May 17, 2026: All Newsclips

Lead Stories

3 in custody following weekend crime spree of 12 shootings, multiple car thefts in Austin

Three people are in police custody in connection with 12 shootings and multiple car thefts across Austin this weekend. One shooting victim sustained serious injuries and three others have minor injuries, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said Sunday. A 15-year-old and a 17-year-old with stolen guns were taken into custody following a car chase in Manor, Davis said, while a third suspect who had also fled the scene remained at large into the evening. The Manor Police Department announced late Sunday that the third suspect had been detained. The two teenage suspects have not been identified but will be placed in juvenile detention, Davis said. Police were not sure how the third person was involved in the string of shootings.

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Several areas in Manor were under a shelter-in-place notice for several hours before authorities lifted it just before 8 p.m. Sunday. Manor police said they were ending an exhaustive search that involved nearly 200 officers, including canine, SWAT, helicopter and drone support. Davis said the first call came from a person around 4 p.m. Saturday who reported their vehicle stolen from an Austin apartment complex. Not long after, another call came in about a stolen gun. She said that over several hours, around 20 calls came in for shootings, primarily in South and Southeast Austin, including at two fire stations. After a lull, the shooting spree continued Sunday. The suspects appeared to be using multiple stolen vehicles. A shelter-in-place alert that went out just before 3:30 p.m. Sunday covered an area of South Austin bordered by Slaughter Lane, McKinney Falls Parkway, Ben White Boulevard and Escarpment Boulevard.

Iran energy crisis enters new phase as peak summer season approaches

Nearly 80 countries have now introduced emergency measures to protect their economies as the world approaches a new, more dangerous phase in the energy crisis driven by the Iran war. Governments are stepping up their responses ahead of a looming tipping point, when traders warn that oil prices could jump again sharply unless more fuel trapped in the Gulf can be exported through the blockaded Strait of Hormuz. Paul Diggle, chief economist at fund manager Aberdeen, said his team was now examining a scenario where Brent crude rockets to $180 a barrel, causing surging inflation and recessions in a host of European and Asian countries. “We are taking that outcome very seriously,” he told the FT, adding that it was not yet his base case. “We are living on borrowed time.”

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Malcolm Moore, Sam Fleming and Jonathan Vincent in London Published40 minutes ago 9 Print this page Get ahead with daily markets updates.Join the FT's WhatsApp channel Nearly 80 countries have now introduced emergency measures to protect their economies as the world approaches a new, more dangerous phase in the energy crisis driven by the Iran war. Governments are stepping up their responses ahead of a looming tipping point, when traders warn that oil prices could jump again sharply unless more fuel trapped in the Gulf can be exported through the blockaded Strait of Hormuz. Paul Diggle, chief economist at fund manager Aberdeen, said his team was now examining a scenario where Brent crude rockets to $180 a barrel, causing surging inflation and recessions in a host of European and Asian countries. “We are taking that outcome very seriously,” he told the FT, adding that it was not yet his base case. “We are living on borrowed time.” Demand for air conditioning and holiday travel at the start of the northern hemisphere’s summer will put further strain on supplies of crude oil, gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, when global stocks are already falling at the fastest rate on record. Australia has pledged to spend $10bn to boost its fuel and fertiliser stockpiles, while France has said it will “change the scope and scale” of its support to shield its economy from the crisis. India has urged the public not to buy gold or holiday abroad as it tries to shore up its reserves of foreign currency. The International Energy Agency estimates that the number of countries that have already been forced into emergency measures has reached 76, up from 55 at the end of March. Economists and traders warn the next phase of the crisis could bring another sharp jump in energy prices, broader fuel rationing, industrial shutdowns and a significant slowdown in global growth. If the Middle East conflict “does not end in the coming weeks and we don’t have the reopening of the Hormuz strait, I’m afraid a world recession could be on the table”, the EU’s transport commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas told an FT conference in Athens on Thursday.

Data center controversy in Texas heading to Legislature

Caldwell County Judge Hoppy Haden is frustrated about data centers. He estimated the county near Austin is looking at a $20-plus billion investment across at least four data center campuses coming on its tax rolls in the next five years. Local government constraints in Texas mean he can't do much about it, to the chagrin of his angry constituents, and he's scared of what it means for not only resources but the county's solvency. "I'm telling you, I'm directing every citizen that comes to me complaining to call the state rep and the state senator. I'm going to do everything I can to fill up their committee chambers with pissed off people cause I'm tired of it – because they're filling my chamber with pissed off people. So I'm directing them where to go," Haden said.

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Haden's predicament is emblematic of the growing frustration cities, counties and citizens have as the state continues to explode with data center investment, primarily in suburban and rural areas. Some municipalities have tried to stop – or at least slow – that boom but to little or no avail. Leadership in Hill County, roughly 55 miles south of Fort Worth, in mid-May became the first known county to pass a one-year pause on data center development, citing public safety and health concerns, according to media reports. Others, including Hays County, considered one but stood down. That all comes amid legal pressure from Texas Sen. Paul Bettencourt, who is chair of the Senate's Local Government Committee. When Hood County considered a moratorium, he sent a letter to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton that claimed it would violate state law. He has said that same letter applies to any county that attempts to do so. That means the next stop for local frustration is the Texas State Capitol. It's setting up what stands to be a contentious legislative battle when the legislature reconvenes next year, and what – if anything – gets done remains to be seen. Interim charges for both the state house and senate have listed data centers as a priority topic, and at least one committee has held a hearing to discuss their impact, with others expected to follow.

State Stories

Tarrant County judge touts economic growth ahead of the World Cup in State of the County address

Tarrant County cities like Arlington and Fort Worth have seen a surge in economic growth — something that will only continue as the FIFA World Cup is set to begin in June and host nine games in Arlington, County Judge Tim O’Hare said during his State of the County address Wednesday. It was one of several topics discussed at the 15th annual address, hosted by O’Hare and the Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce. O’Hare also talked about affordability, county savings and the county jail. But the economy took up a bulk of his remarks, as he predicted a strong summer ahead of the World Cup games at AT&T Stadium. “We’re about to showcase to the world through the most matches of any city in the country in the whole FIFA World Cup,” O’Hare said. “We need to put on a great show, we need to be the friendliest, warmest, most welcoming people you could ever imagine.”

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Dallas-Fort Worth is projected to bring millions of tourists to the region. The World Cup is also projected to bring in $400 million and create more than 3,000 jobs. Still, the economic impact of the international sporting event remains to be seen. Hotel booking numbers are lower than expected after FIFA canceled some hotel block reservations in Dallas and Arlington. That’s a trend cities are facing across the country. O’Hare also pointed to the renewal of the $273 million Dallas Cowboys lease at AT&T Stadium as another good sign for the city’s economic future. “People are coming over here from all over the Metroplex, and sometimes all over the state, to watch a Cowboys game,” O’Hare told the Report after Wednesday’s speech. “Arlington has been a great model and example of how to use these things to bring in dollars, that people from outside your city spend money here.” O’Hare said the county saved taxpayers more than $921 million in the three years he’s held his seat. The county also saw an $81 million cut from its operating budget in that time while maintaining an increased budget for the sheriff and the district attorney’s office, he said.

San Antonio congressional candidate Maureen Galindo wants rival tried for treason

Democratic congressional candidate Maureen Galindo is again stirring up controversy, this time for saying her runoff opponent, former Bexar County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Johnny Garcia, should be tried for treason. “[Immigration and Customs Enforcement] is again part of [the Department of Homeland Security], which has headquarters and offices inside Israel,” Galindo said on Texas Public Radio’s The Source with David Martin Davies. “This is an Israeli occupation of America,” the candidate for San Antonio’s 35th Congressional District continued. “In fact, I was thinking this morning, maybe Johnny Garcia and others who support him, or anybody who is supported by Israel, should be tried for treason.”

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For reference, ICE is headquartered in Washington, D.C. And, while the agency has two offices in Israel, they are located within the U.S. diplomatic facilities, as is common in other U.S. diplomatic outposts. A bewildered Davies tried to respond before Galindo cut him off, warning that Israel could be planning genocide in the United States. She didn’t elaborate on how that might come about. Garcia, who was also on The Source on Wednesday, dismissed Galindo’s assertion that he should be tried for treason or that he is controlled by Israel. “I think she’s drawing these baseless claims from the group called AIPAC Tracker that put us on that website after the endorsement of the Democratic majority for Israel,” Garcia said. AIPAC (the American Israel Public Affairs Committee) is an advocacy group that lobbies the U.S. government to strengthen its ties with Israel.

Bridget Grumet: Austin has a process for police damage claims. It always says no.

Sometime after 1 a.m., Austin police chasing a car thief kicked in the unlocked gate outside Spencer Harder’s home. Harder awoke that April 2025 morning to find $1,035 in damage that was now his problem. “I was like, ‘What the hell?’” the software engineer recently told me from his Northeast Austin home. “But I thought that maybe we can get (the city) to pay for this. It’s very obvious what happened.” Instead, he learned that when Austin police break it, you buy it — even if you’re just an unlucky bystander. We all want police to catch criminals and reach people who might need help. Sometimes that involves breaking down doors or gates. As I noted in the first installment of this “Damaged for Good” series last week, the question is what happens next: Who bears the collateral cost for public safety in Austin?

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In theory, the city has a process for people to seek reimbursement for damages caused by police. But that system, built on a narrow reading of a contested area of law, is as broken as Harder’s gate. Austin’s Law Department received 135 claims for building damages caused by police over the past six years. Each time, the city refused to pay. Those damages arose from everything from welfare checks to suspect pursuits to a handful of times officers kicked in the wrong door. One of the most maddening aspects of the claims review process is the pretense that there is one. Officers typically apologize and give residents the contact information to file a claim with the city’s Law Department. Residents write up what happened, submit photos and sometimes include receipts, believing there is a decent chance they’ll be reimbursed. Then the Law Department arrives at a denial with such binary efficiency that a chatbot could do it. As long as the case does not involve a car crash — which falls under different liability standards — the city cites governmental immunity and “respectfully denies” the claim. The process is so geared toward denial that sometimes the city tells residents the particulars don’t matter.

Texas’ upstream oil and gas jobs increase slightly as industry sees sustained high prices

Upstream jobs in Texas’ oil and gas industry have increased slightly, according to the Texas Oil and Gas Association. The state added 1,800 jobs in this sector in March, according to the association's analysis of Texas Workforce Commission data. Houston added 200 oil and gas extraction jobs that month, according to the Greater Houston Partnership. Many Texas oil companies expressed hesitation about increasing production in the first few months of the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran, saying it takes time to increase oil production – and supply disruptions, caused by war and other geopolitical factors, are often resolved before then.

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However, Texas Oil and Gas Association President Todd Staples said the market is beginning to respond to months of sustained higher oil prices, potentially contributing to the slight increase in jobs. "I think the continued depletion of the storage of oil (in) both private and public sectors has motivated some companies to expand their production," he said. However, he said, it's still hard to predict the long-term impacts of the war. "I don't think you're going to see any abrupt moves because once normality returns, you'll have to determine what the market looks like," Staples said. Overall, Texas added more than 46,000 non-farm jobs in March, with a slightly higher job growth rate than the rest of the country. Houston added 16,400 jobs in March.

Mayor, APD chief talk license plate readers following shootings

During Sunday’s press conference over the multiple shootings around Austin, questions were raised about license plate readers, or Flock cameras and if they could have helped. Austin ended its contract last year with Flock, a company that provided license plate reader technology, amid privacy concerns. “I think the conversation is ripe to have, could that have helped? Yes, it could have helped,” said Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis when asked about license plate readers. Mayor Kirk Watson also weighed in on the technology.

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“What I will say is this, probably having license plate readers would have been helpful under these circumstances,” said Watson. “So, we need to make sure when we are trying to reach balance and perspective, we take all of that into account.” MOST READ: LIVE BLOG: All suspects in connection with south Austin shootings are in custody As of late Sunday, all three suspects were in custody in connection with an investigation into at least 10 shootings in the south Austin area over the weekend that injured four people. After two of them were found Sunday afternoon, the Manor Police Department said officers found and arrested the third around 9:30 p.m. The search for the suspect prompted the Manor Police Department and Travis County Sheriff’s Office to issue shelter-in-place orders for a portion of the area around 4:45 p.m. The orders were lifted shortly before 8 p.m. without the suspect being located, MPD said in a social media post.

Personal adversity, compassion drive Luz Elena Chapa's DA race

By her own telling, the leading candidate to become Bexar County’s next district attorney isn’t a great debater. She’s never been a prosecutor, and it took her three tries to pass the bar exam. That hasn’t slowed down 52-year-old Luz Elena Chapa, whose battles with adversity have long made her a rising star in a Democratic Party that wants to see more compassion in the justice system. As a young girl, Chapa’s early interactions with that system involved witnessing ugly custody fights between her immigrant mother and alcoholic father. “It was a struggle to collect child support, and it was a struggle for my father to follow through with his visitation schedule, and so we were constantly in court,” she said in a May 13 interview at the Guerra Law Firm.

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In the judge’s chambers at age 8, Chapa decided that she would put everything she had into helping mothers like hers. “Naturally, I wanted to go to law school to represent single mothers and help them collect child support,” Chapa said. The oldest daughter in her large family would grow up to do just that. She left El Paso to pursue an undergraduate degree at St. Mary’s University, spent a year in D.C. as a legislative correspondent for then-U.S. Rep. Frank Tejeda (D-San Antonio), and returned to St. Mary’s University for a law degree. “I took the bar three times,” Chapa said in the interview. “The first time was a dry run because I had so much anxiety as a young kid. The second time, however, I studied my a– off for three months and it was devastating.” Saddled with debt and panicked about her future, Chapa said her mom sat her down. “She said, ‘You’re trying to pass this exam for me, and you need to pass this bar for yourself,'” Chapa recalled. “Being the eldest Latina, you know, we do take a lot of responsibility.”

City Stories

Chris Hollins posts memes about Houston’s budget fight

City Controller Chris Hollins' beef about Houston's finances has now entered meme territory and social media is here for it. In a post Friday on the official Houston Controller's Instagram, the popular Homer Simpson meme where he appears to be holding in the letter "F" is depicted with the words above saying, "how hard I pronounce the F in 'f*ck no," when my buddy asks if the Houston Budget is balanced." Hollins then invited the public to RSVP for a town hall meeting on Sunday, a "reality check to learn more." Naturally, social media had to do its thing, amassing more than 700 likes on Instagram and 9,000 views on X. The reactions were exactly what you'd expect.

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"Not on the official page lol," one person commented on Instagram. "?? we shouldn't be laughing at this. But I am.... ???????," another user said. Another commenter added: "Heard the F all the way in ATL." It's no secret that Hollins has been vocal (and uncensored) about balancing the city's budget and criticizing Mayor John Whitmire for what he has previously described as "quick fixes" rather than structural solutions. Their disagreements have played out publicly over issues ranging from flood control funding to broader concerns about balancing Houston's budget. At the center of the latest debate is Whitmire's proposed budget plan, which includes a new monthly fee tied to solid waste services as the city faces mounting financial pressure. Of course, not everyone was amused by the meme. Council Member Sallie Alcorn shared her sentiments on X calling it not a respectful way to spark discussion.

National Stories

‘Crush their souls’: Democrats ditch the niceties after GOP gains upper hand on redistricting

House Democrats say they tried playing nice. Now the gloves are off. After spending more than a decade pushing for anti-gerrymandering measures and other good-government initiatives, Democratic lawmakers said this week they are gearing up to play political hardball in the wake of stunning court losses on redistricting — potentially for years to come. “We will beat the far-right extremists,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Wednesday. “We’re going to win in November, and then we’re going to crush their souls as it relates to the extremism that they are trying to unleash on the American people.” It’s a marked reversal from years of high-minded Democratic rhetoric that included advocating for independent redistricting commissions, campaign finance curbs and more — even as Republicans used the courts and their control of state governments to consolidate and enhance their own party’s power.

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The U-turn was already underway, but it was cemented in recent weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court reinterpreted the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to allow states to eliminate majority-minority districts. Then the Virginia Supreme Court moved last week to invalidate a recent voter referendum paving the way for a Democrat-friendly map. Several Democratic states, including New York, have been hindered by their adoption of independent redistricting commissions and other processes meant to take partisan considerations out of the drawing of congressional lines. Now Democratic leaders are openly discussing overriding those safeguards. “All options should be on the table,” Rep. Ted Lieu (R-Calif.) told reporters Wednesday. “And other states that have redistricting commissions should be prepared to have conversations with their legislature and their voters in response to what we’re seeing in the South. And I think all of that is completely fair.” The party’s anger also translates to a growing appetite to remake the Supreme Court, which many House Democrats say is ushering in an era of “Jim Crow 2.0.”

Trump, GOP make midterm appeal to farmers with China deal, farm bill

The Trump administration and GOP lawmakers are seeking to win over U.S. farmers, a core constituency for the president during his 2016 and 2024 White House wins that has been aggravated by rising prices caused by his trade policies and the Iran war. Ahead of a midterm election season where the GOP is working to win every vote it can, the White House and its allies in Congress are reaching out to farmers in red and blue states alike. On the way back from Beijing after his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, President Trump assured farmers that they would be pleased with the deals he’d made with a major purchaser of U.S. agricultural goods that has cut down on its cash for U.S. soybeans and other goods amid a trade fight with his administration.

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“The farmers are going to be very happy. They’re going to be buying millions of dollars,” Trump told reporters on his way back from China. Earlier, Trump told Fox News’s Sean Hannity that Xi agreed to purchase U.S. soybeans, oil and liquified natural gas and other energy, along with Boeing jets. A White House official told The Hill that the agricultural agreements made “will help our farmers gain unprecedented access into Chinese markets.” U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told Bloomberg on Thursday that he expected China to commit $10 billion to purchasing agricultural products. But experts say there are questions about whether China will follow up with commitments on promises that may have been made between the two leaders.

Data centers are coming for rural America,

At its peak, the Androscoggin paper mill in Jay, Maine, a rural town about 67 miles northwest of Portland, employed about 1,500 people — until a pulp digester exploded in 2020, forcing the mill to close permanently. In 2023, the 1.4 million-square-foot facility was purchased through a joint venture by JGT2 Redevelopment and a number of other holding and capital companies. The project is led by developer Tony McDonald. Over the next three years, McDonald and his team broke down the mill’s machinery and shipped it to Pakistan, and worked to clean up the industrial site for resale. That resale agreement was finalized earlier this year, according to McDonald — turning Jay into the latest flashpoint over giant data centers in America. Maine is particularly appealing for data center developers for its relatively cool year-round temperatures, lax land-use statutes, and 54 percent renewable energy mix, the eighth highest in the nation. There is a handful of planned data centers around the state, which recently prompted the state legislature to pass a bill ordering an 18-month moratorium on permits and building of any proposed data center that consumes more than 20 megawatts of power.

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Lawmakers wanted to pause construction in order to study data centers’ impact on local economies, the power grid, and the environment. But that bill, which would have been the country’s first, was vetoed by Maine Gov. Janet Mills last month. In her veto, she cited one overriding reason: jobs. A $550 million facility proposed for the shuttered paper mill in Jay, she argued, would create 125 to 150 permanent, high-paying positions in a town that had watched its largest employer close. From mill towns in Maine to farm counties in Indiana to desert plots outside Abilene, Texas, data center developers are telling local governments: Bring us in, give us what we need, add some tax breaks, and the jobs will follow. More than 35 states have responded by offering incentives and more to attract the industry. There’s little research into whether massive industrial sites actually deliver the long-term economic gains they promise, but early reports suggest otherwise. Experts say that rural communities often lack the governmental expertise to properly assess how data centers might impact an area. According to recent Pew Research Center data, 67 percent of planned data centers in the US are headed to rural areas, and 39 percent are going to counties that currently have none. As data center development scales rapidly, it’s becoming clear that what rural communities around the country are actually getting isn’t jobs, but a power- and water-hungry industrial facility that temporarily employs about as many people as a midsize restaurant.

Copyright May 18, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved