August 30, 2026: All Newsclips

Lead Stories

Regulators approve routes for Texas' first 765-kV power lines

Plans for Texas’ first-ever 765-kilovolt transmission lines cleared a final regulatory hurdle Friday, but a top state official is trying to pause the project. The Public Utility Commission of Texas voted to approve two applications and final routes for ultrahigh voltage transmission lines west of Dallas-Fort Worth. This allows the utility company, Dallas-based Oncor, to begin surveying, securing necessary rights-of-way, and constructing the line. The PUC ordered Oncor to work with landowners on routing to avoid bisecting properties “when reasonable accommodations can be made.”

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PUC Chairman Thomas Gleeson filed memorandums late Thursday afternoon ahead of the meeting that said he suggested the commission approve the applications in the more than 200-mile Dinosaur Switch to Longshore Switch from Somervell County to Howard County and the estimated 160-mile Longshore Switch to Drill Hole Switch from Howard County to near the Culberson County-Reeves County line. The routes chosen were Route 559 and Route 476, respectively. “I know we heard from some that the feeling is the participation isn’t meaningful,” Gleeson said after the vote. “I want to tell everyone it is meaningful. Everyone who participates in this process and the people up here takes it seriously.” He said balancing all of the interests is difficult. In a written statement, Oncor officials said the company appreciates the commissioners’ thoughtful review of the 765-kV projects.

A Texas banking billionaire and his children are locked in a bitter succession drama

A family battle over a billionaire’s fortune, from boats and a jet to Dallas Cowboys tickets, is rankling the board of a small regional bank in Texas. Texas banking veteran Gerald J. Ford is ensnarled in a legal fight with some of his adult children over a large stake in Hilltop Holdings, the $2.2 billion financial-services holding company he forged. Four of Ford’s children—including son Jeremy, who took over as chair from Ford in 2025—are suing to wrest away control of their father’s more-than-26% stake in Hilltop, worth some $600 million. At the core of the disagreement is family drama: The children claim Ford (no relation to the former president) is suffering from cognitive decline, and is being manipulated by his longtime second wife, Kelli O. Ford, and others. Ford’s camp, which includes children from his second marriage, rejects that and says it is simple greed and an attempt by his older children to gain millions on top of what they have already been gifted.

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The disagreements over estate planning have now morphed into something that may belong more on an HBO dramedy than in a boardroom. In late July, Ford withheld his votes for the entire board at the company’s annual shareholder meeting, which would mean three directors didn’t get a majority of votes. The four children disputed his ability to vote the shares held by a family investment vehicle. The board chair and CEO is personally suing his largest individual shareholder, who is also his father. If Ford, 82 years old, were to die, it is unclear who would get voting control of his stake, leaving open questions about a major block of shares for the bank. “It is a war of attrition waged by a sitting Chairman and CEO against his own benevolent father, on the apparent theory that time and exhaustion will extract what negotiation could not,” Electra Ford, Ford’s 22-year-old daughter from his second marriage, wrote in a letter to Hilltop’s board of directors viewed by The Wall Street Journal.

Warsh makes the case for higher rates and raises the bar for standing pat

Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh put to rest some concerns raised about his inflation-fighting strategy but set up a potentially bigger test three weeks from now. If the Fed raises interest rates, he risks infuriating the White House weeks before the midterm elections. If he holds, he could revive the doubts that Friday’s speech here quieted. The central bankers gathered in the Tetons this weekend arrived unsure how much the Fed’s new chairman would tell them about how he reads the economy. Warsh had been criticized after last month’s meeting, including by several conference attendees, for not explaining how the Fed’s current stance would bring inflation down. He gave a fuller account on Friday. Two observations in particular from Warsh’s speech pointed toward raising rates next month, which investors now think more likely than not. One was that Warsh would be hard-pressed to call financial conditions restrictive.

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The other was that the summer’s better inflation readings hadn’t convinced him the underlying trend was improving. Rates are supposed to bring inflation down by making borrowing costly. If borrowing isn’t costly and inflation isn’t falling, rates aren’t high enough. Before Friday, the Fed’s default was to hold unless the data made a case to move. Warsh’s speech reversed it, said Donald Kohn, a former Fed vice chairman. “He’s changed the presumption to they’ll raise rates unless the data suggests it’s not necessary,” said Kohn, whose reading was shared by others at the Kansas City Fed’s annual symposium. That means the decision will turn on developments before the Sept. 15-16 meeting, especially the August consumer-price index on Sept. 11. Warsh has said he doesn’t put much weight on any single reading, but cooler data could turn two prior encouraging months into a trend. A weak enough report would settle it, Kohn said. If the data say a move isn’t necessary, the Fed shouldn’t move, and investors shouldn’t object. A firm reading, on the other hand, could undercut the argument that inflation is on its way to the central bank’s 2% target. If the Fed held steady anyway, it would revive the doubts about Warsh’s willingness to act that Friday’s speech had quieted.

James Talarico visits Fort Worth with Mark Cuban to discuss healthcare

Mark Cuban knows a good pitch. And after hearing Democrat James Talarico’s case for the U.S. Senate, Cuban appears ready to invest. The billionaire Dallas businessman and former Shark Tank star said Saturday that Talarico is offering the kind of ambitious ideas on healthcare, the economy and small businesses that Washington needs. “I believe in him,” Cuban said during a panel discussion with Talarico at a packed Ridglea Theater in Fort Worth. “We need people like James in the Senate helping to find solutions.”

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Cuban, the former majority owner of the Dallas Mavericks, is no stranger to politics. He said he agreed to join the podcast event after Talarico called for breaking up healthcare monopolies to lower prescription drug prices and other medical costs. “James nailed it,” Cuban said. “So here I am.” Cuban never mentioned Republican Ken Paxton, Talarico’s opponent, by name. But he repeatedly contrasted Talarico’s character and ethics with those of the attorney general. “I believe very strongly that character is destiny,” Cuban said. “When people are tested, when it hits the fan, that’s when real character emerges. When you see somebody like James, who truly is ethical, you can believe in him. You can trust him.” Cuban also praised Talarico’s economic proposals, saying, “When we send him to Washington, he’s going to be looking out for those entrepreneurs.” Talarico and Paxton are locked in a tight race that could help determine the balance of power in the Senate. Cuban stopped short of formally endorsing Talarico, but he twice referred to “when Talarico is elected to the Senate” and said he was the leader Washington needs.

Gov. Abbott blocks funding in Texas for Flock cameras as bipartisan fury brews

Republicans and Democrats once praised Flock Safety as a protection tool for American communities. Now politicians across the political spectrum are turning against the mass-surveillance technology. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) froze state spending this week on the shoebox-size cameras that have proliferated across the nation. The flow of taxpayer money halted just before the Texas Tribune published an investigation probing how one state agency poured at least $30 million into expanding the reach of the controversial automated license plate scanners. “There is a crackdown across Texas,” Abbott spokesperson Andrew Mahaleris said in a statement.

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Reports of authorities misusing the Flock network, which spans 120,000 cameras in every state except Alaska, have sparked an intense backlash, with critics asserting the crime-stopping devices too easily enable stalking or spying in the wrong hands. Abbott’s office highlighted a case in the East Texas city of Lufkin, where a police officer was indicted on felony charges after searching his ex-girlfriend’s license plate number thousands of times. Like energy-guzzling data centers, the robotic trackers have grown increasingly unpopular, sparking heated debate on the responsible use of AI in the United States as the midterm elections near. Protesters have vandalized Flock cameras they blast as “Big Brother,” and internet pranksters have danced in front of them in lighter-hearted viral mockery. Abbott’s office, meanwhile, said the technology is concentrated in densely populated areas and mainly funded by the federal government. “Almost all Flock cameras in Texas are used by cities, and those cities are increasingly canceling their contracts with Flock,” the governor’s press secretary said in a statement. The Democrat running against Abbott for governor, Gina Hinojosa, released an ad this month criticizing her opponent for allowing 10,000 of the monitors to trace Texans’ movements.

State Stories

Proposed state windstorm insurance change could leave many Galveston residences uninsurable

A proposed change to Texas Windstorm Insurance Association coverage could devastate the housing market in coastal communities such as Galveston County, state representatives, board members and business leaders told The Daily News ahead of the association’s meeting Tuesday. Association board member John Todd proposed eliminating coverage for secondary homes to reduce the association’s potential exposure by about $19 billion. Nearly 60% of the association’s secondary-home policies are in Galveston or Nueces counties, according to the association. Beyond vacation homes and coastal getaways, the proposal could also affect tenant-occupied properties, including short- and long-term rentals.

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With no secondary private market for windstorm insurance in Galveston, losing association coverage could leave property owners with no alternative source of coverage. “It’s got bad implications all across the coast,” Rep. Terri Leo Wilson told The Daily News on Thursday. “It could have devastating consequences for coastal communities.” The Legislative and External Affairs Committee will consider whether to recommend the proposal to the association’s full board. The board would have to approve it before it could be included in the association’s report to the Texas Legislature as a proposed change to state law, association spokesman Aaron Taylor told The Daily News. “It would be premature for TWIA to comment on the proposal because at this point, it is still being discussed as a potential Committee recommendation to the Board,” Taylor said. “The Board must approve any recommendations put forth by the Committee before they are included in TWIA’s report to the Legislature as a recommended law change.” Todd couldn’t be reached for comment. The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association covered about 280,000 residential policies in March, of which 20% were categorized as secondary homes, Anna Stafford, senior legislative and external affairs manager, told the board at its June 22 meeting. Galveston County has 18,178 homes with a policy in force, with an average building limit of $355,870, according to the association.

Texas PUC delays Hill Country transmission line route decision

With opposition mounting, state regulators delayed a decision on the route of a massive transmission line that would run from San Antonio through the Hill Country to West Texas, but gave their approval to another from North Texas. Both lines are part of the $33 billion Permian Basin Reliability Plan designed to provide power to the energy-rich region of West Texas by building three massive 765-kilovolt transmission lines. But the way the Public Utility Commission, grid operator the Electric Reliability Council of Texas and utilities have carried out the plan has sparked public outrage from landowners concerned about what they say is a compressed timeline and lack of transparency. Hundreds of people have shown up to make their voices heard at House and Senate committee hearings, regulatory agency meetings and protests.

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Shortly after Friday’s meeting, Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a brief calling for the projects to be paused until the legislative session that begins in January, when a “full and thorough review” can be done. His action came after calls from lawmakers — who approved the plan in 2023 — to delay the project to give the state time to find a way to provide more transparency in the process and more time for public input. On Aug. 21, 31 Texas House members filed a request calling for utility regulators to pause the project until reforms to the permitting process can be made in the next legislative session. The request was made less than an hour before the commission met to discuss the North Texas transmission line. At that meeting, commissioners heard from Texans opposing the planned line, which has two segments. They delayed taking action on applications from Oncor to build the 235-mile Dinosaur-Longshore segment from Somervell County to Howard County and the 160-mile Longshore-Drill Hole segment from Howard County to a switch near the Culberson County-Reeves County line.

North Central Texas Council of Governments leaves job

The executive director of an Arlington-based government organization is out of his job months after he fired an influential North Texas transportation director — a move that spurred legal action and led to the director’s reinstatement. Todd Little, a former Ellis County judge appointed to lead the North Central Texas Council of Governments in May 2025, left his position Thursday after a meeting of the group’s executive board, which now includes five Tarrant County leaders. During the meeting, the board “voted to approve a mutually agreed separation of Todd Little’s employment as executive director, effective immediately, with no finding of misconduct or cause,” Caroline Vandergriff, the organization’s spokesperson, said in a statement released late Thursday night. The vote was 8-6.

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Little, also a former Red Oak mayor, could not be immediately reached for comment. The April firing of Michael Morris, transportation director for the 45-member Regional Transportation Council for 35 years, led to a monthslong regional dispute between the transportation body and the board. Morris, reinstated to his role days later by a judge, directs North Texas transportation projects and distributes millions of dollars to cities for road, rail, bus, bicycle and air quality projects. A settlement in the lawsuit by Denton County officials was approved by the transportation council on Aug. 13. Little previously told the Fort Worth Report that the organization is preparing for long-term mobility plans and looking for an eventual successor to marshal transportation projects needed to accommodate 4 million people expected to move to North Texas by 2050. “We’re planning for the future,” Little told the Report. Little was singled out by former Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley at the Regional Transportation Council’s April 30 meeting.

Ross Fire consumes 85,303 acres and is 31% contained

A wildfire that exploded in size in a matter of hours on Monday continues ripping through wide swaths of ranchland in rural North Texas west of DFW on Friday, threatening structures, closing roads and forcing evacuations. The Ross Fire, which began early Monday afternoon, burned more than 78 square miles in less than a day across lightly populated areas in Palo Pinto and Jack counties. Fueled by whipping winds and extremely hot, dry conditions, the fire jumped creeks and rivers, residents said. On Saturday morning, Texas A&M Fire Service Operations Section Chief Boe Adler said the fire had consumed 85,303 acres and was 31% contained.

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Adler said Friday's operations included firefighters using bulldozers to create a fire break along the southwest side. Firefighters use bulldozers to strip away any vegetation that could fuel the fire, leaving only a swath of bare soil. Along the fire's western front, Adler said they expect to see more fire activity moving through the rocky, rugged and tough terrain. They'll use bulldozers there, too, to try to prevent the fire from moving closer to Possum Kingdom Lake. The National Weather Service in Fort Worth said Thursday that the Ross Fire is the second-largest wildfire in our area's history, behind the PK Complex Fire, which burned roughly 127,000 acres in 2011.

Jonathan Levin: Texas’ Y'all Street won't mess with Wall Street

(Jonathan Levin is a columnist focused on US markets and economics. Previously, he worked as a Bloomberg journalist in the US, Brazil and Mexico. He is a CFA charterholder.) Second-tier US cities are always pitching themselves as “the next Wall Street.” During the penny stock frenzy of the 1970s and ‘80s, Denver adopted the Wall Street West moniker — until its boiler rooms got caught up in a wave of fraud. Charlotte, Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa and West Palm Beach have all, at one time or another, laid claim to the Wall Street South nickname. And now Dallas is going all in on Y’all Street (the best coinage yet, by far). The slogans are frequently part of marketing campaigns pushed by residential and office developers and business development strategists, and they should be met with an appropriate amount of eyerolling. Often the language shows up in luxury real estate ads and on Time Square billboards. Hilariously, the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County even went so far as to federally register the Wall Street South® trademark. Lately the attention has focused on Miami and Dallas. The former saw the opening of the MIAX Sapphire options trading floor in 2025, operated by Miami International Holdings Inc., and Dallas got TXSE Group Inc.’s (much more significant) Texas Stock Exchange this year.

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In practical terms, these businesses have produced modest numbers of local jobs: Miami International, despite the name, is technically headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey, and the Texas Stock Exchange is reportedly starting out with about 100 employees. For all the inroads, the buzzy narratives around these kinds of developments can quickly become hyperbolic. And they veer toward fantasy when boosters try to convince us that Miami or Dallas (or wherever the new finance hub du jour might be) can actually replace the real Wall Street. Having examined the numbers from my office here in Miami, I can confidently tell you that while the ever-booming investment business has been expanding into more diverse locales, New York will always be its home. Manhattan alone still has five times as many high-finance workers as Dallas, Miami and Palm Beach combined, and in the last five years it added twice as much headcount as the total increase in those cities. Finance and investing workers also earn considerably less in these locales than they do in New York, putting a damper on the thesis that cost-of-living arbitrage might greatly accelerate incipient trends. Astute observers may rightly point out that these regions all have different-sized populations and workforces.

Report finds majority of the Valley’s unemployed are prime-working age

The majority of unemployed workers in the Rio Grande Valley are in “the region’s prime working-age population,” 25-44, according to an August labor analysis report prepared by Workforce Solutions Lower Rio Grande Valley. The report was intended to provide “a broader look at the region’s workforce ecosystem and labor market,” according to communications specialist Julio Salinas. The analysis was based on 8,388 unemployment claims filed between January and March. According to the report, the median age of claimants is 36, and 63% have a high school diploma “or less.” According to the report, educational attainment has been a reliable predictor of long-term economic mobility. The report calls “targeted up-skilling” — training designed to improve specific workforce needs — “an economic imperative.”

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The report also points to the need for affordable child care options throughout the Rio Grande Valley, calling the support for parents “the difference between being able to work or not.” According to the claimant analysis, 5,500 parents were receiving childcare assistance, totaling 9,700 children supported each day. “Stable child care enables workforce participation, increasing household incomes and consumer spending,” the report reads. “Employers gain a more reliable, stable workforce when parents have dependable care arrangements.” According to the report, the top four occupational sectors with the most unemployment during the analysis period were construction, administrative and support services, healthcare and social assistance, and professional, scientific, and technical services. A wide margin is dominated by construction, with 2,652 claims, or 31.6%. With inherently project-based work, cycles of unemployment and unemployment are predominant. Workforce solutions pitches licensed trades, OSHA certifications, operator qualifications as a possible fix, allowing workers to move quickly between employers when a project ends. Unfortunately, according to the report, many workers lack access to these necessary credentials.

Bexar GOP seeks to boot independent candidate from 3-way District Attorney race

Bexar County Republicans are trying to remove an independent candidate who was once a member of their party, and could potentially peel votes away from their nominee in a three-way district attorney race. Defense attorney Jason Wolff ran and served as a Republican for many years — elected as a judge under the party’s banner in 2010 and 2014. But the GOP hasn’t won a countywide election in more than a decade in Bexar County, and this year Wolff entered the race to replace retiring District Attorney Joe Gonzales without a party affiliation next to his name.

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“People can’t have a civil conversation with one another if they think that they can identify what’s in your heart based on your party affiliation,” Wolff said in a July interview. “I think it’s dividing this country [and] this county, so that’s why I’m running as an independent.” Now more than a month after the Secretary of State accepted Wolff’s petition to appear on the ballot, a lawsuit that seeks to have him removed has been filed by the Republican Party of Bexar County, its chairwoman Kris Coons, and the GOP nominee for District Attorney, Ashley Foster. The parties are scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 1. Major party candidates are selected through the primary process, while independents collect and submit signatures to qualify. Foster said Thursday that it’s standard practice for campaigns to check the validity of an opponent’s petition signatures, and local GOP activist Marian Stanko sought to do that in a timely manner after Wolff qualified.

Manvel mayor reverses his support for city's participation with Flock

Manvel Mayor Dan Davis is calling for the city to end its contract with Flock Safety, citing concerns over privacy, data sharing and the costs of the company's controversial license plate readers. “In 2024, I voted for Flock based on the information we had at the time and my desire to give our officers effective tools to keep Manvel safe,” Davis told the Houston Chronicle. “Since then, I’ve learned much more about Flock’s expanding data ecosystem, including Nova, the contractual language surrounding data use, cybersecurity concerns, and the broader sharing and aggregation of information.” Nova is Flock's AI-powered public safety platform. Davis on Friday announced on social media that he could no longer support Manvel’s four-year, $137,000 contract with the company, though he added that he doesn't oppose license plate readers generally. The issue is expected to come before Manvel City Council at its Sept. 8 meeting.

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In his post, the mayor said he asked questions about language in Manvel’s contract and how data collected by Flock is used. He said he was troubled when a Flock representative could not provide clear answers. “Good leadership requires being willing to reconsider a decision when new information comes to light,” Davis said. “Knowing what I know today, I would not cast the same vote. Public safety is essential, but so are privacy, local control and public trust.” His push comes after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday directed state agencies to pause their funding for all Flock cameras amid the growing scrutiny of the technology. For his part, Davis said residents have complained to him about the license plate readers. Based on responses he has received, Davis estimated that more than 60% support ending the city’s relationship with Flock. He said some community members who disagree with removing the cameras appear to be supportive of law enforcement technology generally. “When I’ve explained my specific concerns with Flock, I’ve found there is actually significant common ground,” Davis said. Davis has also cited the cost of the system as Manvel works through what he described as a tight budget. He said the taxpayer money spent on Flock should be redirected to other public safety or infrastructure needs.

Routines and relationships are critical to a successful school year explains Communities in Schools

Schools across North Texas are in full swing, and a non-profit focused on helping kids succeed explains why routines and relationships are critical for children. Communities in Schools of the Dallas Region started in 1985 and, over the last 41 years, has provided services to kids in grades Kindergarten through 12. The non-profit uses evidence-based interventions for its programs to supply trained staff on campuses every day at schools to provide intervention to high-need students and families to remove barriers. Dr. Summer Rose, Psy.D, CEO of Communities in Schools of the Dallas Region, explains why routines and relationships are critical for the start of the year.

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"We're trying to get kids back in the habit of getting up early, you know, having all their things prepared, making it to their classes on time, and also building from relationships," said Rose. "They're learning their new teachers; they might have old friends from last year, but there also might be new friends from this year. We might be having transitions from elementary to middle or middle-to-high. And so we really are talking about the importance of being in class every day so that you can build those routines and relationships because those habits formed early really impact for the rest of the school year." Communities in Schools of the Dallas Region said it relies on the generosity of the community, which is why North Texas Giving Day is huge for them. "This is like our Super Bowl. We love North Texas Giving Day, especially as a nonprofit, because we do survive; we thrive off of the donations from the community. This support allows us to be able to place these trained staff, both site coordinators and we have licensed mental health workers that also travel between the campuses that we serve to provide much-needed intervention. And so, North Texas Giving Day allows us to reach more students and families through the generosity of the community," explained Rose.

Brazoria County judge apologizes for using 'short bus' remark in reference to tax abatement opponents

Brazoria County's top elected official is apologizing after Eyewitness News asked about comments he made at Tuesday's commissioners court meeting. Commissioners were discussing whether to approve a seven-year tax abatement for the agricultural supply company NeuAg to expand its Clute fertilizer plant. Judge Matt Sebesta referenced emails he received from those opposed to the abatement, which he said were riddled with inaccuracies. "I'm gonna say it's kind of like the kid on the short bus that likes to eat boogers talks everybody else into eating boogers, and so they all copy the booger-eating champion on the short bus," Sebesta said.

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Hours after Eyewitness News asked Sebesta about the comments Friday, he released a statement apologizing for the remarks. "I used a very poor analogy while discussing how quickly false information can be politicized and spread on social media," the statement read. "I deeply regret my choice of words and sincerely apologize to anyone I offended or hurt." The words still sting for Nicole Stayton, whose son has autism. "These kids go through a lot of scrutiny and for them to be scrutinized by a local official is not okay on any level ever," Stayton said. Commissioner David Linder said he was "shocked" and "disappointed" by the judge's comments. "I found the comments concerning members of the public to be inappropriate and offensive, and I understand the frustration and anger they have caused within our community," Commissioner Jay Burridge said in a statement. "I neither agree or condone the comments made about the citizens of Brazoria County and I will address it at our next meeting," a statement from Commissioner Stacy Adams reads. But Stayton says the response should have been immediate. "The people that were standing in that courtroom with him, the commissioners, should have said something and stood up and proclaimed for what was right," she said.

Brownsville commissioners approve disannexation of future SpaceX property

City commissioners voted unanimously late Saturday night to voluntarily disannex more than 444 acres of land at the request of SpaceX after a tense, six-hour special meeting. At stake was a $220 million agreement with the trillion-dollar aerospace company that city leaders say will secure Brownsville’s ability to supply water to its residents for generations. The evening highlighted the lopsided power dynamics between the city and SpaceX, with a representative from SpaceX straightforwardly telling commissioners that the company would only provide money to the water infrastructure projects if commissioners passed an ordinance formalizing the disannexation the same night. Following the meeting, Mayor John Cowen Jr. told the Herald that the decision weighed heavily on commissioners.

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He said the mood during the two executive sessions of the night was intense, with many in the room sharing concern that the process played out during special meetings. Ultimately, he said commissioners could not pass up the opportunity to secure the city’s water supply and “sustainability as a city for generations to come.” “We put the residents first tonight,” he told the Herald. “We look at this as a very historic moment for the city. Water is a huge issue in South Texas and around the state, and this decision today will ensure that Brownsville be a place for future generations to live, and for our continued growth as a city.” Commissioners heard from dozens of speakers during the public comment portion, both for and against the agreement and disannexation. Supporters extolled SpaceX’s economic contributions to the region while opponents expressed concern over environmental damage caused by the company and what some called bully tactics to push the disannexation forward. “Why are we rushing this? Why are we here on a Saturday?” said one resident. “Why can’t we know what they’re going to do with the land? They say Starbase is a company town, but I fear we are becoming one, too.”

National Stories

USPS rule could bar millions from voting by mail

Voting by mail would become much more difficult, if not impossible, for tens of millions of Americans if the U.S. Postal Service is allowed to implement a restrictive rule governing mail voting that President Trump has demanded. The effects would likely be greater for Democratic voters, who vote by mail in higher numbers than Republicans, and in states where mail voting is universal or nearly so. Mail voting may not happen at all in states that resist the Trump administration’s demands for voter data. The rule would particularly affect people in rural areas and older voters, who tend to cast ballots by mail in greater numbers. It could also deeply affect states where some of the most competitive races for House, Senate and governor will determine control of Congress and state governments.

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Michigan, where 37 percent of votes were cast by mail in 2022, would be one epicenter, with hard-fought statewide contests and multiple battleground House races. California, which mails ballots to all voters, is expected to be central to Democratic efforts to win a majority in the House. The rule is being challenged in several lawsuits, and it is on hold temporarily following a federal judge’s ruling on Thursday. The administration is appealing. Even if the Postal Service is permitted to proceed, it is unclear that it would have time to implement the plan ahead of an election that is fewer than 70 days away. For instance, the rule requires states to upload a list of voters to a federal mail ballot portal that is not yet online. Nearly two dozen Democratic-led states and Washington, D.C., have sued to block the proposed rule and said they will not comply with it. If the agency were to move ahead, state and local officials would shoulder enormous costs in what would need to be a herculean effort to prepare election offices and educate voters in time for the midterm elections in November.

Influencers have a lot to say about politics. Many are quietly paid for it.

Josh Greene is a rising left-wing social media star with his own podcast, nearly 800,000 followers and access to politicians like Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Mayor Zohran Mamdani of New York. He has used that platform to support dozens of progressive candidates in the midterm elections, ranging from low-profile, down-ballot contests to some of the nation’s marquee Democratic primaries. In camera-facing videos, Mr. Greene informs his followers of his preferences, calling some candidates “the most viable” and, in other cases, declaring that “this is the candidate for you.” He does not always tell his viewers that he is being compensated for his support.

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But records show that Mr. Greene, 26, has received money from at least seven politicians, or outside groups supporting them, in the current campaign cycle, including several congressional candidates in New York and a super PAC linked to Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the Senate nominee in Michigan. Tom Steyer, the former candidate for governor in California, paid him $21,500. Mr. Greene, who lives in Southern California and is best known by his handle @joshtheprogressive, is among a growing number of influencers who, at a moment when campaigns are increasingly willing to pay for online attention, appear willing to put their mouth where the money is. In February, Mr. Greene said that Mr. Steyer “isn’t the progressive champion you might think” because of his investments in detention facilities. In May, around the same time that he received $21,500 from Mr. Steyer’s campaign, Mr. Greene shifted his support to Mr. Steyer. He called Mr. Steyer “the most progressive viable candidate in the race,” adding that it was “my opinion.” As more people spend time scrolling on their phones, campaigns view these shows of support from influencers as a vital way to reach voters. They are also significantly less expensive than traditional advertising. But unlike campaign mailers, billboards and television spots, these messages fall into a legal gray area.

Medicare's pilot GLP-1 discount program has a catch. Some sick patients don't qualify

In January, Jeff La Marca got a prescription for the popular weight loss drug Zepbound. But he couldn't afford the $750 monthly price tag. Then Medicare launched an 18-month pilot program that offers GLP-1 medications to some enrollees for only $50 a month. La Marca thought he might finally be able to afford the drug. "I thought, 'Thank God, there's a path,'" said La Marca, who lives in Basking Ridge, N.J., and has tried numerous diets and exercise regimes. But the 68-year-old's celebration was short-lived. His application to the pilot program was denied. La Marca has severe obstructive sleep apnea, one of several diagnoses that exclude patients from the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge program's $50 monthly price. The notification didn't say why he was rejected. He thinks that if he didn't have that diagnosis, he would qualify due to his weight.

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About 1 in 5 American adults has taken a GLP-1 medication, and most of them, including those with health insurance, say the drugs are difficult to afford. Federal law has long barred Medicare from covering drugs prescribed solely for weight loss, which is why the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge program made a big splash when it launched in July. It's a short-term pilot program in which Medicare is offering coverage of three GLP-1s for weight loss and management, to see whether that would save Medicare money later. Eligible patients must be enrolled in Medicare Part D, a prescription drug coverage add-on to Medicare. Even though people must have Part D insurance to qualify, the preauthorization request doesn't go through the insurer; it's instead submitted to a separate system run by a contractor for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The pilot includes Wegovy, the KwikPen formulation of Zepbound and the oral medication Foundayo. Under the pilot, many Medicare beneficiaries with a body mass index of 35 or higher — the upper range of obesity — qualify for coverage of one of those drugs, if prescribed. Those otherwise eligible who have a BMI of 27 to 34 can qualify if they also have certain health conditions, such as prediabetes or cardiovascular disease.

At the FBI, a history of hiring prostitutes or stealing from employer may no longer be a barrier to being hired

The FBI previously refused to hire job applicants if they admitted to hiring sex workers or stealing from an employer — or engaging in acts of bestiality. Today, those acts, which are mostly illegal across the country, are no longer automatic deal breakers for applicants to the nation's top law enforcement agency. In June, the FBI quietly lowered some of the standards it uses when it conducts background checks on would-be federal agents and other personnel. According to multiple sources briefed on the matter, the FBI did so to facilitate hiring in some cases, even if candidates acknowledged they engaged in sexually deviant activities or stole from an employer. The move comes as the FBI has lost scores of employees through firings, retirements and resignations since the start of the Trump administration.

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Under specific circumstances, the FBI is willing to give candidates a pass on prostitution, as long as they have not hired sex workers three or more times, the sources told CBS News. And the hiring of the sex workers must not have taken place within the last 10 years, several of the sources added. On this part of the guidance, the FBI spokesperson pointed out that a person may have hired a sex worker in a location where prostitution is legal. A person who was in a position of "trust" who solicited sex would still be automatically disqualified from FBI employment, one of the sources with direct knowledge of the changes told CBS News. Examples of positions of trust, according to the FBI's new policy, are those who work in the fields of public safety, education, health, social work, finance or law. Being a member of the military was not among the listed categories, and it was not clear if they would be treated as such. Under the new eligibility rules, a person who stole from an employer is not automatically disqualified as long as the incident occurred more than three years ago, one of the sources with direct knowledge said.

Trump administration begins deportations of Haitians — slowly

The Trump administration has slowly begun removing Haitians who are illegally residing in the United States following the expiration of the temporary protected status program. But some conservatives say that isn’t enough to fulfill President Donald Trump‘s campaign promises. In the wake of the courts allowing the Trump administration to strike down TPS, roughly 350,000 Haitian illegal immigrants are no longer permitted to work in the U.S. and have lost protection from deportation, making them prime targets for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Hundreds of Haitians residing in the Springfield, Ohio, region were contacted by ICE in late July and told to check in with immigration authorities at a local federal office, where many reported being outfitted with ankle monitors, according to lawyers who spoke with the Haitian Times.

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Minnesota high court rejects Lindell’s gubernatorial primary recount bid

The Minnesota Supreme Court on Saturday rejected MyPillow founder Mike Lindell’s (R) bid for a recount of the state’s gubernatorial primary election, effectively confirming an 11-point loss that he has defiantly challenged. Chief Justice Natalie E. Hudson wrote in a six-page ruling that Lindell’s “claim fails on the merits.” “Lindell argues that he is entitled to a full recount for both the Democratic and Republican primary races for governor ‘to ensure that there are no anomalies in the ballots, whether the votes cast are for the Democratic or Republican primaries,’ and that this recount must include ‘the recording of votes for every candidate,'” she wrote. “But Lindell’s focus on alleged anomalies confused the purpose of a manual recount with an election contest,” she added, before citing legal precedent.

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Hudson also wrote that the Minnesota secretary of state’s office and the State Canvassing Board were “not committing any wrongful act, omission, or error by following –– as the Secretary of State proposes –– the procedures set forth” in state election law. Lindell called for a recount after his primary loss to state House Speaker Lisa Demuth (R), who won the Aug. 11 primary by 45,000 votes. He told NBC News on Saturday that he plans to appeal the ruling, adding that his team requested election data from all 87 counties through the Freedom of Information Act to conduct an independent investigation of that data. “I’m willing to pay even more money,” Lindell told the outlet, having previously said he’ll cover a full recount with an estimated $825,000. “I don’t care what it costs.” Lindell refused to pay the money last Monday, the state’s deadline for a recount and audit of the race, after the recount would have solely been about counting the ballots cast for him or Demuth. Hudson wrote that Lindell, having missed the Monday deadline, “instead sent documentation to the Secretary of State to reflect wire transfer readiness, and he filed this section 204B.44 petition.”

USDA cyclospora research projects shelved amid funding cuts and relocations

USDA is directing blame to Congress for zeroing out funds for two of the projects once housed at the agency’s Beltsville Agricultural Research Center just outside Washington. But the department’s broader relocation effort is also raising questions about the Trump administration’s work to overhaul vital research amid public health threats like cyclospora, salmonella and E. coli. “We know so little, and I think that that’s been very frustrating to consumers,” said Kalmia Kniel, who studied with the BARC parasite scientists before becoming a professor researching cyclospora at the University of Delaware. Without BARC, “no one can work very fast. We don’t have the models, we don’t have these surrogates like we would want to have them, and we want to be able to do the research.”

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More than 17,000 people have been sickened by cyclospora this summer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The FDA is investigating multiple outbreaks of the parasite, including one that has sickened more than 11,000 people across 20 states. While scientific research couldn’t prevent the current outbreak, it could help investigators find the culprit faster next time — or prevent an outbreak in the first place. The Trump administration has said that BARC, a 6,500-acre complex where researchers study nutrition, animal health and food safety, is too expensive to keep open. USDA officials have also said that the goal of the reorganization is to move the department’s employees closer to the people they serve, and that research, like that in the labs that conduct cyclospora research, will be uninterrupted. A USDA spokesperson blamed Congress for the funding cuts, and said, “None of the research has been disrupted, and research will continue without disruption.” “Congress did not appropriate funding for the two BARC research projects referenced in the FY2026 Agriculture Appropriations Act,” the USDA spokesperson said in a statement, adding that the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service “is working with research leaders to ensure an orderly transition of programs.” Spokespeople for Republican and Democratic appropriators in the House and Senate who oversee the funding for the parasite research did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Copyright August 30, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved