May 18, 2026: All Newsclips

Lead Stories

The American rebellion against AI is gaining steam

The only thing growing faster than the artificial-intelligence industry may be Americans’ negative feelings about it—as former Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt saw on Friday. Delivering a commencement address at the University of Arizona, Schmidt told students the “technological transformation” wrought by artificial intelligence will be “larger, faster and more consequential than what came before.” Like some other graduation speakers mentioning AI, Schmidt was met with a chorus of boos. In one poll after another in recent weeks, respondents have overwhelmingly voiced concerns about AI, a challenge to claims by industry executives that their technology would gain popularity by improving people’s lives. Consumers resent energy-price jumps exacerbated by the spread of data centers. Workers fear widespread job losses. Parents worry about AI undermining education and harming children’s mental health. In recent months, the wave of anger has brought protests, swayed election results and spurred isolated acts of violence.

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In April, a 20-year-old Texas man allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail at OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman’s home and made threats at the company’s San Francisco headquarters, according to a federal complaint filed against him. A few days earlier, someone fired 13 shots at the front door of an Indianapolis councilman who had recently approved a data center. “It’s something I never thought would be imaginable,” said Councilman Ron Gibson, who found a note saying “NO DATA CENTERS” under his doormat. Two days later, Gibson found a similar note saying “f— you.” Pollsters and historians say the souring of public opinion is all but unprecedented in its speed. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen something intensify this quickly,” Gregory Ferenstein, who conducted a recent poll with researchers at Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley, said of the backlash. The poll showed about 30% of Democrats think America should accelerate AI innovation as quickly as possible, compared with roughly half of Republicans and 77% of tech founders.

Amidst water shortage, federal judge hears arguments in legal battle over Corpus Christi mayor's removal

A federal judge heard arguments Monday in the legal fight over the planned removal of Corpus Christi Mayor Paulette Guajardo, with a ruling expected by the end of the week. The hearing, held via Zoom, centered on a key legal question: whether the city charter's removal process applies to the mayor's office or only to city council members. Attorneys for Guajardo argued the city charter does not clearly outline a process for removing a mayor, contending the language applies solely to council members. City attorneys countered that the charter's removal language is broad enough to include the mayor's office as well. City attorneys also argued that a removal process is already underway and that, out of fairness to those who filed complaints against Guajardo, it should be allowed to continue.

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The removal proceedings were triggered on April 14, when five city council members voted to advance a petition seeking Guajardo's removal from office. Council members Carolyn Vaughn, Gil Hernandez, Sylvia Campos, Kaylynn Paxson and Eric Cantu voted in favor of moving forward. Council members Roland Barrera and Mark Scott voted against it. Guajardo and Council Member Everett Roy abstained. Earlier this month, attorneys for the mayor filed a motion demanding those same five council members recuse themselves from the impeachment proceedings before a trial even begins. The motion argues that because Vaughn, Hernandez, Campos, Paxson and Cantu voted to advance the impeachment, they cannot serve as impartial jurors — particularly given that they are also witnesses in the case. Guajardo has since taken the fight to federal court, filing a lawsuit challenging the entire removal process. The suit names the City of Corpus Christi as a defendant, along with all five council members who voted to advance the petition. The lawsuit raises significant questions about due process and whether the removal proceedings comply with the city charter.

An unburdened Bill Cassidy doesn’t regret Trump impeachment vote after primary loss

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), fresh off a stunning primary election loss over the weekend to two Republican challengers, holds no remorse for actions that likely cost him his political career. That includes his 2021 vote to convict President Donald Trump of impeachment over the U.S. Capitol riot. “I voted to uphold the Constitution. That may have cost me my seat, but who cares?” Cassidy told reporters Monday evening just off the Senate floor. “I had the privilege of voting to uphold the Constitution. Isn’t that a great thing? Wouldn’t all of us want to say, ‘My, I voted to support the Constitution on something momentous’? That’s the way I feel about it. I’m very pleased about it.”

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“When I die,” he later added, “if that’s put in my obituary, ‘He voted to uphold the Constitution,’ that’s going to be a better obituary.” Trump-backed Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA) and Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming led Saturday’s primary with 44.8% and 28.3% of the vote, respectively. The duo advanced to a June 27 runoff. Cassidy placed third with less than 25% of the vote. A conservative who has largely aligned with Trump’s second term but has been critical of health policies and nominees, Cassidy will have the political freedom to wield immense power in a chamber Republicans control by just three seats, should he choose to use it. But the second-term senator did not express an appetite for vengeance against the president by acting as a swing vote, and his GOP colleagues do not expect him to undermine party priorities, including a party-line immigration enforcement bill Senate Republicans hope to pass later this week.

Trump administration creates $1.776 billion fund for allies of the president after he drops lawsuit against IRS

The Justice Department on Monday announced the creation of a $1.776 billion fund to compensate President Donald Trump’s allies who claim they were unfairly targeted by the previous administration. It’s an unprecedented move that would allow the president’s administration to pay his supporters from a government agency he controls with taxpayer money. There appears to be few constraints on who can submit a claim to the fund. The president has broadly stated that his allies were politically targeted by the justice system, from the years-old Russian collusion investigation to the nearly 1,600 people charged in connection to the January 6, 2021, US Capitol riot. Its creation comes as Trump dropped his $10 billion lawsuit alleging that the Internal Revenue Service failed to protect Trump and the Trump Organization from an unauthorized leak of their tax returns.

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Trump himself will not receive any payments, but will receive a formal apology, the Justice Department said. The so-called “anti-weaponization” fund, with its symbolic 1776 figure, is likely to face immediate challenges in court from Democrats and watchdog organizations who say the effort amounts to corruption by allowing the president to enrich allies over what critics they say are unfounded claims of political prosecutions by the Biden administration. Trump on Monday said that those poised to benefit from the fund were “treated brutally.” “This is reimbursing people that were horribly treated,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “They’re getting reimbursed for their legal fees and the other things that they had to suffer.” “The machinery of government should never be weaponized against any American, and it is this department’s intention to make right the wrongs that were previously done while ensuring this never happens again,” acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who was previously a member of Trump’s personal defense team, said in a statement Monday. “As part of this settlement, we are setting up a lawful process for victims of lawfare and weaponization to be heard and seek redress.”

State Stories

Austin weekend shootings were 'a mix of random and targeted,' police say

One of the teenagers arrested after a weekend of shootings, stolen vehicles and an hourslong manhunt across the Austin area has been identified as 17-year-old Cristian Mondragon, according to law enforcement. Formal charges are pending, but Austin police said they expect charges to include aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault with a motor vehicle, deadly conduct unlawful use of a motor vehicle, evading arrest with a vehicle and theft of a firearm, among others.

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Sources close to the investigation said a warrant had been issued for Mondragon’s arrest in recent months but could not elaborate on the details because Mondragon was underage at the time. Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said in a Sunday news conference that two teenagers — ages 15 and 17 — were in custody in connection with the shootings. Davis said the 17-year-old had an outstanding warrant tied to the theft of a gun from “the same store” where the 15-year-old allegedly stole a firearm Saturday. According to Austin police, officers responded at 11:30 a.m. to Central Texas Gun Works at 321 W. Ben White Blvd.

Wayne Christian: Don’t let China sabotage our future with AI data center fearmongering

There is no hotter debate unfolding across rural America than the expansion of data center infrastructure. Here in Texas, I have been hearing from folks who are raising legitimate concerns about water use, electricity demand, landowner rights, and whether massive Big Tech companies can be trusted to operate responsibly. I understand those concerns because I share many of them myself. The scale and coordination of the rural backlash against data centers is impossible to ignore. The passion is real, and the movement has become increasingly bipartisan, drawing support from both conservatives and liberals alike. The result is a growing wave of opposition that is beginning to stop many of these projects before they ever get off the ground, with calls for moratoriums across the nation. Typically, if both sides of the aisle can see eye to eye on a single issue, this is a sign that it may be a just cause. But is it?

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For decades, radical environmentalists and far-left activists have fought pipelines, power plants, transmission lines, and American energy production. They claim we are running out of oil. They say fossil fuels will destroy civilization. They argue that economic growth, technological advancement, and capitalism itself are the problems. Now, many of those same tactics are being redirected toward artificial intelligence, data centers, and the infrastructure America needs to compete in the next technological revolution. These efforts often present themselves as completely grassroots and organic. But are they? Recent reporting by Power the Future raises serious questions. According to the report, Chinese state-linked propaganda outlets may have helped fund and amplify anti-data center activism in the United States as America and Communist China compete for dominance in artificial intelligence. Frankly, if proven, that should not surprise anyone. Right now, Beijing is aggressively expanding its own AI infrastructure, power generation, and technology capabilities. They understand the stakes, and for them, it’s just as much a matter of their national security as it is ours. So, we should ask ourselves a simple question: why wouldn’t an adversarial nation want Americans to believe that building new infrastructure is dangerous? Conservatives should also ask themselves why Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and other far-left activists suddenly find themselves aligned with narratives that ultimately benefit Communist China’s technological ambitions over America’s. That should concern every Republican. I know it sends a shiver down my spine.

Jane Street, HRT executives join Texas Stock Exchange Board

The company behind the upstart Texas Stock Exchange named Jaime Gow as its chief financial officer and unveiled its board of directors, which includes executives from Jane Street Group and Hudson River Trading. Gow joins TXSE Group as it plans to begin offering exchange-traded products on the exchange this summer. He has worked as an executive with financial technology firm Sagent and mortgage servicer Mr. Cooper Group Inc. Board members include Jane Street’s Andrew Upward and HRT’s Darren Mulholland, who bring market-making experience to the Texas exchange’s effort to grab business from the established duopoly of NYSE Group Inc. and Nasdaq. Rich Steiner of Piper Sandler and Anna Kurzrok of Jefferies also joined the 12-member board.

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TXSE hasn’t announced any companies planning dual listings or initial public offerings on the exchange, but it has raised some $270 million from investors including Citadel Securities and BlackRock Inc. Last year, it secured US regulatory approval as a national securities exchange. The exchange plans to open a trading floor and offices at Bank of America Tower at Parkside, a new building under construction in Dallas. The lease is contingent on certain municipal approvals, including to place a large digital stock ticker on the exterior.

Grapevine-Colleyville school board has a new look, including a new president

The Grapevine-Colleyville school board had three new trustees sworn in, but that was not the only big news out of the May 18 meeting. GCISD board president Shannon Braun lost her position to trustee Dalia Begin, who was elected to the board in 2024. Trustee Matt Foust nominated Begin for the role of president and all three new trustees voted for her. Trustee Kathy Florence- Spradley lost her officer duties as secretary. Members of the audience broke out into claps and cheering and one person yelled “there is a new sheriff in town” when Begin was voted in. The new board also voted for Foust as vice-president and Darrell Brown as secretary.

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Braun did not vote for Begin and had a list of reasons as to why, saying that Begin lacks knowledge of some of the board responsibilities. Begin thanked the outgoing officers for their time and service to the district. “As we begin this new term, I want to be clear this board is not made up of sides, factions, majorities, minorities or groups,” Begin said. “It’s made up of seven individually elected trustees. Who each bring valuable perspectives, experiences and ideas to the table. We will not always agree, and we should not expect to. Thoughtful discussion and differing viewpoints are important parts of good governance, and we can approach those conversations with professionalism, mutual respect, open minds and a shared focus on what is best for students.”

Is high-speed rail dead? Transportation officials to negotiate with Dallas on rail route

North Texas transportation officials will begin talks with Dallas administrators to see if a proposed high-speed rail route from Fort Worth and Arlington is achievable. Regional Transportation Council leaders said they want to discuss options for a proposed western alignment route that would run west of downtown Dallas to reach a station south of the city’s Central Business District and Interstate 30 to connect with Houston. Transportation council members decided in November to advance the western alignment with an elevated track despite opposition from Dallas. Dallas City Council members approved a resolution in January reinforcing their 2024 opposition to an elevated rail line through downtown and adjacent neighborhoods. West Dallas and nearby parks were added to the prohibited areas for the rail corridor under the resolution.

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“We had been working on that western alignment for two-plus years and this is the first time that we’d been told that we could not be anywhere near that portion of downtown Dallas,” said Dan Lamers, a senior program manager for the North Central Texas Council of Governments. “We had previously understood that meant we needed to be outside the development area of both the Convention Center and the Reunion (Arena) development area,” Lamers said. “We had questions — does this particular resolution essentially preclude the western alignment that we had been spending the last two-plus years on? We haven’t formally heard anything from the city of Dallas on this point.” Lamers said informal discussions with Dallas officials indicated the city would not support the western alignment route from Fort Worth and Arlington. In its resolution, the Dallas council directed transportation planners to look at alternatives such as upgrading existing rail corridors such as the Trinity Railway Express passenger train between downtown Fort Worth and downtown Dallas or developing an underground high-speed rail option for Dallas as planners proposed in Fort Worth and Arlington.

Texas Instruments, other tech firms want Ukraine War lawsuit tossed

Texas Instruments, Intel and two other semiconductor and technology companies are asking a Dallas federal judge to dismiss lawsuits brought by five Ukrainian citizens who claim that microchips, processors and programmable devices made by the four companies are being used by the Russian military in its war against Ukraine. High-profile trial lawyers on both sides of the litigation will present arguments Tuesday to U.S. District Judge Sidney Fitzwater about whether the lawsuits claiming that TI, Mansfield-based Mouser Electronics, Advanced Micro Devices and Intel sold their technology to third parties, which they knew or should have known were then providing those technologies to Russia to use in the war in Ukraine.

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The Ukrainian plaintiffs claim that they were injured or killed in separate attacks on community playgrounds, a children’s hospital and a school dormitory and that technology made and sold by the defendants were used by the Russians in those attacks. But in court documents, lawyers for the tech companies claim that the lawsuits are preempted by federal law, failed to legally plead a claim under Texas law and missed the deadline for filing such claims under the statute of limitations. “These lawsuits ask the court to do something essentially unprecedented in American tort law: hold American manufacturers liable — under Texas state law — for foreign military operations they had no role in planning or executing,” according to a motion filed by lawyers for the tech companies. “American semiconductor companies are not liable for the Russian military’s attacks, and plaintiffs cannot use Texas law to privately enforce federal export-control laws and foreign policy. As a result — for multiple overlapping reasons — plaintiffs’ claims fail.”

Houston ISD board to consider another certification waiver application for Mike Miles

Houston ISD's appointed board may allow the district to file an application with the state to waive the certification requirement for Superintendent Mike Miles for the remainder of his contract term, according to a Wednesday meeting agenda. The board of managers previously greenlit the district's applications for superintendent certification waivers in June 2023 and June 2025. The board may approve the waiver application during Wednesday's budget workshop. Under state law, a person cannot be employed as a school district superintendent without certification, but a district can request a waiver for this requirement.

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The state appointed Miles, who makes a base salary of $462,000, in June 2023. His contract term runs through June 2030. School districts can request superintendent certification waivers for up to three school years, according to the Texas Education Agency's 2025-26 waiver guidebook HISD has begun informing uncertified teachers whether they can return in the upcoming school year. HISD told 406 uncertified teachers last school year that they could not return to their roles in 2025-26 because they did not make "adequate progress toward certification" within a two-year period, according to a district statement during that school year.

Texas AG Ken Paxton sues 'TexAM' university, alleging illegal degree programs and deceptive branding

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against a North Texas institution operating as "TexAM," accusing the school of illegally offering degrees without state authorization and misleading students by using branding similar to Texas A&M University System. The lawsuit targets Texas American Muslim University, also known as TexAM, along with three people associated with its operations. TexAM describes itself as a faith-based institution focused on STEM education integrated with Islamic studies. The school advertised bachelor's and master's degree programs in fields including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, computer science and health informatics, while promoting online coursework and a campus in Richardson.

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Paxton alleges the school advertised bachelor's and master's degree programs, operated a campus in Richardson and recruited students online and overseas despite never receiving a certificate of authority from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. "TexAM has repeatedly disregarded Texas law, misrepresented its authority to grant degrees, and risked deceiving students about its legitimacy," Paxton said in a statement announcing the lawsuit. "My office will not allow illegal, unaccredited degree mills to operate in Texas." The legal action follows a cease-and-desist letter sent by the Higher Education Coordinating Board earlier this month at the direction of Governor Greg Abbott. The board said the institution was operating illegally under Texas law and ordered it to stop advertising degree programs and enrolling students. Days later, the Texas A&M University System issued its own cease-and-desist letter, arguing that the use of "TexAM" and similar names created confusion and falsely implied an affiliation with the university system.

'Kill all the Muslims and Jews': Man arrested for threats made at Houston's Ismaili Center

A 29-year-old man was arrested over the weekend on a terroristic threat warrant after allegedly making death threats at Houston’s Ismaili Center Houston last month. Jacolby Poindexter, 29, was arrested Saturday, according to records, before posting a $30,000 bond on a terroristic threat charge Sunday. In mid-April, Poindexter allegedly drove onto the property on Allen Parkway and spoke with a security guard, pretending to know him. Once on the property, he allegedly began making derogatory comments to a volunteer. “Muhammad had a 9-year-old wife; he’s worse than Epstein,” Poindexter allegedly told the volunteer, adding, “This is our hood, and you guys are taking over.”

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The volunteer told Poindexter to leave the property, but he allegedly refused, saying he wanted to visit, according to court records. That’s when the rhetoric allegedly became more violent, with Poindexter repeatedly saying he would return and “kill all the Muslims and Jews.” Another witness told police she heard Poindexter making statements regarding Muhammad and Islam. As he was leaving, she took photos of his car. Police linked the vehicle to Poindexter during the investigation. According to records, he admitted to being at the Ismaili Center on the day of the incident and said he was “upset because (he) has been through some things when it comes to Islamic people.” Poindexter added that he was just voicing his opinion and perhaps should not have expressed it that way, but he denied making any death threats. As a direct result of the incident, court records indicate the Ismaili Center “heightened security measures on the property out of concern for potential future violence.”

James Robison, televangelist known as 'avenging angel of the religious right,' dies at 82

James Robison, a televangelist, author, friend of politicians and key figure in the Moral Majority movement who later led a humanitarian organization, died Saturday (May 16). He was 82. “It is with deep sadness that we share the passing of Rev. James Robison, the beloved founder of Life Outreach International,” the board of directors of the ministry Robison founded said in a statement. “James devoted his life to sharing the Gospel and bringing hope, help, and healing to those in need around the world. Together, James and Betty stewarded a ministry that has touched countless lives and will continue impacting generations to come.”

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Born Oct. 9, 1943, in Houston, Robison had what his ministry called a “dysfunctional” childhood. His mother, a nurse, was assaulted by the son of a patient, according to his official bio, and became pregnant as a result. She placed her son, Robison, with a Baptist couple that she had found in a newspaper ad. That couple raised him for five years before he returned to his birth mother. As a teenager, Robison returned to live with his adopted family, the Hales, during high school in suburban Houston. While living with them, he met his future wife, Betty, and felt a call to ministry — and began preaching at 14. In 1963, he left college to start the James Robison Evangelistic Association and began a preaching ministry that would last decades, bringing him into contact with politicians and celebrities. “I don’t believe it would hinder an evangelist to get an education, but it might. It might take away something God is trying to say,” he told Texas Monthly magazine in 1981. By the early 1980s, he had become what Texas Monthly called “the avenging angel of the religious right.”

Austin robotaxi crash counts climb in new federal data

Austin-based robotaxi company Avride has added new crashes to its tally, according to the most recent data reported to federal regulators. After a string of incidents that prompted a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation, Avride reported three crashes in Austin in April and five in Dallas. In Austin alone, the company's vehicles have been involved in 20 crashes since June 2025. Waymo, whose fleet has grown to 300 vehicles in Austin and plans to expand its service area, now has a crash count of 75 in Austin. That's up from just under 70 incidents in last month's crash data, which reflected incidents from June through March 16. Tesla Inc.'s Austin crash count now stands at 17, up from 15 last month. Zoox reported no new crashes involving its purpose-built robotaxi in Austin, leaving its total crashes at one previously reported collission with a Toyota Highlander. Waymo and Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.

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The latest crash report data includes details of a high-profile crash in which a Avride's Hyundai Ioniq 5 struck and killed a duck near Mueller Lake Park. Shortly after the March crash, the company did not clarify whether the vehicle was operating in autonomous mode or if the safety monitor was controlling the car. Now, data shows the vehicle had been operating at a speed of 15 mph in autonomous mode when it struck and killed the animal. Apart from that incident, the remaining crashes involved property damage only. In one March crash in Austin, an Avride vehicle operating in autonomous mode attempted a left turn when a pickup truck ran a red light and struck the robotaxi, according to the data. Both vehicles were damaged, and the pickup left the scene. In another Austin crash, an Avride vehicle stopped at a red light was rear-ended by a van, though neither vehicle was damaged. NHTSA’s probe into Avride covers incidents involving robotaxis “executing lane changes into other vehicles and failing to avoid vehicles or objects in the roadway.” In one Dallas crash, an Avride struck a road sign lying in its lane, damaging the vehicle. In another, an Avride collided with a passenger vehicle attempting to cross two lanes into a parking garage, causing damage to both vehicles but no injuries.

County Stories

Dallas judge says masks are required in her court to protect her. She's not wearing one.

The Dallas County judge who requires masks in her courtroom told the state’s highest civil court she’s highly susceptible to infection and the policy helps protect her. The explanation from civil court Judge D’Metria Benson came in a letter Friday to Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice James Blacklock after he demanded answers. Benson did not say whether or why she doesn’t wear a mask in court, which was among the allegations in a lawyer’s complaint made earlier this month about her mask rule. Blacklock wrote to Benson last week, saying he wasn’t sure her rules were legal. He gave her until the end of Friday to provide a rationale for them or risk having them struck down.

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“I require masks to protect my personal health and safety,” Benson wrote in her response. “Just as a bailiff is present in the courtroom to protect the judge's safety, a mask is required to protect me from infection, which a bailiff cannot do.” Benson didn’t respond Monday to a message requesting more information from The Dallas Morning News. Blacklock’s office also didn’t respond to an email asking if he planned to take any further action. But Administrative Judge Ray Wheless, who presides over the region that includes Dallas County, said he was contacted by Blacklock Monday and that the chief justice plans to investigate further. The grievance about the judge’s mask rule was filed with Wheless by Dallas attorney Brian Hail on behalf of a colleague who was barred from participating in a medical malpractice trial in Benson’s court for refusing to wear a mask. The lawyer, Scott Frenkel, wouldn’t comply with the order because he can’t wear a covering over his nose and mouth for long, Hail said.

City Stories

Sheila Jackson Lee honored with IAH terminal dedication

Friends and family of the late Sheila Jackson Lee gathered Monday to commemorate her memory at George Bush Intercontinental Airport Terminal E, which was named in her honor. A plaque honoring the Houston congresswoman was placed on Terminal E’s arrivals floor. The city passed an ordinance last year to rename the major international terminal, which serves 30,000 monthly passengers and 12 million annual travelers. “No one person can ever fill her shoes, but our actions going forward are the greatest tribute that we can give,” said Erica Lee Carter, daughter of Jackson Lee and county administrator of the Harris County commissioners court. Houston Airport System Director of Aviation Jim Szczesniak said that Jackson Lee always made sure the airport received the support it needed from Congress. She secured $125 million in federal funding during her tenure.

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National Stories

3 victims, 2 suspects dead after shooting at San Diego Islamic Center

Three people were shot and killed at the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday, police said, including a security guard working at the mosque. Two suspected shooters, one 17 years old and the other 18 years old, were found dead in a vehicle. Police believe they died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds, said San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl. The victims have not been identified, and police have adjusted their ages as the investigation continued. Investigators are considering the shooting a hate crime, police said. Wahl said early Monday, the mother of one of the suspected shooters called police to report her son as a runaway. She reported that she believed he was suicidal and had taken her vehicle and several of her weapons, and that he was with a companion.

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Believing there was an increased threat, police dispatched officers to a local high school one of the suspects was associated with, and other officers were interviewing the woman a few blocks from the Islamic Center when the initial report of a shooting came in shortly before noon. San Diego police said 50 to 100 officers responded to the facility. As they were searching for the suspects room by room, another call to police reported a landscaper working down the street was shot at but not injured, police said. A subsequent call reported the two suspects seen in a vehicle with gunshot wounds. After finding the vehicle, both were declared dead at the scene. The Islamic Center is in a heavily residential neighborhood about 9 miles north of downtown San Diego, California. Police said there was no specific threat toward the mosque before the shooting.

Trump official helped secure US visa for fugitive Polish minister

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau instructed senior State Department officials to facilitate and approve a visa for a fugitive former Polish ?cabinet minister, allowing him to flee to the United States from Hungary, three people familiar with the matter said. Poland is seeking to prosecute former Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro, the architect of changes ?to the Polish judicial system that the EU has said undermined the rule of law during the 2015-2023 rule of the conservative Law and Justice party (PiS).

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He faces 26 charges stemming mainly from his alleged misuse of money for political gain from a crime victims fund. He has denied wrongdoing, contending he is the victim of a politically motivated campaign by Poland's ruling pro-European Union coalition. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk's office did not respond to requests for comment. Reuters was unable to reach Ziobro in the United States. His lawyer in ?Poland, Bartosz Lewandowski, said he would convey questions to Ziobro, who did not respond. While the Trump administration has made it a priority to support conservative views in Europe, granting a visa to a politician facing ?criminal charges by a U.S.-allied government is highly unusual. Hungary's former Prime Minister Viktor Orban granted Ziobro asylum in January. Warsaw had hoped that Orban's defeat by pro-EU rival Peter ?Magyar in an April election would see Ziobro returned to Poland. Magyar had said that he would extradite him to Poland on his first day in office.

How Nicki Minaj became Trump’s ‘No. 1 Fan’

Shortly before the 2024 election that would move him back into the White House, Donald Trump took a phone call on his plane from a secret supporter. Nicki Minaj was on the line, and she wanted Trump to know she was supporting his re-election, according to people familiar with the matter. Trump’s campaign managers, sensing an opportunity to score an endorsement from the rap world’s most popular female star, asked Minaj to take her support public. But Minaj—and her management team—said she needed to stay behind the scenes because taking a political stance posed a risk to her brand and businesses, some of these people said. Not anymore.

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Today, the 43-year-old best known for chart toppers like “Starships,” for leading an online army of mega-fans known as “Barbz” and for bringing a theatrical streak to contemporary hip hop has embraced a new status atop MAGA’s A-list. She has visited Trump in the Oval Office, spoken in support of administration priorities at the United Nations and encouraged her tens of millions of social-media followers to lobby their legislators on the White House’s behalf. She has gabbed onstage with conservative influencers. She’s also put her own money behind Trump accounts for children, filmed a TikTok meme video with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and recorded a podcast with conservative commentator Katie Miller. At the Washington premiere of “Melania,” the documentary about the first lady, she wore a cleavage-baring baby-blue dress and was seated near the president and his family. All of the work, she told Miller, has become a “second job” she felt called to do. Speaking at a Black History month event in February, Trump made clear the fandom went both ways when he started talking about Minaj’s long, manicured nails. “I said, ‘Nicki, are they real?’ But she didn’t want to get into that. But she was so beautiful and so great—and she gets it, more importantly,” he said.

Anderson Cooper takes thinly veiled dig at Bari Weiss in '60 Minutes' farewell: 'Independence has been critical'

Anderson Cooper appeared to take a thinly veiled dig at Bari Weiss and the future direction of “60 Minutes” during an emotional farewell Sunday night — offering up a pointed defense of the legendary newsmagazine’s “independence.” Cooper, who announced earlier this year that he was stepping away from the show after nearly two decades as a correspondent, used his final “60 Minutes Overtime” segment to express his “hope” that “’60 Minutes’ remains ’60 Minutes’.” Cooper, who was poised to become the face of “60 Minutes” under Weiss before surprising CBS executives by letting them know that he was out, did not mention the editor in chief by name during the farewell segment.

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The remarks landed as Weiss, the Free Press co-founder installed atop CBS News by Paramount Skydance boss David Ellison, has rattled veterans of the Tiffany Network by inserting herself into “60 Minutes” editorial decisions and booking calls — moves that have fueled fears she is trying to remake the famously independent broadcast. “There’s very few things that have been around for as long as ’60 Minutes’ has and maintain the quality that it has,” Cooper, the CNN primetime host who first joined “60 Minutes” in 2007, said in the “Overtime” segment that was posted online on Sunday. While Cooper acknowledged that “things can always evolve and change,” he added that he hoped “the core of what ’60 Minutes’ is always remains.” “I think the independence of ’60 Minutes’ has been critical,” Cooper said. “I think also the variety of stories … and I think the trust it has with viewers is critical to the success of ’60 Minutes’.” CBS publicly framed Cooper’s departure as a family decision, with the CNN anchor saying earlier this year that he wanted to spend more time with his young children.

American tests positive for Ebola; U.S. to screen travelers at airports

An American has tested positive for Ebola while working in Congo and is being transported to Germany for treatment along with six other Americans who are high-risk contacts, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The CDC also is enhancing public health screening and traveler monitoring amid a growing Ebola outbreak, and non-U.S. passport holders face entry restrictions if they have been to Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo or South Sudan in the previous 21 days. “To the American public, the risk to the United States remains low,” said Satish Pillai, CDC Ebola response incident manager. “Travelers to the region should avoid contact with sick people, report symptoms immediately, and follow our travel guidance.”

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Health experts are growing increasingly alarmed about this outbreak, arguing that cases have been spreading undetected in a volatile region as public health authorities are stretched thin amid funding cuts and the ongoing hantavirus outbreak. World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaking before the World Health Assembly on Tuesday in Geneva, said he was “deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic,” adding that WHO would convene its emergency committee that day to seek temporary recommendations. CDC officials noted the Americans impacted are being transported to Germany, a country that has experience caring for Ebola patients and is a shorter flight from Congo. Their travel itinerary is evolving, and the CDC is looking into lab-made antibody treatments. “We are doing this to ensure that they are at the level of care that they can receive the either treatment or observation that’s required,” Pillai said.

Hegseth campaigns for Trump loyalist in House race, a breach of decorum

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who took the stage at the Kentucky rally to chants of “U.S.A., U.S.A., U.S.A.,” opened with a nod to his highly unusual move of hitting the campaign trail as a serving defense secretary. “I have to say up front, for the lawyers, that I’m here in my personal capacity as a private citizen, a fellow American, and a fellow combat veteran here to support Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein,” the secretary said. He then criticized a sitting member of Congress, from the president’s own party, for not voting in lock step with the president. “Kentucky has a choice in this race,” Hegseth said. “You can send a warrior, reinforcements for the president in our shared fight against the radical left, or you can send an obstructionist. In my mind, it’s an easy choice.”

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“Too often Massie’s instinct is to throw elbows at fellow Republicans instead of the people who are destroying our country,” the secretary said. Hegseth praised Gallrein, a retired Navy SEAL captain, as a candidate who would be unfailingly loyal to the president as a soldier is loyal to his commander, infusing the race with warlike stakes and painting “left-wing lunatic Democrats” as the enemy in a fight in which the president “requires a Congress full of warriors, including Ed.” “President Trump needs reinforcements, and that’s what warfighters do,” Hegseth said. “They stand behind leaders and have their back. Warfighters understand mission, they understand teamwork, they understand loyalty. And they understand that in the middle of a fight, you don’t weaken your own side.”

Trump is pressuring John Thune to fire the parliamentarian over ballroom funding

President Donald Trump pressed Senate Majority Leader John Thune to fire the Senate parliamentarian after she ruled Republicans could not include funding for the president’s ballroom in a budget bill, two sources familiar with the request told NOTUS. The president called the South Dakota Republican on Monday to express his frustrations with the decision, according to a third source. The call between Trump and Thune was first reported by Semafor. While Trump has promised to build the ballroom with private donations, Republicans are looking to get $1 billion in Secret Service funding into their filibuster-proof legislation. About $220 million is aimed specifically at the East Wing project. Elizabeth MacDonough, the nonpartisan parliamentarian who gives determinations on the rules of the Senate, determined Saturday that the provision, as written, did not pass the so-called Byrd Rule, which prevents non-budget items from passing with a simple majority.

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Republicans said they would revise the proposal to try to get the ballroom into the bill. Thune declined to comment on whether the president asked him to oust MacDonough, saying he does not discuss their private conversations. He also said he would not do it. “No,” Thune told NOTUS when asked if he would entertain that idea of firing MacDonough. “We’re going through a process that we go through every time we have a reconciliation bill and the people on both sides are mad at the parliamentarian. That’s been true.” A White House official told NOTUS, “We don’t comment on private conversations that may or may not have happened.” MacDonough did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Republicans are hoping to get favorable rulings from MacDonough in the coming days that would allow them to move ahead with votes on the package, which includes $72 billion for Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Copyright May 19, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved