September 20, 2026: All Newsclips

Lead Stories

Behind Trump’s public confidence, his private view of midterms is sobering

In interviews and speeches, President Donald Trump has maintained that midterm politics don’t affect his decisions on Iran, that the war has been worth the cost, and that he would do it all over again despite Republicans bracing for defeat in November. But in some private conversation with advisers, Trump has signaled that he understands his decisions on the war have contributed to the especially poor political environment his party faces — making the president more intent on helping Republicans mitigate the expected losses. Trump in recent weeks has become sober about the gravity of the political situation, listening intently as he is presented with often discouraging polling, according to four people with knowledge of his recent comments, all of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. That shift has prompted him to take more action on the midterms — pledging to stump for candidates and opening his war chest in competitive races, for example — although it remains to be seen how effectively Republicans can gain ground over the next six weeks.

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Trump has long dismissed unfavorable polls, fastening his attention on surveys that present him in an artificially positive light. He often says that negative surveys are fake and not to be believed. Increasingly, however, he has accepted his team’s polling that shows his and his party’s poor standing with voters, his advisers say. Several of Trump’s advisers said they had become “increasingly blunt” with him, as one put it, and that in recent weeks he was listening to them about the electoral reality the GOP faces. It didn’t always translate to a good mood for Trump. The president, who faces his lowest approval rating of his second term, has focused much of his attention this year on a war with Iran that has sharply raised oil prices and on construction projects in Washington to cement his legacy. That came even as he failed to meaningfully lower prices, which he pledged to do while he campaigned in 2024. “He definitely feels like some of his decisions have led to the dynamics where he’s unpopular and things aren’t looking great for the midterms,” one of the people said. A second person who confirmed Trump has subtly acknowledged some degree of responsibility for the situation noted that he has made similar remarks in public. Another person in frequent communication with Trump about the midterms, however, pushed back on the notion that he has accepted any blame, saying he feels strongly that his not being on the ballot this year is the biggest problem the GOP faces.

French calls backlash ‘shocking,’ links his disparaging posts on UT fans to Trump, GOP leaders

A week after attacking a group of University of Texas football fans as “foreigners” who displaced Americans, Bo French said Saturday he was shocked by the backlash and that his remarks echoed President Donald Trump and other Republican leaders on immigration and culture. At a "Take Back America" conference in Grapevine, French, the GOP nominee for the Texas Railroad Commission, renewed his defense of his social media posts widely condemned as racist, a characterization he denies. "The outrage was shocking to me," he said. "These are things that Donald Trump has been talking about. These are the things leaders in our party have been talking about."

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French’s comments Saturday widened his public explanations since Republicans and Democrats condemned him for posting a photo of jubilant Longhorns fans celebrating a fourth-quarter comeback victory over top-ranked Ohio State. The students were largely of South Asian descent. "I heard UT graduation this year looked like this. I didn’t believe it," he wrote on X. "The problem is now obviously worse than anyone imagined." In a follow-up post, he said the photo showed foreigners taking the place of Americans. Two students pictured told The Dallas Morning News they are U.S. citizens. One said he is a Texas resident who pays in-state tuition. On Saturday, French warned that cultural erosion threatened Texas and the country. He also said that in the past 40 years, no group had been "discriminated against more than the young, white male." Some in the crowd of about 100 clapped and stood while French spoke at the gathering hosted by the Eagle Forum, a conservative advocacy group founded by activist Phyllis Schlafly in 1972.

Texas construction firms facing labor squeeze

Blaine Beckman remembers his elementary and middle school teachers telling him and other students that if they didn’t get good grades, they could end up working in construction. Beckman, now the president of San Antonio general contractor company Nunnelly, had an internal battle when he first discovered his passion for construction. “Even though I loved the feeling it gave me, I thought I didn’t want to be in construction or be viewed as a construction worker,” he said. “I wanted to get my four-year degree and be a doctor because that’s what I thought success was, not construction.” This stereotype is a major factor why the industry is struggling to find skilled trade workers. The Associated General Contractors of America recently released its annual Construction Workforce Survey results, which revealed that labor availability is the construction industry’s central challenge in Texas. The association represents more than 28,000 companies, general and specialty contractors, and subcontractors.

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The United States historically has invested more in college prep than vocational training, particularly following the 1983 A Nation at Risk report, which spurred school districts to replace hands-on vocational classes, like shop, with computer labs and academic requirements. Most say hiring has become harder, with electricians and pipefitters/welders being especially difficult to recruit. Half of the respondents said available candidates are not qualified to work in the industry, and the labor shortage is leading to project delays. They’re also competing against data center projects, which are offering higher wages and pulling workers from housing, infrastructure and conventional commercial projects. Firms are responding with higher pay, expanded training, digital recruiting and school partnerships. “We need to get more people exposed to the trades earlier,” said Lauren Mandel, president of the San Antonio AGC. “We need to get to students in middle school and let them know that construction careers aren’t just jobs to move on from. There are incredible ways to build a career in the construction industry, whether you start off as a laborer and move your way up to a superintendent or a leadership role.”

Federal judge pauses Texas Republicans’ bid to close primaries

A federal judge on Friday afternoon paused a bid by Texas Republicans to restrict participation in the GOP’s primary elections to voters registered with the party. While Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a U.S. district judge based in Amarillo, stopped the effort, he wrote in his order that he expects the state’s Republican Party to succeed in closing its primaries during the upcoming Legislative Session. “Prominent Texas politicians support similar legislative action,” Kacsmaryk wrote, later adding that his decision to put the lawsuit on hold is “because the Texas Legislature may soon amend the law challenged here.” A year ago, the Republican Party of Texas sued then-Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson, challenging her to limit eligible Republican voters during primary elections. Currently, any Texas voter can cast a ballot in GOP primaries.

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Crossing party lines during primaries is a tactic some use to sway who their party’s opponent is during general elections. For example, Houston City Council Member Joe Panzarella received sharp criticism earlier this year during his campaign after it was revealed that he voted in the 2016 Republican primary despite being Democrat. Panzarella defended his decision to cast his ballot in the GOP primary as a “protest vote” against Donald Trump, according to the Houston Chronicle. The Republican Party in its lawsuit argued that the state’s open primaries violate their First Amendment right to choose party leaders. Republicans have been trying to close primaries for years, but urgency to do so intensified in 2024 when two incumbent state representatives viewed as moderates — former House Speaker Dade Phelan and Gary VanDeaver — held off challengers in their primary races by fewer than 800 votes. Some Republican leaders claimed Phelan and VanDeaver only won because they’d received votes from Democratic- and independent-leaning voters. Gov. Greg Abbott made clear at the Texas Republican Convention in June that he wants to make sure that “only Republicans vote in Republican primaries.” Nelson took heat from Republicans when she said changes to election laws has to be done through the state Legislature. Many lawmakers urged Abbott to fire her. She stepped down in June, and her successor, Robert Howden, said in a legal filing in August that he’s going to defend the state’s open primary system. Although Kacsmaryk wrote that it’s likely that lawmakers next year will pass legislation to close the state’s primaries, it’s not certain. “Texas’s current primary system may be distinct from a pure open primary anyways, because voting in a Texas primary does entail some level of party affiliation,” he wrote. The state’s next primary election for all parties is in 2028.

An era of low interest rates and low inflation could be over

President Donald Trump has renewed his attacks on the Federal Reserve after it hiked its benchmark interest rate Wednesday, but the Fed matters less than broader economic trends when it comes to longer-term borrowing costs, economists say. The economy is growing steadily despite being hit with repeated shocks — and may even be accelerating — while inflation remains stubbornly high. And big tech firms are borrowing huge amounts of cash to plow into data center construction while the federal government is still running large yearly budget deficits. All these trends point to higher interest rates regardless of what the Fed does, analysts say. As a result, the low interest-rate, low-inflation world that lasted for nearly 15 years after the Great Recession is over and a higher-priced, higher-rate world is taking its place.

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Mortgage rates fell into the 3% range in the 2010s and even lower during COVID-19, but such deals are long gone. The average 30-year mortgage rate reached 6.95% last week, the highest in more than a year and a half. Joe Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM, a tax consulting firm, said that a big reason for the change is a shift from the pre-pandemic economy in which consumer and business demand was weak, to the current economy in which healthy consumer and business spending is colliding with supply shocks and bottlenecks. In addition to higher oil and gas prices because of the Iran war, the AI buildout has struggled with an insufficient supply of computer chips, electronic equipment, and workers to put it all together. “We’ve undergone a structural transformation of the economy,” Brusuelas said. “The regime change in inflation and interest rates is the outcome.” The shift, in many ways, returns the economy to where it was before the financial crisis in December 2007 that lasted through June 2009. But even after the downturn ended, consumer and business spending remained weak. Millions of Americans in the 2010s focused on paying down outsized mortgages and credit card debt instead. Businesses saw few investment opportunities, and many big tech firms such as Alphabet’s Google and Meta’s Facebook piled up cash.

State Stories

Tarrant lawmaker plans Texas data center transparency legislation

A Fort Worth-area Texas lawmaker plans to introduce legislation on a hot button topic: data centers. After co-authoring laws regulating the use of artificial intelligence within state and local government agencies, state Sen. Tan Parker, R-Flower Mound, is crafting bills relating to the fast-growing technology hubs. Public outcry around the data centers has led the Fort Worth City Council to vote for a moratorium, and Gov. Greg Abbott has introduced a temporary moratorium. Though he did not provide any specifics, Parker said at the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce Leaders in Government series on Sept. 17 that the legislation will be informed by his experience during the Barnett Shale natural gas drilling growth in the early part of this century. Then, Parker was representing communities in north Tarrant and Denton counties.

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“One of the bills I will carry next session will be a framework that is based on historical experience with other industries,” he said. That initial experience with the oil and gas industry setting up drilling sites in populated areas was not good, he said. “They came in arrogant, out of touch, tone deaf,” he said. “They were not paying attention to local interests.” Parker said he worked with the oil and gas industry to change that behavior and get them involved with and answering community questions. Parker also authored an amendment to a bill requiring oil and gas companies to publicly disclose the chemicals used in fracking. Parker said he plans to write data center legislation that establishes public discussion and transparency requirements. “I don’t mandate things on business,” he said. “It will incentivize them. I will encourage good behavior, and that’s what we did at that time (during the Barnett Shale).” While Parker works on plans to file a bill when the Texas Legislature meets starting Jan. 12, he also made clear he believes data centers are key to the future success of the state.

Paxton kept close to alleged child abuser long after the allegations surfaced, taking money from him

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has spent more than a decade cultivating a political alliance with Paul Pressler, the once-revered Southern Baptist power broker who was accused by at least eight men of sexually abusing them, and with the two men most closely tied to covering for him. Even after the allegations became public, Paxton kept taking their money, kept using their endorsements, and kept standing by them. Pressler was one of the architects of the conservative takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention in the late 20th century and a mentor to a generation of Texas Republicans, including Ted Cruz and Paxton himself. But behind that reputation, according to Texas Monthly’s investigation, “abundant suspicions” about his relationships with young men circulated for decades, beginning in the late 1970s when he was quietly pushed out of a church youth ministry after an alleged incident at his home. Those suspicions became public allegations in December 2017, when Duane Rollins filed a lawsuit claiming Pressler began raping him in 1979, when Rollins was 14 and Pressler was a sitting justice on Texas’ 14th Court of Appeals, and continued abusing him two to three times a month for the next quarter century. According to the Houston Chronicle, the suit alleged the abuse took place in Pressler’s home study with his wife, Nancy, “usually on the premises.” At least seven other men came forward with similar accusations once the case was filed.

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Paxton had already built a close political relationship with Pressler well before any of this became public. In November 2013, Paxton’s campaign touted Pressler’s endorsement as coming from a “respected conservative icon” across Texas, and Paxton personally said he had “admired and respected” the judge “for so many years.” A year later, after winning his race for attorney general, Paxton named Pressler to his transition advisory team. The relationship didn’t end when the allegations became public. Campaign finance filings with the Texas Ethics Commission show Pressler and his wife donated to Paxton’s campaigns in 2016, 2017, and again in 2018 and 2022, the latter two coming after Rollins’ lawsuit was filed and receiving national attention. Nancy Pressler also gave to Paxton’s campaign in 2022 and to the “Stand with Paxton” PAC set up to defend him during his 2023 impeachment. In total, records show the Presslers gave Paxton roughly $1,600 across the two accounts. The lawsuit against Pressler was ultimately settled in December 2023, with the Southern Baptist Convention, its Executive Committee, and First Baptist Church of Houston all named as defendants alongside Pressler himself. In a statement announcing the confidential settlement, attorneys for the SBC cited “the horrendous nature of the abuse allegations” as a chief reason for resolving the case rather than going to trial. Weeks later, the SBC’s own outside counsel, Gene Besen, went further, calling Pressler a “monster” and a “dangerous predator” whose “actions are of the devil.” Pressler died in June 2024 at 94, his death covered by the Associated Press and by the New York Times under the headline “Paul Pressler, Disgraced Christian Conservative Leader, Dies at 94.”

Austin ISD appeals two failing school ratings in bid to avoid takeover

The Austin school district has appealed the failing ratings of Webb and Burnet middle schools to the Texas Education Agency, according to TEA spokesman Jake Kobersky, making a last attempt to change the grades that have put the district at risk of state intervention. The appeal of the schools’ 2025-26 ratings is the district’s latest move to avoid a state intervention, which the two schools triggered after receiving their fifth consecutive failing ratings. And the margin is narrow: Burnet fell one point short of a D, while Webb fell two points short. If an appeal raises the schools to a D, it would break the campuses streaks of failing ratings and remove the schools’ trigger for mandatory intervention. The stakes are unusually high. If either school’s fifth consecutive F becomes final, state law requires Education Commissioner Mike Morath to either close the campus or appoint a board of managers to replace Austin ISD’s superintendent and elected school board. But if TEA grants an appeal and changes both schools’ ratings, the district could avoid the intervention, including a possible full takeover of the district, triggered by this year’s grades.

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Preliminary data showed Burnet Middle School received an overall score of 59 and Webb a score of 58. That puts the schools one and two points, respectively, below the 60 overall score required to get a D rating. Districts typically file appeals based on the data used to rate schools, Superintendent Matias Segura told Austin Current in August. State standardized testing scores play a large role in how schools are rated, though other factors such as college and career readiness also factor into the calculations. If TEA determines an error was made in assigning the schools’ ratings, the agency can change them. For Burnet and Webb, even a small change could be significant. TEA declined to provide more details on the appeal, including when Austin ISD submitted it and the specific grounds on which the district is challenging the ratings, because the process is ongoing. The deadline for districts to appeal ratings was Sept. 11. Austin ISD confirmed the district appealed the ratings of both schools but declined to provide further details. The appeal comes as Mayor Kirk Watson has joined AISD supporters in calling for the school district to remain independent as the threat of a state takeover looms. Earlier this month, Watson called on parents of Burnet and Webb to form a Parent Petition for Action asking the state to close the campuses rather than take over the district.

Former Dallas mayors Rawlings, Leppert and Kirk seek more power for mayor

Three former Dallas mayors plan to launch a campaign to put more power in the mayor’s hands, saying that City Hall’s divided leadership leaves no one clearly accountable for its failures. Mike Rawlings, Tom Leppert and Ron Kirk want the next mayor to select and remove the city manager and city attorney, subject to City Council approval and other checks. While their plan gives the mayor more authority, it should not be considered a “strong mayor” form of government like in Chicago, New York or Houston, where the mayor has broader, more sweeping powers.

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Their proposal, which the three outlined Thursday in a joint interview with The Dallas Morning News, also would give the mayor responsibility for submitting the city budget and the power to veto individual spending items. The former mayors said they plan to gather the 20,000 signatures needed to put the proposed charter amendments before voters in May 2027. If approved, the changes would take effect Jan. 1, 2028, after the current mayor leaves office. The effort would mark a major change in the city’s governing structure and revive a defining Dallas debate: Should the city’s public face also have the power to lead City Hall? “We've got a great city and we can have a great future,” Kirk said. “But you've got to have really aggressive, thoughtful leadership out selling this city every day” and to do that, “the businesses you're talking to have to believe the mayor has some reasonable ability to make those commitments and be able to follow them up.” Under Dallas’ council-manager system, the mayor presides over the City Council but has no independent authority over the city manager or daily operations.

Inside West Texans’ relentless fight against Big Bend border wall contractors

For several days this summer, the rumor in the tiny West Texas hamlet of Sanderson, a 643-person community 125 miles east of Big Bend National Park, was that contractors had descended upon the area to begin constructing a border wall. Nobody knew who they were or what they looked like, but almost everyone in town was on the lookout for the alleged interlopers. That included the manager at the Desert Air Motel, who noticed that four men had booked separate reservations for the same dates at the quaint, retro-style lodge, which beckons travelers along U.S. 90 with a vintage sign promising “Refrigerated Air.” Like undercover cops trying to appear nonchalant at a high school keg party, the men didn’t remain inconspicuous for long. They drove white pickup trucks, wore heavy construction boots, and seemed to make a show of holding up the “No Big Bend Wall” flyers stacked on the motel’s front desk and snickering about them, according to employees.

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During check-in, when the front desk clerk politely asked the men if they were helping build a border wall, the crew denied any involvement before eventually admitting that they had been contracted to build a four-to-six-foot-high vehicle-barrier system along the Rio Grande in Terrell County. The motel’s affable owner, Sara Ryza, later confirmed that the crew included the CEO of Fisher Sand & Gravel, a North Dakota construction company that has won multiple high-profile federal and private contracts to build barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border. The manager canceled the men’s reservations and asked them to leave the premises. More than a month later, Ryza has no regrets about that decision. (Fisher Sand & Gravel did not respond to a request for comment about the incident.) “We worked so hard to try and put Sanderson on the map as a destination for tourists exploring the Big Bend region,” Ryza told me during a recent tour of the renovated motel, which was built in 1960 and still has original vintage pink tiles in its bathrooms. “We just can’t accept money from anyone associated with the border wall and contribute to what we feel is the destruction of our community and our tourism economy––the same one that we’ve been fighting so hard for.” Construction may have been paused in Big Bend National Park, unleashing a flurry of headlines and social media celebration, but the region remains in a state of hypervigilance and paranoia, not unlike a coastal community preparing for a churning hurricane on the horizon.

‘We punted’: San Antonio approves first tax increase without mayor’s support

Facing a major budget deficit and a struggling economy, the San Antonio City Council approved a 3.9% property tax increase Thursday — the city’s first in more than three decades. The 7-4 vote largely split members along socioeconomic lines, with wealthier Northside districts opposing the 3.9% increase and members from less affluent districts voting in favor. Initially, nearly all council members balked at raising taxes when inflation is already putting so many residents in a financial strain. But weeks of reviewing alternate budget scenarios led a majority to believe that more spending reductions — on top of the $90 million worth of cuts already planned over the next two years — would hit most vulnerable residents too hard. “[In] the conversations I’ve had [with residents] … it’s actually been the most humble among us who have been the first to say, ‘yes,'” said Councilman Edward Mungia (D4), whose Southside district is among the poorest.

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“…That’s a stark contrast with those who have had the most, I’ve heard from people today who own more than one parcel of property, saying that they can’t afford that.” This year slowed economic growth left many Texas cities and counties in a similar boat, looking high and low for cuts to balance their budgets. In San Antonio, that meant a public reckoning over some big recent economic development investments, including whether to help fund a new Spurs arena, led by Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones. A deeply divided council still never found consensus on a different approach, however, and City Manager Erik Walsh told them this week that they’d run out of time. The city is legally obligated to pass a balanced budget every year, and voting down the rate hike would delegate an additional $75 million worth of cuts to city staff. Councilwoman Ivalis Meza Gonzalez (D8), who was considered a swing vote on the tax hike, said that was a bridge too far, and ultimately split with other Northside members to approved the increase. “These right-sizing initiatives do not cut to the bone … [but] if the property tax increase were to fail, it would fall to the city manager’s office,” said Meza Gonzalez. “I believe that amounts to an abdication of my responsibilities. … I really want my colleagues to recognize that decision.”

‘The Life of the Party’ documentary explores women in Texas GOP

Geanie Morrison, Sarah Davis and Mayra Flores each made their entrances to Republican electoral politics at pivotal points in the modern history of their party in Texas. Morrison's ascent to the Texas House in 1998 came the same year George W. Bush was reelected as governor with 69% of the vote on a message of "compassionate conservatism," which would underpin his image when he sought and won the presidency two years later. Davis was among the roughly two dozen Republicans who swept into office in the wave of 2010, when her party emerged with 101 seats in the 150-member Texas House. Flores' victory in a 2022 special election for a congressional seat was the harbinger of the Republican tide that two years later would fracture the Democrats' grip on politics in the Rio Grande Valley.

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Their stories provide the anchor for a documentary being released this week called "The Life of the Party," which examines the place of women in Texas Republican politics and how their role has evolved over the past three decades. The documentary by filmmakers Meg Griffiths and Scott Faris neither promotes nor denigrates the Texas GOP. "Rather than advocating for a party, candidate, or political position, the campaign uses the stories in the film as a jumping-off point for three simple calls to action: vote thoughtfully, encourage women to lead, and talk to someone you disagree with," the filmmakers said in a news release. When Morrison and Flores launched their political careers, each was well inside the mainstream of where the Texas Republican Party was at the time. The 1998 election established the GOP's continuing grip on every statewide office, and although Democrats would retain control of the Texas House, it was clear that the business-minded wing of the Republican Party was setting the agenda. By the time Flores sought her congressional seat 24 years later, it was clear that the mercurial political style of Donald Trump had supplanted the Bush brand of pragmatic government.

Unable to shop due to ICE fears, colonia residents benefit from strangers’ kindness

On a particularly humid Thursday morning, Ana Carolina “Caly” Fernandez drove a U-Haul truck full of provisions down the street of a colonia, where she would be delivering food to one of the most impoverished areas in the Rio Grande Valley. With the current immigration enforcement and constant roaming of ICE vehicles among colonia streets, many residents have feared simply stepping outside their home. Although some residents have compared the fear and isolation to that caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, one resident believes the current situation is worse than before. One person, Mira, who has lived in the colonia of around 165 residents for about 24 years, shook her head with sadness in her eyes as she spoke of life in the colonias.

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“The situation is sad, the depression of wanting to go outside and you can’t,” Mira, who’s full name is being withheld to protect her identity, said in Spanish. “It’s like the pandemic or worse because at least before you could still step outside with a face mask,” she added. “Now you can’t.” Mira spoke softly as she explained that she’s rarely left her home since the crackdown on immigration began. “They come here often, that’s why we have our gates and everything closed,” Mira said. Despite an H-E-B location being only seven minutes from the community, many of the colonia residents are too scared to leave their homes for basic necessities, or they have no means of transportation. This is where Fernandez and the House of Love and Justice have become a saving grace for residents. Colonia residents waited outside their homes to greet Fernandez with a smile as she made her way into the community. The men gathered around the truck to collect the heavier boxes while Fernandez, her grandson Saul and Maria Treviño, a promotora de Salud, helped organize the fruits and vegetables across two tables.

David Brockman: The state’s Bible-only reading list is a disservice to Texas kids

Should Texas public school students learn about the Bible? Yes, they should—but not in the way Texas education officials are going about it. In June, Texas became the first state to require all public school students to read religious texts, as part of a newly approved list of nearly 200 readings—from “Hickory Dickory Dock” to Hamlet—mandated for all Texas public school students, Kindergarten through 12th grade. But what makes the new list especially controversial is that all of its religious readings come solely from a single text: the Bible. The list excludes texts sacred to faith traditions other than Christianity and Judaism—despite the fact that about one-third of Texans belong to neither of those religions. This requirement that students read only the Bible, as I also argued in a recent report for Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, does a tremendous disservice to students, parents, and teachers.

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The “Bible-only” list doesn’t meet the need to learn about the major religious traditions that make up Texas and the nation today. It could impair public schools’ ability to serve a religiously diverse population. Worse, it threatens to turn non-Christian and non-religious Texans into outsiders in their own public schools. The list, which takes effect in 2030, was developed by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), and, after contentious public hearings and some revisions, was approved by the State Board of Education in June. In all, the mandate includes 14 biblical selections—about one Bible passage for every 13 required texts. Among the many selected passages are readings about Jonah and the Whale (Grade 1), Moses and the Burning Bush (Grade 5), eight of Jesus’ Beatitudes (Grade 7), full chapters from Ecclesiastes and Lamentations (Grade 8), and 16 chapters from Job (High School). That’s a lot of Bible—even when spread out over twelve grade levels. TEA justified the biblical content by citing a 2007 statute requiring schools to offer an “enrichment curriculum” incorporating “religious literature, including the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) and New Testament, and its impact on history and literature.”

Texas ICE agent pleads not guilty to lying to FBI charge in Minnesota shooting

A federal immigration agent who shot and wounded a man in north Minneapolis this winter pleaded not guilty in federal court in St. Paul on Friday to charges of lying to the FBI. On Friday morning, U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright set Christian Castro's bond at $75,000 with conditions, including that he not break any laws and only travel between Minnesota and Texas. Castro must also stay in his residence from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. and go through a mental health evaluation. Wright ordered the parties to submit a motion to designate the case as complex and the proposed schedule for the case by Oct. 2. Castro, 52, is also facing state assault charges for the shooting on Jan. 14. Castro is accused of firing through the closed door of a home and injuring Julio Sosa-Celis, an immigrant from Venezuela, after a car chase involving Sosa-Celis' roommate Alfredo Aljorna.

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The judge overseeing the state case set Castro's bond Thursday at $200,000 with conditions that include pre-signing a waiver of extradition, surrendering his passport and electronic home monitoring. He's also not allowed to talk with other ICE agents. Prosecutors in the state case argued that Castro was a flight risk due to numerous phone conversations he had in prison with a Mexican resident about potentially purchasing property there. Castro posted bail and was released from the Hennepin County jail by Thursday evening. The Department of Homeland Security initially claimed that the federal agent was assaulted by men with a broom and shovel and charged Sosa-Celis and Aljorna. That narrative fell apart and charges were dropped against the two men after footage emerged from a Minneapolis surveillance camera on the street. After being released from Texas jail, Castro was indicted by a federal grand jury on six counts of lying to the FBI. Castro was arrested in downtown Minneapolis by state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension agents on Wednesday. His attorney said Castro had planned to surrender to state authorities. But Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said on Thursday that Castro hadn't followed directions. State Attorney General Keith Ellison said on Thursday that he was dropping a lawsuit against the state of Texas over Abbott's failure to extradite Castro.

Cody Campbell promised retribution. Now Texas Tech football has to deliver

Cody Campbell might have finally written a check he can't cash. After an offseason laden with off-the-field drama, Texas Tech is 2-0 as it begins Big 12 play against Houston on Sept. 18. The Red Raiders, following a bit of a scare against Oregon State, have a bone to pick with their conference-mates after trying to add Brendan Sorsby via transfer after it was discovered Sorsby had a gambling addiction dating back to his time at Indiana, when he bet on games he was around the team for. As a result, a protracted battle between Texas Tech and everyone else commenced. The college football world at large — other schools, pundits, and fans alike — said Texas Tech shouldn't add Sorsby. And Texas Tech dug its heels in each time, with a big band striking up for a video that ran north of 20 minutes in which AD Kirby Hocutt and coach Joey McGuire were joined by other Texas Tech staff to explain the Sorsby situation.

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That video was widely derided, and Texas Tech and Sorsby parted ways less than a week later following a lawsuit from the Big 12 against Texas Tech (that lawsuit has since been dropped). Campbell, however, wasn't going to let sleeping dogs lie. In the Paramount Plus documentary "The Program," which chronicled Texas Tech's offseason, Campbell said of the drama: “Looking back on it, I know that Texas Tech and I handled everything with integrity, and we did things the right way. I think this is something that could have been handled much more privately. We’re not going to forget about that, and I don’t think they’ll forget about it either when we’re up by 40 and still throwing the ball in the fourth quarter. That’s where the retribution will come.” Campbell, who serves as chairman of the Board of Regents through January 2027, is one of the most prominent boosters in college athletics.

National Stories

U.S. childcare costs are astronomical. More families are turning to grandparents

A few years ago, when Stacia Bourne and her husband would talk about having a second child, the conversation often turned to money. "We were thinking we couldn't afford it," said Bourne, a University of Delaware psychology professor who lives in Maryland. Their first child, George, was born in 2020 and started daycare when he was 2. "The cost for childcare for him is about the same as our mortgage," Bourne said. The prospect of taking on the expense of another child gave the couple pause when deciding whether to grow their family. That was until Bourne's mother, Mary Jo Galusha, 67, made an offer: If Bourne wanted to have another baby, Galusha said, she'd retire and relocate from Idaho to the East Coast to help provide childcare. Several months later, her phone rang. "I got a call that Stacia was expecting and that I better start planning on retiring," Galusha recalled with a laugh.

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She retired from her job as a schoolteacher, packed up her belongings and drove cross-country in her red Volkswagen Beetle. The grandmother of five now lives in Newark, Del., and has since traded in the VW Bug for an SUV in order to fit two car seats in the back row more easily. Robin, who was born in late 2024, spends around 30 hours a week in Galusha's care while Bourne and her husband work. "It's a joy," Galusha said. "It's like magic to watch them grow up." Grandparents helping to take care of their grandchildren is nothing new. But the surging cost of childcare in the U.S. has made familial support even more critical for some parents who need childcare and may not otherwise be able to afford it. According to the group Child Care Aware of America, the average annual cost of childcare for children under 5 in the U.S. in 2025 was $13,184. In some cases, even higher childcare costs can rival the price of rent or college tuition. Families that are unable to shoulder those expenses or find open seats at daycare facilities are increasingly leaning on older generations for help, said Nicole Jorwic, chief program officer at the national caregiving group Caring Across Generations. "The reality is that because this country hasn't invested in a childcare infrastructure that is flexible and affordable and reliable, grandparents are filling in the gaps that the service system leaves behind," she said.

President Trump says he will ban CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House

President Donald Trump said Friday that he was barring CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House due to what he called unfavorable coverage and “fake news,” and threatened that more such media bans could be coming — the latest salvo in the president's increasingly aggressive response to media coverage he finds unfavorable. Like many of Trump's other confrontations with news organizations — some of which are playing out in the legal arena — this threat has potential First Amendment implications. There was no immediate indication, though, that he was following through. Trump wrote on his social media site that effective immediately, “I am banning” CNN, MS NOW and Politico “from the White House as a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!” Minutes later, speaking at an event in the Oval Office, Trump was asked to explain his statement.

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“Because they’re fake news,” he said. “You get so tired of reading and seeing fake news. When you look at CNN, it’s just fake. That’s why their ratings are no good. When you look at MS NOW … , it’s fake news.” “And when you look at Politico ... the stories they wrote are fake. So there’s a lot of news and there may be others to join them, and maybe they can get better," he said. "But our country has to have honest news.” He gave no further details on how the ban would be implemented. Journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were still on the White House grounds as of late Friday afternoon with no signs of being removed. CNN denounced the move, saying it stands behind its White House team and their “fair and accurate reporting.”

Farm-state Republicans are having a cow over Trump's beef imports as Election Day approaches

Farm-state Republicans don’t support President Donald Trump’s move to import cheap beef — but they’re still getting grilled for it. Trump’s plan to combat sky-high beef prices by introducing discounted, tariff-free foreign beef has been widely condemned by ag-state Republicans who are concerned it will undercut the domestic beef industry and hurt ranchers, a normally reliable constituency. And their opponents see an opening to paint Republicans as unconcerned about voters’ pocketbook concerns. “Our ranchers and our farmers keep getting kicked in the teeth, and we have politicians that keep telling us that everything’s great, that we’re the hottest country,” Dan Osborn, an independent running for Senate in Nebraska, said in an interview. “And to be quite frank, I’m pretty pissed off about it.”

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Osborn’s state is one of the top four top cattle-producing states — along with Texas, Kansas and Iowa — all of which have more-competitive-than-expected Senate races this cycle. And Trump’s controversial plan to remove tariffs from 300,000 metric tons of imported beef, sold at 25 percent below current market prices, is doing Republicans no favors. Osborn’s campaign went on air with a pun-filled ad this week in which he says the import plan is “selling out American farmers and ranchers,” and blasts Congress for being “too chicken to stand up to the corporations who bought them off.” The campaign says it plans to spend at least six figures airing the spot. It’s the first major spending from a campaign focused on the beef import plan. But it plays into a larger economic argument Democrats are pushing to break through with farmers and ranchers: Trump and Republicans have turned their backs on rural America, as a worsening farm crisis and spiking fuel and fertilizer prices pinch agricultural communities. “It’s part of a wider frustration,” said an adviser to one of the farm-state GOP senators, granted anonymity to speak openly. “I don’t think it sways anyone’s vote, but it isn’t a great look. … It isn’t fun for me to read the headline. It’s frustrating.”

Ed Sheeran calls situation in Gaza 'catastrophic and unjustifiable' as he opens solo concert

Ed Sheeran opened a concert Saturday with comments about Gaza after controversy swirled around his tour and supporting acts withdrew in solidarity with opener Macklemore, who was dropped after making pro-Palestinian comments onstage. Sheeran began the concert alone on stage with no opener, but was joined by other musicians later in the show. Sheeran said he wants his music and shows to be about unity and humanity, not politics. But he said the attacks in Israel of Oct. 7, 2023, were horrific and what is happening in Gaza “catastrophic and unjustifiable.” “I don’t want to disappoint fans, and I’ve never wanted to be an activist musician, but this has put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about freedom of speech and the most complex political issue on the planet,” Sheeran said during his performance at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

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The comments before a nearly full stadium came after a tumultuous week that began with rapper Macklemore, Sheeran's original U.S. opener, being dropped in response to exclaiming “Free Palestine” during a Sept. 5 show in New Jersey. Sheeran has said he was not responsible for the decision, which came at the urging of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. His company owns a stadium where Sheeran’s tour was scheduled to play on Friday. Within hours of Sheeran’s statement Tuesday, his supporting acts withdrew. Sheeran has performed many songs solo during his Loop Tour concerts, but was joined for several songs at each stop by the Irish folk band Beoga before they dropped out in support of Macklemore. Macklemore was replaced by Danish band Lukas Graham and Irish singer Aaron Rowe before they backed out, and Finneas, Billie Eilish’s brother and musical collaborator, was due to tour with Sheeran in South America later this year before he too dropped out this week. Before Saturday's show, a small group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators congregated outside the stadium. Hillary Steinberg, 34, said she got concert tickets a year ago but wound up getting a refund and attended the demonstration instead, disappointed that Sheeran did not take a stand.

Republicans see bright spot in New Hampshire with Sununu

A political family dynasty, a strong Republican governor and an influx of GOP cash threatens to put Democrats on defense in New Hampshire as Republicans see a prime pickup opportunity in the marquee Senate contest. Republicans nabbed a recruitment win with former Sen. John E. Sununu (R) running against Rep. Chris Pappas (D) for retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s (D) seat, and Cook Political Report shifted the contest in the GOP’s favor last week. Republicans are also investing heavily in the state, including the MAGA Inc.-aligned No Going Back PAC, which has already reserved over $10 million in the New Hampshire Senate race, according to The New York Times. The GOP says they feel optimistic New Hampshire’s electorate could buck political headwinds facing the party and elect Sununu, whose brother and father both served as governor in the state.

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Yet, they concede the Granite State — which went for former Vice President Kamala Harris by 3 points in 2024 — is not impervious to President Trump’s poor approval ratings and national issues like the high cost of living. “If we continue to see high costs and, you know, a war that is very unpopular, it’s going to be a tough environment for Republicans,” longtime Republican strategist Jim Merrill said. “I’d say given all of that, John Sununu is the very best person at this moment to maybe do something that no one expects,” he added. A win in New Hampshire for Republicans would mark a serious win for the party as it looks to hold control of the Senate and cushion its majority in November. On the trail, Pappas has leaned into his track record in Congress and his local roots, including working at his family-owned Puritan Backroom restaurant — which famously claims to have invented chicken tenders. The House Democrat, like Sununu, is looking to nationalize the race too. “John Sununu’s record of supporting Donald Trump’s disastrous agenda that’s driving up costs and hurting Granite Staters stands in stark contrast to Chris Pappas’s record of fighting for New Hampshire,” Pappas campaign manager Rachel Petri said in a statement.

Even in reliably red Kansas, Republican enthusiasm is fading

At the Kansas State Fair’s Senate debate, incumbent Republican Roger Marshall was on home turf. His town is a short drive for friends and supporters. And the fair serves as an exaltation of farmers, the conservative base that has helped the GOP win every Senate race in Kansas since 1932. Yet when Marshall stepped to the microphone last weekend, hundreds of those gathered at an outdoor pavilion booed, hissed, and jeered. “Liar!” attendees shouted from the bleachers when Marshall suggested gasoline was cheaper under President Trump than under previous presidents. Supporters of his Democratic rival, Adam Hamilton, easily outnumbered and outshouted Marshall’s backers. Kansas State Fair debates are notoriously boisterous, with both Democratic and Republican campaigns busing in supporters who give as good as they get.

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But the lopsided showdown was unusually bad, some Republicans privately admitted afterward. The thrashing laid bare a growing anxiety among GOP officials and strategists nationwide that Democrats are fired up for November, while many Republicans aren’t. With Election Day approaching, Republican worries about voter enthusiasm are spilling beyond swing states into red bastions such as Kansas, Texas, Alaska, Ohio, Iowa and Nebraska. Trump’s approval rating sits near record lows, and frustrations are growing over the state of the economy, tariffs and the war in Iran. At stake is control of Congress: Democrats need to pick up just three seats to retake the House and four to win back the Senate. “If Republicans don’t turn out, we’re in a world of hurt,” warned Danedri Herbert, chair of the Kansas Republican Party. Herbert urged national Republican groups to pour more resources and money into Kansas before it is too late. “Kansas gets overlooked a lot because we are reliably red,” she said, “but this is a weird cycle.”

How President Trump broke the Kennedy Center

A storm brought down a five-foot piece of ceiling plaster at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts this month and its leadership sprang into action. One thing they did not do was repair the damage. Instead staff members left the mess on the carpet for nearly two weeks, posting photos on social media with commentary like “the place is falling apart and @realDonaldTrump wants to fix it.” They measured plaster shards and mapped the “debris field” like investigators after a plane crash, for a 55-page briefing for the center’s board about the building’s decay. No one was injured but Mr. Trump claimed online that a security guard had narrowly avoided “certain death.” Less than two hours later, his allies on the board voted to close the center, citing safety concerns. Mr. Trump’s threats this past week suggest that saving face, not lives, better explains why he shuttered the Kennedy Center on Tuesday for what officials said would be a temporary closure. The president, who is the center’s chairman, first announced in February that it would close for two years of renovations.

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Democratic lawmakers on the board said it was an excuse to avoid the humiliation of plummeting ticket sales and fleeing artists. Since then Mr. Trump has fought to add his name to the memorial to a slain president, drawing multiple court injunctions. When a judge denied him again last week, the president made his priority clear. He decreed that the closing would take place immediately but that the renovation would not begin until courts — potentially the Supreme Court — allow his name on the building front. Then, as heavy construction fencing went up around the building, he went further. “The Trump administration should certainly have recognition,” he said, arguing that his name on the center would help lift it out of physical and financial turmoil. “Because frankly if we don’t do that it’s going to close, it’ll end up being ripped down.” On Friday night, a large crowd of demonstrators locked arms to form a human chain around the building in protest of Mr. Trump’s efforts to close the center amid fears that he might ultimately bulldoze it.\ The closure is the apotheosis of the wreckage and chaos created in the less than two years since Mr. Trump’s takeover of the center, once a bipartisan global model of public access to the arts.

Copyright September 20, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved