June 17, 2026: All Newsclips

Lead Stories

Data center boom tests Republicans’ hold on rural Texas

The Democrat running for Texas agriculture commissioner won a boost from an unexpected source last week: The Republican he’s trying to replace. Sid Miller, the outgoing commissioner, appeared at a packed campaign event in Matagorda County for Clayton Tucker and told the crowd he agrees with the Democrat on many things — but especially Tucker's calls for a statewide moratorium on data centers. “It's not a Republican issue, it's not a Democrat issue,” Miller told the crowd. “This is one of those red, white, and blue issues about protecting our community.” Texas is on track to be the world’s largest data center hub in just a couple of years. Most Republican state leaders, including Gov. Greg Abbott, have wholeheartedly embraced the rush as a boon for the state’s economy.

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But there’s a growing backlash from the rural Texans they have long counted as their strongest supporters, as the centers that suck up huge amounts of power and water crop up next to farms, schools and hospitals. At last week’s GOP convention in Houston, activists worked reforms aimed at slowing the data center boom into the party’s legislative priorities. The agriculture commissioner race could prove a key test of just how much the issue will scramble typical partisan politics. Tucker is building his entire campaign around the brewing panic, with stickers featuring his name alongside the slogan: “stop AI data centers.” On a Thursday night, at least 100 people crammed into a small building on the Matagorda County Fair Grounds to hear from Tucker, a political newcomer and rancher from Lampasas, and Miller, a hard right Republican backed by President Donald Trump. Some in the crowd asked how they could put the brakes on data center construction. One woman asked Miller directly if they should vote for Democrats if Republicans won’t take action. “You know, basically what she's asking is, ‘Should we vote on the issues that count towards us?’” Miller, who lost the GOP primary in March, said to the crowd. “And I would say, ‘Vote your conscience. Vote who you think represents you the best.’”

Trump delays nomination for intel director, citing frustration over spying tool and voter ID bill

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he was delaying Jay Clayton’s nomination to lead the U.S. intelligence community, citing his frustration over a lapsed surveillance tool and a voter ID bill that currently lacks enough support for passage. In a lengthy overnight post to Truth Social, Trump said that he was canceling a confirmation hearing for Clayton to be his director of national intelligence, which was planned for Wednesday. He issued the post while keeping world leaders waiting for nearly an hour on the final day of the Group of Seven summit in Evian-les-Bains, France. Trump accused Democrats of reneging on a deal to renew a powerful surveillance tool backed by national security hawks, which had lapsed due to bipartisan concerns over Trump’s initial pick for the role, Bill Pulte, who has no national security background.

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The president added another condition: linking his approval of the surveillance program to the passage of a bill requiring people to provide proof of citizenship to register to vote and to show ID at the polls. Trump also said he does not want to take Clayton out of his current role as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York before his replacement, former federal prosecutor and Trump personal lawyer Jamie McDonald, is approved. The nomination of Clayton had been fast-tracked because of the lapse of the key spying program — Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA. “The Republicans agreed with Dumocrats to remove very fair, and talented, William Pulte, from serving as Acting DNI in return for getting FISA approved by the Dumocrats. However, the Republicans moved so fast with the hearings of the Great Jay Clayton, current U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, that Pulte would be gone before the Dumocrats would vote on FISA. Now, the Dumocrats are saying they will vote against FISA — So, the Republicans wound up having fulfilled their commitment, but Dumocrats broke the Deal,” Trump said.

USDA invests $105M in projects to combat New World screwworm threat

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday it will invest more than $100 million in new projects aimed at strengthening the nation’s response to the New World screwworm, a parasitic pest that poses risks to livestock and wildlife. The agency said about $105 million will fund 40 projects designed to improve detection, control and eradication efforts, as part of a broader federal initiative to combat the parasite. Officials said the funding stems from the USDA’s “Grand Challenge” launched earlier this year, which called for innovative solutions from government, academic and private partners to address the threat.

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“We launched the Grand Challenge expecting bold, innovative, and science-backed ideas to fight New World screwworm, and the proposals delivered just that,” U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a statement. The selected projects were chosen from more than 200 applications and focus on improving several key areas, including increasing sterile fly production, developing better detection tools and advancing treatments to reduce the impact on animals. The USDA said additional efforts are already underway, including research at Texas A&M and the University of Florida exploring new ways to sterilize screwworm flies without traditional radiation methods. The new investments are intended to strengthen rapid response capabilities and reinforce ongoing programs such as surveillance, cross-border coordination and sterile insect release strategies, according to the release.

US set to offer Iran broad financial gains in peace deal

Iran is set to receive broad financial incentives as part of its agreement with the US, including the right to sell oil immediately, tap a $300 billion development fund and get eventual access to its frozen assets, according to a final draft of the deal. While the contours of the memorandum of understanding have been circulating for days, the latest document — a copy of which was seen by Bloomberg News — offers the most complete accounting yet of the economic boost Iran is set to receive for ending its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz and reiterating its commitment never to seek a nuclear weapon. The two sides agreed to the deal on Sunday and plan to formally sign it on June 19 in Switzerland, clearing the way for 60 days of talks intended to end the war for good and put strict new limits on Iran’s nuclear program. Neither side has formally released the text but the US has begun circulating it with allied nations at the Group of Seven summit in France, a person familiar with the matter said.

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Another person familiar with its contents, who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations, said technical details were still being worked out. That suggested precise language may still change before the signing. Under its terms, the US Treasury Department “will issue waivers for exports of Iranian crude oil, petrochemical products and their derivatives” immediately after the memorandum is signed. The US will lift its naval blockade and the two countries will work to ensure that traffic in the Strait of Hormuz returns to its prewar level within 30 days. According to the draft document, the US and its regional partners would create a plan to rehabilitate Iran and allow for its economic development, with financing of at least $300 billion. It is vague on the release of Iran’s frozen assets, saying the US undertakes that those funds “will be released and made fully available” without setting a timeline. Asked for comment, a US official declined to discuss the specifics of the draft but said Iran can only get the benefits of the deal if it meets its commitments. Those include never getting a nuclear weapon, neutralizing its enriched material and allowing free navigation in the strait. Trump had earlier denied that the US would pay Iran $300 billion. The draft says only that the US and its partners would ensure financing of that amount. The agreement offers a mix of immediate and eventual incentives for Iran while committing it never to seek a nuclear weapon. The country has long insisted it doesn’t want the atomic bomb and had committed not to seek one as part of the Obama-era Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

State Stories

Fired KUT leader calls successor Gerald Johnson a 'smart leader' and 'ethical person'

The University of Texas at Austin has announced Gerald Johnson as the interim general manager of KUT Public Media, a day after firing former General Manager Debbie Hiott following a major dispute over the KUT Festival. Johnson is the executive director for innovation and partnerships at the Moody College of Communication. He is also the former director of Texas Student Media, which includes The Daily Texan, and has worked with KUT and Hiott on revenue operations for the stations. He previously managed advertising and revenue at the Houston Chronicle. "His depth of understanding of media operations, sales and marketing will ensure the continued success of the organization during this transition," said Anita L. Vangelisti, the interim dean of the Moody College of Communication, in an email announcing the appointment on Tuesday.

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The Moody College houses KUT and KUTX, and staff are university employees. The newsroom is editorially independent from UT. Vangelisti and Johnson spoke to KUT staff at an in-person meeting Tuesday about the transition. Vangelisti said firing Hiott was her decision, and that officials plan to launch a search for a new general manager as soon as possible. Johnson said he only plans to serve as interim general manager for three months, but may stay longer if needed to lead the hiring of a permanent leader. Johnson said he wasn't involved in firing Hiott and declined to comment on whether he agreed with the decision. He said he's close friends with Hiott and spoke with her Monday. When asked for comment on the hire, Hiott called Johnson a "smart leader and an ethical person." "As long as no one interferes with him, he should be a good steward for the stations," she said in a text message. Johnson said he doesn't see KUT's work changing as a result of the transition.

Houston forecast calls for up to 6 more inches of rain

Monday’s heavy rain was only the beginning of a potentially dangerous stretch of weather for the Houston metro area. The concern is not whether it will rain, but how much. Another 4 to 6 inches of rain could fall across parts of Southeast Texas through Thursday as a slow-moving area of low pressure develops near the Texas coast, increasing the risk of flash flooding and flooded roads. The National Hurricane Center is also monitoring the system for possible tropical development, though the flooding threat exists whether it becomes a tropical cyclone or not. Monday offered an early glimpse of what this week’s weather pattern could do. Most of Harris County received an inch to 3 inches of rain, while parts of central Houston picked up 3 to 5 inches. Those amounts are expected to be only a fraction of what some locations could receive by the end of the week.

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Some spots could pick up more than half a foot of more rainfall through Thursday, especially where thunderstorms repeatedly track over the same areas. Confidence is growing that parts of Southeast Texas will receive significant rainfall, according to forecast models, but uncertainty remains over exactly where the highest totals will occur. The heaviest rainfall could develop on the eastern side of the low pressure system, meaning even small shifts in its eventual track could dramatically change which communities see the greatest flooding threat. For now, confidence is higher in the likelihood of heavy rainfall somewhere in the region than in identifying exactly where the worst flooding will occur.

Despite gains, Austin ISD takeover looms as key middle schools post low STAAR results

Three Austin school district middle schools at the center of the district’s fight to avoid a state takeover posted modest gains on this year’s state exams, but passing rates remained critically low, signaling the campuses could be headed toward a fifth consecutive failing state accountability rating. Burnet, Dobie and Webb middle schools improved across math and reading during the 2025-26 school year, but the overwhelming majority of students still did not meet grade-level standards, according to preliminary STAAR results released Tuesday by the Texas Education Agency. In math, just under 10% of students passed math at Dobie and Webb middle schools, with Burnet at 15% of students passing. In reading, students who met or exceeded grade level expectations reached nearly 19% at Burnet, 26% at Dobie and 15.5% at Webb. The stakes are unusually high for Austin ISD.

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The three campuses are one failing state accountability rating away from triggering a state intervention, and possibly a state takeover, of the district, with STAAR performance carrying significant weight in those ratings. Based on the preliminary results, the campuses could receive that fifth failing mark when official grades are doled out in August, opening the door for a state intervention as early as this fall. Across Austin ISD, middle school students showed improvement in both math and reading, with districtwide rates for Grade 6 through 8 rising from the previous year. Statewide, results showed similar gains, including growth in seventh and eighth grade reading and eighth grade math. The early STAAR results showed mixed outcomes across Austin ISD elementary and middle school campuses, reflecting uneven academic recovery as the district works to raise achievement and avoid deeper state intervention. The district’s passing math rates for Grades 6-8 saw a 4 percentage point jump, with a 2 percentage point increase in students passing reading. Still, an estimated 60% of Austin’s students Grades 6-8 have yet to meet expectations in math and just over 40% of those students have yet to meet expectations in reading. In elementary, Grades 3-5 rose 2 percentage points in students passing reading and a 4 percentage point increment in students passing math. Statewide, Texas elementary and middle school students showed little movement in reading, while math and social studies rates improved.

KP George trial: Suspended Fort Bend County judge sentenced to 5 years probation, 180 days in jail in money laundering case

Suspended Fort Bend County Judge KP George has been sentenced to five years' probation and 180 days in the county jail after being convicted of money laundering. In March, George was convicted of stealing from his donors by making two transfers totaling more than $46,000 from his campaign account to his personal account. It was decided then that a judge would determine his sentence on June 16. Days before the sentencing, George's defense team requested to delay the hearing until George's other case. George faces misdemeanor charges tied to fake racism social media posts, prosecutors said he was involved with prior to his 2022 re-election. That trial is scheduled for July. Prosecutors requested that the judge deny George's request and move forward with the felony sentencing.

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On Tuesday, George's sentencing hearing began, and 458th District Judge Maggie Jaramillo made no mention of the delay request. The district attorney's office told ABC13 that George's team dropped the motion. During opening remarks, prosecutors told Judge Jaramillo that George should be treated differently with a sentence because they said, as a politician, he broke the public's trust. If probation is granted, the DA's office said that, as a condition of probation, a substantial amount of jail time should be served. George's defense team asked for community supervision, arguing that given George has no criminal history, and has already been severely punished with the loss of his political position. George elected to have the presiding judge set the sentence.

Rural North Texas counties trying to regulate data centers face legal threats

Tensions flared at a recent public meeting in Hood County that devolved into a shouting match between county attorney Matthew Mills and residents who oppose data centers. "How much did y'all get paid?" asked a resident. "Not a dime," Mills said. "You're accusing people of being crooks!" That day commissioners were voting to approve another data center project called Comanche Circle without conditions after the developer threatened to sue. Mills told KERA many residents want to stop the industry from moving in — but commissioners are only upholding the law to avoid legal action. “There is a sense, I think, of ‘we can't keep doing this, and we got to pick our battles here,’” Mills said. There are at least nine proposed projects in Hood and nearby Somervell counties, which have a combined population of about 80,000 people.

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Concerned residents say the projects could raise their electricity bills, use up water resources and ruin tourism for nearby Dinosaur Valley State Park. "I would be able to see the entire Comanche Circle project from my backyard," said Joanne Carcamo, who lives in Somervell County and spoke at the meeting. Carcamo co-founded the advocacy group Protect the Paluxy, which opposes data center construction in the region. "There really are no studies on these impacts and [I hope] that they set some parameters to limit these developers from building these things in rural areas and next to state parks," Carcamo said. "We spend so much money as a state on our parks and they bring in so much money, you know, and tourism, it would just be devastating." As rural leaders try to slow or regulate the influx of new data centers, some companies are using lawsuits to push developments forward in Texas and across the nation. In Michigan, a town faced legal pressure from a developer after leaders voted to limit data center construction. The town settled, allowing the facility to be built. In Hill County, south of Fort Worth, commissioners rescinded a moratorium on data center construction after a company sued for $100 million dollars, arguing the county didn’t have the legal authority to impose the ban.

Dallas city employees pen letter about City Hall

About 30 minutes ago, an open letter to Mayor Eric Johnson and the Dallas City Council arrived in my inbox from “hundreds of current and former City of Dallas employees.” They’re asking the body to vote to restore City Hall. The group says the I.M. Pei-designed, Brutalist building has been “a pillar of strength when we felt anything but,” and that it is a place where they made “lifelong friendships,” including some who met their spouses there. “Perhaps many of us have taken her for granted, not realizing a day would come in our lifetimes that she might be gone,” the letter continues. “As employees, we have seen first hand the many battles trying to make Dallas into something. Something better. Every one of those battles was driven by someone promising us more. For many of those — but not all — they put down roots, they invested in our community. They became part of us.”

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“We keep reading in the news you are doing this for us, yet we’ve never been asked,” the letter says. “What we are asking of you is to lead our city in a plan to restore both downtown and Dallas City Hall, and not abandon who we are. To seek our opinions about how best to restore and beautify this irreplaceable space. We are asking you to choose Dallas, our Dallas.” As we reported last week, not even a full 24 hours after the Dallas City Council voted to hold off on any other City Hall moves until the end of August, Mayor Eric Johnson posted a special-called meeting for tomorrow. It begins at 8 a.m., which means it could start at 8 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 8:45 a.m., or even 9:01 a.m. The agenda has two items. Between the two, the Council is asked to approve $3 million to allow City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert to begin “pre-acquisition” work to find four locations for a new City Hall, as well as four locations for housing the city’s 911, 311, and emergency operations. If you are feeling some kind of way about the matter, the deadline to register to speak is 5 p.m. today. You can do so here. Some tips: You’re going to want to register to speak on an agenda item – Item 1 is moving City Hall, item 2 is moving 911, etc. Come equipped with two versions of what you want to say: the 3-minute version and a 1-minute version in case the mayor opts to reduce the time limit because of the number of speakers. Consider going with a friend so you can tag team in and out for restroom breaks or to run for a snack if the meeting runs long. (No food in the City Council chambers, you’ll need to keep those in your car.) So far, there are 29 people registered to speak, but that number will likely grow.

Austin robotaxi crash reports rise for Waymo, Tesla, Avride

Waymo, an industry leader in autonomous vehicles, has now reported more than 100 crashes in Austin, where it operates hundreds of vehicles. The AV arm of Google parent company Alphabet, Waymo reported 11 Austin crashes to federal regulators in May, raising its total in the city to 103 since June 2025. Tesla reported one additional crash in Austin, bringing its citywide total to 18 among a fleet of 69 vehicles across Texas. Avride, which has 317 vehicles in the state, reported three new Austin crashes, raising its city total to 23. Zoox, owned by Amazon, remained at one reported crash in Austin. None of the companies responded to requests for comment.

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Several of the crashes occurred while the autonomous vehicles were stopped, a point Tesla CEO Elon Musk noted in a post on X. The reports highlight instances of robotaxis navigating situations involving weather, human traffic direction and road work. In one case, Waymo reported that one of its vehicles was traveling west when it approached an intersection where police officers were directing traffic. The Waymo stopped, then proceeded into the intersection after traffic cleared. A passenger car traveling south entered the intersection at the direction of an officer, according to the report. Waymo said its vehicle slowed to yield before the front left side of the passenger car made contact with the front right side of the Waymo. Both vehicles were damaged, and the report mentions that a vehicle was towed but doesn't specify which one. The crash is being investigated by the Austin Police Department. Avride reported another crash in which one of its vehicles slowed to a stop as a traffic light changed. A passenger car behind it tried to stop but hydroplaned on the wet road and hit the rear of the Avride vehicle. Both vehicles were damaged, but no injuries were reported.

Cannabis advocates tour Capitol, prepare for 2027 session

Cannabis advocates gathered at the Texas Capitol Tuesday afternoon as they prepare for the 90th Texas Legislature and ongoing debates over the future of hemp-derived THC products in the state. The event, announced by the Texas Cannabis Collective via Instagram, featured a Capitol tour designed to familiarize attendees with the legislative process and encourage political engagement ahead of the next legislative session in January. THC debates rose in Texas during the 89th Legislature, when lawmakers approved a bill that would have significantly restricted consumable hemp products containing THC. Gov. Greg Abbott ultimately vetoed the measure and called for a regulatory approach instead, while court battles over state hemp rules continue.

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“There’s a lot of this back-and-forth litigation that’s happening that’s impacting people’s lives,” said executive director Austin Zamhariri. “We wanted to coalesce the group, show up to the Capitol, take a tour from a cannabis advocate standpoint and get people motivated ahead of elections.” The Texas Cannabis Collective says the Capitol tour is intended to help supporters build relationships, learn more about the legislative process and develop strategies for future advocacy efforts as lawmakers prepare to return to Austin in 2027. Sarah Todd, a longtime cannabis policy advocate, said she attended to network with other advocates and push for changes to state law. Todd said one of the biggest misconceptions lawmakers have about the hemp industry is that businesses oppose regulation. “That was a lot of the messaging last year, that we were selling things that were unlabeled, untested and marketing to children, which is not true,” Todd said. “Everyone is happy to comply to continue operating our business.” The Texas Cannabis Collective says it hopes to build momentum ahead of the next legislative session, when lawmakers are expected to revisit hemp and cannabis-related policies.

Flight delays reported at Bush, Hobby airports as rain moves inland

Heavy storms trained over parts of Houston, especially north Harris County, on Tuesday, causing airport flight delays. George Bush Intercontinental Airport was reporting 75 delayed flights as of 11 a.m. A tropical disturbance in South Texas strengthened into Potential Tropical Cyclone One on Tuesday as it headed toward the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. As of 10 a.m., the system was centered about 65 miles southwest of Corpus Christi with maximum sustained winds of 30 mph, according to newsroom meteorologist Justin Ballard. Airport officials urged travelers to check with their airlines for delays and arrive early due to the weather. Delays at William P. Hobby Airport were about 15 to 30 minutes, according to the Houston Airport System.

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Dallas Council Members question legality of last week’s City Hall vote

During last week’s special-called City Council meeting about City Hall (not to be confused with this week’s special-called meeting about City Hall), the motion the Council ultimately voted on may run afoul of a temporary restraining order that limited the open portion of the meeting to one item, two council members say. Last week’s meeting was limited to two items slated for a closed session discussion and a vote on whether to repair and preserve City Hall after two council members—Adam Bazaldua and Paula Blackmon—were successful in obtaining a temporary restraining order preventing the body from voting on whether to allow city staff to begin the advance work on moving city operations out of City Hall. Judge Eric Moyé found that the other items on the agenda were not transparent enough to satisfy the Texas Open Meetings Act (T.O.M.A.) and that if the council voted on those items, the “public’s right to transparent and lawful decision-making will have been violated.”

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In the end, the Council voted down a measure to repair and restore City Hall, and instead voted 9-6 to direct City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert to explore options for a sale and the costs associated with leasing or purchasing a new home for City Hall and come back at the end of August, when the Council would again take up the matter. That directive is what has landed Tolbert, City Secretary Bilierae Johnson, and Councilmember Chad West, who made the motion, in potentially hot water. Blackmon and Bazaldua have asked Moyé to issue a show-cause order, which could require all three to appear before the court to explain why they should not be held in constructive contempt. (Johnson and Tolbert are named as defendants; West is named later in the filing.) Moyé is due to hear arguments on an injunction related to last week’s meeting on Thursday afternoon. The Council will meet at 8 a.m. tomorrow to vote on whether to spend $3 million to allow advance work on identifying potential locations (four for City Hall and four for emergency operations and 911) to move to. But that wasn’t the only legal document to arrive at the City Attorney’s Office on Tuesday. The attorneys for Save Dallas City Hall warned the city that documents and videos related to three meetings were removed from the city’s website.

State probing SAISD leader for alleged failure to report misconduct

The Texas Education Agency is investigating outgoing San Antonio Independent School District Superintendent Jaime Aquino’s educator certificate over allegations that he failed to report misconduct related to child endangerment to the agency. It’s not clear when TEA’s Educator Investigations Division began looking into Aquino. The probe escalated from a preliminary review to a formal investigation this month. “TEA can confirm an open investigation concerning an alleged failure to report misconduct to the agency,” spokesperson Jake Kobersky said in an email Tuesday. “The individual was notified of the investigation, and their online certification was flagged as under investigation on June 7th, 2026.”

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Kobersky declined to comment further, citing the active investigation. San Antonio ISD said it is cooperating with the agency and has properly reported the incident being investigated. Both TEA and the district declined to provide additional details about the misconduct the agency is investigating as unreported. “We have shared documentation with TEA to demonstrate the district had followed through on appropriate reporting at the time of the incident,” SAISD spokesperson Laura Short said. “We understand that once TEA evaluates this documentation, it will clear the review.” She added that the incident was reported to Child Protective Services by the district and that SAISD has “the documentation to confirm.” “If TEA agrees with this documentation, the case will be resolved,” she said. Short said the district was unaware its leader was under investigation until this week.

Houston attorney Dan Cogdell says he didn't anticipate reaction to Talarico endorsement

Houston Attorney Dan Cogdell says he did not anticipate the amount of attention he would receive for endorsing a candidate in the US Senate race in Texas. Cogdell was Ken Paxton's criminal defense attorney for years, and he successfully represented him as part of a team of lawyers in his impeachment trial. But he publicly endorsed Paxton's opponent in the U.S. Senate race, James Talarico. "It wasn't so much a decision against Paxton as it was for Talarico," Cogdell told ABC13. "I never knew anybody would care about me as much as they apparently have. It's a shock to me that anybody gives a damn. I was taken aback by that. And I don't know whether to be impressed or annoyed with how much attention it's gotten. But it is what it is." Paxton's campaign told ABC13 of Cogdell, "He's a Democrat. Least surprising thing that has happened."

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Cogdell said his choice was not about party. "I don't really consider myself a Democrat or a Republican," Cogdell said. "I'm a moderate. I have raised far more money for Republican candidates and donated far more money for Republican candidates than I have Democrats, so I don't really care about the label. I'm a criminal defense lawyer. If I cared what people thought about me, I chose the wrong gig." State Representative Ann Johnson faced off against Cogdell when she helped the Texas House prosecute its impeachment case against Paxton in 2023. Paxton was acquitted of all charges. "I'm not surprised that it made news," Johnson said. "There are two people that probably know him best. His wife and his longtime criminal defense lawyer, and both of them have walked away from him, effectively." Ultimately, though, do endorsements matter? ABC13 spoke with SMU political science professor Cal Jillson. "It's like fundraising. You need enough money to make your case, you'd rather have endorsements than not have them, but they're not going to win you the election," Jillson said. "So this is a story that you and I are interested in, and following a little bit, but for most voters, it will not penetrate."

Wealthy businesswoman and wife of judge who spent COVID money on Mercedes-Benz avoids prison

A wealthy businesswoman who submitted fraudulent loan applications during the pandemic avoided prison Tuesday. Sandra Pope Solis, 61, of Rancho Viejo collected $206,000 from the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program during the pandemic — and spent the money on a Mercedes-Benz. “It wasn’t her idea,” said attorney David Lindenmuth of McAllen, who represented Pope. “But she participated in it. And she benefitted from it.”

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She and her husband, La Feria Municipal Judge William L. Pope, live in a home worth more than $1 million, according to information published by the Cameron County Appraisal District. Pope had a net worth of more than $5 million in 2026, according to the motion filed by federal prosecutors, which included more than $400,000 in cash and more than $2 million in a retirement account. Pope owned two businesses, Along Came Sandra and Designs By Sandra, which planned special events. In 2020, when COVID-19 struck the United States, the federal government spent billions to keep small businesses afloat. The government encouraged businesses to apply for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, which provided working capital, and Paycheck Protection Program, which covered payroll costs. Pope submitted an Economic Injury Disaster Loan application in December 2020 for Along Came Sandra, according to the indictment against her. The U.S. Small Business Administration sent her $140,300. In May 2021, she applied for a Paycheck Protection Program loan to cover the payroll at Designs by Sandra. The government sent her another $65,700. Pope spent the money on personal expenses, according to documents filed in the case, including a 2020 Mercedes-Benz G550. A grand jury indicted Pope on two counts of wire fraud. She pleaded guilty in April 2026.

National Stories

Pentagon used Elon Musk’s Grok AI to fire 2,000 missiles at Iran, official says

Donald Trump’s administration turned to Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot to launch thousands of missiles in Iran, according to a top defense official. In a sworn statement defending the trillionaire from a lawsuit alleging xAI data centers are illegally polluting Black communities, the Pentagon’s artificial intelligence chief said the chatbot’s continued operation is “a matter of paramount national security” — and was used to fire more than “2,000 munitions at 2,000 distinct targets within 96 hours.” Grok, a generative artificial intelligence chatbot developed by xAI, is among four AI models “currently capable of supporting national security applications,” according to Cameron Stanley, the Pentagon’s chief digital and artificial intelligence officer.

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The chatbot is also one of three products “equipped to support mission-critical operations” in top secret settings, Stanley wrote. The filing appears to be the first explicit admission from an administration official that the government is using Musk’s AI to bomb Iran, joining several other AI systems that have come under intense scrutiny after U.S.-led attacks killed hundreds of civilians, including children. U.S. military investigators believe American forces were likely responsible for a strike on an Iranian girl’s school in Minab that killed at least 175 people, mostly children, in what analysts and human rights officials believe is the deadliest incident for civilian casualties since the U.S. and Israeli forces began attacking the country in February. Outside analysts have suggested that the Pentagon’s AI-driven targeting — in addition to human error that failed to check whether target maps were up to date — may have played a role in the bombing. The targets for Operation Epic Fury were identified with the aid of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s Maven Smart System, which uses AI to lay out data on a dashboard to support officials in their decision-making.

Americans agree that childcare is expensive. Democrats are running on it.

Three top Senate Democrats are accusing the Trump administration and Republicans of “taking a wrecking ball” to childcare programs, highlighting the issue in a midterm year where many Democrats are running on inflation and the high cost of living. Childcare costs have skyrocketed in recent decades, outpacing inflation. There’s bipartisan consensus on the crisis: an Associated Press-NORC poll from last year found that 76 percent of Americans, including over 70 percent of independents and Republicans, view the cost of childcare as “a major problem.” Democrats have long highlighted the issue, but many Republican politicians also agree there’s a problem — if not on the solutions to it.

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Republicans, who largely oppose major new spending on social programs, control the White House and both chambers of Congress, meaning that Democratic-controlled states and cities like New York City and New Mexico have been taking the lead on major investments aimed at making childcare more accessible. Now, in a new report, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and two fellow Senate Democrats are accusing the GOP of having “inflamed the childcare crisis.” The report on childcare from Schumer and Democratic Sens. Patty Murray of Washington and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, released Tuesday and shared first with The 19th, is the latest in a series of reports highlighting what Schumer says are the Trump administration’s “broken promises” in areas including healthcare, housing and energy affordability. Even as childcare costs rise for families, wages for childcare providers remain low and draw fewer workers, creating a shortage of childcare slots and leaving many providers in a precarious position, especially since the funds Congress passed to stabilize the childcare industry during the COVID-19 pandemic have run out.

Takeaways from primaries in Georgia, Alabama and Oklahoma

President Donald Trump had mixed results with his endorsements for key races Tuesday in Georgia, where he was dealt a rare blow when his preferred candidate did not make it out of the Republican runoff for governor. Trump’s gubernatorial pick, Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who was also backed by the current governor, Republican Brian Kemp, lost to billionaire health executive Rick Jackson. But in another marquee race, a last-gasp endorsement from the president helped Rep. Mike Collins secure the Republican nomination for a pivotal Senate seat. In November, Collins will compete with Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in a contest that is vital for control of the chamber. The president’s support has carried immense weight in Republican primaries across the country this year, even as his standing with the broader public declines.

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The Georgia governor’s race, however, is the second big primary this month where the president’s candidate suffered a loss. In Iowa, Trump’s pick for governor, Rep. Randy Feenstra, lost to businessman Zach Lahn. On Tuesday, the president’s endorsement in the Oklahoma governor’s race was not enough for his candidate to avoid a runoff. A streak of Trump losses could undercut his strong grip on the GOP that has defined the last decade of Republican politics. But he remains a powerful force, as evidenced by races in Kentucky, Louisiana and Texas, where his preferred candidates ousted incumbents this year, and several races Tuesday where they also won. The U.S. congressman defeated Derek Dooley, a former football coach who Kemp recruited to run for Senate. Trump endorsed Collins on Sunday, casting him as the most loyal and MAGA-aligned candidate. Trump specifically praised Collins for his support of an aggressive immigration crackdown, and he ridiculed Dooley for not amplifying his false claims that he won the 2020 election — a factor on which the president has hung previous endorsements. Collins has boosted GOP election-denial claims and has said that the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 — some of whom attacked law enforcement officers and threatened lawmakers — were “peaceful,” calling them “political prisoners.” Jackson’s victory Tuesday was a defeat for Trump and Kemp, both of whom endorsed Jones. The race to succeed Kemp, who is term-limited, elicited a crowded field of candidates, including Georgia’s secretary of state and attorney general. In May, Jones and Jackson finished atop the field with 38 percent and 34 percent of the vote, respectively.

Judge who attended Fani Willis event exits election records case

A federal judge who was disciplined after an investigation found that she had sex with a police officer in her chambers and attended a partisan event, then lied when confronted with the allegations, has recused herself in a fight over Georgia election records after the U.S. Department of Justice raised questions about her ability to be impartial. The Justice Department sought to remove U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross from the case, citing her reported attendance at an event for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who prosecuted President Donald Trump. Ross on Tuesday filed an order recusing herself, writing that she was doing so “out of an abundance of caution for the potential perception of bias.”

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The Justice Department had sued Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger seeking an unredacted statewide voter list, and Ross was presiding over that case. “Both the Trump administration’s present and Willis’s past efforts have become heavily polarized,” Ross wrote, explaining that she “cannot discount” that an objective observer might interpret her attendance at an event sponsored by Willis’ campaign as support for the district attorney’s position, even if she only went to see former colleagues. Ross received a “private reprimand” after a court investigation found that she had sex in the courthouse with a high-ranking uniformed police officer within earshot of staff, attended a partisan event and then initially lied to deny the allegations. The investigation report says Ross went to an event hosted by a district attorney’s campaign. The judge said the district attorney had been a friend since 1999 and acknowledged having gone to the a private mixer held on the sidelines of the event to visit with former colleagues in the district attorney’s office. Ross previously worked in the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office and overlapped there with Willis there before Willis was district attorney. Willis in August 2023 obtained an indictment against Trump and 18 others, accusing them of participating in a wide-ranging scheme to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results. That case was ultimately dismissed in November.

Democrats prep for shrinking Southern delegations

House Democrats face a conundrum — they are optimistic about retaking the majority in the midterms, but with redistricting reshuffling the map it means Southern lawmakers’ power will be greatly diminished. Bracing for the loss of some of their colleagues, Black Democrats from the South are appealing to leadership to help the region maintain power and influence in the caucus, even if its numbers shrink. Rep. Bennie Thompson, the only Democrat in the Mississippi delegation, dodged a potential forced retirement last month when Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves canceled a special legislative session meant to redraw the state’s maps in Republicans’ favor. But legislators Republicans have suggested they’ll draw out Thompson’s 2nd Congressional District, eventually.

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“I think there ought to be some consideration for the South. If not, that means that the area with the most African Americans in the United States will have the least amount of African American representation in Congress,” he added. Members across the caucus are already thinking about how Democratic leadership can address the issue. Delegations from Louisiana, Florida, Tennessee and Alabama are all at risk of having fewer Black Democrats in the next Congress after the Supreme Court’s ruling in Louisiana v Callais . The loss of those seats means House Democrats could have to adjust how they distribute committee assignments in 2027. “If they don’t do a realignment, that means we’re even worse off,” Thompson, who has served as the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee since 2005, told NOTUS about how the caucus spreads out powerful committee gavels and slots. Democrats currently separate all 50 states and the territories into 12 regions. Southern states are divided across three of those regions. Internally, the regions are critical to how Democrats wield power and move up into more influential posts. Each region elects a member to the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, which decides committee assignments. Those elected regional members are often the first to make the case for lawmakers to leadership for plum assignments.

Cigars, a canceled Lacrosse season and the scandals rocking a Massachusetts town

The boys gathered on an Ipswich, Mass., beach to celebrate their high-school graduation, some with medals draped over their black gowns. Jutting from each mouth: cigars that may or may not have been real. The photos taken under cloudy skies June 7 mirrored those snapped all around the country lately. But in this coastal enclave dubbed America’s Best-Preserved Puritan Town, those snapshots have lit a burning debate. What’s beyond dispute: Six of the grads were on Ipswich High School’s lacrosse team, and administrators suspended all six from a playoff game two days later for violating state athletic association rules against tobacco use. The team ultimately voted to forfeit the contest—and just like that, their championship run went up in smoke.

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Now, this hamlet of 14,000 north of Boston is in a fierce debate over whether the penalty matched the foul. It has grown into a saga featuring a “CSI-level investigation” at a local grocery store, and a heated showdown involving two dads in the principal’s office—captured on a police body camera. “Come on, how many times you’ve been pulled over and a cop has said, ‘Ahh, go ahead?’ ” said Marc Randazza, a lawyer representing one of the suspended students and his father. “There is always discretion, right?” To Ipswich resident Heidi Garofalo, though, the line was clear. “Kids have to learn the consequences when they do something wrong,” she said. “You have to abide by the rules. It just takes one slip [to] ruin everything.” The road to the suspensions began a day after graduation, when local school officials and the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association received two photos from the beach celebration, according to a statement from Ipswich’s school superintendent and the high-school principal. One photo showed the boys with “full length cigars with the cigar bands visible,” it said. The second showed the cigars “smoked down significantly; a cloud of smoke surrounding one of the students; and a torch type lighter visible in the hand of another of the students.”

Democratic Socialist takes substantial early lead in D.C. mayoral primary

Janeese Lewis George took an early and sizable lead in D.C.’s Democratic mayoral primary on Tuesday based on preliminary vote tallies, though the Associated Press had not projected a winner in the race as of early Wednesday. The latest update from the city’s elections board — which captured the first choice of voters among ballots cast in person Tuesday and in early voting, as well as from mail-in ballots received before Election Day — put Lewis George ahead of fellow front-runner Kenyan R. McDuffie by double digits. Lewis George was leading in every ward except Ward 3, the city’s wealthiest ward, with about two-thirds of the vote counted.

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If her lead holds, a Lewis George victory would make her the first democratic socialist to win a mayoral race in the nation’s capital, marking a stark political shift after more than a decade with centrist Muriel E. Bowser (D) at the helm. The vast majority of District voters are Democrats, making the primary the election of consequence for the city. “What seemed like a distant dream not long ago is already history unfolding before our eyes,” Lewis George, who represents Ward 4 on the D.C. Council, told a crowd of supporters at the Howard Theatre late Tuesday. “This moment is for those who refuse to surrender their hope in a government that works for all of us.” Initial results began streaming in late Tuesday, after delays because of long lines at several polling sites. Election officials had warned that the city may not learn the winners in key races for days — a product of the way the city’s new ranked-choice voting would combine with the popularity of voting by mail.

Trump’s ‘American Flag Blue’ reflecting pool is green with algae

President Donald Trump’s nearly $15 million directive to ensure the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool glistens a pristine, deep, “American flag blue” has hit a snag: The water is green. Now refilled after a weeks-long project to paint the bottom of the pool, an algal bloom has coated the basin with a layer of gunk thick enough to write in. On Tuesday, crews were working to get the reflecting pool back to reflecting. National Park Service staff poured hydrogen peroxide into one corner of the pool — the chemical can be temporarily “pretty effective” at killing off bacteria, according to Hans W. Paerl, a marine and environmental science professor at University of North Carolina Chapel-Hill. Later in the day, that area of the pool was noticeably a milky blue.

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Multiple staff could be seen wading through the shallow water, clearing the bottom of the pool inch by inch. Two NPS crewmembers told NOTUS that they were vacuuming the algae from the bottom of the pool. NPS and the Department of Interior did not respond to an emailed question from NOTUS about whether or not they planned to clean the whole pool that way. Also on Tuesday, a contractor was injecting ozone — which is highly effective at killing algal blooms — directly into the water from equipment parked on the edge of the pool. That process has been ongoing for several days. Renovating the reflecting pool was one of Trump’s “beautification initiatives” ahead of celebrations for America’s 250th birthday. Trump’s critics attacked the project as a desecration of a national monument — and a symbol of Trump wasting taxpayer dollars on his own aesthetic preferences. One D.C. nonprofit unsuccessfully attempted to stop the renovations with a lawsuit. When the painting was done, Trump championed the pool as an early success of his plans for the city — one that includes a giant Arc de Triomphe-esque archway and gold-guilded horse statues.

Copyright June 17, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved