010 at age 27, reelected in 2014 and then lost during the 2018 blue wave. During his two terms, he got done what had long been planned — ushering the court’s paper record-keeping system into the 21st century and making them more accessible to the public. His successor’s record, according to both candidates and our own conversations with practicing lawyers, has over the years including delays, dead links and a broken website.

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“My goal is to once again step in there, clean up the mess, and bring it right back to ship,” Daniel said. Trained as an engineer, he attended law school at night to better understand his job. Lawyers who practice in the Harris County courts told us the office under his leadership got judges’ orders out in a timely manner. He was dedicated to transparency and even made it so you could get a U.S. passport at the downtown courthouse. We also admire that, after some cajoling, he told us he wasn’t voting for openly bigoted Bo French for railroad commissioner — and that was before French made national headlines for racist comments about University of Texas students. “I guess I'll just skip that race,” he said after we shared background on French. Daniel also said he wasn’t voting for the Democratic candidate, state Rep. Jon Rosenthal, because his tenure in the Legislature hasn’t been good for Jersey Village, where Daniel grew up. That’s fine. Overall, we’d encourage voters to take it as a sign of good faith that Daniel is the right sort of politician to run this largely ministerial office.

Sheriff reports 18 protesters escorted out of Trump's San Antonio rally

The Bexar County Sheriff's Office has released more details about protests inside Freeman Coliseum during President Trump's GOP rally on Wednesday. Trump was heckled by protesters on a few occasions, and he heckled right back to cheers from the partisan attendees. "You know many of these protesters are paid. You know that, right?" the president asked the large crowd. "And they'll have this perfect shirt on, made by the best printer money can buy. I love how they all have the same exact signs. All beautiful pink and blue and purple, and all different colors," he said. "And they have perfect, made by the same printer, very expensive signs. They don't make these signs. They don't make these signs. These are paid protesters. They are paid by enemies of our nation."

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The sheriff's office said it escorted 18 individuals out of the coliseum for disruptive behavior. No arrests were made on the inside. Outside of the venue, two criminal trespass warnings were issued, but again, no arrests were made. Hundreds of protesters lined up across the street from the coliseum. Inside the coliseum, protesters heckling Trump were drowned out by shouts from the crowd and chants of "USA! USA!" The sheriff's office said in a statement to Texas Public Radio that it's also reviewing videos of the rally. "The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office has been made aware of videos that have surfaced regarding several disturbances that occurred inside the venue during the rally. We are investigating all reports and videos accordingly," the statement said. The statement also said that anyone who thinks they were victimized during the rally should call the sheriff's office at 210-335-6000. The president spoke for nearly two hours at the event, with 6,800 people in a limited-seating configuration. The coliseum can fit just under 12,000 people. Trump held the rally to boost support for Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton and Republican Congressional candidate Carlos De La Cruz. The East Side event began shortly after Trump's 5 p.m. arrival aboard Air Force One at Joint Base San Antonio–Kelly Field, on the far West Side.

National Stories

ICE agent shoots man during arrest attempt in New York neighborhood

A federal immigration agent shot and wounded a man in a largely residential section of New York City on Thursday, eliciting swift rebukes from Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who accused the Trump administration of “terrorizing our city.” The shooting happened about 4 p.m. in the Marble Hill neighborhood, as agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, tried to arrest the man while he was in a car with a 5-year-old boy believed to be his son in the back seat, Jessica Tisch, the police commissioner, said at a news conference late Thursday night. Ms. Tisch said that a preliminary investigation had determined that at least one ICE agent had fired seven rounds at the car, striking the man, whom she identified as Oscar Belgal, 28, in the neck below the left ear. The child was not injured and was in the care of a family member late Thursday, she said.

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The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that the shooting had occurred as the agents tried to arrest an undocumented immigrant with a criminal record. The statement did not name the man or indicate why the agent fired at the car or if he knew there was a child in it. Mr. Mamdani, speaking at the news conference, called the shooting “an outrage.” “Tonight, a 5-year-old child sits traumatized and terrified,” the mayor said. “Tonight, millions of our neighbors are wondering whether they will be safe on our streets, in our schools, at their work sites.” Mr. Mamdani said he had spent two hours on the phone with President Trump and Markwayne Mullin, the homeland security secretary, trying unsuccessfully to negotiate the release of Mr. Belgal, who was taken to a nearby hospital after the shooting. Instead, the mayor said, ICE agents put Mr. Belgal in an unmarked vehicle and whisked him away. The target of the ICE operation was in the United States illegally from the Dominican Republic and had been convicted of grand larceny, the Homeland Security Department statement said. Ms. Tisch said Mr. Belgal had a grand larceny conviction and a drug case pending against him.

Former ICC judge Navi Pillay wins 2026 Nobel Peace Prize

Navi Pillay, a former ICC judge who oversaw a UN report that concluded that Israel committed genocide in Gaza, ?won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday "for her efforts to promote peace and international law". This year's Nobel Peace Prize underlined the importance of maintaining an organised international order, the committee said in its citation. "The system of international law is under tremendous pressure, and its institutions are under attack," it said. "We see a ?shift towards power politics at the expense of legal frameworks and global respect for law and justice. Whenever might overtakes ?right, it undermines stability, trust and peaceful co-existence."

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Born in Durban, in South Africa's Natal province, in a ?family of Indian Tamil origin, Navi Pillay, 85, has been a judge on several international courts, including the International Criminal Court and ?the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. She was also chair of the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory that concluded last ?year that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. Israel dismissed the report as "scandalous". She has also served as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. In 1967 she became the first woman to start a law practice in Natal and the first non-white woman to serve on South Africa's High Court. Pillay held ?states and national leaders accountable and brought hope to victims of violence and conflict, and demonstrated a firm moral compass in her ?long career, said the committee. "A common thread runs from her early work defending Nelson Mandela and others who stood up against apartheid to her service ?as a ?judge in some of the key international court cases of our time," said the citation. The Hague-based ICC has been the target of an escalating campaign by US President Donald Trump, who last month urged countries to leave it. Washington has already imposed targeted sanctions on several prosecutors and judges at the court and, according to sources, is considering wider sanctions in retaliation for the targeting of Israeli leaders. The committee was not directly criticising ?Trump by rewarding Pillay, according ?to Haakon Gjerloew, acting director ?of the Peace Research Institute Oslo. "I think it's generally rather a promotion of an international legal world order. Of course, he might react to someone who has been part of the ICC, but it's ?not a direct attack on Trump," Gjerloew said. The peace prize is the fifth Nobel awarded this ?week, after literature, chemistry, physics and medicine. Venezuelan ?opposition leader Maria Corina Machado won in 2025. The Nobel Peace Prize, worth 12 million Swedish crowns, or about $1.2 million, is due to be presented in Oslo on December 10, the anniversary of the death of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, who founded

Trump throws his weight behind credit-card legislation most feared by banks

A credit-card bill that could dent banks’ profits and erode Visa’s and Mastercard's dominance has a new champion, and he sits in the Oval Office. President Trump, Vice President JD Vance and some top lieutenants on the campaign trail have endorsed a long-stalled legislation that would give merchants the option to choose a different card network to process transactions when their customers use a credit card. The legislation has the potential to upend the system of billions of dollars in fees that drive the credit-card industry, which means the president’s support has merchants salivating and some bankers concerned.

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Large merchants have advocated for the bill for years, arguing it would lower the fees they pay when customers use a card and allow them to pass the savings onto consumers. Banks say that the fees are what power credit-card rewards, like cash back and travel points, and that passing the bill would force them to change those programs consumers love. The Credit Card Competition Act was originally introduced in 2022 with bipartisan support from Sens. Dick Durbin (D., Ill.) and Roger Marshall (R., Kan.). When he was a senator, Vance added his name as a co-sponsor. Trump and others have picked it up as part of efforts to talk about affordability issues with the public. The bill aims to add competition to the card networks that connect the consumer’s bank to the merchant’s and move the payments, an industry dominated by Visa and Mastercard. Currently, a card issuer (like a bank) partners with a network for each card, determining the rails that will be used to move the payments. The network determines the fees that are charged each time a card is used, but the money is mostly pocketed by the issuer. Under the bill, each card issued by a major bank would be required to support at least two networks, including smaller competitors, allowing merchants to choose a network that charges a lower fee.

‘You’ve hired half the Third Reich’: Key moments From the Georgia Senate debate

Senator Jon Ossoff, the Democratic incumbent, and Representative Mike Collins, the Republican challenger, faced off Thursday night in the first debate in the battle for Georgia’s Senate seat. The pressure was on Mr. Collins, who lags in the polls, to show that he is still in the fight to represent a state that President Trump carried in 2024. The two-term congressman’s polling numbers have looked so dismal that some Republicans have shifted resources away from the race. Mr. Collins held his own against the more polished Mr. Ossoff on Thursday, but the zingers of the night came from the incumbent. Mr. Ossoff asked Mr. Collins at least eight times to explain how President Trump’s tariffs have helped Georgians. We counted. The question was at the core of the incumbent’s strategy to hold Mr. Collins accountable for his voting record over the last year. In addition to tariffs, Mr. Ossoff returned time and again to Mr. Collins’s support for the war in Iran and his vote to pass Mr. Trump’s signature domestic policy bill, which included cuts to Medicaid and health insurance premiums.

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In many of the most heated moments of the debate, Mr. Collins returned to one of his favorite attacks against Mr. Ossoff: that he comes from a wealthy family. Mr. Collins called Mr. Ossoff a “trust fund kid who’s never had a job in his life” and who does not care about gas prices because he “wants you riding on mass transit.” Mr. Ossoff — whose primary holding is a blind trust worth between $1 million and $5 million, according to his financial disclosures — did not engage with the jabs for most of the debate. But in his closing argument, he returned fire at Mr. Collins for portraying himself as an everyday trucker when in reality he owns a trucking company worth as much as $25 million, according to his financial disclosure report. In one of the zingers of the night, Mr. Ossoff accused Mr. Collins of hiring “half the Third Reich,” referring to the Republican congressman’s history of hiring aides who have espoused white nationalist and antisemitic views. In another attack line that immediately circulated on social media, the Democrat also slammed Mr. Collins for reposting a video in 2024 of white male students taunting and jeering at a female Black student with racist and profane remarks. “If John Lewis were marching today from Selma to Montgomery,” Mr. Ossoff said, “Mike Collins would be grabbing a billy club.”

Sparks fly as Abdul El-Sayed and Mike Rogers face off in first Michigan Senate debate

The two candidates battling for Michigan’s open Senate seat tangled here Thursday over the war in Iran, gas prices and tariffs in a debate that often veered into mean-spirited sniping. Democrat Abdul El-Sayed sought to portray his Republican rival, former Rep. Mike Rogers, as a weak-willed loyalist to President Donald Trump who has recently changed his positions on certain issues out of political necessity. Rogers tried to frame El-Sayed as a “con man” who is making promises he cannot pay for without raising taxes or other costs. Each repeatedly taunted the other over real estate — a home Rogers has in Florida and property El-Sayed’s wife owns in the United Arab Emirates. The debate, hosted by NBC affiliate WOOD of Grand Rapids, became so punchy at times that moderator Rick Albin pleaded for the candidates to rein in their attacks.

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“I’d like to be a part of the debate, too,” Albin interjected at one point. Michigan’s Senate race is one of the most competitive and closely watched in the country, and the results could help determine partisan control of the chamber. Sen. Gary Peters, a Democrat, is not seeking re-election. Backed by progressive luminaries such as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., El-Sayed emerged from a nasty primary against Rep. Haley Stevens, who positioned herself as a more moderate Democrat. Since then, Republicans eager to win a Senate seat in the state for the first time since 1994 have tried to paint El-Sayed as an extremist. The debate opened with Albin asking both candidates whether, at a time of high gas prices related to the war with Iran, they would support a pause on the federal gas tax. Both said they would support a pause, but the question led into a deeper discussion about the conflict. Rogers, who initially supported the war, recently said he wants it to end swiftly.

Trump announces 'historic' enrollment of 70 million children into Trump Accounts

President Donald Trump on Wednesday hailed what he called the "historic" enrollment of 70 million American children into his Trump Accounts, calling them “a step to ensure every American child has a fair shot at the American Dream.” The administration announced that beginning on Oct. 1, the Treasury Department automatically enrolled 60 million children under age 18 in the president’s signature investment accounts in addition to the 10 million whose parents opted into the accounts following their official release on July 4. “With automatic enrollment now complete, every American child under the age of 18 has a Trump Account in their name, making it easier than ever for families to participate,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said in a statement.

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According to the administration, $2.2 billion has been deposited into the accounts since their release on July 4. The Treasury Department pledged to pour a one-time $1,000 seed contribution for each child born between Jan. 1, 2025 and Dec. 31, 2028. Children born outside of that range will not receive the seed contribution from the Treasury — but their family members and acquaintances are able to deposit money into the accounts. Several corporations — including Uber and Nvidia — and philanthropists — such as Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell and his wife, Susan, who seeded the program with a $6.25 billion contribution, also donated to the accounts. Trump, encircled by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett, and the Dells, predicted, "So if all goes well, which I think it will, they'll end up being quite rich by the time they're 18 and then 21." Trump said in January when he announced the initiative that a number of major U.S. companies pledged to match the federal government's initial contribution for eligible employees' children, including Charles Schwab, Robinhood, SoFi, Uber, Charter Communication and BNY, and that several others had agreed to make contributions.

USS Lincoln returns home after long deployment

After more than 10 months at sea, thousands of sailors Thursday poured out of the the USS Lincoln on San Diego Bay to thunderous cheers, streaming tears and emotional hugs, marking a homecoming that included new dads who met babies born while they were away on a historic deployment supporting the Iran war. The reunion followed an emotional rollercoaster for families who described crying and losing sleep after hearing reports of supply shortages and deteriorating mental health among the crew during the deployment that spent a record 265 days of uninterrupted time at sea. Many said they only could communicate with family via the occasional email or rare WhatsApp calls. Abel Ramirez, 20, was glad to have that all behind him. He walked off the carrier with a big grin, overjoyed that his first deployment was over.

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“It feels amazing,” he said while headed out to search for his parents who traveled from Texas. “There was a certain point when I never thought I would come off.” Cassity Garduque, 14, waved as her mom in her sailor uniform frantically waved back from the top deck after the ship docked at the pier. “It feels really overwhelming,” she said about being seeing her mom again. “She missed most of my seventh grade and my birthday.” She added that she’s happy her mom won’t be eating ramen almost every day and can celebrate with her now. Capt. Daniel Keeler, the ship’s commanding officer, said most of the crew was on their first deployment and that the issues they faced were normal for such a long deployment, adding everyone had access to four meals a day. “It’s a floating city as you can see and at any moment there might be a clogged toilet,” he said. The Navy initially downplayed any problems during the deployment, and President Donald Trump commented in August that the Lincoln’s lengthy deployment was “not nearly long enough.” Navy leaders eventually acknowledged there were some issues aboard. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth flew out to the Lincoln on Wednesday to give the crew the Presidential Unit Citation, the highest honor a unit can receive. Hegseth told the crew that “what makes the U.S. military and the U.S. Navy and all these sailors different is that you adapt and that you’re resilient and you overcome — you finish the mission nonetheless.”

Kimberly Guilfoyle associate says when she asked him for $100K, it was "quid pro quo"

Businessman Eric Deters said he has "no doubt it was pay to play," claiming Kimberly Guilfoyle, now the U.S. ambassador to Greece and ex-fiancee of Donald Trump Jr., asked him to wire $100,000 to pay her American Express bill in exchange for her help with the Trump administration ahead of Guilfoyle's Senate confirmation hearing. In an interview with CBS News, Deters said Guilfoyle should "lose her ambassadorship" over her alleged behavior, after texts between the two of them from last July were published in the Wall Street Journal. "It was quid pro quo," Deters told CBS News White House correspondent Weijia Jiang Thursday. Deters said he never gave her the money. "Unfortunately for Kimberly Guilfoyle, at that time, at that moment in time, I didn't have $100,000 to spare to give to Kimberly Guilfoyle, or I actually would have been a dumbass enough to do it."

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Deters said he made up an "excuse" that his wife wouldn't go along with it. White House officials were told that the text messages between Guilfoyle and Deters were authentic, sources familiar with the matter told CBS News. Some Trump aides expressed displeasure about Guilfoyle's actions, they said. The Wall Street Journal first reported this week that Guilfoyle allegedly reached out to Deters days before her congressional hearing to become a U.S. ambassador, saying she needed $100,000 to pay off her American Express credit debt in a way that wouldn't be publicly visible. "It won't show up anywhere if you wire money to American Express that's all that will show," Guilfoyle wrote to Deters on July 3, according to screen shots of texts provided to CBS News. "I have been officially announced honey please I need you to get this done for me today," she wrote, punctuating the message with a prayer-hands emoji. Her confirmation hearing took place on July 9. She sent him "American Express Instructions" in a PDF document.

Copyright October 09, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved