June 8, 2026: All Newsclips

Lead Stories

Ken Paxton’s impeachment defense lawyer endorses James Talarico

A Texas lawyer who helped lead Republican Ken Paxton’s defense during his 2023 impeachment trial is endorsing Democrat James Talarico in the state’s critical Senate race this November. Dan Cogdell, a Houston-based defense lawyer who represented the Texas attorney general in both the impeachment trial and a long-running securities fraud case, told NOTUS in a statement that his former client “has lost sight of his core mission, which is to represent the people of Texas.” “And unlike Ken, I believe to my core that James Talarico believes in unity over division and that he knows how to assemble not only Democrats, but Independents and Republicans, and we need that right now,” Cogdell said.

click here for more

Cogdell has donated a total of $6,500 to Paxton’s campaign last year and then gave $1,000 to Talarico’s campaign in March, according to campaign finance reports. His endorsement of Talarico comes just after the third anniversary of Paxton’s impeachment by the Texas House of Representatives over allegations including bribery. The Paxton campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Despite representing one of President Donald Trump’s most prominent political allies, Cogdell has broken with his party and criticized the president publicly in recent years. The longtime Paxton confidant last year called Trump the “greatest threat to Democracy our country’s ever seen.” Cogdell’s comments were used in a now-deleted attack ad against Paxton released by the National Republican Senatorial Committee in September. The ad called Cogdell “a liberal Trump-hating trial lawyer.” Now Senate Republican leaders have fallen in line with Paxton after he defeated longtime Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) in a primary runoff last month. The Paxton-Cornyn clash split the GOP, with Republican leaders backing Cornyn and Trump allies supporting Paxton. Trump ultimately endorsed Paxton a week before the runoff.

In Texas cattle country, ranchers question if USDA can contain flesh-eating screwworm

Like many ranchers in South Texas, Susan Storey said nightmarish screwworm outbreaks were among her first childhood memories. Now 62, she still recalls seeing wriggling maggots as they burrowed into living livestock and smelling the burning carcasses of ?calves that were too far gone for her family to treat. The U.S. Department of Agriculture this week confirmed two infestations of New World screwworm in Texas — the state's first cases since the 1970s. However, local residents ?and ranchers remain split over whether to trust the agency's response, with some saying it's too slow or not far-reaching enough.

click here for more

U.S. cattle ranchers have been bracing for a domestic screwworm case for over a year as the pest has advanced north through Mexico, with experts predicting that a widespread outbreak could cost the state $1.8 billion in economic damage and could be devastating for the state's wildlife. For Storey and other ranchers who lived through the last outbreak, the news has further eroded their trust in the USDA and prompted them to search for their own solutions. “We're fighting for this so our grandchildren can keep what we ?have,” she said as her pickup truck bumped down a dirt road past grazing cattle, sprawling green pastures and migrating butterflies. “I don't want my herd threatened." Screwworms are parasitic flies whose females lay eggs in wounds on any warm-blooded animal. Once ?the eggs hatch, hundreds of larvae use their sharp mouths to eat through living flesh, eventually killing their host if left untreated. They mostly spread through the movement of infested animals and ?pose no threat to food safety and rarely affect humans, experts said. The last time screwworm was endemic in the United States, it took the cattle industry 30 years to recover, according to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.

Banks lay groundwork for mass workforce cuts as AI takes hold

In the hope he’ll land a job in finance, Andre Bonnick spends hours rehearsing what he’s going to say. He’s using key words from job listings, making eye contact — following advice he’s gotten from recruiters. But Bonnick, a student at Warwick University, isn’t preparing to talk to a human hiring manager. He’s tackling initial screening rounds done by artificial intelligence-powered software. With more firms adopting AI, students gunning for a career in banking and finance are preparing to be up against such technology at first interaction. If they get in the door, they’re then faced with the question of whether the jobs will be available to humans in the next few years. Most executives are in agreement: Jobs will be cut as AI is implemented. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon said in December that the technology “will eliminate jobs.”

click here for more

Jane Fraser, Citigroup Inc.’s CEO, said some jobs “will no longer be required,” while Goldman Sachs Group Inc. President John Waldron referred to employees as a “human assembly line” ripe for automation. As Standard Chartered Plc CEO Bill Winters put it: “It’s not cost cutting; it’s replacing in some cases lower-value human capital with the financial capital and the investment capital we’re putting in.” (He later apologized for his remarks.) With those recent comments, industry workers have been left dazed about whether their jobs are safe. Even for those in higher levels, the risk that AI could eventually replace their roles has grown. And while executives, including Dimon and Barclays Plc Chief Executive Officer CS Venkatakrishnan, have talked about retraining and reskilling employees to protect some jobs, it’s unclear how that would work in practice, said David Parsons, an employment lawyer at Mishcon de Reya. One investment banker in the United Arab Emirates, who asked not to be identified, joked he may not be needed in the next five to 10 years, after he used Microsoft Corp.’s Copilot to help make a last-minute elevator pitch before a client meeting. “It’s fair to say middle office is vulnerable,” Parsons said. “That’s the difference with this wave of automation, it impacts jobs higher up the chain.”

America is already losing the World Cup for hotel bookings

The World Cup starts later this week. U.S. hotels are already in last place. Hotel bookings in Canada and Mexico are outpacing all but one American city ahead of FIFA’s biggest soccer competition, which is unfolding across 16 North American cities starting Thursday. Vancouver and Guadalajara boast the top occupancy rates at 48%, according to CoStar. Toronto, Mexico City and Monterrey are also more than 40%-booked. San Francisco is the only U.S. city to crack that threshold at 44%. The data firm analyzed hotel business in 14 of the 16 host cities ahead of the games. Some U.S. hotel owners say they are getting decent rates. But the foreign host cities hold a number of advantages over their American counterparts, including often more rabid soccer fans and overall affordability.

click here for more

Tickets to this year’s World Cup games in the U.S. reached record-high prices, with dozens of tickets to the final match already selling for more than $20,000 a seat, according to resale tracker TicketData. Transportation costs also soared. “When it got down to pricing and being able to make those decisions, there were a lot of aspirational travelers who were probably shut out of the marketplace,” said Dave Guenther, president of luxury sports travel company Roadtrips. Visa concerns and the U.S. political climate that many foreigners perceive as unwelcoming also dissuaded some international soccer enthusiasts from traveling to the U.S. The disappointing performance by hotels in U.S. host cities reflects a lost opportunity to boost local economies as much as anticipated. Cities have spent hundreds of millions of dollars related to this once-in-a-generation sporting event. Major investments range from security and stadium upgrades to transit improvements and marketing.

State Stories

Could Democrats gain votes from ‘lifelong Republicans’ upset over data centers?

Scout Moseley doesn’t shy away from the challenges of bull riding and “rodeoing,” and he’s now joining the fight against data centers locating in Johnson County. Moseley, 26, who has two children, lives in Cleburne, and he describes himself as being against “big government.” He said he will support candidates, even Democrats, as long as they oppose data centers. He recently created a Facebook page, Joco Citizens Against Data Centers, and also created bumper stickers with the slogan, “Keep Texas green.” “I don’t care if you run and what you run on. As long as you stick to your guns on opposing data centers, I will support you. This is the biggest issue,” he said Moseley is joining a growing number of people throughout Texas and the U.S. who are raising their voices against data centers locating in their communities. According to the Texas Tribune, half of the 248 data centers planned in Texas will be in rural areas where there are few regulations, and counties have little authority to stop them from moving forward.

click here for more

In Hood County, where an Amazon data center called Project Spectrum was approved on a 3-0 vote on May 26, residents Cheryl Shadden and Craig Jackson also said they will “flip their votes.” Shadden, who helped organize an election to incorporate an area called Mitchell Bend in an attempt to regulate noise and pollution from Mara Digital Holdings, a cryptomining operation near her home, said local and state officials are not protecting the citizens. The vote to incorporate failed, but Shadden is undeterred. “The whole community is behind us. We will absolutely flip our votes,” she said. “We’ve gotten to the point where we feel like we’ve been bulldozed over by Texas politicians. It’s about time now that the politicians listen to their constituents.” Shadden said she has accepted an invitation to speak to the Hood County Democrats. Craig Jackson, who lives in Granbury, is among four residents suing city officials alleging Open Meetings Act violations and that they hid details concerning Project Patriot on approximately 2,000 acres annexed into Granbury during a Jan. 6 meeting despite vehement opposition from residents. The lawsuit described City Council members taking a tour of a Dallas data center days before the annexation vote. In April, the council voted to rezone the annexed land for a data center power plant, operated by Bilateral Energy.

Former Dallas mayors outline how city can stay dominant

Former Dallas mayors Tom Leppert, Mike Rawlings and Laura Miller agree that Dallas can remain the region's dominant city. But each offered a different take on why neighboring cities are gaining ground in landing big companies, investment and major projects. The city faced a tough round of setbacks last week, from the Mavericks' planned move from downtown to North Dallas and the Stars' pursuit of Plano for a new arena to Neiman Marcus' decision to shutter its downtown store. In interviews and a commentary piece, here’s what they said Dallas must do to respond: Tom Leppert, mayor from 2007 to 2011, said Dallas must become more responsive and competitive.

click here for more

“Dallas has to compete,” he said. “To compete, you've got to perform.” Leppert said businesses and residents increasingly have options across North Texas and will not wait for Dallas to make decisions. He said delays, uncertainty and a lack of follow-through can cost the city opportunities. For Leppert, the solution is straightforward: city leaders must identify priorities, move quickly and deliver results. Mike Rawlings, mayor from 2011 to 2019, said Dallas risks losing confidence among businesses and investors when leaders fail to focus on fundamentals. He called downtown's struggles both an emotional and financial issue, noting it generates about half of the city's property tax value. He also criticized what he sees as excessive attention to small but vocal groups and said elected officials must concentrate on the factors that drive economic growth. “A citizen needs to be voting for somebody that can make things happen,” he said. Laura Miller, mayor from 2002 to 2007 after previously serving on the City Council and, before that, working as a reporter at The Dallas Morning News, said Dallas' challenges stem from the way the city is governed. In a recent D Magazine column, Miller said Dallas' council-manager form doesn’t work. Under that system, the mayor is elected citywide and the council members are elected from 14 districts while the council-hired city manager oversees daily operations. Miller said too much power rests with the city manager and senior staff, while elected officials often struggle to set a unified direction.

Austin sex trafficking survivor sued hotel giants. Settlements stopped a Texas trial.

When police raided the Days Inn motel room, the woman inside was shocked, but relieved, she recalled years later. For seven months, she had been trafficked for sex at Austin hotels along Interstate 35 and U.S. 183. She was strung out on drugs much of that time. Images posted without her consent by at least three different men on the now-defunct Backpage.com website advertised her availability. She was controlled through physical violence and forced to perform sex acts, she said in a suit filed in federal court. When police burst through the door of that motel room in February 2014, the first words out of the then-26-year-old woman’s mouth were: “I’m pregnant.”

click here for more

Now nearly 40 and married with children, the woman identified in federal court documents only as H.E.W. wants accountability from the companies she says benefited from her exploitation. The list includes a half-dozen Austin hotels and their parent companies — including some of the nation’s biggest hospitality brands. “Because the hotels would — I feel workers and hotel, you know, front desk people — turned a blind eye to me being trafficked,” she said in a deposition. According to the lawsuit she filed in U.S. District Court in Austin, “She was beaten, drugged, sexually assaulted, and mentally abused” under their noses. It was one of an increasing number of lawsuits filed under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act against the hospitality industry for what plaintiffs describe as a willing blindness to the victims in their hotels. In the legal language of such complaints, they “knew or should have known.” “Defendants have failed, at all levels, to take appropriate action in response to their knowledge of widespread and ongoing human trafficking in their hotels,” H.E.W.’s suit said. “Instead, they have continued financially benefiting.”

Miami's jail reduction model could help Dallas County — but parts aren't legal in Texas

Dallas County officials spent part of last week learning about Miami-Dade County's successful jail diversion program to determine whether modeling it could reduce jail crowding here. Retired Florida judge Steve Leifman, the creator of Miami-Dade diversion program, led a days-long summit in Dallas to explain how it could work here. Leifman and his team were invited to present the successful 26-year old Criminal Mental Health Project model as a less-expensive alternative to sending Dallas County officials and staff to Florida. A key element of the Miami-Dade model is how people experiencing mental health issues are handled by law enforcement, jails and courts. Leifman and other county leaders who implemented the project eventually were able to get Florida laws changed so that people in mental health crisis could be held in deflection centers involuntarily.

click here for more

That offers time for evaluation, court processing and possibly starting substance use and mental health treatment. In Texas, law enforcement agencies like the Dallas Police Department and DART police must convince a person to go to a deflection center — and stay there — before going to jail. If a detained person is taken to Dallas’s one jail-diversion center, they are free to leave almost immediately. Laws passed in Ohio and Florida changed that. “They set up a situation where for 48 hours, the person's not free to go,” Dallas County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins said. “Then, within that 48 hours, that person is assessed to see whether they can go or what the next steps would be. That's really not much different except for it's focused on mental health and good outcomes of what happens when we pick up your average person.” Convincing Texas legislators to pass similar laws here would be a key first step to effectively apply the Miami-Dade process to the Dallas County jail and courts system.

How the Kerrville Folk Festival became a hub for recovery — and hope

The Kerrville Folk Festival is known for its music. But in the aftermath of last year's tragic Fourth of July flooding, it became something else entirely. Deb Rouse runs the Kerrville Folk Festival, an 18-day music festival held at Quiet Valley Ranch, about eight miles southwest of Kerrville. For more than half a century, the festival has helped launch the careers of emerging musicians. But on the morning of the flood, Rouse quickly realized the ranch would serve a very different purpose. “As I was sitting at my desk, my phone started ringing, both my cell phone and my office phone,” Rouse said. “And I can hear every other extension in the office ringing, and it was people from all over the country calling and saying, ‘We're members of the festival community. How can we help? What can we do?’”

click here for more

These were folk festival supporters who had seen news coverage of the flooding and wanted to help. Rouse initially directed people to organizations such as the Red Cross and Salvation Army, but eventually added a donation button to the Kerrville Folk Festival Foundation website. “I anticipated we might get $10,000 just putting that button on our website. We raised $100,000 in about a two-month period,” she said. But the festival wasn't just raising money. “We also made the decision to open the ranch up to displaced individuals who might need a place to go,” Rouse said. Another call came from a nonprofit looking for a place to set up a kitchen to feed people affected by the flood. “I said, ‘Well, actually, I have a commercial kitchen that's not in use. Would that be helpful?’ And he was like, ‘That would be amazing.’”

‘San Antonio has a culture like no other’: Spurs’ Finals run creates economic opportunity

It takes one glance to know that Spurs fans have a home at Bakwood BBQ and More. A giant San Antonio Spurs logo adorns the Eastside restaurant’s wall. Vernie Hurd’s family owns the establishment and a Spurs logo adorns his face, too, in the form of a temporary tattoo on his right cheek. He’s a fan, but the Spurs are also good for business. Demand increased by 500% as basketball fans flocked to the restaurant ahead of the San Antonio Spurs clash with the New York Knicks. Hurd prepared five times the barbecue he usually does for the NBA Finals and it was snapped up by fans stopping at Bakwood BBQ, less than three miles from the Frost Bank Center on the corner of Commerce and Hackberry streets. “We notice more people coming out before the game starts,” he said. “We have a lot of Airbnbs here. We have a lot of New Yorkers show up.”

click here for more

“When the Spurs win, you see traffic out here,” he added. Fans will drive down Commerce Street, honking and waving flags. Hurd said it’s as busy as other big downtown events, like Fiesta or concerts at the Alamodome. It’s one of many businesses that has seen a spike in activity as fans from in and out of town gather to watch the final round of the NBA season. Many business owners are either incredibly busy as fans gather under their roofs, or quickly pivoting to make sure guests have a place to watch games and keep up with the action. It doesn’t matter if you are inside the Frost Bank Center or watching on television — it can be tough to find a seat for the Spurs’ playoff run. San Antonio’s bar owners are happy to be a part of the excitement and to give people spaces to celebrate. But patrons can often wait hours to get a table. Doug Ackerly owns Stout House, The Stetson’s San Antonio and The Hangar bars, all of which have been crowded by fans in recent weeks. Stout House Grayson has hosted popular watch parties and has a 50-75% increase in sales on nights when the Spurs play, he said. The location near Pearl has plenty of TVs and a large outdoor screen. His other bars have had sales jump between 20-40%. “It’s been such a fun team to watch. As a bar owner, I hope we go to Game 7 and win Game 7. As a fan, I hope we sweep the New York Knicks,” he said on Tuesday, before Spurs’ 105-95 loss in Game 1.

For Texas cities, collecting visual data brings privacy concerns

Cities are turning to visual data and AI-powered technology to better understand dangerous intersections, illegal dumping, weapons monitoring in crowds and other facets of urban life. And while these insights can help improve operations, the technology demands clear governance around data management and access. Brownsville, in south Texas, uses technology from SHI International, a smart city technology provider, to monitor crowds, illegal dumping, vehicle thefts and other events. The technology makes use of AI to analyze visual data for particular incidents. “For example, tell me when somebody dumps trash in a public space. Tell me when there is an animal that is being aggressive, a person with a weapon, a car standing in an unauthorized location … people falling in parks and not getting up, things like that,” Brownsville CIO Jorge Cardenas said in March, explaining how the technology fits in the city’s tech ecosystem.

click here for more

As a border city, Brownsville is on the watch for stolen cars that may be heading into Mexico. The city’s cameras are able to scan license plates and compare the data to stolen car databases. Illegal dumping has also been a problem, with residents dumping debris in and around waterways and other areas. “Now we have cameras in strategic locations where people will do this a lot of times, and we have caught lot of people dumping mattresses, dumping tires, just trash,” Cardenas said. Similarly, he said, crowd monitoring “helps us to control the crowd, and identify things like weapons detection.” That level of surveillance may be helpful for city operations, but it may also not sit well with the public or digital privacy advocates. The data, Cardenas stressed, “never leaves our city data center, and access is strictly limited to assigned city employees.” “We intentionally chose to keep everything in-house, both to ensure the privacy and security of our community’s information, and to avoid the significant costs associated with external services,” he said in an email.

Texas’ healthcare workforce has increased 123% in 30 years. State officials say it isn’t enough

Texas’ healthcare and social assistance sector has grown 123% in the past 30 years, adding more than one million jobs – but it hasn’t kept pace with the state’s growing demand. State officials outlined the state of Texas’ healthcare workforce during a House Committee on Public Health hearing last week. Despite being Texas’ largest and fastest growing industry, the healthcare industry’s need for workers continues to “outpace supply” across the state, officials said. Mariana Vega, director of labor market information at the Texas Workforce Commission, said the healthcare sector has grown faster than all other industries combined, driven largely by “population expansion.” “Texas continues to lead the nation in population growth, adding hundreds of thousands of new residents each year,” Vega said. “As a result, demand for healthcare services continues to grow across all regions of the state.”

click here for more

Texas’ population growth significantly slowed last year, but it still had the largest increase in the county. In North Texas alone, the population is expected to reach nine million people over the next year. In addition to a growing population, Kristen Benton, Texas Board of Nursing’s executive director, said the population is also aging. “As we get older, we have more demand for healthcare,” she said. Nearly 1.4 million Texans are employed in healthcare occupations. But, Vega said in many regions in the state only about 30 to 50% of healthcare employers' needs are being met, while in other regions as little as 25% of the need is met. “Texas is facing a growing imbalance between healthcare workforce supply and demand,” she said. “This gap is clearly reflected in real-time job demand.” Healthcare workforce shortages are seen in both the high skill and “entry level” ends of the industry, affecting dozens of occupations statewide, according to Vega. Registered nursing positions, or RNs, are one of the most in-demand jobs in Texas, accounting for more than 158,000 postings statewide. Home health and personal care aids also ranked among the highest in demand with more than 43,000 job postings. At the same time, Vega said the healthcare and social assistance sector is projected to add more jobs than any other industry in Texas – nearly 294,000 by 2032.

For Mavericks and Stars, why is American Airlines Center obsolete?

The Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars haven’t agreed on much in recent months, but they agree on this: American Airlines Center is outdated. The Mavericks have decided on Valley View as the site for a new arena and entertainment district. The Stars have also made their decision, choosing to build their new arena and mixed-use development in Plano. It begs the question: How can an arena become obsolete in just 25 years?

click here for more

Stadium experts say the answer reflects a larger industry trend and has as much to do with societal changes as it does with business. As tech advancements accelerate and expectations of modern-day sports fans evolve, the life span of many arenas is increasingly shorter. “It seems like the life cycle of a stadium or arena is moving towards 20 to 25 years,” Craig Sloan, the CEO of Playfly Sports, which has worked on numerous stadium projects and mixed-use development districts, told The Dallas Morning News. Franchises are striving to create in-venue fan experiences that rival at-home viewing experiences, which have never been more convenient and sophisticated. Modern-day fans, particularly from the Gen Z demographic, are not merely looking to go watch a game, they are in search of a social experience. And teams are looking to bolster their revenue by tapping into dollars from mixed-use districts, which surround arenas with 365-day-a-year entertainment options. Mark Williams is partner and executive vice president at Dallas-based HKS, which designed prominent stadiums like AT&T Stadium and Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium, among many others. While times and technology have evolved, the arena remains a coveted destination, one where the transformation of the fan experience requires a transformation of the venue itself.

In Texas, Muslim voters mobilize against anti-Muslim rhetoric

Mohammed Ayachi was 3 when the 9/11 terrorist attacks occurred. In fifth grade, he was asked by a teacher how many mothers he had. Now an entrepreneur, he says he gets strange looks when he tells his customers his name. Fatima Khan, who wears a hijab, was eating at a pizza restaurant with her family when they were approached by a man cursing and screaming at them. Aftab Siddiqui was called a terrorist and told to “go back home.” He has lived in Texas for 30 years. Muslim Texans say they have felt anti-Muslim hate since 9/11, but that it has risen significantly from politicians running their campaigns from an anti-Muslim viewpoint.

click here for more

“They just want everybody to get gung ho and go after a witch hunt. This is basically just the Salem witch trials all over again,” Ayachi said. Ali Anwar was at a local Republican Party meeting that featured a speech from Mayes Middleton, the Republican candidate for Texas attorney general. On May 4, Middleton put out an advertisement called “No Sharia in Texas,” where he said that he would outlaw Sharia Law. Sharia Law is a set of religious principles for Muslims to follow. During the meeting, Anwar asked Middleton several specific questions regarding his policies on Sharia Law. “I asked him, ‘Hey, what is this policy about traditional family values?’ He said that we support heterosexual relationships. I asked him about the explicit materials in the library books, and he said that we’re against it. So I kept asking him questions about abortion. He said that we’re against abortion,” Anwar said. “So I said, ‘You know that Sharia — that you are against, and trying to ban — also supports all of these points that you just stated.’” Texas Attorney General and Senate candidate Ken Paxton also ran on an anti-Muslim campaign by filing a lawsuit against the Council of American-Islamic Relations, investigations into the Islamic Tribunal and ran ads accusing his opponent, Sen. John Cornyn, of supporting “Muslim mass immigration.” A study by the Pew Research Center in 2017 showed that about two-thirds of Muslims identified with the Democratic Party. Siddiqui said that political participation in the Muslim community has significantly increased over the years.

New report makes the case for a unified Valley MSA

A new report commissioned by the Council for South Texas Economic Progress makes the case for a unified Metropolitan Statistical Area for the entire Rio Grande Valley. Currently, the Valley has two MSAs: McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, which incorporates all of Hidalgo County, and Brownsville-Harlingen, which includes all of Cameron County. If the four-county Valley was redefined as one MSA it would rank 42nd nationally, with a population of 1,479,873. The regional Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would be $40.9 billion, the report states. The total civilian labor force would be 657,962. The regional unemployment rate would be 6.5 percent. The average median household income, population-weighted, would be $54,771, and the poverty rate would be 26.6 percent. The report was produced for COSTEP by Allied Consulting Group.

click here for more

A table from COSTEP's "Rio Grande Valley Regional MSA Economic Report." According to Wikipedia, an MSA is “a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the region.” Wikipedia points out that MSAs are defined by the Office of Management and Budget, which is part of the Executive Office of the President. MSAs are used by the U.S. Census Bureau and other federal government agencies for statistical purposes. COSTEP’s new report covers 24 pages. Its executive summary states: “The Rio Grande Valley - comprising Hidalgo, Cameron, Starr and Willacy counties - forms an economically interconnected region. When analyzed as a unified metropolitan area, the region's combined indicators reveal a significant economic engine comparable to recognized MSA across the United States. With a combined population of 1,479,873, the Rio Grande Valley would rank No. 42 among 393 US metropolitan statistical areas, on par with Louisville, Memphis, and Richmond.”

Army Corps to shift major Houston Ship Channel dredge disposal offshore, sparing Pleasantville sites

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is scrapping a plan to dump much of the sludge it dredges up from the Houston Ship Channel onto sites near the historically Black Pleasantville neighborhood, opting instead to deposit the waste offshore, according to a letter Port Houston sent local officials this week. The letter, dated June 2, said the Army Corps' own design process led to the revision. For years, the federal agency had planned to pipe the slurry of mud and water it pulled up during Project 11, a billion-dollar project to help the channel fit larger ships, into disposal sites in residential communities. There, the sludge would be held in by levees made of soil. The agency now plans to move the material it dredges from the project's final two segments, between Sims Bayou and Turning Basin, into a disposal site "located in the Gulf, approximately two nautical miles outside the Galveston Entrance Channel," the local port authority said.

click here for more

The Corps' about-face comes years after community groups assembled the Healthy Port Communities Coalition to push back against the federal government's previous plan to reopen two long-defunct disposal sites called Glendale and Filterbed, among other Project 11 decisions. These sites sit on either side of Houston's historic Pleasantville neighborhood, which was conceived during segregation as the nation's first master-planned community for middle-class Black residents. Glendale is in Pleasantville proper, while Filterbed sits nearby in an area known as Denver Harbor/Port Houston. "I'm really glad for the news we received, but at the same time understand that there's still other communities that will continue to have concerns," said Bridgette Murray, a Pleasantville resident and founder of the group Achieving Community Tasks Successfully. The placement areas, which look like artificial hills against Houston's flat topography, carry traumatic memories for some generational families in the area. In 1957, one of the levees of the Glendale mound collapsed, sending a flood of oil-filled silt and water into "a 40-block area of the addition" and damaging at least 100 homes, according to Houston Chronicle articles from the time. City health officials advised typhoid shots for victims, and homeowners said the sludge was a corrosive substance that left many of their possessions useless.

National Stories

A flesh-eating pest threatens Trump’s beef price hopes

A devastating parasite is threatening to upend President Donald Trump’s efforts to lower beef prices ahead of November’s midterms. The New World screwworm, which often kills untreated livestock, has been discovered in two calves near the Mexican border in south Texas in the past week. The pest’s reemergence in the U.S. is alarming agriculture officials, ranchers and beef industry leaders who have spent months attempting to prepare for its anticipated arrival as ground beef and steaks fetch record-high sums. Administration officials insist the screwworm’s return does not threaten the country’s food supply and is not a hazard to public health. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told POLITICO it is not clear how the screwworm will affect beef prices, which have already skyrocketed due to high demand and a decades-low cattle herd diminished by severe weather, industry consolidation and high operating costs.

click here for more

“None of us have a crystal ball, so none of us really understand what this is going to mean for the cattle herd,” Rollins told POLITICO on Thursday after a House Agriculture Committee hearing. “The cases should be isolated,” she said. “We’ll see. We don’t know.” A potential infestation is the latest obstacle clouding Republican goals to rein in consumers’ grocery bills and calm anxiety in farm country. The average price of a pound of ground beef was approaching $7 in April, according to federal data, while a pound of uncooked steak averaged roughly $13. An outbreak of the New World screwworm, a fly that lays eggs in open wounds that hatch into flesh-eating larvae, threatens to cause $1.8 billion in losses to the Texas economy and cost the state’s farmers $732 million per year if it spreads similarly to a 1976 infestation, according to a USDA estimate. “We probably have a lot more cases that are not being reported,” Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller told POLITICO. “If it’s positive, they’ll quarantine you, so no one’s reporting them because no one wants to be quarantined.”

Platner supporters unfazed by allegations of misconduct

Graham Platner held a town hall Sunday evening where voters could ask him about allegations of past misconduct. No one did. Instead, voters doubled down on their support for the Democrat. At one point, when he went to speak to an overflow crowd outside the building, a man could be heard yelling “Don’t let the bastards get you down.” “We’re not, don’t worry,” Platner responded. “Don’t drop out,” another woman followed. The event was the first where voters would have been able to ask him questions after reports of misconduct, including of abuse by one ex-girlfriend. The woman also disputed Platner’s account that he only recently learned a tattoo he wore on his chest for 18 years was a symbol adopted by the Nazi’s SS paramilitary. Platner has denied the allegations of abuse and continues to say he didn’t know the tattoo’s meaning.

click here for more

The Wall Street Journal last weekend reported that Platner engaged in sexually explicit texts with other women while married. Platner had sought to tamp down concerns about more allegations of misconduct during a private meeting with some of his biggest Senate backers, The Journal reported last week. Platner, a 41-year-old oyster farmer running as a progressive, has both captivated and terrified some in the Democratic Party. He is on track to win the Democratic nomination in the state’s primary Tuesday and is expected to face off against Republican Sen. Susan Collins, 73, in November. The state is one of Democrats’ best pickup opportunities, but allegations against Platner have worried many Democrats who fear he is putting the seat at risk. But inside his town hall Sunday, Platner didn’t face a single question or acknowledgment about the allegations. Instead, the crowd doubled down on their support of him. At one point during the event, a supporter passed around a poster board that said “We are your Grahamily! and we’ve got your back” to gather messages and signatures. People wrote messages like “Everyone has a past! Keep Going!” and “Stay strong, one day at a time.” After his speech she presented it to Platner, who teared up.

Donald Trump ends tense 'Meet the Press' interview, walks away from host

President Donald Trump abruptly ended an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" and walked away after moderator Kristen Welker challenged him about unsubstantiated claims of "cheating" in the California primary elections. The dustup between Trump and Welker arrived during a rain-heavy sit down, full of weather-related interruptions, amid the president's pre-midterms visit to Wisconsin, a crucial swing state for both parties that he won in 2024. After Welker noted that "Republicans are doing well in California" following the June 2 primary contests, Trump said "they're dropping fast because it's a rigged election," which led to a tense back-and-forth in the interview that aired June 7. Republicans have criticized the dayslong, ongoing counting process in California's primary races.

click here for more

Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt, a conservative, and Trump-endorsed gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton are both in second place standings in their respective contests, but Democratic foes have gained ground. California has what's known as "jungle primaries," in which all candidates regardless of party compete against each other, and the top two hopefuls advance to the general election. As Welker and Trump discussed the California races, including the vote-tallying process, Welker noted "that's how they count the votes in California." Trump responded, asking, "Do you know why they're doing that? Because they're cheating on the election." Welker then asked Trump if he had evidence to support his claims, and the president responded that "all I have to do is look" and "I listen to people." The NBC anchor again asked for evidence of election fraud and repeated that the typical dayslong process is "how they count the votes in California." Trump then questioned if it's appropriate to count votes five days after Election Day, and Welker said California officials are urging a quick vote count but have pointed out that the process is slow.

National redistricting battle could come to state legislatures and city councils

After a blitz of congressional redistricting ahead of the midterm elections, a national battle for partisan control is about to enter a new phase that could affect representation on everything from tax rates to social safety net programs, teacher salaries, housing regulations and local road repairs. Georgia’s Republican-led Legislature will convene June 17 for a special session focused on redistricting for the 2028 elections. The agenda includes new voting districts not only for Congress, but also for the state House and Senate — and potentially even the state’s utility regulatory commission. It will mark the first time since a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling weakened minority voting protections that a state legislature will attempt to redraw its own districts. Mississippi Republicans and New York Democrats also could undertake legislative redistricting before their 2027 and 2028 elections, respectively.

click here for more

It remains to be seen, though, how many legislatures will follow, and whether the outburst of mid-decade redistricting will extend down to county commissions, city councils and school boards that make myriad decisions affecting people’s lives. The impact could be widespread. “The stakes here are not political, they are deeply human,” said Joe Kennedy III, founder of Groundwork Project, a nonprofit that supports local civil rights and democracy organizations. What’s fueling the redistricting movement? Voting district boundaries typically are redrawn once a decade after each U.S. census to account for population changes. But last summer, President Donald Trump urged Texas Republicans to redraw congressional districts to try to win additional seats in the midterm elections. Other states followed with their own partisan gerrymandering. Then a 6-3 Supreme Court ruling in late April jumpstarted even more redistricting. The court struck down a majority-Black congressional district in Louisiana as an illegal racial gerrymander, providing grounds for Republicans in other states to reshape districts with large minority populations that have elected Democrats.

As American elections become more tense, officials are turning to local police

When Chris Davis first started working in law enforcement over 30 years ago, elections would come and go relatively unnoticed. "Election Day was something, as a police officer, you may not even realize was happening," he said. "It wouldn't even come up on roll calls." Davis is now chief of police in Green Bay, Wis. And elections have rapidly become a big part of his job, something he plans for year-round. "I think a lot of that is just because we're right in the middle of the Wisconsin battleground," Davis said. "I remember really being struck when I came here at just how, almost, nervous a lot of city staff were about elections." Davis' experience reflects a trend experts have noticed across the country: Since the 2020 election, local law enforcement has increasingly been playing a bigger role in helping local officials secure elections.

click here for more

"The number of threats that election officials face, that jurisdictions face, that election workers face all mean that law enforcement does have a heightened role to play and a longer-term role to play," said Katie Reisner with the nonpartisan States United Democracy Center. "It's not a matter of just tapping in for Election Day and tapping back out." According to a survey of local election officials conducted earlier this year by the Brennan Center for Justice, 32% of local election officials reported experiencing "threats, harassment, or abuse because of their job." Threats and harassment increased notably for election officials after President Trump's unfounded claims that the 2020 election was rife with fraud. The last few years have also seen historic rates of turnover among voting officials. In Green Bay, Davis said it became clear to him after talking to city officials that the police department needed to take "a more proactive role" during elections.

Can a social media post nullify your vote? Indiana recount tests obscure law

A Trump-backed state senate candidate is still fighting to win a tight election by making an unusual legal claim that voters' social media posts exposed that they voted illegally under an obscure state law. Republican Paula Copenhaver was one of many primary challengers seeking to defeat Indiana senators who defied U.S. President Donald Trump's demand to redraw Indiana's congressional district boundaries to favor Republicans. She was vying to unseat incumbent state Sen. Spencer Deery of West Lafayette, but lost by three votes in the May 5 primary. In her request for a recount, Copenhaver argues that social media posts and interviews with a journalist prove that several Democratic voters wrongfully crossed over to the Republican primary, swinging the election in Deery's favor. The crossover voting warrants investigation, she claims.

click here for more

Her argument hinges on a largely unenforced Indiana law that many voters, advocates and experts say they have never heard of. Her method of challenging voters in a recount is likely a first in Indiana and appears to conflict with the state's enforcement interpretation. "It’s unprecedented to challenge voters the way Copenhaver is, even wanting to comb through their social media," said Amy Courtney of voter advocacy group MADVoters in an email. "The real question is whether we want a government spending time and energy monitoring our social media statements and inspecting our private votes." One of the affected voters was Noemi Ybarra, who lives in Tippecanoe County. Copenhaver initially challenged her vote, but suspended the challenge after it became clear that Ybarra lived outside of the senate district. Ybarra said on Facebook that she thought about potentially pulling a Republican Party ballot, but she didn't end up doing so. She only learned her vote was challenged when a local journalist reached out.

Nithya Raman and Spencer Pratt in tight race for Los Angeles mayor runoff

Days after California’s primary, Nithya Raman and Spencer Pratt are still waiting to see who makes the November runoff for Los Angeles mayor against incumbent Karen Bass. The race was still too early to call on Sunday as the vote tally showed Raman moving into second place behind Bass for the first time since Tuesday, when voting ended and the count began. That puts Raman, a progressive city council member, ahead of Pratt, a former reality television personality from “The Hills.” Raman had been running in third, but she has gained more votes than Pratt with every update provided by election officials in Los Angeles since Tuesday.

click here for more

Vote counting in California is a notoriously slow process because state law practically mandates a drawn-out tally. Ballots are mailed to every eligible voter and they are counted if they are postmarked by Election Day and arrive at an election office within seven days. Los Angeles, like other counties in California, processes and counts mail ballots in roughly the order they are received, so the last ones returned are the last ones counted. On Tuesday night after polls closed, Los Angeles released results from mail ballots that had been returned early and already processed as well as votes cast that day. Since then, the county has been processing and releasing results from mail ballots that arrived later. Election data shows that large numbers of Democrats held onto their mail ballots and returned them in the race’s final days, which helps explain why Bass and Raman have been doing better than Pratt in the votes counted since primary day. The mayor’s race is nonpartisan, so none of the candidates had party identification next to their names on the ballot. Raman and Bass are both Democrats, while Pratt is a Republican.

Copyright June 08, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved