July 21, 2026: All Newsclips

Lead Stories

‘Worth keeping tabs on’: Tropical Storm Bertha in northeastern Gulf could impact Texas

Tropical Storm Bertha in the northeastern Gulf is expected to gradually strengthen as it moves west, according to the National Hurricane Center, which says the system has the potential to bring flash flooding and strong winds to Texas later this week. At 7 p.m. Monday, the National Hurricane Center officially upgraded the storm from a tropical disturbance to Tropical Storm Bertha. It is the second tropical storm this hurricane season after Tropical Storm Arthur formed in the western Gulf in mid-June and brought heavy rain and strong winds to coastal areas including Galveston. Cameron Self, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Houston/Galveston office, said Monday that weather-monitoring planes from the U.S. Air Force and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) began flying into the system Sunday evening and will continue to monitor it as it makes its way through the Gulf.

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"Even though right now the forecast is not showing significant impacts to our area, any storm in the Gulf is worth keeping tabs on," Self told Houston Public Media on Monday morning. "So we'd recommend checking on the [depression] at least once a day just in case." The system could bring tropical storm conditions to parts of the Gulf Coast, from the Florida panhandle to southeastern Louisiana, by Monday night or early Tuesday, according to a 10 a.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center. Bertha is not expected to have a major impact on the Texas coast, according to Monday forecasts from the National Weather Service, which said its forecast was "highly uncertain" beyond Thursday. Projections as of Monday morning show the majority of Southeast Texas, south Louisiana and Mississippi in the potential path of the system. Self said the forecast will solidify throughout the week. "Currently it is still in the northeast Gulf, and it's moving very slowly to the northwest," Self said. "We do expect it to turn more toward the west in the general direction of Texas, but the system does have some hurdles it's going to have to get through before it's able to get here." One of the potential hurdles is if the system makes landfall in Louisiana, Self said. "If that's the case, that'll take the system from being over the Gulf to over land, which would certainly limit the amount that it could intensify, if not weaken it," he said. "Also there's a lot of shear and dry air that it's dealing with." However, the system is still expected to strengthen before the end of the week, Self said. "The conditions are not necessarily so unfavorable to where the system can't strengthen,” he said. “It likely is going to strengthen some ... but right now as it stands, it's not looking like a major impact to Southeast Texas."

Byron Cook: Texas broke its word on Texas Dream Act

(Byron Cook, R-Corsicana, is a former member of the Texas House of Representatives and chairman of the House Committee on State Affairs.) In 2001, the Texas Legislature passed the in-state tuition law, known today as the Texas Dream Act, with overwhelming bipartisan support, and it took effect immediately with then-Gov. Rick Perry’s signature. Texas was the first state to do it because Texas leads and because the math made sense. The U.S. Supreme Court has long held that states must provide K-12 public education to children regardless of immigration status. Texas taxpayers were already educating these children, often for 13 years per student. The only question was whether Texas would ever collect the return. The 2001 law was the deal we struck to collect that return. Live in Texas with a parent or guardian while attending a Texas high school. Reside here for at least three years by graduation. Earn a Texas diploma or its equivalent. Sign an affidavit pledging to apply for permanent U.S. residency as soon as legally eligible. Meet those terms, and you would pay the exact same resident tuition as the Texan beside you. Not free tuition. Resident tuition. The point was not to reward illegal immigration.

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The point was to ensure Texas did not squander its own investment in students who were already educated here and paying taxes. We do not have to guess about the return. In 2017 alone, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board reported that these students paid $72.8 million in tuition and fees to public colleges and universities, nearly three times what the state invested through formula funding. Now, Texas has walked away from that deal, an act of fiscal malpractice and a stain on our honor. I served on the House Committee on State Affairs from 2003 to 2019, chaired it during my final four sessions and presided over every hearing on this issue. I know exactly who these students are. Valedictorians. Salutatorians. Top 10% graduates. Nobody hands them anything. One witness I will never forget was brought from Nepal at age 7 and received a world class education in Texas schools. He repaid that investment the Texas way: graduating in the top 10% of his class before entering one of the University of Texas’s most selective honors programs to study pre-med and government. He did not ask for sympathy. His testimony was armed with the state’s own numbers, including a Perryman Group analysis estimating more than $8 in return for every $1 Texas invests. He made the business case himself, sounding every bit as Texan as you or me. He told us he was an American in every way but the paperwork. He was right.

James Talarico pledges $25 million to win over Black voters in U.S. Senate campaign

State Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, has pledged to spend $25 million to mobilize Black voters on behalf of his campaign for the U.S. Senate this fall. Most polling shows Talarico in a statistical dead heat against his Republican opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston, said the investment is much larger than what Texas typically sees from statewide Democratic campaigns in terms of efforts to mobilize the Black vote. Garnering the support of Black Texans figures to be critical for Talarico as he seeks to become the first Democrat to win a statewide election in more than 30 years. "This clearly signals the Talarico campaign is worried about making sure the Black vote comes out," Rottinghaus said. "The Black vote is central to Democratic success in Texas, and historically without a sizable turnout among Black voters, Democrats have not done well."

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Talarico spoke at a town hall Sunday at the Kingdom Builders’ Center in southwest Houston, where he was joined by Black elected officials at the municipal, state and federal levels. Talarico said the spending pledge — which his campaign asserts is a record for Texas in terms of trying to mobilize the Black vote — was the start of greater engagement, not the end. "I’m going to keep showing up," Talarico said, "and I’m asking you to continue to hold me accountable." Much of Talarico's Sunday town hall was given over to a question-and-answer session, aimed at addressing concerns about the Talarico campaign's interactions with the Black community. The discussion was passionate at times. "I think he’s better off than where he was a week ago," said Shamier Bouie, chair of the Houston Black American Democrats. "I think there’s still more work to be done, and I think, from what I’m hearing, they are willing to be putting in the work, and that this is just the beginning of the conversation."

Letitia Plummer accused of seven campaign finance violations, including paying family

A complaint filed with the Texas Ethics Commission accuses Letitia Plummer, the Democratic nominee for Harris County judge, of seven campaign finance violations, including improperly paying a family member, according to a document obtained by the Houston Chronicle. It’s unclear who submitted the complaint, but it comes as Plummer and her opponent, Republican Orlando Sanchez, have begun campaigning in earnest ahead of the hotly contested November election. The document also accused Plummer of accepting illegal contributions from corporations, failing to properly disclose payments made to her dentistry practice and several other procedural and accounting discrepancies. Plummer often filed her campaign finance reports late leading into the primary elections this spring.

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Plummer said in a statement that her team was aware of the complaint and has been in contact with the Texas Ethics Commission. “We are doing a full review,” Plummer said. “We will be ensuring compliance with campaign finance regulations and amend any public reporting if necessary.” The allegations, which have not been sustained, are based on figures Plummer reported July 15, which spanned May 17 through June 30. Andrew Cates, an Austin-based attorney who specializes in Texas ethics and campaign finance law, said that the documents the Chronicle obtained were likely compiled by a law firm hired to target the Plummer campaign. It’s unclear if all of the allegations included in the documents were officially filed against Plummer. But even if the document was politically motivated, Cates said, the allegations are serious enough that the ethics commission will likely conduct an investigation.

State Stories

Halliburton lands contract in Iraq as companies seek solutions to avoid Strait of Hormuz

Houston-based Halliburton Co. has been awarded a contract by Basra Oil Co. in Iraq as Houston companies flock to the region. Last week, the prime minister of Iraq, Ali Al-Zubair, visited several oil headquarters in Houston, including those of Chevron Corp. and ExxonMobil Holdings Corporation. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce then hosted on July 17 the signing of about $60 billion worth of memorandums of understanding and other agreements for projects in Iraq. At the time, Halliburton signed a commemorative agreement for field management services as well as engineering and construction management at the Bin Umar field. On July 20, the company shared more details, saying it will provide integrated field management services plus engineering, procurement and construction management to the development of both the Bin Umar and Sindbad oil and gas fields in southern Iraq.

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“We are honored by the trust Basra Oil Co. has placed in Halliburton to support the development of the Bin Umar and Sindbad fields,” Zaid Khadra, Halliburton’s vice president of the Middle East North Africa, said in a July 20 news release. "We will work alongside BOC as a technical and project management provider to integrate workflows, digital solutions, and execution expertise to maximize asset value. We look forward to collaboration with BOC to advance Iraq’s production, infrastructure, and associated gas development objectives." Iraq hopes the development of these fields will strengthen energy security and reduce reliance on gas imports. The Middle East is looking for ways to become less dependent on the Strait of Hormuz, which has been closed on and off since the beginning of the Iran war at the end of February.

Texas AG candidate cites TTU regent donation in Paxton attack

Texas Democratic nominee for state attorney general, Nathan Johnson, released a political ad on Tuesday attacking current Attorney General Ken Paxton over a recent donation to Paxton's U.S. Senate campaign from Texas Tech University System Board of Regents Chairman Cody Campbell. As The Texas Tribune reported, campaign finance records showed Campbell's donation was recorded as providing $274,300 on June 10 to one of Paxton's fundraising committees for his U.S. Senate campaign. A day later, Paxton issued a public statement threatening to sue the Big 12 Conference if it sanctioned Texas Tech for playing quarterback Brendan Sorsby after a Lubbock County judge granted an injunction allowing the Cincinnati transfer to play, despite the NCAA declaring Sorsby permanently ineligible for violating its rules against gambling.

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"The Conference would face exposure to treble damages," Paxton wrote, "including for Texas Tech's lost football revenues, damages to its alumni contributions and damages to its recruitment, plus attorneys' fees. The total exposure — for both the Big 12 and its members, joint and severally — will be substantially more than $200 million." The attorney general's office also issued a letter from Thomas D. York, chief of the antitrust division, and Kimberly Gdula, chief of the general litigation division, in Austin. "We are aware that the Big 12 is considering invoking Bylaw 3.6 of the Big 12's Bylaws to sanction Texas Tech for respecting the Order and continuing its support of Mr. Sorsby as a student-athlete," they wrote. "This letter serves to notify the Big 12 that any such action would be unlawful and would expose the Conference to substantial liability." Cody Campbell has dismissed claims that his donation was "nefarious," saying the timing of the Texas attorney general's letter to the Big 12 was mere coincidence, as reported by USA TODAY citing the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Small Texas town weighs tougher data center rules amid AI growth

Another small Texas town has joined the growing number of communities considering action as data centers expand across the region and draw scrutiny from lawmakers. Elected officials in Lockhart, the city 30 miles south of Austin known as the “Barbecue Capital of Texas,” have directed city staff to develop “very strict standards” for the resource-heavy developments. City Council members said a data center ban, though preferred, could expose the city to legal challenges. “I would prefer an outright ban but I don’t know that it’s the best choice for us because of the possibility of years and years of litigation and excessive expense for the city,” Council Member Juan Mendoza said Thursday during a special meeting. “I would like to see what the city can come up with as far as guardrails — very strong guardrails that make it almost impossible for any of these centers to want to come into Lockhart.”

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The move comes after widespread uproar over the growth of data centers in the region. At least five data centers are planned or under construction in Caldwell County, though all are outside Lockhart. Officials have not yet approved any within city limits. The county, with an estimated population of 55,150, is experiencing many of the same growth pressures as other communities in the Austin region. “We are the county seat for Caldwell County so it’s up to us to lead by example,” Lockhart resident Jesús Pantel told the council. Lockhart joins several local governments studying the potential impacts of data centers and looking for ways to slow the industry’s growth. As demand for artificial intelligence grows, Texas has become the country’s fastest-growing data center market, with developers drawn by affordable open land, incentives and access to energy. The state stands to gain billions of dollars in investment from such development, as well as thousands of temporary construction jobs. But local and state officials have raised concerns about the potential strains data centers could place on infrastructure in a state that’s already facing water shortages and whose power grid has struggled to keep up with growth.

Friends fondly remember Carrollton soldier Isabella Gonzales, 19, killed in Iranian strike on Jordan air base

For the friends who grew up with Army Pvt. Isabella Gonzales of Carrollton, the news of her death overseas last week has been almost impossible to grasp. One year ago, a group of Gonzales' best friends had just graduated from Hebron High School. "We were just in a room over there, laughing and having the time of our lives," said Misael Galdamez. "Now she's just a memory, and it feels so weird." Gonzales, 19, was one of the American service members killed in action in Jordan on Friday during an Iranian strike on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, according to the Pentagon. She was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve and was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment in Ansbach, Germany.

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"It's pretty devastating, and it's still pretty hard to believe, seeing her face everywhere," said Zuleyka Acosta. "It's something I haven't felt before, and at such a young age. I think people need to recognize that she's still just a teenager, just one year older than us." Gonzales' friends described her as outgoing, spontaneous, and someone who loved to dance. They said that one year ago today, she left for boot camp – determined to prove her discipline and bravery. "I think she really did want to make people proud of who she was," Acosta said. "She wanted to be very disciplined, and she wanted people to view her as someone who was very brave." They had been counting down the days until her visit to North Texas in September. Instead of planning that reunion, they're remembering her as brave, kind, and optimistic. "How proud we are of her for being able to handle boot camp," Galdamez said. "When she first had doubts that she couldn't, she did it. She pushed through. We're really proud of her. We just wish we could see her again."

Texas turns to recovery after deadly floods, but danger isn't over along the Nueces River

While much of Texas has begun shifting from rescue efforts to recovery after days of catastrophic flooding, Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday the state's greatest concern remains along the Nueces River, where evacuations continued in parts of Uvalde County as floodwaters slowly receded. The storms killed at least two people and prompted disaster declarations covering dozens of counties. “We, as a state and our local communities, still have to get them through the remaining challenges over the next 48 to 72 — maybe even longer than that — hours,” Abbott said. In Uvalde County, the river crested at a record 28.01 feet, surpassing its previous high-water mark set in 1996. Floodwaters also destroyed part of the FM 481 bridge southwest of Uvalde, cutting off a key connection between Uvalde and Eagle Pass.

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“Just because the skies may be clear here right now, doesn't mean that the aggregation of water that's flowing downstream has peaked,” Abbott said. “Downstream, the waters will continue to rise and continue to pose dangers for those local communities.” As rivers receded over the weekend, residents from Kerrville to Uvalde County returned to damaged homes and businesses to begin cleanup while local and state officials assessed the destruction and coordinated relief efforts. Abbott signed a major-disaster declaration last week seeking federal assistance for 28 flood-affected counties. President Donald Trump approved the request Saturday. “The state is working and it will continue to work with local officials to expedite debris removal as well as to accelerate the rebuilding process,” Abbott said. The governor said preliminary assessments identified damage to at least 490 homes and 100 businesses in Kerr County, along with about 100 homes in neighboring Kendall County. Officials are still working to determine the full extent of the damage. Despite the destruction, communities across South Central Texas quickly mobilized to help one another, organizing donation drives, cleanup crews and supply distributions as families began the long process of rebuilding.

Houston ISD student released from ICE detention three days after arrest, congresswoman says

A rising senior in Houston ISD who was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents Friday was released from detention on Monday, according to U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, D-Houston. An ICE spokesperson over the weekend confirmed the arrest of Alim Garipov, an 18-year-old student from Russia who attends Bellaire High School. The agency said Garipov was allowed entry into the U.S. in May 2022, but was permitted to stay in the country for only six months. Fletcher, in what her office described as a joint statement Monday night with Garipov’s family and an immigration attorney, said the teen was released after a “community-wide advocacy effort.”

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"We are relieved and grateful that Alim has finally been released from detention and reunited with his family,” the statement also said. “This outcome came after a tireless, expeditious effort over the weekend, working in partnership to secure Alim's release.” ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment and confirmation Monday night. Friends of the Garipov family previously told Houston Public Media they were in the process of making an asylum claim to stay in the country legally. "A pending application does not confer any type of legal status in the United States," an ICE spokesperson said in a weekend statement after Garipov’s arrest. "If a person enters our country illegally, they are subject to detention or deportation." Garipov is not the first Houston ISD student to be detained by ICE during the second term of President Donald Trump, whose administration has ramped up immigration-related arrests and deportations.

US Rep. Gonzalez introduces bill to protect Boca Chica Beach’s name

U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Brownsville, has introduced a new bill that aims to protect Boca Chica Beach from “unnecessary name changes.” The Hands off Our Boca Chica Beach Act was announced on Monday morning. According to a news release from the congressman’s office, the bill would codify the name “Boca Chica Beach” and require the Domestic Names Committee to notify Gonzalez of any proposed name changes that would affect his district. The bill was introduced less than two weeks after the Domestic Names Committee of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) voted against a Mississippi resident’s petition to officially rename a portion of the beach to “Cyber Beach.”

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“It is absurd that a name proposal from outside our state was able to threaten the very essence of a cultural and historic landmark in South Texas,” Gonzalez said in the news release. “The severe lack of transparency from the Domestic Names Committee almost shut out the people of Cameron County from a decision that directly impacted our daily lives—and would have created a financial burden for local municipalities responsible for replacing signage and other publicly used identifiers.” “While our community was able to quickly band together to stop this initial proposal from being adopted, my bill would ensure that Boca Chica Beach always remains the People’s Beach.” The BGN’s Domestic Names Committee announced on the evening of July 8 that there would be a hearing in Washington D.C. the following day to rename the beach to “Cyber Beach” at the request of an individual from Mississippi. News of the hearing prompted Gonzalez and State Rep. Erin Gamez to send letters to the committee who criticized the lack of transparency and the failure to give community members adequate time to respond.

Fort Worth’s Sundance Square names new CEO to replace Sasha Bass

Former Fort Worth Police Chief Ed Kraus has been named the new president and CEO of Sundance Square, replacing Sasha Bass, who has led the 37-block downtown commercial district since 2019. Kraus began his career at Sundance Square leading the security division after a 29-year career with the Fort Worth Police Department. He has led the company’s strategic focus in areas including safety operations and organizational excellence. He begins his new role Sept. 1. “We are blessed to have very talented teams at Sundance Square working together to make an impact far greater than any of us could do alone. I am humbled to step into this role, and I will lead with the values and vision that have come to define this special place,” Kraus said in a statement.

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Brothers Sid and Lee Bass began developing Sundance Square and the City Center Towers in the early 1980s. In 1983, Ed Bass opened the Caravan of Dreams night club, which spurred development in Sundance Square, including the Sundance West apartments. Ed and his wife Sasha took over full ownership of Sundance Square in fall 2019. Sasha Bass aimed to transform Sundance Square to more largely promote the arts and small businesses. By 2021 during the COVID pandemic, nearly a third of the storefronts downtown were closed. Sundance Square launched a program in 2022 to bring local entrepreneurs to the area. Businesses selected received free marketing and design consulting. Today, around 60 businesses call Sundance Square home. Bass’ focus on live events helped double the number of visitors to Sundance Square to 17 million in 2025, Sundance Square said. Thousands gather in the plaza for Saturday evening concerts, and crowds for the World Cup watch parties spilled onto Main Street. She also developed Sundance Square into a public art campus, with installations from national and international artists. The glittering rhinestone cowboy hat resting in the plaza is a popular photo opp with the Tarrant County Courthouse standing in the background.

Dallas City Hall’s fate, mayor’s power could help shape the 2027 race

Michael Hinojosa chose City Hall as the backdrop last week for launching his campaign for mayor. But he stopped short of saying whether Dallas should remain in the I.M. Pei-designed building. The former Dallas ISD superintendent said city leaders will decide its fate before the next mayor takes office after the November 2027 election. He said he favors an approach that is “efficient” and “honors the past.” “They haven’t put much money in it, and you can’t talk your way out of things,” Hinojosa said. He pointed to The Academic, an apartment complex created from Dallas ISD’s former 70-year-old administration building on Ross Avenue, as an example of how City Hall could be repurposed.

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Dallas Council Member Cara Mendelsohn, who opposes relocating City Hall, said in a social media post that “not taking a position” makes you “a non-viable candidate in 2027.” “There will be plenty more candidates for mayor and the City Council seats,” she wrote. “Let's see what they do.” The debate is particularly relevant for potential mayoral contenders already on the council. They will help determine what happens to the building and be saddled with the political consequences. The next mayor could inherit the challenge of funding millions of dollars in needed repairs or managing a move, along with facing tensions from whichever side loses. That makes the City Hall fight a test of how candidates would balance fiscal discipline, downtown redevelopment and some residents’ attachment to a civic landmark. Personal injury lawyer Ben Abbott, who is considering a run, has begun airing TV ads that present him as a civic leader who will “show up, listen and get results.” Council members Gay Donnell Willis, Chad West and Paula Blackmon, businesswoman Lynn McBee and developer and philanthropist Peter Brodsky are among those mentioned as potential contenders. The office itself also could change before voters choose the next mayor. Some local leaders are discussing an effort to put a strong-mayor proposal before voters in May 2027. Details remain unsettled, but that could shift some executive authority from the city manager to the elected mayor. The outcome could determine not only how much power Dallas’ next mayor will have, but also who decides to run for the job.

Drone delivery could cut pollution. Can communities live with the noise?

Jonathan Pace first noticed the noise. But it wasn’t until he bought a Bluetooth-based drone tracker that what seemed like a neighborhood nuisance became something he could measure: how often Amazon drones flew above his home—and how low they flew. Pace, the chief operating officer of a software company, works from home in Richardson. He chose the neighborhood for its quiet streets, single-family homes and peaceful backyards, where the loudest interruptions were lawn mowers and the occasional airplane flying overhead. That changed when Amazon’s Prime Air delivery drones began to buzz near his home. “There are always planes flying overhead, and they’re loud,” Pace said. “But the drone noise is higher-pitched. It’s like a mosquito buzzing near your ear. It’s frustrating.”

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Companies and researchers say electric drones can make last-mile delivery cleaner, faster and safer by replacing gas- and diesel-powered vehicles that carry small packages through neighborhood streets. But the disruption in Richardson, part of the trial run for a delivery system that could spread across the United States, shows the growing tension of drone delivery and the realities of life beneath the flight path. As the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) prepares rules that could allow routine drone flights beyond a pilot’s visual line of sight, the question is no longer whether drones can deliver a box of coffee, medicine or toothpaste. It is whether they can do so often enough to meaningfully reduce pollution, and quietly enough that communities will accept them. Curious about how often the drones were flying, Pace bought a drone tracker that detects signals broadcast under the FAA’s Remote ID rules. Screenshots he shared showed nearly nine drones per hour pass over his neighborhood between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on one January day. Some flights appeared to be as low as 135 feet, below the 150 feet Amazon told residents to expect at the time.

Hemp beverage industry navigates the highs and lows at recent expo

In the American Canning Machines facility in southeast Austin, silver drink cans jitter in what looks like a miniature cattle corral. The machine in front of me dances to an alien tempo. It whirrs and pops in 6/8 time. With a forest of spinning limbs, it plucks each can out of the corral and lines them up. David Racino, co-founder of ACM, said the scene reminded him of Willy Wonka. “Remember when they’re on like that train,” he said. “Or some contraption.” The cans are rinsed, filled and sealed so quickly that my eyes aren’t sure where to land. This is one arm of an industry with an estimated value in the billions. Last year, the hemp beverage industry sold around 2.3 million cases. Texas is one of the largest markets. But these are no ordinary drinks. These drinks will get you high.

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On a hot day in June, a few miles north of the canning facility, business owners gathered in an Austin convention center for the Hemp Beverage Expo. The expo is a joint effort between Jage Media, an event organizer in the cannabis space, and the Hemp Beverage Alliance, an advocacy group for the industry. According to the Hemp Beverage Alliance, hemp beverages are any drinks that contain hemp-derived cannabinoids. Those are the chemical substances found in cannabis and other plants. CBD and THC are the most common, but there are hundreds of other so-called “minor cannabinoids.” Your body even makes its own, called endo-cannabinoids. The expo was not exactly what you picture when you hear the word “hemp.” Neat rows of corporate chic booths fill the echoey, well-lit expo space. Business owners exchange cards and promises to stay in touch. Not the ideal habitat for a stoner. This was something else — hemp would like to turn over a new leaf. “We’ve come a long way since brownie-on-the-couch days,” said Jasmine Hupp, a representative from one of the many beverage companies, Joy of the Adventure Living. “Now we have these incredibly, accurately dosed, reliable products. You’re gonna know how you feel every time you take a shot.”

Nearly 500 homes damaged in Kerr County as community unites to rebuild once again

Just over a year after helping neighbors recover from the catastrophic 2025 Independence Day Floods, Notre Dame Catholic Church in Kerrville is once again trying to help the community rebuild, even as flood waters last week swept through its catholic school buildings. For Father Scott Janysek, the timing is almost unimaginable. It’s his second year as the head of the parish in Kerrville, and he’s already experienced two historical floods. “I’ve been here just starting my second year,” Janysek said. “I arrived here four days before the flood… and threw everything I planned out the window.”

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This year’s flooding looked different than last summer’s disaster. Instead of primarily affecting communities along the Guadalupe River, Janysek said intense rainfall overwhelmed Kerrville’s urban drainage system, sending water through neighborhoods that had never flooded before. “We had areas outside of our buildings up to 2 to 2.5 feet of water rushing through our campus,” he said. “All but three buildings across our property” took on floodwater, including classrooms, the gym, the parish’s adoration chapel and community spaces.” Teachers also lost classroom supplies they had purchased themselves. Photos, books, rugs and educational materials were scattered across campus after floodwaters receded, just weeks before students are scheduled to return for the new school year. The flooding also hit parishioners far harder than last year’s event. Janysek said many families who were never considered at risk now face rebuilding homes without flood insurance. “I’ve got a list of probably 30-plus people… that have lost everything,” he said. “They may not have had their homes washed away, but they had multiple feet of water in their homes.” Gov. Greg Abbott, who toured flood-damaged areas in Kerr, Kendall and Comal counties Monday, said local leaders and residents were better prepared for this year’s flooding because of lessons learned after last summer’s disaster.

National Stories

Trump says he will impose 50 percent tariffs on Canadian goods in 30 days

President Donald Trump announced Monday that he will impose 50 percent tariffs on most Canadian goods effective in 30 days unless Canada drops what the administration called “discriminatory” trade barriers against U.S. products. The move comes one day after Trump threatened to impose tariffs in retaliation for wildfires in Ontario that sent thick smoke pouring into the United States late last week. After watching Sunday’s World Cup final alongside Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Trump told reporters that the subject had come up. “Our air has been poisoned. Have a good relationship with Mark Carney, but you know we got to stop the fires up there. If we can help them, we’ll help them. But maybe they should pay us some damages or something, or we should do some tariffs,” the president said Sunday.

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On Monday, however, a senior administration official said the president’s latest tariff action was unrelated to his irritation over the wildfires. Instead, the official said, the president was acting in response to Canada’s retaliation for emergency tariffs Trump imposed in April 2025, when U.S. alcohol was removed from Canadian store shelves. The administration has also complained about Canadian limits on auto imports and dairy products. Monday’s action relies on a never-before-used provision of a 1930 trade law, which provides for tariffs of up to 50 percent against countries that discriminate against U.S. goods. The 30-day delay provides time for the two nations to resolve the dispute before tariffs take effect. If the tariffs do take effect, they will apply to most Canadian goods, including those that qualify for duty-free treatment under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement that Trump negotiated during his first term.

The man who runs the IRS spied on colleagues when he worked at JPMorgan

Frank Bisignano, the head of the Internal Revenue Service and Social Security Administration, sits atop two government organizations that store vast reams of sensitive financial data about every taxpayer. More than a decade ago, he was co-chief operating officer at JPMorgan Chase , another perch that gave him visibility and authority over every part of a massive financial institution. At the bank, people familiar with the matter said, he spied on fellow executives—using his authority over the security department and position to access sensitive information and internal communications without an apparent business justification.

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The executive directed his security staff to use software to snoop in the email of rival executives—including Charlie Scharf, JPMorgan’s then head of consumer banking who is now the CEO of Wells Fargo, some of the people said. One executive said he suspected the spying and put a code phrase in his email, which he said Bisignano repeated back to him. Bisignano also accessed a draft complaint from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission about a questioned derivatives trade that was a confidential document only seen by a few members of the legal department, some said. He also directed his staff to use software to surveil the work of employees, sometimes seeking to track keystrokes—which can show draft versions of written material—others said. The people said Bisignano’s goal was to keep a tight rein on employees and use the information to undermine his rivals as he expanded his responsibilities. No allegations are known to pertain to the improper access of customer information.

The FDA says it did not ‘officially apologize’ to Taylor Farms

Confusion swirled around the ongoing cyclosporiasis outbreak on Monday after the produce supplier linked to the illness pushed back against the Food and Drug Administration. FDA officials said in a press call on Monday that its investigation still points to Taylor Farms’ iceberg lettuce as the source of the outbreak, despite the company claiming the agency apologized to it for announcing a false positive result on a test for cyclospora in Taylor Farms’ lettuce. “We did not offer an official apology, but did explain factually the issues,” an FDA official said.

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Taylor Farms, a multinational produce behemoth, was implicated in the outbreak of the diarrhea-causing parasite after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention traced reports of illness back to Taylor Farms de Mexico lettuce served at Taco Bell locations in five states. The supplier put out a voluntary recall for iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico on Friday, including bagged salad mixes sold in grocery stores. Over the weekend, the FDA announced — and then retracted — the news that a sample of lettuce from Taylor Farms had tested positive for cyclospora. That test was a false positive, meaning the agency has not found any “confirmed positive sample results for product testing of Cyclospora,” the FDA said in a statement. Taylor Farms responded on social media late Sunday, saying the FDA had apologized to the company.

Trump administration sought phone records of Times journalists and their relatives

The Trump administration sought the phone records of several New York Times journalists and their relatives — including one reporter’s mother — in its effort to unmask the confidential sources who had provided information for articles about the security capabilities of President Trump’s new Air Force One jet. The Justice Department told The Times late last week that it had issued subpoenas to third-party phone service providers seeking several journalists’ phone and text messaging records. That effort was in addition to the subpoenas issued on July 10 that sought to compel reporters to testify before a federal grand jury. The government’s actions amount to an extraordinarily aggressive and unorthodox attempt by the Trump administration to unearth the confidential sources of independent journalists whose reporting had angered the president.

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The additional subpoenas — which also sought information about calls and messages on the phones of two of the reporters’ spouses — were described in a motion filed on Saturday by lawyers for The Times, which is seeking to quash the requests. The motion was unsealed on Monday morning by Judge Arun Subramanian of U.S. District Court in Manhattan. The White House referred an inquiry to the Justice Department. A spokeswoman for the department, Kiersten Pels, said in a statement: “Any subpoena issued by the Department of Justice is done so in full compliance with federal law and internal department policy.” A spokesman for The Times declined to comment beyond the motion filed by its lawyers. The government began a leak investigation into The Times’s coverage days after the news outlet reported earlier this month that federal officials harbored significant concerns about the security capabilities of Mr. Trump’s new, Qatari-donated Air Force One jet. Mr. Trump was enraged by that reporting, and the White House directed the F.B.I. director, Kash Patel, to oversee the investigation.

Who is Troy Jackson, Democrats' likely Maine Senate nominee?

Troy Jackson, a former Maine lawmaker and fifth-generation logger from the North Maine Woods, has emerged as the likely new replacement for the state’s Democratic Senate nominee after former candidate Graham Platner quit the high-stakes race less than two weeks ago. Platner’s departure followed a sexual assault allegation that he denied but forced his exit anyway. It sparked a wave of potential candidates eager to prove to Mainers that they could take on longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins. But by Sunday, the field had largely been cleared after Jackson supporters spent the weekend securing hundreds of delegates who promised to back him at the upcoming state convention.

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Under a never-before-used system to replace Platner, delegates will vote Saturday in Bangor on a new Senate nominee. Out of the 601 delegates who will gather this weekend, Jackson’s campaign says they have 481 delegates committed to supporting him. Top opponents — ranging from Secretary of State Shenna Bellows to Nirav Shah, former director of Maine’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention — have since dropped out, while Jackson announced Monday that he was focusing his attention on ousting Collins. “I’m grateful to Democrats across Maine for putting their faith in me and in what we’re fighting for,” Jackson said in a statement. “This didn’t happen because of one person. It happened because hundreds of volunteers put in the hours, knocked on doors, made phone calls, and believed we could build something bigger than ourselves.” Yet securing the nomination is only just the beginning of challenges facing Jackson.

Arizona primaries set the stage for contested fall races in a swing state

Arizona is the one state holding primaries Tuesday and offers a look at voter sentiment in a swing state, where Republicans narrowly outnumber independents and Democrats. The state went for President Trump in 2024 but elected a Democratic governor two years before that. Republicans will be trying to flip the governor's office this fall while Democrats hope to pick up a couple seats in the U.S. House, which could determine whether the party can wrest control from the GOP. Republicans hold the House by just a few seats and the party in the White House usually loses seats in the midterms. Some of the key races could come down to who has the support of President Trump or Turning Point USA, the conservative group founded by the late Charlie Kirk, who lived in Arizona.

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Arizona's First Congressional District is one of only 18 House seats in the country listed as a "toss up" in the Cook Political Report. In the Phoenix metro area, the district is currently represented by Republican Rep. David Schweikert but he opted to run for governor this election cycle. The frontrunners in the Democratic primary are former state lawmaker and emergency medicine physician Amish Shah and former broadcast journalist Marlene Galán-Woods It's a familiar matchup for Arizona voters. Two years ago, Shah beat Galán-Woods in the primary for the district and then Shah lost to Schweikert in the general election. Now, it's a new race. Both candidates say they have what it takes to appeal to independent and swing voters. Galán-Woods was a Republican until 2018 but now has the support of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in the primary. In the Republican primary for the First District, it's a battle between a candidate with President Trump's endorsement and another who was a state lawmaker in Arizona's right-wing Freedom Caucus.

Sen. Darline Graham running for full Senate term after being appointed to Lindsey Graham’s seat

Sen. Darline Graham announced that she will run for her late brother’s seat this November, after being appointed last week to serve out the rest of Lindsey Graham’s term. “I’ve made a decision. I’m in,” she said in an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News. Graham acknowledged the “tremendous amount of pressure” she’s felt to make up her mind quickly, with a filing deadline looming and President Donald Trump posting on Truth Social that he would like her to run for the seat. “I’ve been praying a lot, talking to my family, but with the love of my family, with the support of his staff — I know I’m a hard worker, I learned that from Lindsey,” she added. “He cared about the people of this state. I’ve worked for almost 30 years for the people of this state. I feel like I can do it. I feel an inner peace about it. Will it be difficult? Yes, absolutely.”

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Graham is the first woman to represent South Carolina in the Senate. She was appointed to the seat by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster to serve until January 2027. A special primary election will take place August 11 to determine who will next hold the seat for the upcoming six-year term. Multiple influential South Carolina Republicans told CNN the initial reports last week that Darline Graham planned to seek a full Senate term came as a surprise, as it was understood by them she would only complete the remainder of Lindsey Graham’s term. A source with knowledge of the matter said that at the time McMaster appointed her to serve the remainder of her late brother’s current term, he was not under the impression Darline Graham would run as a candidate in the special primary election for a full term. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said on Monday that he is not endorsing Darline Graham at this time but called her “strong candidate.” When asked by CNN why she is a strong candidate and what practical experience she brings to the job, Thune said: “She obviously carries on Lindsey’s legacy. But I think she’s a very accomplished person in her own right, and so you know she has a right, like anybody else, to get into that race.”

White House says new Air Force One will be out of service for a month for ‘upgrades’

President Trump’s new Air Force One, the Boeing luxury jet donated by Qatar, will be taken out of service for about one month this fall for “additional upgrades and enhancements,” the White House press secretary said on Monday. The details about the additional work on the plane came a day after Mr. Trump appeared to acknowledge that the plane required more features, telling reporters that it would soon be “maxed out.” The plane has come under scrutiny over whether it is fitted with sufficient defensive capabilities. “The new Air Force One is perfectly safe for the president’s travels, but will receive additional upgrades and enhancements in the fall which will take approximately one month to complete,” Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary, said in a statement. “During that time, the president will fly on the old Air Force One.”

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Ms. Leavitt did not specify what upgrades would be made to the plane. Mr. Trump flew the new aircraft earlier this month to the NATO summit in Turkey, but then changed planes when flying back. He used the old airplane to fly from Turkey to Britain, then switched to the Qatari jet again for the trip to the United States. The New York Times first reported that the change came at the request of the Secret Service, which raised concerns about the president flying on the new plane given the resumption of hostilities with Iran. The Times then reported that the new jet lacks the same defensive countermeasures as the older model, including antimissile capabilities. The coverage prompted a leak investigation; shortly after the stories published, the F.B.I. hand-delivered subpoenas to Times reporters to testify before a federal grand jury. The Trump administration has also sought the phone records of several Times journalists and their relatives in its effort to unmask the confidential sources who had provided information for articles about the security capabilities of the plane. Mr. Trump had long complained about the old Air Force One and has been frustrated by the yearslong delay in readying two brand-new jets that the government has commissioned from Boeing. The Qatari-donated jet, a roughly 14-year-old plane, went through a costly yet relatively rushed process before Mr. Trump first flew on it earlier this month. On Monday, the White House account on X referred to the planned upgrades as “planemaxxing,” internet slang for optimizing.

Copyright July 22, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved