July 3, 2026: All Newsclips

Lead Stories

Abbott appoints election denier lead 'election integrity' policy and firebrand as comptroller

A Texas state representative who believes the 2020 election was stolen from President Donald Trump will lead election policy as a senior adviser to Gov. Greg Abbott. State Rep. Nate Schatzline, a Fort Worth Republican, resigned from the Texas House on Thursday to accept the new role developing policy and legislative strategy related to election integrity, according to a statement from the governor’s office. The two-term representative is among the most conservative members of the state House and a pastor at the Fort Worth mega church Mercy Culture. He does not have previous election administration experience.

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He also annouynced on Thursday that Don Huffines will lead the comptroller’s office, elevating a one-time political nemesis to the post Huffines is seeking in the November election. The move comes after acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock — who Huffines beat in the March GOP primary — announced he was stepping down at the end of the month. Hancock is a close ally of Abbott’s and the governor backed him over Huffines in the primary. On Thursday, the governor said Huffines is the right man for the job, which includes overseeing the state’s finances and the rollout of the state’s new private school voucher program, a key policy priority for Abbott. The appointment is effective Aug. 1. In recent weeks, Schatzline was floated to replace Secretary of State Jane Nelson, who announced her retirement in June.

Trump got the Senate candidates he wanted. How much will he spend to help them?

President Donald Trump reshaped this year’s U.S. Senate map by sidelining some Republican incumbents and promoting loyalists to replace them. Now the question is whether he’ll put his money where his mouth is. With four months to go until November’s elections, it’s still unclear how much MAGA Inc., the country’s largest political war chest with $382 million in the bank as of last month, plans to spend on key races. The silence has persisted even as Senate Republican leaders have urged Trump’s team, both privately and publicly, to pick up the tab for the president’s decisions. Front and center is Texas, where Trump successfully endorsed fiery conservative Ken Paxton over Sen. John Cornyn, a choice that some Republicans grumble has turned a safe election into a toss-up that will drain resources away from other battlegrounds.

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Democratic nominee James Talarico, a state lawmaker, has made Paxton’s history of corruption allegations a central target of his campaign. “The president picked Paxton, and he’s got $350 million dollars,” Cornyn recently told Semafor. “I think he can spend his money.” Another challenge has emerged in North Carolina, where Sen. Thom Tillis declined to run for reelection after feuding with Trump last year over healthcare spending. Trump backed Michael Whatley, his former handpicked chair of the Republican National Committee, to run instead, and Democrats hope to flip the seat with former Gov. Roy Cooper. Some in Republican campaign leadership are expecting MAGA Inc. to pitch in for Whatley in North Carolina, where the state’s several metro media markets can be pricey. Republicans will likely be able to count on generous support from well-funded official party committees, which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled earlier this week should be allowed to make unlimited direct contributions to candidates’ campaigns. But even that sum falls short of what Trump has stockpiled in MAGA Inc. Even though the president is constitutionally barred from running again, he began raising money shortly after winning a second term, and he’s regularly held fundraisers at his resort properties where tickets cost $1 million per person.

CPS Energy must pay nearly $400M over 2021 winter storm charges

A Bexar County judge ordered CPS Energy to pay nearly $400 million to two natural gas suppliers, rejecting the utility’s claim that prices charged during the February 2021 winter storm were unconscionable. State District Judge Laura Salinas ruled that Houston Pipe Line Co. LP and Oasis Pipeline LP charged market prices during the storm, that the contracts were enforceable and that CPS breached them by failing to pay the full invoices. Salinas found the prices charged by the subsidiaries of Dallas-based Energy Transfer LP were consistent with prevailing market prices and with prices paid by other buyers during the storm.

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The judge awarded the two companies virtually everything they sought, including $263.7 million in unpaid gas charges, $119.1 million in prejudgment interest and $9.4 million in attorneys fees. In the five-page ruling issued Thursday, the judge also included court costs, post-judgment interest and additional attorneys fees if they prevail on appeal. In an emailed statement, CPS Energy said it is considering its appellate options. “CPS Energy is disappointed by the court’s decision, which will cost this community more than $390 million and may effectively end a key legal safeguard against grossly unfair treatment for essential services like natural gas during the next statewide disaster,” it said. Energy Transfer spokesperson Vicki Anderson Granado said it was pleased with the ruling. “The message is clear: CPS Energy must pay its bills just like everyone else,” she said. “The bills sent to CPS were for their many natural gas purchases and reflected the terms agreed to at that time based on market conditions. CPS failed to prepare appropriately for the winter storm season, and they put the interests of their customers at risk. We had no choice but to file suit to get CPS Energy to honor its contracts.”

Immigrant arrests surge to 10,000 in 5 days as ICE clamps down

Federal immigration officials have detained more than 10,000 people in the last five days, a major surge that has stemmed from a push within Immigration and Customs Enforcement to increase arrest rates. Agency leaders in recent days ordered top ICE officials to focus more of their officers’ efforts on picking up immigrants they want to deport, according to documents obtained by The New York Times and interviews with federal officials. ICE officers have arrested people at check-ins with immigration authorities, during traffic stops and on the street. The push has apparently yielded results, with recent arrest numbers roughly doubling from the 1,000 picked up each day earlier this year. ICE officials were told that the White House wanted an increase in arrests, according to three officials with knowledge of the conversations.

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One of the officials said that it was unclear how long the pace could continue, but that ICE officials had been told that 2,000 arrests a day was the new standard for enforcement. The surge has occurred without the fanfare of highly visible operations last year, in which officials announced their intentions ahead of time to target cities, including Chicago and Los Angeles, and send officers pouring into the streets. Markwayne Mullin, the homeland security secretary, pledged to mount a quieter enforcement campaign following the chaos of a monthlong operation in Minnesota, where federal officers killed two U.S. citizens. The rise in arrests suggests that President Trump is determined to meet his pledge of mass deportations, a goal that is popular among his conservative supporters but that has fueled a political backlash amid the administration’s heavy-handed tactics. The Trump administration has promised more aggressive actions, particularly after the Supreme Court in recent days expanded the president’s power to set federal immigration policy, but undercut his effort to eliminate birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants and visitors.

State Stories

Texas House candidate for Fort Worth area district posts racially coded meme

A Republican candidate for a Fort Worth area Texas House district posted and then deleted a racially coded meme on her campaign Facebook page. On July 1, Cheryl Bean posted on Facebook an AI-generated illustration of WNBA player Sophie Cunningham on a boat with her Indiana Fever teammates, posing similarly to the “Washington Crossing the Delaware” painting. In the image, Cunningham is pointing forward, referencing a June 22 game when she pointed dramatically at Phoenix Mercury player DeWanna Bonner after a physical altercation with Cunningham’s teammate Caitlin Clark. In the image, the Black players are wearing floaties while none of the white players are. “IYKYK A little humor for the day,” Bean wrote in the post on Cheryl Bean for Texas.

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Bean is running for House District 94 in the Nov. 3 election. The district covers central Arlington, northeast Fort Worth, Hurst and parts of Bedford. The seat is held by Republican Tony Tinderholt, who announced his retirement in June 2025 and is now a candidate for Tarrant County commissioner. She is also the board chair of the Texas Center for Arts and Academics, which governs two public charter schools, one in Fort Worth. Several comments referenced why only the Black players have floaties and none of the white players do. “So the Floaties basically trying to say we can’t swim. Because from my angle I can see who doesn’t have them on,” one person wrote. Others laughed at the detail. “Not the black girls with floaties on” another person wrote with a laughing and cemetery emoji. “Okay Sophie looks fantastic but I noticed only the black women are wearing floaties. I think this made me laugh even more,” another wrote. “Why all the black ladies got water wings?” said another. By about 11:30 a.m. Thursday, the post was deleted.

Dallas GOP convention could cost up to $40 million

The Republican extravaganza planned in Dallas this fall could cost as much as $40 million, but it remains unclear how much of the cost will fall on taxpayers, the event’s co-chair said. The first-of-its-kind midterm convention — dubbed the “Trump-a-palooza” — will be privately funded by donors, but whether Dallas will receive reimbursement for police, fire, traffic control and other public services needed to host the event at the city-owned American Airlines Center is up in the air. The potentially hefty price tag comes as Republicans are fundraising ahead of what is expected to be an expensive midterm election in November. The U.S. Senate race between Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Democratic Texas House member James Talarico is already costly.

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Dallas developer and prominent Republican donor Ray Washburne told The Dallas Morning News that he has not seen a final budget but expects the two-day event to cost between $30 million and $40 million. Washburne, the event’s co-chair, estimates about 20,000 people would attend each night. City officials didn’t respond Thursday to questions about whether Dallas has committed funding, personnel or other public resources to the Sept. 9 and 10 convention. The city also didn't say whether it has developed preliminary cost estimates. A nonprofit host committee, which will include people from the area, is expected to be announced next week. That committee will cover some costs for hosting the event, according to Rick Gorka, who identified himself as a convention spokesman. The number of GOP donors in Dallas may have helped attract the event, said Tami Brown Rodriquez, the former chair of the Dallas County Republican Party.

‘TEXAS’ street mural near UT covered overnight

The city of Austin covered the “TEXAS” street mural on Guadalupe Street in front of the University of Texas at Austin campus overnight with a mixture of gravel and oil, according to Jeff Stensland, the public information officer for Austin Transportation & Public Works. The mural's removal, first reported by The Daily Texan, UT's student newspaper, occurred between 3 and 6 a.m., Stensland said. The removal came after Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Department of Transportation to eliminate “non-standard surface markings, signage and signals” in October. The mural was first installed in May 2024 to celebrate the Longhorns' joining the Southeastern Conference. In May, the Texas Department of Transportation rejected the city of Austin’s appeal to preserve the street art. Austin removed multiple other street murals early Thursday morning. Cities across the state have removed their murals to comply with Abbott's directive. In Houston, Montrose's rainbow crosswalks were removed in October.

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State senator plans to challenge San Marcos’ data center ban, says city lacks legal authority

Less than a month after San Marcos became the first city in Texas to ban data centers citywide, one state lawmaker says he plans to challenge the ordinance, arguing the city does not have the legal authority to enact it. In a statement to KXAN, State Sen. Paul Bettencourt said the city’s zoning amendment conflicts with state law. “They should not use zoning to ban anything everywhere in the city of San Marcos because that’s not lawful under the state of Texas guidelines. A ban doesn’t work here, and this will get challenged.”

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The San Marcos City Council approved the ordinance in June after months of discussion over the potential impact of data centers on the community. City leaders cited concerns over the facilities’ high water demand, land use and long-term effects on the city’s natural resources. In response to Bettencourt’s comments, the City of San Marcos said: “City Council provided initial authorization to update the Development Code in August 2025. As part of the process, City staff conducted public hearings, had meetings with the development community and held an open house to gather input and comments on the draft code. The draft was presented to the City Council, which reviewed staff recommendations and made amendments before adopting the updated code at the June 16, 2026, meeting.” Some locals who supported the ban said they expected the decision to face opposition but hope the city stands by it. “I think that’s very frustrating. If the city and the people within the city decide that this is what we want here, they should listen to that,” said Aimee Lewey. “Of course there’s going to be some pushback. The biggest thing with these data centers is it’s taking away not only our clean water that we need to live, but also these beautiful environments like the school that we have,” said Sylvia Ellis, San Marcos resident.

Tarrant GOP’s election strategy focuses on $3.5M in donations, unified campaign

“One big beautiful campaign” and $3.5 million are the keystones to success for Tarrant County Republicans in the midterm elections, Tarrant’s GOP Chair Tim Davis said. On Wednesday, Davis outlined his vision at an Arlington Republican club called the Freedom Fighters. Davis was frank with the roughly 20 people in attendance, saying the November election will not be an easy victory. Anyone who thinks so is naive, Davis said. “Everything we have, we have to earn,” he said. “Everything we have, we have to fight to keep, and that’s going to be true in November.” Heavy-hitting positions on the ballot include the U.S. Senate seat, five U.S. Representative seats and a number of statewide offices.

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Tarrant County’s Republican candidates will have the most integrated campaign than ever before and the party will raise $3.5 million to support them, Davis said. An integrated campaign will ensure that the candidates’ values, efforts and messaging are aligned up and down the ballot. “We don’t need to have 40 judges running around doing different things, we need to do that,” he said. “We need to be the quarterback for that at the party, and that’s what we’re working hard to do.” The staggering goal of $3.5 million will fund advertisements and voter research, Davis said. Much of the campaigning will be volunteer driven. On Saturday, the Tarrant County GOP swore in new precinct chairs. Davis said they are fired up to do the hard work until the election. “They get the fight that it’s going to take, they get the work that it’s going to take, they get the time that it’s going to take, the treasure it’s going to take for us to hold this great state and keep electing people like [State Board of Education member] Brandon Hall, keep electing people like Governor Abbott,” Davis said. “I keep saying Senator Paxton already. I hope I’m not jinxing it.”

Texas Rep. Nehls says struggling Americans may not work hard enough

It's not unusual for politicians to be accused of being out of touch. One Texas congressman didn't do much to change that perception when he was asked about affordability. In a video shared online by MeidasTouch's Pablo Manríquez, Texas Rep. Troy Nehls was asked about the current affordability crisis Americans are facing with increased costs from the gas station to the grocery store.. Rather than immediately answering the question, Nehls pivoted to his own Fourth of July plans. "Affordability? What are you talking about?" Nehls asked before bragging about his upcoming Fourth of July plans in Texas.

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"I'm gonna get me a couple of big lobster tails," he continued. "I'm gonna get me some nice ribeyes, I'm gonna sit in my backyard with my family, my neighbors, and we're going to be enjoying the fourth, celebrating 250 years, the birthday." Nehls eventually returned to the question of affordability by arguing that recent increases in energy prices were temporary and tied to ongoing conflict in the Middle East. "Everybody understands, you're gonna see a little increase in energy prices because of Iran. I mean, come on, people aren't stupid," he said. "But I think in the end, the short-term increase in some of the costs of energy, you know, gasoline and stuff, is temporary, but President [Donald] Trump has made it very clear to these companies, don't be gouging, no price gouging."

New Houston charter school for dropouts raises red flags for critics

Over the last decade, Texas has approved a steady beat of new charter schools — four per year, on average. But for the second time in 30 years, just one charter district made it through the state’s lengthy application process, as the State Board of Education approved a new charter operator at last week's meeting. Critics already questioned creating new charter school districts as public school enrollment falls and charter schools close due to low performance. But now they say the proposed school raises financial concerns, too. The new charter plans to send public taxpayer dollars to an out-of-state, for-profit company with private equity backing to operate its Texas schools. Charter schools can be run by nonprofits — like YES Prep, KIPP and other flagship networks — or by private companies.

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In both cases, they receive public funding and operate with more flexibility than traditional public schools. Charters educated about 446,600 Texas students in the 2025-26 school year and just over 99,000 students in the Houston region, according to state data. Patti Everett, an independent education policy researcher, told the State Board of Education last week that if they approved the charter’s management structure, it would represent a “paradigm shift” for charters in Texas. “This application raises many, many red flags, conflicts of interest, and it sets precedents that I think should give us all pause, even if you generally support charter schools,” Everett said. “The idea that taxpayer dollars would go to investors instead of to students, especially at-risk students, is a concerning precedent.” The new charter, Texas School for Dropout Prevention, Inc., has a contract with a private company, Second Mile Education, to operate the school, alongside an independent board and superintendent. Second Mile, which operates 27 schools across the United States, is owned by the private equity firm Satori Capital. The charter school applied last year for Texas approval but didn’t make it to the final rounds. The State Board of Education, whose members are chosen in partisan elections, approved the new charter application in a 9-5-1 vote last week, with board member Pam Little, a Republican from North Texas, abstaining. The vote was mostly along party lines. However, one Democratic representative voted for the charter, Staci Childs from Houston, and one Republican representative who voted against it, Evelyn Brooks of Frisco.

South Texas congressman trying to get border wall exemptions reinstated

U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, says he’s working with Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee for exceptions to be put in the 2027 Homeland Security budget bill to exempt certain landmarks in the Rio Grande Valley from border wall construction. If approved, Cuellar says border wall exemptions that Congress had previously given to these landmarks — Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park; La Lomita Chapel; SpaceX; historic cemeteries; the National Butterfly Center and Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge — would once again apply.

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“It’s not final. We got to make it final But I did get language in the bill to say that those exceptions that we got for the Valley – SpaceX, Butterfly Center (La Lomita) Chapel, all that – you can’t use appropriated dollars and you cannot use Big Beautiful Bill dollars, or reconciliation,” Cuellar told media Thursday. The measure isn’t expected to be voted on for months, however, by Congress. If passed, it likely will be too late to prevent border wall construction at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, where U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has told Border Report the agency plans to begin border wall construction starting this month. Funds for the border wall are paid through the $46.5 billion in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed by President Trump last 4th of July, which had no exemptions written into the legislation.

Hill Country flood relief fund distributes $82 million one year after disaster

In the days after floodwaters tore through the Texas Hill Country on July 4, 2025, donations poured in from across the country. The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country quickly launched a relief effort, directing millions of dollars toward emergency assistance for survivors and affected communities. Like many across the Hill Country, the foundation’s CEO Austin Dickson lost loved ones in the flood. He said the anniversary has been a reminder of both the grief that remains and the progress the community has made. “You can be in grief and you can also be hopeful at the same time, and that's very much where I am personally,” Dickson said. “I'm hopeful because there's been so much generosity towards our community, and the Community Foundation has been able to translate that into results.”

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The flood killed more than 130 people across the Hill Country and destroyed hundreds of homes, businesses and public spaces, making it one of the deadliest natural disasters in Texas history. Now, one year later, the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country has raised $150 million for recovery efforts. Founded in 1982, the local nonprofit has so far awarded about $82 million to help families rebuild their lives, Dickson said. “We've moved really quickly and very deliberately and very systematically to make sure as many people as possible get the help that they need,” he said. The first phase of recovery focused on meeting immediate needs. Within 45 days of the flooding, the foundation distributed $15 million to more than 50 local nonprofits, Dickson said, providing direct financial assistance to survivors and crisis support. But as those emergency needs eased, the organization's priorities shifted to long-term recovery.

Driver overrode Tesla's autopilot seconds before crashing into Katy-area home, killing woman: Docs

A bond has been set for the man who was behind the wheel of a Tesla that crashed into a Katy-area home, killing a woman, according to court records. The alleged driver, 44-year-old Michael Butler, now faces a manslaughter charge. He went before a judge on Thursday morning, where his bond was set at $150,000. Online records show that as of Thursday morning, Butler is still in Harris County jail. According to authorities, the crash happened on June 19. Surveillance video shows Butler's Tesla barreling into the home on Blooming Park Lane in Katy. Court documents state Butler was working as a DoorDash driver at the time of the incident. Butler allegedly told investigators that the last thing he remembered was operating the car on Highway 6 and in full self-driving mode.

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Butler reportedly said the car was on autopilot and then he "passed out." Records alleged Butler denied feeling ill earlier in the day and has no history of seizures. He also tested negative for seizures, stroke, or heart attack, and no alcohol or street drugs were found in his system. As a result of the crash, 76-year-old Martha Avila was killed. Her family told ABC13 they were cooking dinner and she happened to be in the front playroom of the home when the Tesla plowed through. At the time of the crash, investigators said Butler claimed his car was in self-driving mode, but Tesla since disputed that and claimed he overrode the feature. Updated court records state that investigators downloaded the crash data, black box, and received consent to search Butler's phone. They reportedly found that Butler used full self-driving mode for multiple DoorDash locations before the crash with no issues. Investigators accuse Butler of overriding the self-driving mode by using the accelerator just before the crash and rolling through a stop sign.

"Weird" and "ironic": Detained San Antonio mariachi records national anthem for ICE

A San Antonio mariachi musician who was brought to the U.S. at age four and is facing possible deportation under the Trump administration's immigration crackdown sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" Thursday for a July Fourth observance at the federal detention center in South Texas where he is being held. Hebert Kaleth Ibarra Castro, 20, said he agreed to be recorded singing the national anthem even though he considered the request "weird" and "ironic." “They can treat us this way and lock us up and chain us up like animals, but still request for us to sing a song that speaks about a land that is free,” he said in a phone interview from the South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall, 55 miles southwest of San Antonio.

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Hebert was taken into custody June 25 after police pulled him over for speeding in China Grove, a small city 12 miles east of San Antonio. When he showed the officer a Mexican driver's license, local police contacted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, whose agents interviewed Hebert and determined he was in the country illegally. His performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" grew out of an effort to mark Independence Day for detainees at the ICE facility. The center held a contest in which detainees created Fourth of July-themed handkerchief arrangements. Winners received a goodie bag with Cokes, chips and cookies. Staff members at the facility also wanted someone to sing the national anthem, and Hebert said one of them asked him if he would do it. Many of his fellow detainees do not know English, much less the anthem, so he agreed, he said. On Thursday afternoon, Hebert stood beside a poster of the American flag and a display of detainees' red-white-and-blue handkerchief arrangements and belted out "The Star-Spangled Banner," according to his wife, Marisol Pantoja, who spoke to him by phone afterward and received a detailed account.

Texas among hardest hit by explosive diarrhea parasite

Texas is nearly a nationwide leader in one statistic, per the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), though it isn't a mark worth celebrating in the Lone Star State. The CDC reports 145 people across the United States contracted the the parasite Cyclospora between May and its June 16 report, with 11-to-30 of those individuals residing in Texas. CDC data reports New York as the nation's leader in Cyclospora with 31-to-80 cases. Texas and Illinois are the only other states with more than 10 reported cases nationwide. The symptoms of Cyclospora aren't pretty. The CDC notes the most common symptoms as: watery diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss, cramping, bloating, increased gas and nausea.

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Cyclospora can often be contracted by eating or drinking contaminated food or water during travel outside the United States, though the CDC has not confirmed the specific source of Cyclospora in the 145 reported cases nationwide. Cyclospora cases can be treated via antibiotics, though symptoms can last for as long as a month if not immediately treated. Individuals who contracted Cyclospora range from 17-years-old to 89-years-old, per the CDC. The onset of Cyclospora resulted in 20 hospitalizations as of June 16, but no deaths to date. 2026 is far from the first time Cyclospora has emerged in the United States. A 2019 Cyclospora outbreak emerged via imported berries and herbs from Mexico, while 2018 saw 400 people get infected with Cyclospora via tainted salads at McDonalds. The CDC reports "investigations to identify potential sources [of Cyclospora] are ongoing."

CapMetro employees threaten to go on strike

After a 10-month negotiation process, CapMetro workers and transit subcontractor Keolis are still at odds over desired wages, time off, and better training. After rejecting the company’s most recent offer, the union representing CapMetro workers, the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1091, announced Tuesday, June 30, that 99.5% of its members have voted to authorize a strike. Brent Payne, president for ATU Local 1091, said that a strike is now “highly likely.” The disputes between the union and Keolis have resulted in months-long negotiations about how to move forward. In May, the union asked workers to not take overtime shifts after Keolis stalled negotiations. Though the contract was “maybe 60%” complete, Payne said that the offer did not meet all of the employees’ requests, resulting in the workers declining the deal.

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“The best and final that they gave us still didn’t have benefits for my UT shuttle operators. They work full-time hours, meaning they work 40-hour workweeks, but they do not give them any kind of benefits,” Payne said. “We’re not close on a couple of issues.” Payne told us that the subcontractor’s final offer also did not include overtime pay for administrative employees, and offered a 12% pay increase over three years, coming up short of the union’s ask for 14% over the same period. According to the union, over 75% of CapMetro workers can’t afford to live in Austin. “Our members feel very strongly that everybody should have the same benefit package,” Payne said. The union has also pointed out the need for better training and adequate time off that is standard for transit workers across the industry. With a potential strike around the corner, Payne said that Austinites who typically use the public transportation system will likely be impacted. “We cover everything from big bus to all maintenance and UT shuttle operations. That’s everything in fixed route,” Payne said. “I would say a strike would severely disable the city of Austin.”

National Stories

How a fertilizer shortage caused by the Iran war could affect U.S. food prices

When the war with Iran started, one of the top economic concerns globally was the slowdown of oil shipments. But there was another critical export that got stuck in the region when hostilities began: fertilizer. Before the war, around one-third of the world's fertilizer transported by sea passed through the Strait of Hormuz, according to UN Trade and Development. The waterway has become a shipping chokepoint in recent months. With the strait closed, fertilizer shipments from the Persian Gulf slumped and prices rose, affecting countries all around the world that import fertilizer. The war also created a global shortage of natural gas, a key component in nitrogen fertilizer manufacturing.

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It caused a massive headache for U.S. farmers who were hit with higher fertilizer prices and limited availability just as they were deciding what to plant for the upcoming growing season. But the costs borne by farmers don't necessarily get passed on to consumers, and food system experts say they're unlikely to have a major impact on the retail prices of fruit and vegetables. "Consumers are going to see higher food prices come September to January, once harvests start coming in, and the few months thereafter," said Chris Barrett, a professor of agricultural economics at Cornell University. "Very little of that is going to be directly attributable to fertilizer." That's because food inflation is generally driven by larger factors affecting multiple parts of the food supply chain, such as fewer workers and high fuel costs. About one-third of the fertilizer used by U.S. farmers is imported, according to The Fertilizer Institute, an industry trade group. TFI Vice President of Public Affairs Christopher Glen said little of that comes through the Strait of Hormuz.

Instant replay just cost Team USA its top goalscorer at the World Cup

Over the first four games of the World Cup, U.S. striker Folarin Balogun was nothing short of a revelation. But shortly after he gave the U.S. the lead against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday, Balogun became the focus of attention for a different reason. The referee went to the cameras for a replay review that left everyone from U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino to NFL superstar Patrick Mahomes in total disbelief. Balogun was ejected for accidentally stepping on an opponent’s ankle. And even though the Americans survived with only 10 players to beat Bosnia 2-0, the implications going forward are enormous: Balogun, the team’s leading scorer, is now suspended for the team’s round-of-16 clash against Belgium.

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“For me, never it’s a red card,” Pochettino said. “It was a normal action in football that happened by accident. But it’s not intentional.” The moment was the soccer equivalent of an NFL wide receiver juggling a pass in a playoff game and nobody agreeing whether or not it was a catch after an endless delay for review. In this instance, the stoppage lasted several minutes as Brazilian referee Raphael Claus and the Video Assistant Referee team studied Balogun’s cleat landing on top of Tarik Muharemovic’s leg. Afterward, Claus reached into his right pocket and had a bright red present for Balogun. “Man what…” Mahomes posted on social media. U.S. fans immediately pointed to the parallels with a similar incident earlier in the tournament involving Lionel Messi against Algeria. On that night, in Kansas City, Messi lunged for a ball and raked his studs on the calf of an Algerian defender.

MAGA base stays quiet after Trump reports billions in personal gains

President Trump’s $2.2 billion in personal earnings during his presidency has been met largely with silence from his MAGA base, which has been increasingly willing to revolt against policies they view as an abandonment of his promises to put everyday Americans first. Far-right members of Congress, prominent media pundits and grass-roots activists have criticized Mr. Trump’s war with Iran and openly broken ranks to demand the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. They have accused him of prioritizing his own interests over the needs of the voters who elected him to office. But few far-right voices aligned with Mr. Trump have criticized him over the scale of his personal haul, reported this week, or the conflict inherent in his status as a major cryptocurrency industry operator and its top policymaker.

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Some described his earnings as a validation of the business acumen they have long admired in him. “Nobody who voted for Donald Trump — a guy with skyscrapers with his name on it, with a plane that has his name on it — is suspect of him making money,” Joe Borelli, the former New York City Council Republican leader and managing director of Chartwell Strategy Group, a lobbying firm, told CNN. “He made his whole career talking about how much money he makes.” Mr. Trump earned about $1.4 billion from his family’s cryptocurrency businesses, new mandatory financial disclosures show. A significant portion of that came in 2025, when an investment firm tied to the United Arab Emirates bought nearly half of the Trump family’s main crypto company, World Liberty Financial. He also collected hundreds of millions of dollars from sales of his $TRUMP memecoin and World Liberty’s sale of its own digital tokens.

Top elections to watch this July

After a busy stretch in May and June, the elections calendar is quieting down. Only one state is holding its regular primaries in July. It just so happens that this one state, Arizona, is hosting a string of primaries that showcase the extent of the Republican Party’s rightward drift. Arizona conservatives have spread false conspiracy theories about voter fraud since Donald Trump’s defeat here in 2020, and officials who fanned those flames are still running for office all these years later. Many Republicans who tried to overturn Trump’s 2020 loss will be on the ballot in the GOP’s July 21 primaries—including a fake elector. Plus, a former MAGA sheriff is running for Congress, and the far-right Arizona Freedom Caucus is looking to grow its ranks by backing candidates in a dozen legislative districts and working to kick Republican incumbents off of the state’s utility commission.

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Also on the menu: Anger over Trump’s immigration crackdown has spilled into municipal elections. That is notably the case in Mesa, which has closely partnered with ICE for a long time; elsewhere, local elections are revolving around the fate of immigration detention centers. Candidates are debating housing and data centers as well. And far from Arizona, Republicans are choosing their nominee for South Dakota governor in a runoff and Georgia voters are choosing a new member of Congress. Burned by a series of statewide losses after they nominated far-right figures, some of the Arizona GOP’s establishment hoped to nominate Karrin Taylor Robson for governor this year; they got Trump to endorse her, a move that seemed to seal the deal. But Trump blew up their plans two months later by also endorsing U.S. Representative Andy Biggs, former leader of the federal Freedom Caucus. Earlier this spring, Warren Petersen, the Republican president of the Arizona Senate, handed records related to the 2020 election to the FBI. This drew a strong rebuke from Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes, whom Petersen is now challenging; Mayes accused Petersen of continuing to fan false conspiracy theories about Trump’s loss in the presidential race that year.

Mitch McConnell is still in the hospital after medical episode, his office says

Sen. Mitch McConnell remains hospitalized, his office said in a statement Thursday — without offering details about a recent medical episode that has renewed concern about the health of the former Republican majority leader. McConnell “continues his recovery in the hospital” and “continues to improve,” his office said. “Senator McConnell appreciates the outpouring of support he’s receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital,” the statement said. “The Senator continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session.”

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The statement did not explain why he was hospitalized last month. The update comes after multiple outlets reported details of a first responder dispatch call indicating emergency medical personnel responded to McConnell’s home last month to treat an unconscious person who had experienced “cardiac arrest.” POLITICO has not independently verified the dispatch call. The 84-year-old senator, who is retiring at the end of this term, has experienced multiple medical incidents in recent years. On two occasions in 2023, he froze while speaking with reporters. He has also suffered multiple falls and temporarily used a wheelchair, a move his office described at the time as a precautionary measure.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding set for Friday at MSG

Today will be a fairytale. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding is slated to take place Friday at Madison Square Garden, where the couple’s closest friends and family — and several hundred more — will attend what is expected to be an elaborate event inside the iconic New York venue. Many of the details surrounding the pending nuptials are still unknown, but a city permit obtained by The Associated Press shows that Friday’s wedding event is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. and could last until 4 a.m. the next morning. A law enforcement official briefed on security plans had previously told the AP that a smaller rehearsal dinner would be held Thursday night.

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A tented area shielded guests from view as they were dropped off Thursday evening. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the events publicly. The wedding is the latest development in the superstar singer and football player’s relationship, which has continued to thrill and fascinate millions around the world — particularly the Swifties, the pop star’s enormous and ardent fan base — for the past three years ever since the pair first started dating. Key questions remain over how Swift and Kelce have transformed MSG into a wedding venue fit for a billionaire and the star tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, as well as who may perform and who will officiate. Trucks and crews have been going in and out of the venue for days, setting up tents and whisking massive materials inside, setting off more speculation about MSG’s makeover. And while fans have seen Swift wear wedding dresses in plenty of music videos over the years, many also remain eager to see what looks she will unveil at the wedding.

Planned Parenthood set to regain federal funding as GOP ban expires

Planned Parenthood will regain access to federal funding on Saturday, one year after Republicans were able to cut its clinics off from Medicaid. Last year, Republicans were successful in using the party-line One Big Beautiful Bill Act to achieve their long sought-after goal of defunding Planned Parenthood. But the complicated Senate rules involved in passing the bill meant the ban only lasted one year instead of 10. Come July 4, Medicaid will once again cover non-abortion care at Planned Parenthood clinics nationwide. Medicaid is prohibited from paying for almost all abortions under the longstanding Hyde Amendment, but conservatives sought to put Planned Parenthood and other clinics that provide abortions out of business by withholding all federal funding from those clinics. They argued women can receive the same non-abortion care elsewhere.

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While the ban did not completely devastate the organization’s finances and drive it to financial ruin like many GOP lawmakers had hoped, Planned Parenthood clinics suffered. “Tens of thousands of patients have been denied access to services like cancer screenings and birth control and STI testing and treatment. These are things that just can’t be undone,” said Nora Walsh-DeVries, vice president of political and legislative affairs at Planned Parenthood Action Fund. The law forced the closure of 30 clinics, according to a new report from Planned Parenthood Action Fund and Planned Parenthood Federation of America. In September 2025 alone, Planned Parenthood provided healthcare services at no cost to 100,000 Medicaid patients, covering an estimated $45 million in health costs. Keeping that up was “deeply unsustainable” and not something every affiliate could manage, Walsh-DeVries said.

Copyright July 03, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved