August 18, 2026: All Newsclips

Lead Stories

James Talarico poaches Cornyn staffer

Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico’s campaign hired a staffer from Republican Sen. John Cornyn, NOTUS has learned. Jacob Smith, who worked for Cornyn for five years as a deputy legislative director and policy adviser, is taking on the role of deputy policy director for Talarico’s campaign. “I’ve worked for Republicans like Senator Cornyn my entire career, but this year I’m proud to be joining James Talarico’s campaign,” Smith confirmed in a statement through the Talarico campaign. “Instead of playing partisan politics, Talarico speaks to the needs of everyday people who day in and day out work too hard for too little. In the Senate, James will fight to lower costs for all 31 million Texans, whether they’re Republicans, Democrats, or independents, so that Texans of all ages have a fighting chance at the American Dream of starting a family, owning a home, and leaving a little behind for their children.”

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Smith also took aim at the GOP nominee, adding, “Ken Paxton is the most corrupt, self-dealing politician in Texas who would sell their futures to the highest contributor just to hold onto power. I’m encouraging all my fellow Republicans who know Ken Paxton is unfit to serve in the Senate to finally hold him accountable at the ballot box.” Smith previously worked on the House Science Committee for Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Oklahoma) and was a legislative aide for Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi). When contacted for comment, a Cornyn spokesperson directed NOTUS to remarks the senator has made repeatedly in recent months where he’s said he will “support the Republican ticket” in the fall. Political campaigns typically don’t hire staffers of the opposing party. What makes this case even more unusual is that Cornyn lost to Talarico’s opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, in a bitter Republican primary runoff earlier this year. When asked of the prevalence of such a cross-party hire, one Republican operative was curt. “That is unheard of,” said the operative, who’s worked on Senate races, about a move at that level.

Lawsuit alleges TWIA fraudulently reduced claim estimates from Hurricane Beryl

Three Texas homeowners filed a federal racketeering lawsuit last week alleging that the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association fraudulently reduced claim estimates for properties damaged by Hurricane Beryl. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas, alleges TWIA partnered with a vendor who made significant alterations to the original claims estimate made by a field adjuster. TWIA then sent the estimate to the policyholder under the premise that the estimate was the original, the lawsuit says. Plaintiffs allege that they lost tens of thousands of dollars due to the scheme. For one policyholder, the original field adjuster estimate was $91,000, but the altered estimate came out to $31,000, a reduction of 66%.

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The plaintiffs are seeking a class action under the federal RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) Act. The lawsuit does not rely on violations of Texas insurance law as the predicate acts for the RICO claim. Hurricane Beryl made landfall on the Texas Gulf Coast on July 8, 2024, as a Category 1 hurricane. TWIA, the state-created insurer of last resort for wind and hail, has reported $336 million in Hurricane Beryl claims payments to about 34,000 policyholders. Aaron Taylor, a TWIA spokesman, said the organization does not to comment on active or potential litigation. “The Association’s claim adjusting procedures are compliant with applicable Texas and federal laws,” Taylor said. The lawsuit alleges a claims-production method where an out-of-state supervising adjuster would materially lower the estimate made by a field adjuster and then present the altered report as the field adjuster’s original report.

Trump administration pauses border construction in Big Bend National Park

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott said Monday he was "pausing all construction activity" in Big Bend National Park ahead of a visit to the area this week. The Trump administration has faced a growing public outcry in recent days over images of bulldozers and other heavy machinery clearing land inside the sprawling West Texas park in pursuit of its plan to build new "patrol roads" across the park and install 17 miles of steel vehicle barriers. In a video posted to social media, Scott said he had ordered the construction paused Sunday night, and that he was en route to the park for a "personal evaluation" and talk to local law enforcement and other stakeholders.

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"We know the current and predictable national security threats and they are real," Scott said in a statement accompanying the video. "Now over the next couple of days, I will join a small team to evaluate the terrain and listen to local leadership, community members and stakeholders to ensure that we secure our borders while simultaneously protecting BBNP for generations to come." A CBP spokesperson did not immediately answer questions about the planned visit. Scott's visit comes just days after he had initially defended the construction work in the park, describing it as "survey and design work" and reiterating that CBP was not seeking to build a 30-foot steel border wall. For months, locals and activists opposed to the work have insisted they remain concerned about current plans for the park, which would amount to a widespread construction project unconstrained by federal regulations. The Trump administration in June waived many environmental laws that would typically apply to such construction in a national park. Southwest Valley Constructors, a subsidiary of Nebraska-based construction giant Kiewet, was awarded a $1.7 billion contract in May for the Big Bend National Park project.

Ken Paxton says dozens of Texas cities can't raise property taxes

Attorney General Ken Paxton on Monday announced 116 more cities will be prohibited from raising their property tax rates after failing to meet a new state auditing law. The cities affected include Pasadena and several in Brazoria County, including Brazoria, Jones Creek and Bonney. “I am continuing to fight to stop cities from unlawfully raising taxes on hardworking Texans,” Paxton said in the release. The alleged legal violations pertain to SB 1851, which took effect on Sept. 1, 2025. The law put new penalties on municipalities that fail to meet a yearly audit deadline. Cities that don’t make the deadline are not allowed to levy property taxes that raise funds above their previous year’s revenue.

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Most of the locales are very small, rural settlements. The smallest in the latest list is a town called Toyah in West Texas, which had a population of 61 in the 2020 census. Small cities with few staff struggle to make the deadline, said Philip Ray, mayor of Brazoria. The city was awarded a grant that doubled its income, and that grant required additional audit work that meant the city could not complete the state’s on time, Ray said. “Our auditor is a one-man show,” he said. “Do you want it quick or do you want it right?” Ray also said the city hasn’t received any new communication from the attorney general’s office. The city knew it hadn’t made the deadline and was already planning to use the no-new-revenue property tax rate, he said. Ray said he had been in communication with the state because he wanted the deadline pushed back due to the city’s circumstances, but his request was denied. He said the city was being “unjustly punished.” “It’s frustrating that Austin keeps telling cities how to run things without asking if it’s even possible,” Ray said.

State Stories

Whitmire defends IAH from Abbott threat over Muslim accommodations

Houston Mayor John Whitmire defended religious accommodations for Muslim travelers at George Bush Intercontinental Airport on Monday, saying public footwashing stations are not discriminatory, as Gov. Greg Abbott has alleged. Islamic foot wash stations inside restrooms for the airport’s international terminal serve a “practical need” for travelers, Whitmire said in a statement. Abbott, meanwhile, has criticized such facilities as “special treatment” for Muslims, threatening to revoke state funds from airports in Houston and Dallas over the issue. “The ablution room and adjoining prayer room are open to all travelers, employees and stakeholders with access to Terminal D, regardless of faith,” Whitmire said. “Nobody receives preferential access, and nobody is excluded.”

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The Houston Airport System, which runs Bush and Hobby Airport and is overseen by officials appointed by Whitmire, paid for the ablution facilities with fees charged to the international airlines rather than public funds from the city or state, the mayor said. Whitmire’s statement also notes that roughly one-fifth of all passengers in the airport’s international terminal departed on Emirates Airlines, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines, airlines that serve Muslim-majority countries. Ablution facilities are preferable to having residents resort to using sinks for washing needs, Whitmire added. The governor took aim at Houston’s largest airport on Friday, referring IAH as well as Dallas Fort-Worth International Airport to the U.S. Department of Transportation for investigation, the latest in state Republicans’ efforts to target what they cast as Sharia law and an “Islamic takeover” of Texas. The stations amount to religious discrimination because the airports do not offer standalone facilities for other faiths, Abbott alleged. Officials at DFW said they were scrapping plans for new footwashing stations amid “elevated public interest” this week. Meanwhile, Houston’s airport has had an ablution station connected to its Interfaith Chapel since 2024, installed under former Mayor Sylvester Turner. The facilities are used by Muslims who wash their bodies before prayer five times a day.

You pick it: Labor shortage prompts farmer to scale down operations

Farmers across the Rio Grande Valley are feeling the effects of a shrinking agricultural workforce. Steven Obst, owner of Obst Family Farm, says finding reliable workers can be especially difficult for smaller farms. “It’s hard to find people who are reliable and who would come for a smaller farmer because they want a larger crop and make more money, so when a smaller farmer wants labor, it’s harder who would come in a consistent basis,” Obst said. Agriculture remains a major part of the Rio Grande Valley’s economy, generating more than $1 billion, according to Texas A&M AgriLife. But farmers say finding enough workers to harvest crops remains one of their biggest challenges.

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Obst says farm work is often seasonal, requiring outside labor for anywhere from one to six months. “The labor in the farm is seasonal and it can last anywhere from one month to six months of outside labor to consistently harvest the crops, so I can see why it would be difficult to have a consistent young person coming out,” Obst said. For crops such as watermelon, cantaloupe and peppers, the work can mean long and physically demanding days. Obst says workers can earn good money, but the seasonal nature of the job can make it difficult to attract younger workers. He also believes more agricultural education could help introduce students to the industry. “I think we would be able to get people to come out either volunteer or work part time just to experience farming, so they know where their food comes from,” Obst said. The Hidalgo Independent School District does not currently have a fully established agricultural program, but the district says it is working toward an agricultural technology and mechanical systems program.

Texas AG Paxton claims widespread noncitizen voting. Three people have been charged.

For more than a year, Texas attorney general and GOP Senate nominee Ken Paxton has been probing what he says is the large number of noncitizens who illegally voted in his state. So far, three people have been prosecuted, according to an NBC News review of court documents, public records and statements. And among 53 cases that were referred for investigation, at least five people were listed as American citizens in previous court records. Paxton, a longtime ally of President Donald Trump who beat out incumbent John Cornyn for the nomination, alleged in 2019 that 58,000 noncitizens had voted in Texas — it was a claim Trump amplified, but one that was quickly refuted in court. Since then, Paxton has continued to claim widespread voter fraud. He’s a vocal supporter of the president’s SAVE America Act, which would require all Americans to show proof of citizenship when they register to vote and a photo ID when voting. Trump cited Paxton’s support for the bill as one of the top reasons he chose to endorse him in May.

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But the attorney general’s effort to put prosecutorial teeth behind his allegations, using up manpower on accusations that take time to investigate and vet, has not yielded many cases of noncitizen voting, NBC News found, even in a state with the second-highest number of undocumented people. Paxton’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment, and his campaign referred questions to the attorney general’s office. The lack of prosecutions isn’t surprising, said Joshua Blank, the research director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin. “The idea that fraud is a common occurrence in the electorate is a position that’s political but not backed up by any fact whatsoever.” “The real challenge is that no solution is really going to solve a problem that doesn’t exist,” Blank said. Noncitizen voting is rare and often accidental. For example, New Jersey accidentally registered thousands of noncitizens, leading to around 400 improperly cast votes. The revelation has prompted some states to review their voter registration systems. The conservative Heritage Foundation tracks noncitizen voting and recorded 100 cases since 2000, or fewer than four per year.

State Fair of Texas cuts prices amid affordability concerns

The State Fair of Texas is cutting admission and parking prices for 2026 after hearing complaints from fairgoers about the overall cost of attending, according to the State Fair of Texas. The organization said it reviewed the total cost of a fair visit in response to feedback from guests during the 2025 season. “Families have always been at the heart of the State Fair of Texas, and every year we listen closely to what our fairgoers tell us about their experience,” said Karissa Condoianis, State Fair of Texas senior vice president of public relations. “We take that feedback seriously. This year, we are making meaningful changes to admission and parking while continuing to offer the experiences, traditions, and attractions our guests look forward to every fall.”

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What’s changing Adult daily tickets: $15 Monday-Thursday and $25 Friday-Sunday, down $2. Senior tickets (60+): $13 Monday-Thursday and $20 Friday-Sunday, down $2 on weekends. Child tickets (ages 3-12): $10 every day of the fair, down from as much as $22 on weekends in 2025, a 54% reduction. Children 2 and younger: Continue to receive free admission. After 5 p.m. admission: $10 for all guests Monday through Thursday. Official State Fair parking: $25 per day, down $5. “Providing greater value does not mean compromising the State Fair experience,” said Mitchell Glieber, State Fair of Texas president. “We are continuing to invest in the attractions, entertainment, agriculture, and traditions that make the State Fair special, while creating more flexibility for Texans to experience the State Fair.” The fair also continues to offer several recurring discount opportunities, including reduced admission for donating food items, discounts for seniors, military members, first responders, and teachers, and free admission for many North Texas students. Only one discount may be applied per guest, and discounts cannot be combined.

Baby in surrogacy case undergoes open heart surgery, attorney says

The baby at the center of a surrogacy case that has grabbed national attention, and who was born with a severe congenital heart condition, has undergone open heart surgery in Dallas, according to an attorney for his parents. Lee Budner, the attorney for the California-based couple Omar Ahmed and Nausheen Gilkar, provided the update in a Monday afternoon email. The baby, whose name is Rumi, underwent the procedure Monday morning and “is now recuperating under the loving care of his parents and his heroic team of doctors, nurses, and medical staff,” Budner wrote.

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Another attorney for the parents, Sehla Ashai, confirmed that the baby and his parents remain in Dallas. Baby Rumi has been at the center of a controversy since before he was born. Ahmed and Gilkar, the baby’s parents, signed a surrogacy contract with a woman in Alaska, to carry the baby. When the surrogate, McKenna West, was about 20 weeks pregnant, the fetus was diagnosed with a severe congenital heart condition, hypoplastic left heart syndrome. The parents originally opted to terminate the pregnancy, as allowed in the surrogacy contract, which The Dallas Morning News obtained a copy of. West, however, refused to undergo an abortion. The first surgery, which the baby underwent on Monday, is called the Norwood procedure. It’s the first of three major surgeries that children with this congenital heart condition have to undergo to survive. “This is the last update on Rumi’s health that his family intends to share,” Budner wrote in his statement. “His condition remains critical and complex, and his family seeks privacy in caring for their son on his long road to recovery.” Meanwhile, the case’s legal complexities remain. There’s litigation in three states — Alaska, California and Texas — and West and her attorneys have raised the possibility of the surrogate making a parental claim on the child.

American Airlines fuels up to $71 billion in North Texas impact, per TCU study

American Airlines is vital to North Texas' economy, but do you know how much value it brings to the region? A new study conducted by TCU’s Center for Supply Chain Innovation in its Neeley School of Business estimates that American, which operates its central hub at DFW International Airport, supports between $68.8 and $71.1 billion in economic output each year. The airline also supports between $36.8 and $38 billion in annual gross product, as well as 345,000 to 357,000 jobs across North Central Texas. The airline serves 23 airports in Texas, more than any other commercial carrier, according to the report.

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DFW is American’s largest hub, handling 69 million of the airline’s passengers annually, the study said. American, which has over 37,000 team members in North Texas, helps connectivity from the region to the rest of the world. The airline operates flights to 230 destinations in 30 countries and more than 930 peak-day flights, accounting for roughly 82% of commercial traffic at DFW. Also, it moves more than 250 million pounds of cargo and freight through its DFW operation each year. The study also identified a correlation between American’s air connectivity and corporate headquarter relocations to the D-FW region. The region has secured more than 100 headquarters relocations since 2018, the most of any U.S. metro area, according to the study. “By aggregating connecting demand from across the country and the world, American sustains a schedule, network, and frequency that local demand alone could never support,” the report stated. “The result is a regional economy with greater reach, faster access to markets and capital, and a sharper edge in attracting headquarters, talent, and investment.” The estimates were calculated using information from the Perryman Group’s recent DFW Airport economic study and “attributes the share of airport activity tied to American’s presence using American-specific operational data,” the study said.

Fifth Third Bank identifies 100 sites for Texas branch expansion as investment grows

Fifth Third Bank, a subsidiary of Cincinnati-based Fifth Third Bancorp, is making progress on its planned branch expansion in Texas. The bank has identified about 100 sites for the 150 new branches planned in the state, including about 50 in Houston, said South Texas Region President Scott Silvas. Fifth Third also increased its branch expansion investment from $650 million to $700 million, Silvas said. Houston will be home to about 60 total new Fifth Third branches, while the Dallas-Fort Worth region also will get about 60 locations and Central Texas will have about 30 new branches. Fifth Third plans to add the branches over the next three years. “When you think of that, having identified over 100 of those locations of the 150 (planned) here six months later after the announcement seems pretty impressive,” Silvas said.

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The new Houston branches will add to the legacy Comerica footprint in the market. Comerica, which was based in Dallas before Fifth Third closed its $10.9 billion acquisition in February, has 40 locations in Houston. With the branch expansion, Fifth Third will have the fifth-largest footprint in Houston. Fifth Third is investing in the branch expansion with the goal of becoming a top-five bank in the market by deposit share, Silvas said. Comerica was the 14th-largest bank in the Houston market, based on its $3.18 billion in local deposits. “What that means for Houston is having upwards of 100 or so financial centers when we’re done with (the expansion), and we feel like we’ll be well on our way to that goal,” Silvas said. Silvas did not share where Fifth Third has identified sites for new branches in Houston but said they're “going to be all over” the region. “Part of it is us filling in some gaps,” Silvas said. “Comerica had a pretty good-sized branch presence, but wherever there were gaps in their footprint, we might be prioritizing to fill in some gaps.” The investment in Texas comes as Fifth Third has also been growing its branch presence across the Southeast U.S. in states like Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. In 2018, the bank made a commitment to add 200 branches in the Southeast U.S. The success of that expansion has given the bank confidence to make a similar investment in Texas, Silvas said. “We’re at a position where we can figure out where we want to invest in the next wave, so I think that’s how the Texas investment coupled with the Comerica acquisition came about,” Silvas said. Fifth Third also is preparing for a systems conversion after the Comerica deal, which is expected to occur over Labor Day weekend. Legacy Comerica customers will have access to new products and capabilities, Silvas said. He added that the most significant change will occur in the branches, which will now have mortgage officers and investment advisers.

Texas Maternal Mortality Committee’s next report will skip post-‘Roe’ deaths. Lawmakers suspect political influence.

Hope Ngumezi never imagined he would be a single father. When he met his late wife Porsha at Lamar University in Beaumont, Ngumezi was instantly enamored of her energy, drive, and compassion. Both Ngumezi and Porsha came from large families and were eager to start their own. After getting married in their late 20s, they happily welcomed two sons, ages 3 and 5 at the time. Porsha got pregnant again in early 2023, this time with a girl. But, rather than welcoming a daughter into their home, Ngumezi was forced to bury his wife. At 11 weeks into her pregnancy, Porsha, 35, began to miscarry and bleed excessively, passing large clots “the size of a grapefruit,” as previously reported by ProPublica. When rushed to the hospital, she needed an emergency dilation and curettage (D&C)— a procedure that gently suctions the uterus. D&Cs can be life-saving, and they can also be used for first-trimester abortion care. Instead of the needed procedure, doctors offered Porsha misoprostol. The medication, which softens the cervix and helps contract the uterus, is considered less risky for fearful doctors facing up to life in prison for violating Texas’ criminal abortion ban, yet it’s far less effective at stopping hemorrhage. Just hours later, Porsha was dead.

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Since Porsha’s death, the Houston-area airline engineer has sought to turn his grief into activism, sharing his story far and wide with the goal of preventing another tragedy. His mission feels cathartic, and it serves as a way to honor his late wife. But Ngumezi said the pain of losing Porsha has been “retriggered” since he learned in 2024 that a state health committee tasked with reviewing cases of women who died during pregnancy or childbirth would skip analyzing data from 2022 and 2023—the two years including and following the fall of Roe v. Wade at the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court and the enforcement of the state’s criminal abortion ban. The year 2022 also marks the first full year after Texas passed Senate Bill 8, the state’s earlier ban that relied on civil litigation for enforcement and took effect the prior fall. The committee’s decision meant it would not investigate Porsha’s death. Instead, the forthcoming report of the Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee (MMRC), due September 1, will leapfrog those pivotal years and focus on cases from 2024, leaving those eager to assess the immediate impact of the state’s abortion bans frustrated. The 23-member committee is composed largely of physicians in various fields as well as nurses, health researchers, and two community roles. The members are appointed by the head of the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), who is in turn appointed by the leader of the state’s Health and Human Services Department, a position chosen by Republican Governor Greg Abbott. Dr. Jennifer Shuford, who led DSHS starting in late 2022, was appointed by President Trump in April to serve as deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and an interim commissioner now holds the DSHS role. The MMRC issues biannual reports that offer recommendations to the Texas Legislature about how to reduce maternal deaths through policy, but, as the 2027 session looms, they’ll do so based on a partial picture.

$500M data center planned for Prosper as Texas tightens industry regulations

Prosper could soon be home to another North Texas data center, despite growing scrutiny around the industry. The more than $500 million proposed development, nicknamed "Project Tomahawk," is planned on roughly 37 acres in northwest Prosper, east of FM 1385 and south of Parvin Road in Denton County. Dallas-based digital infrastructure development firm White Rose Partners is developing the project, which still requires approval from Prosper Town Council. The Prosper Planning and Zoning Commission was scheduled to review the proposal Aug. 18 but removed the item from its agenda to allow more time to gather information and review technical data, according to an Aug. 17 statement released by the town.

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"Protecting residents' quality of life remains the Town's top priority, and any proposal will be held to our normal strict standards regarding traffic, infrastructure, and municipal services," the town's statement says.. A new hearing date has not been set. The town said it would be premature for Mayor David Bristol to comment because the project has not yet undergone a formal review by Prosper officials. White Rose Partners is still in the early stages of planning, but the data center building, if ultimately approved, is expected to occupy about 10% to 20% of the property. The project would represent an investment of at least $500 million and create an estimated 20 to 50 direct jobs, along with another 37 to 90 indirect jobs, White Rose Managing Partner Jeff Eigenbrood said in an email. The proposal comes as Texas finds itself at the center of both a nationwide data center boom and growing pushback over the industry's demand for electricity and water, along with concerns about noise, infrastructure costs and impacts on nearby neighborhoods.

Northside ISD opens virtual high school, with plans to expand enrollment

Along with some 95,000 students attending school in person, San Antonio’s largest district has nearly 200 others taking classes online through Northside ISD’s Virtual Academy. The new school is open to grades 9-11 in its inaugural year. All 12 of the district’s comprehensive high schools have students participating in the program, with an average of 10 to 30 students enrolled. The virtual classes began Monday, as schools in the district resumed on-campus instruction. The new virtual academy will follow Northside’s instructional calendar. The district announced plans last year to launch the program as an opportunity for students who frequently travel, need to make up school credits or struggle in a traditional public school setting.

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Elsewhere in Texas, public school systems have had virtual learning programs for years, including iUniversity Prep at Grapevine-Colleyville ISD in North Texas. Katy ISD near Houston also launched its Legacy Virtual High School this month. Each school day, the students have from midnight to 11:59 p.m. to log on to the district’s online learning system, receive instruction from a teacher or academic coach or complete an assignment. Daily schedules include 240 instructional minutes, said Carrie Squyres, the district’s academic technology director. Some courses involve mandatory in-person attendance at the student’s zoned high school. “We have several students participating in UIL athletics, fine arts, and JROTC,” Squyres said. Of the 190 students enrolled, 63 are in ninth grade, 69 in 10th grade and 58 in 11th grade.

Supreme Court asked to review Texas law requiring the Ten Commandments in public schools

Civil rights advocates on Monday said they asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Texas law requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments, teeing up a case that could set a new national standard for the limits of state-sponsored religious expression in classrooms. Over two dozen Texas families represented by the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups petitioned the nation's highest court to overturn a split decision in April by the conservative-leaning 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The New Orleans-based appeals court's 9-8 ruling upheld the Texas law, which requires public school classrooms to display a state-selected version of the Ten Commandments drawn from the King James Bible. In their Supreme Court brief, the families' attorneys argue that the law violates basic First Amendment principles governing the separation of church and state.

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"The question of whether a state may impose scripture on impressionable, captive-audience children — for nearly every hour of every school day, for up to (13) years — implicates the most fundamental guarantees of the First Amendment and our Nation's highest ideals," they wrote. The 5th Circuit reversed a lower federal court ruling that had blocked approximately a dozen Texas school districts from putting up the posters. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed the law, which took effect last September. Because Texas' law only requires districts to hang the Ten Commandments if they are donated, conservative groups and individuals began dropping off boxes of posters at campuses across the state as the school year began last year. "No child is made to recite the Commandments, believe them, or affirm their divine origin," the 5th Circuit's ruling says. The 5th Circuit also ruled in February that Louisiana can enforce its own law requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms. Republicans in the South have been leading the way in putting the Ten Commandments in classrooms. Louisiana became the first state to pass a requirement in 2024, followed by Arkansas and Texas. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed a similar law earlier this year.

Court battle continues over funding for Austin's light rail project

The legal saga surrounding the Austin Transit Partnership’s local funding method for the Austin light rail expansion is raging on, with rulings and subsequent appeals flying. On Aug. 13, a hearing was held in a Travis County courtroom between ATP and its legal challengers. Travis County Judge Maria Cantú Hexsel made several rulings on the legal challenges facing the Austin light rail's buildout. Some helped ATP’s cause, and others helped that of ATP’s opponents. For the past few years, ATP, the entity tasked with building the Austin light rail, has been embroiled in a legal challenge related to how it can use revenue from local property taxes. Critics have questioned whether ATP can use revenue generated through the Project Connect property taxes — which were approved by Austin voters in 2020 — for debt service to support the buildout of the light rail.

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued an opinion in 2023 that said ATP can't use tax revenue that's marked for maintenance and operations to fund debt service costs. A group of local taxpayers — led by local attorney and former Travis County Judge Bill Aleshire — is challenging the local funding mechanism through a lawsuit. ATP has also filed a bond validation lawsuit that aims for the courts to certify that ATP can issue bonds for debt service costs and to help pay for construction of the light rail. Hexsel ruled in favor of ATP and against the Attorney General’s office over jurisdictional issues related to the bond validation lawsuit. The Attorney General’s office challenged that ATP doesn’t have the ability to file a bond validation lawsuit. This week's ruling means ATP can continue its lawsuit. The Attorney General's office has appealed the decision. “Austin Transit Partnership and the City of Austin filed bond validation proceedings in 2024 so that we could have an impartial judge confirm that we have complied with state law at every step in moving Project Connect forward,” Casey Burack, ATP’s executive vice president of legal and business affairs, said in an emailed statement.

National Stories

Vandals are destroying license-plate cameras as anger over surveillance rises

Adam Heimerman kept seeing the surveillance cameras on his way to work as a river guide in East Tennessee, and the sight rankled him. More than 130,000 of the automatic license-plate readers now dot the country, according to the crowdsourced tracker DeFlock.org. The artificial intelligence-assisted devices have been embraced by law enforcement as powerful investigative tools but widely denounced by the public over privacy concerns. For Heimerman, who’s 37 and running as an independent candidate for Congress, the cameras were one more sign that the United States was becoming a police state, he said in an interview. Then in July, the Blount County Sheriff’s Office alleges, Heimerman shot four of the cameras — including one near a church where worshipers sat inside.

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Heimerman declined to discuss specifics of his case, but he said he believes there’s widespread frustration over local governments that keep using the cameras despite community pushback. That has fueled a wave of recent vandalism across the country, he said. “When people act out in a manner that we’re witnessing, things have gotten bad and they no longer feel like they’re being heard,” Heimerman said. “People are tired of being told to sit down and be quiet and write a letter.” “How-to” videos have spread online that demonstrate how to disable the cameras from collecting footage using wire cutters and heavy gloves. People from an array of backgrounds — college students, computer engineers, a U.S. Air Force engineer — have been accused of vandalizing the devices. Cameras were recently damaged in communities around Detroit. In Winona, Minnesota, all eight of the city’s readers were cut down and stolen. Flock Safety, one of the largest players in technological surveillance, is often the target of the ire. The company operates cameras in more than 6,000 communities across the country that record 20 billion plate scans a month.

This rising Democrat is writing the script for his party’s bid to finally rein in Trump

Two rallies, nearly 1,000 miles and two days apart, laid out the increasingly stark choice confronting midterm election voters and a looming moment of reckoning over the nation’s future course. In Atlanta on Sunday, Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff delivered an acidic takedown of President Donald Trump; an economy that many voters think is failing them; and a war Trump started and has failed to resolve. Ossoff boiled the election down to a referendum on corruption, costs and failed global leadership. “Under Donald Trump, it costs more than ever to stock your fridge, to power your home, to make a cup of coffee, to buy school supplies for your kid or a tractor for your farm,” the Democrat said.

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He accused the president of sleeping through meetings and lying about the war, and said that while sailors on the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier are doing their nation proud during a deployment of over 250 days, Trump spends his time playing golf and buying stocks. On Friday, on Long Island, Trump gave the most explicit version yet of an argument Republicans hope will stave off the midterm curse that haunts incumbent presidents — even as their leader faces headwinds over his personal unpopularity, the Iran war and voter frustration over high prices. He accused Democrats of wanting to turn America into a “communist country” and of declaring war on the police and the rule of law. “The communists want to turn America into a third-world country, into a hellhole of crime and filth,” the president said, seeking to exploit the successes of progressive Democrats. The contrast encapsulates a bitter moment in American history as a deeply unpopular president attempts to dodge lame-duck status by branding Democrats as un-American extremists.

Trump says White House needs ‘military complex’ as courts block his ballroom

President Donald Trump initially insisted that he needed to build a White House ballroom to entertain VIP guests. The president and his deputies have lately focused on a different argument: It’s crucial for national security. The “desperately needed National Security structure” must be completed, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform Friday night, hours after administration officials asked the Supreme Court to let them finish the controversial project. The lengthy post never mentioned the word “ballroom.” Instead, it focused on the military complex being constructed underneath and called the preservation group that brought the suit that blocked construction “‘TREASONISTS’ who revealed Top Military Secrets!” On Sunday, Trump followed up with an AI-generated video depicting himself walking with the nation’s first president, George Washington, through the planned ballroom, stocked with dining tables. “Thank you, George, for some of your brilliant ideas on this great Military Complex/Ballroom!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, again conflating the two parts of the project.

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An appeals court ordered administration officials to halt construction on the ballroom by Aug. 21 unless the project is authorized by Congress — which will not happen, given that lawmakers are on recess with no plans to return before the end of the month. Congressional leaders have also shown little interest in prioritizing the project ahead of the midterms, and the White House has not pushed the issue on Capitol Hill. Instead, Trump has sought to press his case in court, arguing that the ballroom is necessary to protect him and future presidents. He and his lawyers have contended that the ballroom is inseparable from the underground military complex, which the appeals court said Trump is allowed to continue building. “The lower section does not work without the upper section and, likewise, the upper section does not work without the lower,” Trump wrote Friday night, reversing the administration’s argument from last year that the ballroom and the military complex could be constructed separately. “It is all one highly integrated unit.” Trump’s deputies have sought to help him bolster that case. The leaders of the FBI, CIA, Secret Service and other agencies told the Supreme Court on Friday that the ballroom was needed to provide a secure meeting space for the president and other leaders, referencing threats from Iran, potential drone attacks and other risks. They said the ballroom was part of a broader push to fortify the White House grounds.

Trump weighs a plan for press briefings when Leavitt leaves, sources say

President Donald Trump is weighing relying again on a rotating cast of Cabinet officials to handle press briefings for an indefinite period following the departure of press secretary Karoline Leavitt later this month, three sources familiar with the planning told CNN. The tentative plan comes amid a seemingly wide-open race to fill Leavitt’s role, with Trump still in the earliest stages of deciding who should take one of the White House’s most critical and visible posts. Leavitt has said she plans to vacate the position at the end of August. The president “genuinely doesn’t know who to pick and has expressed zero urgency” on the matter, one senior White House official said.

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Trump’s indecision has not slowed the jockeying among allies to promote their preferred replacement for Leavitt. Some Trumpworld hopefuls have already been in touch with junior White House staffers to ask them to put in a good word, according to a person familiar with those conversations. Others have pressed Trump directly on behalf of potential contenders, according to another person familiar with the matter, including advocates for Elizabeth Pipko, a former model and Republican National Committee spokesperson who was considered for the press secretary job during the presidential transition. But Trump has shown little inclination to move quickly to replace Leavitt, who is a trusted aide and is expected to remain one of his closest advisers. Inside the White House, officials laughed off much of the outside jockeying for the position, noting that ultimately one person — Trump himself — will make the choice. Several Trump allies have been floated for the job in recent days, including Alina Habba, who briefly served as acting US attorney for the District of Columbia, and former George W. Bush aide and outspoken Trump advocate Scott Jennings. White House principal deputy press secretary Anna Kelly and former Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin are also among the roughly dozen possible candidates seen as in the mix.

A wild primary night: 3 states, 6 open seats and a scandal-plagued incumbent

It’s a big primary day in Florida, Alaska and Wyoming. There are a half dozen open seats in the Sunshine State alone, plus incumbents running in new districts thanks to the recent Republican-authored remap. Scandal-plagued GOP Rep. Cory Mills (Fla.) may be in trouble. And millions of dollars have gone toward suspected primary meddling in Alaska. Also on the ballot: A special election to fill former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell’s (Calif.) safe blue East Bay seat. That’s a lot to track, so here’s our cheat sheet on the races that matter. Mills watch. Mills’ primary has been quieter than some of his colleagues’, but top Republicans believe he could lose renomination to former TV news anchor Ryan Elijah.

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Elijah has outspent Mills on TV, per AdImpact, and he’s already well known in the media market from his television career. Florida GOP Reps. Mike Haridopolos and Anna Paulina Luna are backing Elijah. Plus, Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis pointedly declined to back Mills, who’s currently under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for alleged domestic assault, among other possible violations. We’ll note: Democrats don’t want Mills to lose. His personal baggage makes the red-leaning seat easier to flip in the fall. But they likely need former NASA chief of staff Bale Dalton to beat former Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) — a perennial candidate — in their own primary to make it competitive. The new battlegrounds. Three Democratic incumbents are running in GOP-leaning seats thanks to Florida Republicans’ mid-decade redraw. But Republicans still need strong nominees, even with a friendlier map, to turn these pickup opportunities into GOP seats. A massive Republican field is vying to take on Rep. Darren Soto (D-Fla.) in what’s now a Trump +18 district. Candidates to watch include farmer Ben Butler, Army veteran Thomas Chalifoux, former Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary Dan Green and accountant Jorge Martinez. Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) is now in a Trump +11 district. Former GOP state Rep. Mike Beltran and state Rep. Kevin Steele have raised the most money. Former Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer is the frontrunner to take on Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) in the new 25th District (Trump +9). Moskowitz also faces democratic socialist Oliver Larkin in the primary. Democrats hope to hold the new 22nd District — a Trump +11 seat — with educator Pia Dandiya. Watch Michael Carbonara, Casey Askar and Belinda Keiser on the GOP side.

We tracked a shipment of rare books. It ended at an Amazon AI training facility

Amazon is buying massive quantities of books, scanning them for AI training data, and destroying them in the process. A 404 Media investigation was able to reveal Amazon’s book buying operation, which hasn’t been previously reported, by placing a tracking device in a rare book we suspected would be acquired by an AI company for training data, and following it around the country to its final destination. That final destination was an Amazon warehouse in Las Vegas, Nevada. Amazon employees who work at this location say all they do is receive massive shipments of printed books which they then cut the bindings off in order to scan the books more quickly. The printed book is destroyed in the process. The logo of the Amazon team that works at this warehouse, called VGT3, is a dinosaur, brandishing its teeth and with a book in its hands.

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South Carolina’s move to front of 2028 Democratic primary calendar could benefit Kamala Harris

South Carolina‘s role as the first-in-the-nation primary for the 2028 presidential field could give former Vice President Kamala Harris a boost over other Democrats should she decide to seek the White House for a third time. The Palmetto State’s heavily African American electorate helped revive former President Joe Biden‘s campaign in 2020 as he struggled to beat back a progressive challenge from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Eight years later, South Carolina could provide Harris with an opportunity to establish herself as the Democratic front-runner before any other state votes. “I do think this is a big boost to Kamala Harris,” said Kaivan Shroff, a former 2024 delegate for Harris. “When you consider what the field is going to look like, or at least whose names are being thrown around, it really is a lot of white men and Kamala Harris at this point in time, and so you can imagine a different situation where Iowa was first or a less diverse state, and the sort of obstacles she would face in that case.”

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