June 9, 2026: All Newsclips

Lead Stories

As USDA finds new cases of screwworm, Rollins calls Sid Miller's approach'dangerous'

Three more cases of the New World screwworm have been confirmed, including one outside the main cluster in Texas, demonstrating the difficulty of stopping a resurgent pest that could devastate the nation’s cattle industry, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Monday. The screwworm is actually a fly larva that eats living flesh instead of dead material. The flies lay their eggs in open wounds of animals like cattle, but wildlife, pets and occasionally even humans can be infested. The government has a program to breed sterile male flies and drop swarms of them from planes to mate with wild females, which kept screwworm contained at the southern end of Panama for decades. So far, there are five confirmed cases: three calves and a goat in Texas and a dog from neighboring Lea County, New Mexico. The small dog, which the USDA initially reported as a Texas case, lives in New Mexico and was reclassified as the first in that state.

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The dog had not traveled to Mexico or Texas, so authorities were investigating around the property where the pet lived. If they find infected flies, animal inspections in the area will increase, New Mexico State Veterinarian Samantha Holeck said during a virtual news conference Monday. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Monday accused Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller of making "dangerous" suggestions that ranchers shouldn't report New World screwworm cases to authorities. Miller reportedly said last week that if he found an infection in one of his animals, he would treat it himself and would not tell anyone. "I don’t want to be quarantined. That means no cattle can move off my place, I can’t sell my cattle, I can’t ship them, I can’t move pastures," said Miller, who has been critical about the USDA's strategy to fight the parasite. Rollins was asked about Miller during a press conference at at a federal research facility in Kerrville. "That is a very unserious comment from a perhaps unserious AG commissioner," she said. "It is also a very dangerous suggestion."

Brendan Sorsby ruling: College sports' brass enraged by Texas judge's decision

At a recent Big 12 administrative meeting, a fascinating discussion emerged. If a local Texas judge granted quarterback Brendan Sorsby's injunction to play this season despite wagering on his own team, the league's other member schools wondered something aloud: Should we play the Red Raiders? "We've had some serious conversation about it," Kansas State athletic director Gene Taylor told Yahoo Sports. "There is still a lot to be discussed. We aren't scheduled to play them this year, but it's something we have to look at from a college football perspective. This is greater than the Big 12." On Monday, a Lubbock judge did, indeed, grant Sorsby his injunction against the NCAA, making him eligible to play this season — a stunning decision that many across the college sports landscape are referring to as another seminal moment in a turbulent time in an industry upturned by legal decisions.

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Judge Ken Curry's ruling not only prevents the NCAA from enforcing its anti-gambling policy against Sorsby, but the judge himself delivered a two-game suspension for the quarterback as a condition of the injunction. Suspensions are normally handed down by the NCAA, conferences and/or schools. The NCAA plans to appeal, according to a filing it made on Monday. Sorsby has acknowledged in court documents that he placed dozens of bets on his own team while playing football at Indiana, as well as thousands more on professional sports. He violated a longstanding NCAA policy of which the listed consequence is a permanent ban — and he also broke multiple state wagering laws. "It's f***ing bulls***," Taylor told Yahoo Sports on Monday. "I know the kid has a problem. Well, get well and focus on your problem. It is absolutely devastating for him to be able to play when every other sport, no matter the level, deems an athlete ineligible or they are punished severely for betting on their team." The Big 12 athletic directors are expected to meet Tuesday. Big 12 presidents, also expected to meet this week, have the ability to penalize conference members for "actions detrimental to the conference." Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark released a statement describing the ruling as having "significant" ramifications across college sports and "creating concern amongst our membership." He's been consulting with "key stakeholders" on the issue. Even outside of the Big 12, high-level college administrators say they are left aghast by a decision that many describe as "disastrous" and "jarring" and, as the NCAA statement said, "corrupts the integrity of sports."

US airline fuel bill spikes 78% as global profit outlook is slashed

U.S. airlines spent more than $6 billion on jet fuel in April, up 78% from a year earlier despite using slightly less fuel, government data released Monday showed. Meanwhile, the airline industry’s top global trade group warned that soaring energy costs could nearly halve profits in 2026. Since conflict erupted in the Middle East earlier this year after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran, much of the shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz — a critical oil transit route bordering Iran — has remained effectively halted, pushing up the price of oil and jet fuel. In an effort to contain costs, airlines around the world have raised airfares and fees, cut other perks and canceled flights or trimmed schedules.

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U.S. carriers spent nearly $6.5 billion on fuel in April, compared with about $3.6 billion a year earlier, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Fuel consumption in April totaled 1.573 billion gallons, down slightly from 1.575 billion gallons a year earlier. The latest figures came as the International Air Transport Association released a report on Sunday saying it now expects airlines worldwide to earn a combined $23 billion in net profit in 2026, far below its previous forecast of $41 billion and down from $45 billion in 2025. “Airlines are bearing the brunt of the fuel price shock,” said Willie Walsh, director general of IATA, which represents most of the world’s carriers. “While airfares are rising, airlines are still absorbing part of the hike in their bottom lines.” The group said jet fuel prices are expected to average $152 a barrel in 2026, nearly 70% higher than in 2025, pushing the global airline fuel bill to about $350 billion from $252 billion a year earlier. IATA said that fuel is forecast to account for more than 31% of airline operating expenses in 2026, up from about 25% last year.

‘Shovels, not scapegoats’: Texas GLO says Harris County may have no chance of meeting flood project deadlines

Texas General Land Office Commissioner Dawn Buckingham said Monday there’s ‘likely zero chance’ Harris County will meet crucial funding deadlines to complete post-Hurricane Harvey flood bond projects, and urged County Judge Lina Hidalgo to set aside differences to eliminate delays. Buckingham accused Hidalgo of creating setbacks through disagreements with the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) leadership on project delays. She said the Harris County Commissioners Court created arbitrary procedures by compelling the flood control district to address the court for minor changes. “My advice is simple: get out of the way, work with the commissioners court and HCFCD to eliminate unnecessary delays, expedite processes, and deliver results for the citizens of Harris County,” Buckingham wrote. “You owe it to your constituents to put personalities aside and deliver.”

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The flood projects were first authorized by Harris County voters in 2018 as part of a $2.5 billion bond after Hurricane Harvey. The bond was passed with significant funding gaps, and the county secured another $2.7 billion in partnerships from local, state and federal funding sources to complete the projects. Hidalgo, who did not immediately return a request for comment Monday, has been caught in public feuds with flood control director Tina Petersen over the status of 28 projects outlined in the flood bond. In April, Hidalgo said she had lost confidence in Petersen’s ability to break ground on several disaster relief projects before a looming Feb. 2027 deadline — jeopardizing more than $245 million. The Feb. 2027 deadline is one of several benchmarks set by the Texas General Land Office for Harris County to advance the projects before a final 2028 deadline to use funds granted by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. A recent report revealed most of the flood mitigation projects tied to the 2018 bond — six of 11 — likely won't be complete by the 2027 deadline.

State Stories

Three Dallas City council members sue to stop Dallas City Hall vote

Three city council members filed suit Monday to prevent the Council from convening a special-called meeting Wednesday that would, among other things, allow city staff to begin doing advance work on moving staff from City Hall and developing the property it sits on. The suit, filed by council members Adam Bazaldua, Paula Blackmon, and Cara Mendelsohn, is seeking a temporary restraining order to stop the meeting. An agenda for a special-called meeting was posted late Thursday night. According to that document, the meeting is due to begin at 10 a.m. It has six items, which include the advance work on moving the employees and city functions, including the city’s 911 and emergency operations. Both items ask the Council to approve an unspecified amount of money for those efforts, with blank lines where a dollar amount would go.

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“Shortcuts and gamesmanship cannot be used to write a blank check and avoid mandatory financial disclosures,” the suit reads. It says that the meeting is an attempt “to ram through this momentous decision at a special meeting called on short notice, without proper briefing of all City Council members, without compliance with the City’s own Financial Management Performance Criteria, and with agenda language that fails to provide the public with adequate notice of the scope and nature of the proposed action.” It also says that when Bazaldua asked to defer the fourth item on the agenda, which would allow City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert to “pursue opportunities” to redevelop 1500 Marilla, he was not allowed to do so. The suit, which was filed in the Dallas County 14th Judicial District, names the city, Tolbert, and City Secretary Bilierae Johnson as defendants. It will likely go before Judge Eric Moyé. “This is not about whether City Hall should be redeveloped,” Bazaldua said in a statement. “This is about whether the City of Dallas must follow its own rules. Dallas City Hall is an I.M. Pei masterpiece and an irreplaceable civic landmark. A decision of this magnitude deserves full transparency, proper process, and genuine public participation, not a rushed vote at a specially called meeting with two days’ notice. We are asking the court simply to require the City to follow the law. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Hays County considers data center pause over water concerns

The Hays County Commissioners Court is set to vote Tuesday on a possible 180-day pause on approvals for water-intensive large-scale industrial projects in unincorporated areas while officials review emergency water protections. The resolution would also ask the Texas Legislature for greater authority over data center development amid rising concerns about water and power demand across the state, according to county documents. The resolution is reemerging after the county tabled a 30-day moratorium proposal in February over concerns the suspension could expose the county to lawsuits.

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“The things that are in the books today are not the way we can act today,” County Judge Ruben Becerra said before postponing the moratorium vote. “I am looking for out-front, bold, creative ways to lean forward so that we can make a stance because we don’t have time to wait until 2027 for the Legislature to meet. We don’t have time.” The first time the proposal was introduced, Becerra said a development pause would give county leaders time to gather scientific data and coordinate with water providers across the region. The resolution being considered Tuesday would create a task force to do just that. The proposal came shortly after the San Marcos City Council rejected a 200-acre data center project within city limits. Hundreds of residents urged the council to deny zoning requests tied to the development, the seventh data center proposed or under construction in Hays County. Becerra and other commissioners have urged Gov. Greg Abbott to give counties more authority over data center development. “I have always been a pro-business county judge but this is something that is not necessarily pro business,” Becerra said in February. “We are in a moment of crisis.” Unlike cities, which have zoning authority, counties typically do not have the power to block development. Calls for data center moratoriums have surfaced in county commission meetings and state legislative hearings across Texas. Last week, Hill County rescinded a one-year data center moratorium approved in May after a developer sued for more than $100 million in damages. The lawsuit argues the county “exceeded its lawful powers.”

San Patricio Co. Groundwater Conservation District votes 3-2 to block emergency permits for Evangeline project

The San Patricio County Groundwater Conservation District board voted 3-2 Monday against a motion that would have allowed emergency or temporary permits for the Evangeline Groundwater Project, leaving Corpus Christi with limited options to move the project forward. Residents from across San Patricio County packed the meeting, using public comment to voice opposition to the project. San Patricio Co. Groundwater Conservation District votes 3-2 to block emergency permits for Evangeline project "This board has a duty not only to today's water users, but to future generations who will depend on this aquifer long after all of us are gone," Papalote resident Tiele Dockens said. "I respectfully urge you to proceed with extreme caution today."

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Sinton resident Krista Boscamp also addressed the board. "What we are facing today will determine the future of South Texas for everyone," Boscamp said. Boscamp said access to clean water is critical to her daily life. "I need access to clean water to care for my livestock, pets and garden, as well as for drinking and washing. It is also a critical resource that helps me manage my disability at home," Boscamp said. KRIS 6 News has previously reported on opposition to the project from residents and city leaders in Sinton. An administrative law judge recently ruled that opponents should have the opportunity to present their concerns through a formal contested case hearing process. Despite that ruling, the City of Corpus Christi requested emergency permits to allow the project to proceed. After meeting in executive session, board directors considered a motion directing the district's general counsel to draft rules allowing emergency or temporary permits. The motion failed on a 3-2 vote. Because the agenda item failed, the district cannot process the emergency permit applications. Corpus Christi City Manager Peter Zanoni said the city's first option for moving the project forward is no longer available, leaving two remaining paths.

James Skoufis: We New Yorkers are sick of subsidizing Texans' life insurance

(James Skoufis is a New York state senator.) There are far-right politicians – particularly in places like Texas – who love to opine about the sacrosanctity of the free market as they deride consumer-friendly policy choices of places like New York, where I serve in the state Senate. These red-state politicians have used the power of law to punish investors who don’t favor the oil and gas industry. They’ve spent tens of millions to bus migrants from the southern border into our cities. They’ve tried to use courts to make our doctors complicit in their assault on women’s healthcare. Yet despite this posturing and gamesmanship, it turns out they’re perfectly happy to let New Yorkers subsidize many of their states’ poor policy choices. One of those ways is life insurance. A hidden subsidy — invisible but very real — flows from blue state policyholders to red states every month.

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Here’s how it works: Life insurance companies depend on national mortality tables to bury differences, instead of pricing premiums based on data from the state where the insured actually resides. That means every time an insurer prices a policy, millions of New Yorkers are averaged in with the shorter-lived residents of states like Texas. I’m introducing legislation to put a stop to that. Let’s look at the facts: In New York, we invest deeply in public health, workplace safety and consumer protections. Our reward? A life expectancy of 79.5 years, among the best in the nation. In Texas, life expectancy is 77.1. In Mississippi, a dismal 72.6. On average, we New Yorkers get to enjoy our families, friends and livelihoods for years longer than those states. This isn’t the South’s bad luck. It’s bad governance. By refusing to expand Medicaid and provide structural support systems, Texas politicians have created a state where 16.8% of adults have no health insurance compared to 4.9% of New York’s population — more than three times New York’s rate. Texans are also about three times more likely to die as a result of a firearm, and nearly three times more likely to die in a car crash. In 2025, the state’s permissive vaccine exemption policies helped fuel the largest U.S. measles outbreak in a quarter century — 762 reported cases and two dead children by a disease the country had declared eradicated in 2000.

Two Texans cleared of hantavirus risk after period of isolation

The two Texas residents being monitored for hantavirus have been cleared after completing their 42-day observation period infection-free. The two Texas passengers were exposed to the isolated outbreak of the Andes strain aboard the MV Hondius. Monitoring was recommended for everyone aboard the ship after some passengers became sick with the virus in April. The Texas passengers left the ship and returned home before the outbreak was identified. The two were evaluated in person twice daily by public health workers while isolating at home. They completed a 42-day observation period infection-free — the longest known period between exposure and signs of symptoms. They are no longer under public health restrictions.

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Cornyn, Tillis could create ‘wild card situation’ on Judiciary

Sen. John Cornyn’s loss to Trump-backed Ken Paxton in a primary last week means the Senate Judiciary Committee will have two Republican members who may feel less obligated to stick with President Donald Trump. Cornyn, R-Texas, joins Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., as Judiciary Committee members no longer facing reelection. Tillis announced his retirement last year after opposing Trump’s first reconciliation law. The committee presides over some of the most intense, highly partisan matters that Congress faces in the modern era, as well as processing judicial nominations and Justice Department officials. The current 12-10 partisan split allows one Republican defection to deadlock the panel.

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A second potential defection “opens up even more of a wild card situation,” said Gregg Nunziata, former policy counsel to the Senate Republican Policy Committee and former general counsel and domestic policy adviser to then-Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. “I think we’re about to see something we haven’t seen in a generation, which is an unpredictable Judiciary Committee,” said Nunziata, now executive director for the Society for the Rule of Law. The change in dynamic comes as the Justice Department is lacking a Senate-confirmed attorney general, as well as an assistant attorney general for antitrust and 20 federal judicial vacancies that currently do not have nominees. Plus, there’s the prospect of a Supreme Court vacancy if a justice were to retire at the conclusion of the current term at the end of June. Lee Holmes, a former Senate Judiciary Committee chief counsel and staff director for then-Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Cornyn and Tillis are “committed conservatives” and can be expected to largely back the administration’s picks for judicial spots.

Texas cautions parents about unregulated summer childcare

As thousands of Texas children head into summer break, state officials are urging parents to carefully vet childcare arrangements and warn against placing children in unregulated operations that may not meet basic health and safety standards. The press release from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission comes as the demand for childcare during the summer increases and follows growing concerns about the number of children being cared for in unregulated establishments. State officials are encouraging families to choose licensed or registered childcare providers that undergo inspections, background checks and safety reviews. The agency said regulated childcare providers are required to meet state health and safety standards designed to protect children. Parents can search for regulated providers and review inspection histories through the state’s childcare database.

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The release comes following a recent KXAN investigation into unregulated childcare operations that examined the risks associated with the growing number of caregivers operating outside state oversight. Chart showing the total number of unregulated child care operations identified in each fiscal year from 2015 to 2024. Source: Texas Health and Human Services. (KXAN Interactive/Dalton Huey) Officials say choosing a regulated operation provides parents the ability to make informed decisions based on inspection reports, compliance histories and other information that is publicly available on the agency’s website. “Regulated providers follow health and safety standards designed to protect your child,” the agency said in its press release encouraging parents to seek licensed care for the summer. The state encourages parents to take their time, ask questions about supervision and safety procedures, and confirm a provider’s regulatory status before enrolling a child.

Austin Light Rail project moves forward, leaving some local businesses preparing for relocation

Austin’s multibillion-dollar light rail system is advancing toward construction, and some local businesses along the proposed route are preparing for relocation. Among them is the 1972 Women’s Sports Pub, a year-old establishment on The Drag that has quickly become a gathering place for women’s sports fans. Co-owner Debra Hallum said the pub was founded with a commitment to showing only women’s sports on its TVs. "It was from our heart to do something in the community for, again, women putting women on the pedestal, giving them a space of their own,” Hallum said. But the business is now facing displacement as Project Connect moves into its next phase in the light rail project.

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Hallum told KVUE that the pub recently received a letter from the Austin Transit Partnership (ATP) stating the property is needed for the proposed transit project. The site sits in the path of planned changes to Guadalupe and Dean Keeton streets as part of the light rail design. When signing a four-year lease, Hallum said the pub understood relocation was a possibility, but didn’t anticipate it happening so soon. “We're told that we will get a letter to vacate any day. We're still in limbo,” she said. “We've not received that letter. So we are waiting.” Hallum said while the pub will receive relocation assistance to help cover moving costs, it is fundraising to bridge additional expenses, including payroll. She noted that recent changes to U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) loan eligibility -requiring 100% U.S. citizenship among owners- have cut the pub off from a key source of support. “That’s been our biggest gut punch,” Hallum said. “I mean that’s what SBA funding and loans are for, is to help your small, local businesses, you know, get started and get established.”

Former New Braunfels councilwoman found in Guadalupe River identified by medical examiner

River in New Braunfels. Juliet Elizabeth Watson went missing on May 26. Family and friends were fearing the worst after the discovery of a body on June 2 in the Guadalupe in New Braunfels. Kathleen Tobin-Krueger has known Watson for over 26 years. “She was very, very compassionate, artistic, musical. She took her job on city council very seriously and, and you could tell that she had a real empathy for the people that she was serving," she told TPR. Krueger said the 59-year-old Watson, a former member of the New Braunfels City Council, was a beloved figure in the town.

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“We often hear about the tragedy of missing persons, but to have someone so close to the heart of our town, someone still so young and vibrant, is really a tragedy that it will take a while for us all to get over.” According to New Braunfels Police, the cause of death has not yet been determined, but there are currently no signs of foul play. A final determination on cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner.

How a gun-rights extremist could soon represent Uvalde in Congress

On May 24, 2022, a Border Patrol Tactical Unit fatally shot 18-year-old Salvador Ramos inside a classroom in Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, 77 minutes after Ramos had entered the building to commit the third-deadliest school shooting in American history. Ramos, a former student at Robb, had purchased two high-powered rifles and hundreds of rounds of ammunition just days before he killed 19 students and two teachers. In the aftermath, several victims’ families pushed for gun control at the state level. Their efforts failed in Austin, but they won the support of Republican Congressman Tony Gonzales, who voted for the first federal gun-control legislation enacted in two decades. Now, four long years later, those families and the rest of their southwest Texas city of 15,000 may soon be represented in the U.S. House by a gunmaker, Second Amendment absolutist, and edgy YouTube personality by the name of Brandon Herrera. A man who has discussed, on camera, the relative merits of mass killers using the sort of rifle deployed in Uvalde rather than other weaponry; spread memes associated with an extremist movement; and rationalized or made light of lethal violence against people with certain political beliefs.

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Also known as the “AK Guy”—a reference to his penchant for the Avtomat Kalashnikova (AK) rifle platform—the bearded 30-year-old is a celebrity in an online gun culture that has emerged on platforms including YouTube, where “gunfluencers” like him have amassed millions of followers through firearm reviews, meme roundups, gun-history content, and Second Amendment commentary. A relative newcomer to politics, Herrera first ran for office in the 2024 GOP primary against Gonzales, citing the latter’s vote for modest gun control as inspiration, as Herrera himself has said he’d oppose any new firearms restrictions, including red flag laws. He cast Gonzales then as an out-of-touch, too-moderate incumbent and forced him into a runoff, which Gonzales narrowly won. Vowing to “finish what we started,” Herrera announced in August 2025 that he would challenge Gonzales a second time. Again, Herrera forced Gonzales into a runoff, but this time, an explosive scandal was brewing around the incumbent congressman, who’d had an affair with a staffer who later committed suicide by self-immolation. Under pressure from House leadership, Gonzales suspended his reelection campaign soon after the March primary, clearing the path to the nomination for Herrera, and, in April, Gonzales resigned. That sets up a special election, the timing of which is set by Governor Greg Abbott. Now endorsed by major Republicans, including President Donald Trump, Herrera promotes an “America First” platform centered on gun-rights absolutism, antiabortion policy, border security, term limits, opposition to (some) foreign wars, and tax cuts. Despite his self-described libertarian leanings, he has largely aligned with the hard-right faction of the Republican party on most issues—including the Trump administration’s immigration agenda and “qualified support” for military action in Iran.

Shops at Willow Bend: A struggling mall to $3 billion sports district

Long before the Dallas Stars emerged as a potential tenant, The Shops at Willow Bend was already searching for a new future. The 1.4-million-square-foot mall, the last enclosed mall built in Texas, opened in 2001. But despite hundreds of millions of dollars spent by previous owners, the property struggled to attract enough shoppers and stores. The most recent redevelopment plans called for transforming the site into a mixed-use project with less retail space, but the mall's challenges only intensified in recent years. The Neiman Marcus department store at the property is scheduled to close by the beginning of 2027. Another anchor, Macy's, backed out of the mall last year, and Dillard's closed earlier this year.

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By the time Dallas-based Centennial Real Estate became involved in the property through its 2022 acquisition, the question was no longer how to revive the mall, but what would replace it. Steven Levin, founder and outgoing CEO of Centennial, said he and business partner Bill Cawley were discussing the site's future when a meeting with Dallas Stars team president and CEO Brad Alberts changed their thinking. “After this conversation, in my mind, I went back and thought there really isn't anything more dynamic and better as an anchor than a sports anchor of the caliber of the Dallas Stars and the NHL,” Levin said. “That became really one of one to us.” Levin said the idea offered an opportunity to do something unique in North Texas. “We weren't going to do something that was just like other projects that were out there,” he said. “There is no sports-anchored mixed-use development in Dallas-Fort Worth. This is an opportunity to do something that is absolutely unparalleled.”

Governor candidate Hinojosa vows to end school district takeovers

Changing the way Texas grades schools and stopping state takeovers of local districts are among the top education priorities for Rep. Gina Hinojosa, an Austin Democrat running for governor. “We fight for our public schools because they are essential to the American dream,” Hinojosa said during a press conference Monday at the former Pease Elementary School in downtown Austin. The school closed in 2020. Hinojosa announced her education platform in her first campaign stop this week on a statewide tour to discuss public education. On the tour, she plans to promote Team Texas Public Schools, a group she described as helping train teachers and parents of both political parties to protect neighborhood schools.

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The former Austin Independent School District trustee has made public education a focal point of her campaign as she seeks to unseat Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in November. Her push comes as multiple school districts across Texas slash staff positions and programming and shutter campuses to manage deficit budgets and declining enrollment. On Monday, she called for removing Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath, who oversees the Texas Education Agency; revising how the state evaluates the successes and failures of districts and schools; and eliminating state takeovers. “It is never the right answer to struggling schools to take power away from parents and communities,” Hinojosa said. “I will return those school districts back to communities.” The state largely draws from student scores on required standardized tests, the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, to assign all public schools a letter grade annually. For middle and high schools, other factors may shape the letter grade, but for elementary schools, letter grades are entirely determined by STAAR scores.

National Stories

Will Platner scandals dampen Democratic vote? What to watch in Tuesday’s primaries.

Voters in Maine will weigh in on one of the most consequential and high-profile Senate races in the country on Tuesday, when they are expected to cement a matchup between Senator Susan Collins, a vulnerable Republican, and Graham Platner, a scandal-plagued Democrat hoping to oust her. Their likely face-off in November could determine control of the Senate, and political observers will be watching this week’s result closely to see if Mr. Platner’s many controversies have dampened voter enthusiasm for his populist campaign pitch. Tuesday will also feature primary elections in South Carolina, Nevada and North Dakota. Here’s what to know about the races.

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In an election cycle in which Democrats are eager for outside voices, Mr. Platner, a military veteran who operates a small oyster farm, seemed to offer an appealing, insurgent message. He held such a significant lead over Gov. Janet Mills, the pick of his party’s establishment wing, that she bowed out of the Democratic primary months ago. But Mr. Platner has been dogged since the beginning of his campaign by controversies, including over a tattoo on his chest recognized as a Nazi symbol, and old social media posts with offensive comments about women and rape. (He has apologized for past comments and said he was unaware that the tattoo was a Nazi symbol, which he has covered.) The latest scandal broke last week, when The New York Times reported that several former girlfriends said that he had engaged in unsettling and at times physically threatening behavior. Elsewhere in Maine, the race to replace Ms. Mills, who cannot run again because of term limits, has been crowded and competitive ahead of what is expected to be a tough general election. On the Democratic side, the two leading candidates appear to be Troy Jackson, a logger and state senator endorsed by Mr. Platner, and Dr. Nirav Shah, who led Maine’s coronavirus pandemic response. On the Republican side, Bobby Charles, who worked in the Reagan White House and the second Bush administration, has an edge over a field that includes a Bush relative: Jonathan Bush, a cousin of President George W. Bush and nephew of President George H.W. Bush. Jonathan Bush, a tech entrepreneur, grew up in Manhattan before moving to Maine. He is running as an outsider despite his family’s deep ties to the state, which is home to the Bush family estate.

OpenAI files to go public in test of investor appetite for top AI startups

OpenAI, which kick-started the artificial-intelligence boom with the 2022 release of ChatGPT, is officially preparing to stage an initial public offering that will test investor appetite for AI companies. The company led by Sam Altman confidentially filed IPO paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the startup said in a written statement. The filing sets up the company to potentially go public as soon as this fall, though OpenAI said it hasn’t yet decided on timing. OpenAI said in a written statement on Monday that “it may be a while” until it goes public because there are “things we want to do that are likely easier as a private company.” There are a “complicated set of tradeoffs” tied to going public, it said, without elaborating further.

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OpenAI, SpaceX and Anthropic are all pursuing public listings at mammoth valuations. SpaceX is the farthest along, with plans to stage a listing later this week that will be the biggest IPO in history and could make Elon Musk the world’s first trillionaire. Anthropic said last week that it had filed to go public, putting it on track for a public listing this fall. Bankers have told both companies that whichever startup goes first will get to define the new industry and benefit from being able to access large pools of cash eager to back new AI companies. OpenAI executives have privately expressed concerns about Anthropic beating the company to an IPO, The Wall Street Journal previously reported. The company remains the leader in the consumer chatbot market, but recently missed some internal revenue targets and watched rival Anthropic pull ahead among business customers. Anthropic recently surpassed OpenAI’s valuation for the first time in the private market.

Trump nominates Todd Blanche for attorney general amid controversy over DOJ fund

President Donald Trump on Monday nominated Todd Blanche as attorney general, a position that he has held in an acting capacity for more than two months. Trump had said he would ask the Senate to confirm Blanche as attorney general to succeed Pam Bondi, whom the president fired on April 2. The nomination comes weeks after Blanche had the Justice Department give Trump, his family members, and the Trump Organization immunity from prosecution or enforcement actions by the Internal Revenue Service in connection with tax returns filed before a controversial settlement of Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS.

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Blanche, who is currently the deputy attorney general, previously served as a criminal defense lawyer for Trump when the president was out of office from January 2021 through January 2025. Since being named in the acting capacity, Blanche has faced strong criticism from senators, including some Republicans, whose support he will need to win confirmation. Those lawmakers and good-government advocacy groups, have blasted Blanche for authorizing the Justice Department’s creation of a so-called Anti-Weaponization Fund as part of the settlement of Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS. The $1.8 billion fund was designed to compensate purported victims of prosecutorial overreach by the Justice Department during the Biden administration.

Nithya Raman advances over Spencer Pratt to face L.A. Mayor Karen Bass in a runoff

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass will face City Council member Nithya Raman in a runoff election for Bass’ job in November, NBC News projects, teeing up a one-on-one matchup between two Democrats. Bass and Raman, who is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, emerged from a crowded all-party primary field that included former reality TV star Spencer Pratt, a registered Republican who ran an insurgent campaign focused on criticizing Bass for her response to the Los Angeles wildfires last year. Since no candidate earned more than 50% of the vote, the top two finishers go to a runoff this fall. NBC News previously projected Bass would advance to the general election.

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While Pratt was in second place behind Bass on election night, the successive vote tallies have been more Democratic-leaning, allowing Raman to surpass Pratt. It’s part of a pattern all over California in this primary, with late-counted votes leaning more Democratic after a late surge in turnout by party members. Bass, a former member of Congress, was first elected mayor in 2022, when she defeated real estate developer Rick Caruso in an expensive race. But she faced backlash during and after last year’s destructive wildfires, including for being out of the country when they broke out. The fires burned over 16,000 structures, and at times, fire hydrants and water tanks ran out of water, limiting efforts to fight the blaze. In March, 56% of respondents in a Los Angeles Times poll of the city said they had unfavorable views of the mayor. It was against that backdrop that Raman decided this year to launch a bid for mayor, despite close political ties with Bass. Raman had endorsed Bass for re-election before she entered the race herself, and Bass backed her during her contested City Council re-election campaign in 2024.

Netanyahu and Trump are at odds over the war they started together

Israel’s latest strikes on Lebanon and Iran have made clear that U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who started the war in lockstep, want different things. Trump had publicly warned Israel not to strike Beirut in its war with Iran-backed Hezbollah militants. When it did, on Sunday, Iran responded by firing ballistic missiles at Israel for the first time since the April ceasefire. Israel then struck Iran, with which Trump has been engaged in weeks of high-stakes negotiations. The fighting has since died down, but the differences between the two leaders are likely to persist. That’s because Trump, whose party faces elections later this year, wants to wind down an unpopular war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to ease gas prices. Iran says a full ceasefire in Lebanon is key to any deal.

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Netanyahu, who also faces elections this year, is under pressure to stop Hezbollah’s attacks and prove that he is winning the war with Iran and its allies. He also needs to manage relations with Israel’s most important ally without appearing to kowtow to it. When the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, the allies appeared shoulder to shoulder. Netanyahu said the goal was to degrade the Islamic Republic’s military, eradicate its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and topple its government. Trump announced the death of Iran’s supreme leader in the opening barrage and urged Iranians to “take back” their country. But it soon became clear that while Trump was seeking a quick win — like the one he secured in Venezuela — Netanyahu wanted to vanquish Iran and its allies, even if it required an extended conflict. As Iran withstood weeks of heavy strikes and kept the Strait of Hormuz closed, Americans and Israelis grew increasingly frustrated — but for different reasons. In the U.S., the price of gas and other goods soared as even some erstwhile supporters accused Trump of breaking a campaign promise and plunging the U.S. into another Mideast quagmire. He has pushed back against those critics as rising anger threatens Republicans in November’s congressional elections.

Trump is greeted by boos at Madison Square Garden during the NBA Finals

There was no announcement inside Madison Square Garden when President Donald Trump arrived in a suite a few minutes before his hometown New York Knicks took on the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday night. Then, midway through the national anthem, the screen at center court showed Trump’s face, and the crowd drowned out the song: “Booooooooo!” The jeers were louder than the Spurs had received when they took the floor — a collective roar from fans who had shown up hours before tip-off to inch through lines, funnel through fences and give themselves over to a security protocol that resembled an airport more than a sporting event, all to accommodate the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game.

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Trump found his way to the suite — the only one in the arena encased in security glass — just before the 8:30 p.m. tip, standing between his granddaughter, Kai Trump, and Knicks owner James Dolan, who appeared to smirk at the boos. The jeers subsided only when the Jumbotron image switched to Knicks star Jalen Brunson. Speaking to reporters after the game, Trump said he thought the reception he got from Knicks fans was “amazing.” “It was I think mostly cheers … It was loud and it was very enthusiastic,” he said. After stealing two games in San Antonio, the Knicks, riding a 13-game playoff winning streak, returned to New York for one of the most anticipated — and expensive — NBA games ever, needing just two more wins for their first title in 53 years. Trump’s presence disrupted the Game 3 experience for frothing Knicks fans, media members and arena staffers from well before the tip-off.

GOP bill would make Pa. law from Trump administration accords on data centers

Last winter, the Trump administration signed accords with tech companies and 13 governors, including Gov. Josh Shapiro, whose states share the PJM Interconnection electricity grid, pledging to put people before data centers. A GOP lawmaker in the Pennsylvania House now says those agreements provide the solution to the commonwealth’s energy crisis. “When I saw these two documents come across my desk … I knew I had my answer,” said Rep. Craig Williams (R-Delaware). Williams, who spent part of his career as a utility lawyer, introduced legislation last week that would codify the principles of those agreements in state law. Data center developers would be required to “build, bring or buy” new sources of power; pay for upgrading transmission lines and other infrastructure; and to pay for the power and related costs whether they use the electricity or not.

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The new legislation comes as electricity prices jumped by up to 20% in parts of the state at the start of this month, Williams noted. That’s on top of the $23 billion increase in electricity costs across the 13- state PJM Interconnection grid driven by data center development, according to an independent assessment of the region’s wholesale electricity markets. The reason, he said, is the commonwealth hasn’t been the site of significant new power plant construction in more than a decade. Pennsylvanians are competing with data centers for a severely limited supply of electricity and that’s driving up prices. Meanwhile, data center companies are entering long-term contracts with power generators to lock in current prices as they continue to rise. Williams said his bill would also require local electric companies to enter extended contracts as a hedge against future price increases. With greater certainty about demand, he added, investors would be more willing to build new generating assets. “All of these things will have an immediate downward pressure on price,” Williams said at a news conference where he introduced the legislation with House Minority Leader Jesse Topper (R-Bedford). But, Williams noted, the Trump administration’s principles and pledge have no authority in law.

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