December 16, 2025: All Newsclips

Lead Stories

Greg Abbott details plan to turn Harris County ‘dark red' in 2026

Gov. Greg Abbott is prepared to pour $25 million into his effort to turn Harris County — a Democratic stronghold he lost by 10 percentage points in 2022 — “dark red” as he seeks a record fourth term in office, according to details of the plan shared with Hearst Newspapers. As part of that, the Texas Republican is planning to target House Democrats there with messaging on crime, bail restrictions and property taxes, key planks of his reelection pitch. The governor recruited Republican candidates to run in every state House seat in the county, including some where the GOP has not had a candidate on the ballot in years. And he’s hired a consultant based in Houston to help coordinate their efforts. House District 135, an open seat being vacated by state Rep. Jon Rosenthal, who is running for Texas Railroad Commission; House District 137, held by state Rep. Gene Wu since 2013; House District 140, held by state Rep. Armando Walle since 2009; House District 143, held by state Rep. Ana Hernandez since 2005; House District 144, held by state Rep. Mary Ann Perez since 2017; House District 148, held by state Rep. Penny Morales Shaw since 2021; House District 149, held by state Rep. Hubert Vo since 2005.

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It is a lofty goal for the governor, who has not won the county since his first gubernatorial run in 2014. And it comes as Republicans are expected to be largely playing defense amid a midterm backlash against President Donald Trump, who drew just 46% of the vote in Harris County last year. “You want to rally your base, but to say they’re going to make Harris County ‘dark red’ — I think that’s a very ambitious plan,” said Renee Cross, senior director of the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston. “I honestly don’t see it.” But the investment from the governor’s campaign speaks to how serious it is taking the challenge. Abbott has about $90 million in his campaign account and is planning to spend more than a quarter of it in Harris County. “The effort is county-wide to impact every race,” said Dave Carney, Abbott’s longtime political adviser. “We plan to compete for every voter.” The push comes after Republicans made some gains in 2024. The 46% of the county vote Trump won last year was up from 43% in 2020 and 42% in 2016. The GOP, meanwhile, won 10 judicial seats last year, its strongest showing at the courthouse in a decade.

CEOs are learning to live with Trump’s turn to state capitalism

Last week Nvidia finally got permission to sell one its most advanced semiconductor chips to China. The catch: The federal government will take 25% of the revenue from those sales. The Nvidia deal says something important about the relationship between business and government under President Trump. His regular intrusions into the boardroom—taking equity stakes, revenue slices or a “golden share”; prodding companies to lower prices or sell drugs through a federal website—are a sort of state capitalism, in which the state doesn’t necessarily own companies, but uses its substantial leverage to steer their behavior. State capitalism is a two-way street. Many businesses, by aligning themselves with Trump’s agenda, elicit better treatment—in their ability to sell to China, the tariffs they pay, how they are regulated, and what mergers are allowed. In other words, state capitalism doesn’t just serve the interests of the state, but of favored capitalists.

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Nvidia is, in effect, paying for a license that used to be free, but it hasn’t objected. After all, it’s getting access to a lucrative market that would otherwise be off-limits. In August, shortly after Trump first proposed a 15% cut, chief executive Jensen Huang told an interviewer: “Whatever it takes to get it approved for us to be able to sell in China, is fine with us.” Whether this cozy relationship between the state and selected capitalists is good for the country is another question. State capitalism is neither socialism, in which the government owns the means of production, or laissez-faire capitalism. It’s more of a hybrid, variants of which have long been commonplace outside the U.S. Once popular in Japan and Western Europe, it remains prominent in China, Russia and other countries to varying degrees. In the U.S., taking stakes in companies or commandeering their production was once limited to wars or emergencies such as the financial crisis and Covid. Trump has made it standard practice. “I think we should take stakes in companies,” Trump told The Wall Street Journal last week. “Now, some people would say that doesn’t sound very American. Actually, I think it is very American.”

Texas AG turned to outside ‘fixing’ firm as office reeled

Days after a simmering office dispute involving his current and former deputies splashed into public view, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office hired an Austin firm that touted its expertise in “fixing sensitive problems.” Weisbart Springer Storm Hatchitt LLP’s June 30 contract called for it to advise on “development and compliance with OAG policies and procedures,” according to a copy of the agreement obtained by Bloomberg Law through a public records request. For the next two months, Paxton’s office paid it more than $25,000. Unlike seven other contracts Paxton’s office engaged in with outside counsel this year, the contract didn’t provide specific expectations, name an opposing party, or describe a dispute. The invoices show work on litigation that wasn’t laid out in the engagement, and the tasks are heavily redacted in invoices provided to Bloomberg Law.

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Paxton’s office didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment on the firm’s retention. Weisbart Springer didn’t respond to questions about the work it did. Weisbart Springer is a firm of 10 lawyers that specializes in complex litigation as well as sensitive problems, according to its website. Its attorneys “have successfully extricated individuals and companies from seemingly impossible situations, restored the status quo, and helped to allow individuals to move past traumatic business and personal chapters of their lives,” the site says. At the time of the engagement, Paxton’s office was dealing with two bombshell lawsuits involving high-ranking lawyers who were once aligned as members of his leadership team. One was a claim by former solicitor general Judd Stone that Paxton’s first assistant, Brent Webster, had slandered him. In the other, an executive assistant asserted she’d been harassed by Stone and former division head Christopher Hilton while the three of them prepared to defend Paxton in his 2023 impeachment trial in the Texas Senate. The lawsuit included an email from Webster that said he had been threatened by Stone to the point that he was considering security for his family based on comments Stone made. In their lawsuit, Stone and Hilton said Webster retaliated against them by feeding the email to the assistant to use in hers. Webster did this, they allege, because they launched a corruption investigation into him through a public records request to the AG’s office.

Former Austin Mayor Frank Cooksey, progressive champion, dies at 92

Former Austin Mayor Frank Cooksey, champion of civil rights and the environment, died early Monday morning, his daughter confirmed. He was 92. "We've lost one of the good guys," posted Judy Maggio Rosenfeld, a longtime broadcast reporter and founder of Judy Maggio Media. "Frank Cooksey truly cared about Austin, its people and its future." A student body president at the University of Texas during the 1950s, lawyer Cooksey rode to municipal office on a progressive political wave that began in the 1970s. Tall and smiling, he served as mayor from 1985 to 1988. "Frank Cooksey’s concerns were always about the well-being of his fellow citizens, all of them," said UT historian Tom Hatfield. "He was their advocate. He was serious about serious issues, like fairness and justice, clean water, adequate food, good housing and effective government. He was an exemplary product of the public schools of Austin."

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Cooksey was born June 3, 1933, in Ashland, Kentucky. He lived for seven years in Grayson, Kentucky, where his father owned and operated a department store. The family moved to Austin, where his mother's ancestors had settled since the 1840s. He attended Pease Elementary, University Junior High and Austin High School. He graduated in 1951. Cooksey attended both Baylor University and UT, where he graduated with a degree in psychology in 1955. After working on a master's in international relations, he attended the Union Theological Seminary in New York, then UT Law School, where he earned his law degree in 1962. In all phases, Cooksey joined and led social, scholarly and other clubs. He practiced law for 40 years. Among his postings were as a trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, an assistant U.S. attorney and special attorney general of Texas. He spent time in private practice in Austin, Houston and Washington, D.C. In 1988, he retired from active practice. That did not slow him down. Cooskey continued to lead legal initiatives at home and abroad.

State Stories

John Moritz: The lieutenant governor Texas didn’t elect — and didn’t fully honor

The flags over the Texas Capitol flew at full staff last week. That's only notable because former Lt. Gov. Bill Ratliff died Monday at 89, long after his 15-year career as an elected official, most of it as a state senator representing a rural East Texas district, had come to an end. It's not unusual for the Texas and American flags to be lowered to honor the passing of a prominent leader or to mark a tragedy that shocks the sensibilities of the state. Readers of a certain age and Texas political history junkies of average skill level and above will recall that Ratliff's two-year service as the 40th lieutenant governor came with an asterisk. Unlike the 39 before him and the two who followed, Ratliff was not elected in a statewide vote. Instead, he was chosen in a secret ballot of the Texas Senate to fill the vacancy left when then-Lt. Gov. Rick Perry ascended to the Governor's Mansion after George W. Bush was elected president.

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Ratliff's selection by his peers was hardly a fluke. He had served two teams as the powerful chairman of the budget-writing Senate Finance Committee and before that led the chamber's Education Committee, where it fell to him to craft a school finance system that would pass court muster and a divergent assortment of political agendas after the system existing at the time had failed in its constitutional obligation to provide an "adequate" education for each and every child enrolled in Texas' public schools. For that, Ratliff became known as "the father of Robin Hood," the nickname for his plan forcing districts with robust property tax bases to send a portion of their revenue to districts with fewer resources. But it was Ratliff's four years at the head of the Finance Committee that burnished his standing among his fellow senators. Having sway over billions of dollars in state spending is powerful and thankless at the same time. The money available to spend is finite; the demands for at least a share of it are not. That means the Finance Committee chair, in both rich times and lean, has to say "no" more often than "yes" to the endless parade of interest groups and to the very lawmakers the chair must ask to vote in favor of the budget.

Rep. Marc Veasey drops out of race for county judge

One week after filing, U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey of Fort Worth has stepped out of the race for Tarrant County judge. Instead, Veasey said in a statement he is going to remain “laser-focused” on representing Congressional District 33. “At a time when Donald Trump and his MAGA allies are escalating their assaults on our democracy, our rights, and the rule of law, I believe we cannot afford to retreat from the arenas where those fights are being waged most intensely,” Veasey said in the statement.

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That leaves Precinct 2 Commissioner Alisa Simmons and Fort Worth civic advocacy leader Millennium Anton C. Woods Jr. as the only two in the Democratic primary on March 3. Veasey was the last to join the race on the filing deadline, Dec. 8. Before his announcement, he had been expected to place a bid for Congressional District 30 or run for reelection in his freshly redistricted seat. Though the previous map would have been used in the 2026 elections due to a federal judge’s ruling in El Paso, the U.S. Supreme Court determined the redistricted map will be applied. The new map tips the scale toward Republicans in five districts, including Veasey’s. Pulling out of the race wasn’t an easy decision, Veasey said. “But, knowing you can win an election does not mean you should run a campaign,” he said.

Houston congressman, a celebrity in political circles, now fighting for his job

Sitting in his congressional office turned podcast studio with the curtains drawn, U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw ticked off his political enemies one after another: former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, conspiracy theorist Candace Owens and the former Navy Seal and podcaster Shawn Ryan. The list represents some of the most influential voices of the far right wing of the Republican party — the very people voters in his congressional district are paying attention to ahead of what is expected to be a tough primary in March. "They were lying about me, and I'm just not somebody who lets that go," Crenshaw explained. "You could say that's a bad strategy. But I will just not let people lie about me."

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Since coming to Washington in 2019, Crenshaw has risen to become one of the most recognizable members of Congress, with a reputation for candor and a penchant for calling out those with whom he disagrees. But after a damaging pair of disclosures last month, both involving drinking, the 41-year-old has again found himself under attack by far-right commentators and politicians with whom he has long clashed. The scrutiny comes as the Houston lawmaker is facing what could be his toughest primary yet. Redistricting meant to shore up Republicans’ strength in Congress may actually hurt Crenshaw, whose district has been sweeping further into deep red Montgomery County. He’s drawn a formidable primary challenger in state Rep. Steve Toth, the owner of a local pool cleaning company who has a reputation as one of the most conservative members of the Texas Legislature. Crenshaw, a former Navy Seal, brushes off criticism as part of the "outrage culture" he has long pilloried. But for those who know him, the recent incidents are reflective of a politician they describe as equal parts inspirational and frustrating. "If he doesn’t like you, he'll tell you and that gets him in trouble," said Christian Collins, a GOP political organizer in Texas who used to work for Crenshaw. "I feel like when you're that big, the adverse side effect is you're living in a fish bowl. Everyone is paying attention to everything you do. Everything he says goes viral."

Houston news icon Dave Ward's funeral set for this week and it's open to the public

Memorial services and multiple days of remembrance are set for Houston broadcasting legend Dave Ward. Ward, who spent more than five decades delivering the news to Houstonians, died Saturday at the age of 86. According to the Houston Chronicle, Ward died from pneumonia-related complications. Ward began his broadcast career at KTRK in 1966 as a reporter, moving into the anchor chair a year later. He would become one of Houston's most familiar news figures. Our thoughts, of course, are with his family and his colleagues. On Wednesday, Ward will lie in repose from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. at the Crime Stoppers of Houston Dave Ward Building, which is named after him. It's on Main Street. Then on Thursday, a public visitation is planned from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. and again from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Geo. H. Lewis & Sons Funeral Directors on Bering Drive. Dave Ward's funeral service is scheduled for noon Friday at St. Martin's Episcopal Church on Sage Road. It's open to the public.

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Camp Mystic wants lawsuits over July 4 flood moved out of Travis County

Attorneys for Camp Mystic, the Texas Hill Country retreat where 25 children and two counselors were killed in a flash flood on July 4, are trying to move four lawsuits against the camp from Travis County to Kerr County, where the victims died. A defense motion seeking a change of venue argues that Travis County is not the proper place for the legal fight because none of the events at issue occurred in that county and because the people being sued, as well as potential witnesses, live in Kerr County.

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"The case should ... be transferred to Kerr County for the convenience of the parties and, in particular, the third-party witnesses," Jeff Ray, Mikal Watts and other lawyers for Camp Mystic said in a motion filed Friday in state district court. "All relevant events in this lawsuit took place in Kerr County. Potential witnesses include camp staff members who reside in Kerr County and local Kerr County officials." Late Friday night, the Camp Mystic lawyers also filed their formal responses to the four lawsuits brought by families of campers and counselors who died in the July 4 deluge. In those documents, defense lawyers asserted that none of the cabins at Camp Mystic, a nearly 100-year-old Christian overnight camp for girls, had ever flooded before, and that the July 4 storm was "beyond a 1,000-year flood event, completely off the charts, and never anticipated." They also faulted government agencies for failing to install a flood warning system with sirens, despite "recommendations and proposals" for one, and they said Kerr County authorities did not issue an evacuation notice until 5:02 a.m. on July 4, "well after the sudden swell and surge of water had already engulfed the camp and lives were lost." In arguing for a change of venue, the defense attorneys said it might be necessary for jurors to visit the camp to "see and appreciate the layout of the property and its elevations and the extent of the flood’s damage."

Crockett: People who ‘regret’ voting for Trump are ‘absolutely welcome’ in her campaign

Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) said any voter, regardless of party affiliation, is welcome to support her campaign to be one of the Lone Star State’s senators. “I’m a Texan, and so at the end of the day, I think people are trying to say it has to be one [party] or the other, and I believe it has to be both. I think that we’re going to see frustration. We’re going to see people that are regretting that they voted for Trump. And those people are absolutely welcome in our campaign,” Crockett said during an interview on MS NOW on Saturday. “My attitude is we need to focus on what matters most to Texans. I can tell you that our farmers and ranchers, they’ve already been feeling the heat before Trump got in there, because the Republicans would not allow for a farm bill to be passed out of the House. He’s only exacerbated their problems. And that’s why there’s record numbers of bankruptcies that are being filed right now,” she continued.

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Crockett’s desire to garner voters from both sides comes after announcing her bid for the upper chamber last week, challenging Texas State Rep. James Talarico. He, like Crockett, is a rising star in the Democratic Party. Just before Crockett announced her run, former Rep. Colin Allred (D) dropped out of the Senate race in favor of running for a House seat. Talarico welcomed a bid against Crockett, saying that the Democratic movement is rooted in unity over division. Democratic strategist James Carville said Crockett’s bid broke the “first rule of politics” by making it about herself and not voters. “What wins elections is not sitting there talking incessantly about yourself. Winning elections is not about how many clicks you get or how much overnight fundraising you do. Winning elections is being part of framing issues and understanding where people come from,” he added. “There are a lot of people that said, ‘You got to stay in the House. We need our voice. We need you there.’ And I understand, but what we need is for me to have a bigger voice,” Crockett said at her campaign launch event.

Houston Black farmers lead fight for food justice

When it comes to fighting against food deserts and seeking food justice, Houston-area Black farmers are literally on the front lines. Food deserts are urban areas where affordable, good-quality fresh food is hard to find. In Houston, more than 500,000 residents live in food deserts, many in predominantly Black neighborhoods like Acres Homes and Third Ward. According to a Kinder Institute study, over half (53%) of Black households in Harris County experience food insecurity, and one in five Black residents lack easy access to fresh food.

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Some advocates reject the term food desert, preferring food apartheid—a phrase coined by activist Karen Washington to describe the racially and economically driven systems that determine who gets access to healthy food and who doesn’t. Whether one says “desert” or “apartheid,” Black people are catching the short end of the stick when it comes to food access and the illnesses that result. Though only 1.3% of Americans grow food for the rest, Black farmers are disproportionately few. They make up just 3% of all Texas farmers, yet Texas leads the nation with 11,741 Black producers—nearly a quarter of all Black farmers in the U.S. “For me, food justice is about people knowing where their food comes from, being able to see a farmer who looks like them, and having equitable access to fresh food,” said DeShaun Taylor, a licensed midwife who co-owns Taylor Made Farms with her husband, Jazzyyy. “We shouldn’t have to drive from Acres Homes to The Woodlands for a tomato. That’s injustice.”

Katy Murray, DallasNews executive who laid groundwork for milestone Hearst deal, departing after merger

By late spring, acquisition discussions between executives at DallasNews Corporation — the former holding company of The Dallas Morning News and the creative marketing agency Medium Giant — and the global media corporation Hearst Corporation had progressed enough that the North Texas company was ready to open up its financial architecture. But the talks remained highly sensitive. So instead of directing an entire team to take on the financial transparency job, as public companies typically do, Katy Murray, the company’s president and longtime CFO, decided to take on the job herself. She spent months compiling reams of highly detailed company records — everything from historical HR files and subscription records to legal liabilities — in a secure electronic data room.

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“It is unheard of that a single executive populates a data room, but it shows you she can do the work of eight people,” said Dallas Morning News publisher and president Grant Moise. “She just said, ‘Let me carry the burden. I’ll carry the work and I’ll carry the emotional burden’ … I mean, that’s pretty rare.” In late September, the deal to sell DallasNews Corporation to Hearst was finalized after shareholders approved a purchase agreement that valued the North Texas company at around $88 million. It was a transaction with major implications for Texas media: The sale — the first in the 140-year history of The News — was conceived to preserve the newspaper’s longtime health in an increasingly challenging era for American print media, and effectively represents a new era for one of the country’s most storied news organizations. The sale also led to a new chapter for Murray, who has held top executive roles at DallasNews Corporation and its predecessor company A. H. Belo Corporation for the past decade. Under the new ownership structure, several local executive roles, including Murray’s position as president, are being eliminated, and a significant portion of The News’ back office responsibilities are moving to Hearst’s headquarters in New York.

Dallas County adult probation director out of role amid state audit

Dallas County adult probation director Arnold Patrick “has transitioned out of his role” leading the department, according to an email his deputy sent to employees Friday. The criminal district and county court judges who oversee the Community Supervision and Corrections Department director declined to comment on the nature of Patrick’s departure. Christina O’Neil, chief counsel for the judiciary, told The Dallas Morning News matters involving employees “are confidential and not subject to public dissemination.” But Patrick’s departure comes as the department remains under a state investigation prompted by reporting from The News in October that uncovered how Patrick paid his state advocacy association colleague $45,100 in a contract to vet vendors despite the consultant acknowledging in an email he did not complete the work. The audit by the Texas Board of Criminal Justice’s Office of Internal Auditor is still in process, according to director of communications Amanda Hernandez.

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Patrick did not respond to a phone call or text message seeking comment. Marta Kang, deputy director of the adult probation department, is serving as acting director, according to the email she sent employees Friday. “Please know that my focus will remain on collaboration, communication and ensuring we have what we need to succeed,” Kang wrote. In January 2023, Patrick hired Austin-area lobbyist Eric Knustrom to screen and handle vendors doing business with the probation department while the two were also working together in a state advocacy association they created the year prior, emails obtained by The News show. During the year of Knustrom’s contract with the probation department, he missed deadlines and did not perform core duties of the agreement, according to his December 2023 termination letter. Knustrom failed to review vendor applications, provide status updates or share outcomes of client complaints, the letter states. Records show the probation department issued Knustrom five checks totaling $45,100 in 2023. By early 2024, Knustrom had cashed only $12,300 worth of the checks. In May 2024, five months after his contract ended, Patrick asked Knustrom if he was going to redeem the outstanding payments, emails show. Knustrom responded by acknowledging he did not perform all the work he was contracted to do and needed to make up for it.

Joe Ely, Texas music legend, dead at 78

Joe Ely, a titanic figure in Texas music, has died. He was 78. Ely, who bridged the worlds of country and rock and served as a key figurehead in the rise of Austin as a creative focal point in the 1970s, died at his home in Taos, N.M., from complications of Lewy body dementia, Parkinson’s disease and pneumonia, according to his long-time publicist Lance Cowan. Ely is survived by his wife Sharon and his daughter Marie. Details about any memorial service were not immediately available.

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“Joe Ely performed American roots music with the fervor of a true believe who knew music could transport souls,” said Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, in a statement to Variety. “His distinctive musical style could only have emerged from Texas, with its southwestern blend of honky-tonk, rock and roll, roadhouse blues, Western swing and conjunto.” Born in Amarillo in 1947, Ely lived briefly in Fort Worth during his childhood, before settling in Lubbock. It was there, in 1971, where Ely formed The Flatlanders, alongside Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock. Ely eventually relocated to Austin, and signed with MCA Records, which released his solo, self-titled debut in 1977, and would remain his major label home for 20 years. Ely’s colorful life and career found him crossing paths with everyone from The Clash (Ely famously found himself in England while the influential band was recording its classic London Calling LP) and Stevie Ray Vaughan, to ZZ Top and Linda Ronstadt. In 1999, Ely won a Grammy as part of the supergroup Los Super Seven.

The state is making a list of transgender Texans. It’s using driver's licenses to help.

The state of Texas has continued collecting information on transgender drivers seeking to change the sex listed on their licenses, creating a list of more than 100 people in one year. According to internal documents The Texas Newsroom obtained through records requests, the Texas Department of Public Safety has amassed a list of 110 people who tried to update their gender between August 2024 and August 2025. Employees with driver’s license offices across the state, from El Paso to Paris to Plano, reported the names and license numbers of these people to a special agency email account. Identifying information was redacted from the records released to The Texas Newsroom. The data was collected after Texas stopped allowing drivers to update the gender on their licenses unless it was to fix a clerical error. It is unclear what the state is doing with this information.

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An agency spokesperson did not respond to questions about why the list was created and whether it was shared with any other agencies or state officials. The Texas Newsroom filed records requests in an attempt to find the answers but did not receive any additional information that sheds light on what the state may be doing with these names. In recent years, GOP lawmakers have passed multiple laws restricting the rights of transgender Texans, including two new measures that went into effect this year. One defines “male” and “female” on state documents as being based on a person’s reproductive system. The other, known as the "bathroom bill," bars governments from allowing people to use a restroom at public buildings, parks or libraries that do not match their sex at birth. While it’s unclear how the state plans to enforce the bathroom bill, transgender activist Ry Vazquez told KUT News she was asked to show her ID before using a restroom in the state Capitol earlier this month. Vazquez said she and three other people were then cited with criminal trespassing and banned from the building for a year. Landon Richie, the policy coordinator with the Transgender Education Network of Texas, is concerned that the list the state is keeping will be used to pass more state laws targeting the rights of transgender Texans.

Spurs great David Robinson sues business partner, alleges he committed fraud

San Antonio Spurs legend David Robinson alleges his longtime business partner in private-equity firm Admiral Capital Group LLC has misappropriated millions of dollars. Robinson, Admiral Capital and two affiliated firms are suing New York investment banker Daniel Bassichis, accusing him of fraud, conversion and civil conspiracy, among other claims. They seek more than $34 million in damages. They also want all “traceable profits, earnings, and appreciation” on $18 million they allege was diverted to Bassichis’ Vero Capital GP LLC and a related investment fund, as well as unspecified punitive damages. The lawsuit was filed Friday in the 4th Business Court Division in San Antonio. Bassichis has not yet been served with the complaint.

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Robinson started Admiral Capital with Bassichis, a former Goldman Sachs banker, in 2008. Robinson was known as “the Admiral” during his basketball career because he graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy. He played with the Spurs from 1989 to 2003 and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009. Robinson owns 51% of Admiral Capital, while Bassichis owns the rest, according to the suit. Admiral Capital also is listed as the managing member of Admiral Columbus LLC, which holds a portfolio of real estate assets. Bassichis provided an emailed statement in response to the lawsuit. “David and I have known each other for twenty-three years and have shared a long and successful business relationship,” Bassichis said Monday. “In 2022, David stepped down from the business, and I continued as managing partner, overseeing the existing assets and working to grow the business in the best interests of our investors. We are proud of our track record and accomplishments. My team remains extraordinarily dedicated to doing what is best for our investors. “While disputes between partners unfortunately arise, this matter is an isolated business disagreement regarding the wind-down of several assets and related issues, and I am confident it will be resolved quickly,” Bassichis added.

Collin County committee finding it difficult to say what comes after leaving DART

Last week, Alex Wolford wrote about the growing number of suburban DART member cities who are talking about walking away from the transit agency. You should read his deep dive because it’s going to make you smarter, and everyone should take advantage of opportunities to knock a few wrinkles in any smooth patches in the old grey matter. In Alex’s piece, he writes about the Collin County Connects Committee, also known as the C4 committee. It’s the brainchild of the Plano City Council and is tasked with developing whatever comes after leaving DART, provided voters agree in May that the city should. “Our Collin County Connects Committee will be working on an intra-city transportation program that would include senior transit, paratransit, and additional transit for those interested in using the system,” explains Plano City Councilmember Steve Lavine.

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The committee met last week, and the Dallas Area Transit Alliance wrote about it. Guys, I don’t think it went well, because the post starts: “Dallas Area Transit Alliance (DATA) commends the efforts of the Collin County Connects Committee to forge a path forward despite numerous roadblocks and a lack of information. The disarray and confusion during the committee proceedings demonstrates what transit riders have known from the beginning: Plano has no realistic plan to replace DART, and attempting to do so would harm thousands who rely on dependable regional transportation every day.” The committee was slated to select and recommend a vendor to provide microtransit options to the city. Instead, the majority decided not to recommend any vendor and urged the city not to move forward with the withdrawal from DART.

Reports: Arch Manning returning to Texas for 2026 season

Looks like Arch Manning isn’t done in Austin yet. The Longhorns’ highly-touted quarterback will return to Texas for 2026, according to reports from ESPN and Horns247’s Chip Brown. Manning was eligible to enter the draft after this season, but as a redshirt sophomore he still has two years of college eligibility remaining. Manning’s father, Cooper, told ESPN that “Arch is playing football at Texas next year,” on Monday night. Team officials also told ESPN that the expectation was for Manning to return in 2026. Manning, who entered the 2025 season as the Heisman favorite, had an up-and-down year in his first season as Texas’ starting quarterback. The redshirt sophomore finished the regular season with 2,942 yards and 24 touchdowns passing to go with 7 interceptions. He added 244 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground.

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Once considered among the favorites to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft, Manning’s stock took a hit as he struggled early in the season. His difficulties were especially apparent in a shocking upset loss to Florida when he threw 2 interceptions and took six sacks while completing just 55.2% of his passes. His play improved in the tail end of the season and he closed with several strong performances, leading his team to wins over Vanderbilt and Texas A&M while passing for 1,493 yards and 12 touchdowns with two interceptions while rushing for three more scores. One of those was a highlight-reel 35-yard touchdown against the rival Aggies. Now it appears Manning will be suiting up for the Citrus Bowl against Michigan on Dec. 31 as a precursor to his next season in burnt orange.

City Stories

Former San Antonio City Council staffer arrested for threats toward District 9 office, affidavit says

A staff member for a San Antonio City Council district office has been arrested on a terroristic threat charge, according to an email obtained by KSAT from City Manager Erik Walsh to Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones and the city council. Bryan Naylor was arrested Monday, Bexar County court records show. Naylor, who was employed by District 8 Councilwoman Ivalis Meza Gonzalez, allegedly wrote a threatening note toward District 9 Councilwoman Misty Spears’ office. Walsh said Naylor was previously employed by the District 9 office. A District 9 staff member was conducting a routine equipment inventory on Dec. 11 when they found a “threatening note affixed under a desk,” Walsh’s email stated. An arrest affidavit for Naylor states the desk belonged to the City Council District 9 chief of staff. The note allegedly included a picture of Naylor with the message, “Die Fascist.”

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Walsh said the situation was immediately reported. Spears closed the field office “until a panic button can be installed,” according to the affidavit. According to the affidavit, a staffer reported other staff members “who are all concerned about the note due to previous issues between the old staff and current staff to include extreme animosity directed toward incoming staff by the exiting staff.” The animosity allegedly included leaving the office in disarray, damaging walls and missing equipment. According to the affidavit, the incoming staff also found “life like” replicas of a rat, snake and cockroaches hidden around the office. The staffer reported she was “fearful for herself, all of the staff in the office and the Councilwoman,” the affidavit states, and that Spears and her husband requested police patrols at their home. San Antonio police contacted Naylor at his residence, where he admitted to creating the note. He also admitted to hiding the replicas around the office before to his departure from District 9 and before being hired by the District 8 office, according to the email and affidavit.

National Stories

Reiners’ son arrested in deaths of his parents

A son of the director Rob Reiner who is being held in his parents’ murders argued with his father at a holiday party the night before the couple’s bodies were discovered on Sunday, according to a person who attended the gathering. The attendee, who asked not to be named to maintain relationships, did not speak to the Reiners at the party and said that it was unclear what the argument was about. The son, Nick Reiner, 32, was arrested on Sunday night and being held in a Los Angeles County jail without bail, the police said. The police said Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead in their home in the upscale Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon. Two people who were briefed on the case but not authorized to speak publicly said they had been stabbed to death.

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Police officials said the case would be presented on Tuesday to the Los Angeles County District Attorney as the office considered charges. Based on a timeline laid out by the authorities, it appeared that prosecutors would have until the end of Wednesday to file charges. Rob Reiner, 78, was a popular sitcom actor before directing a slate of beloved films, including “This Is Spinal Tap,” “When Harry Met Sally …” and “The Princess Bride.” He went on to become a force in California and national Democratic politics, championing gay marriage and other causes. Ms. Reiner, 70, was a photographer and later a producer. Nick Reiner had spoken over the years about his struggles with drug abuse and bouts of homelessness beginning with his teenage years. He worked with his father on a movie, “Being Charlie,” that was loosely inspired by his early life. In part because of that history, the police focused almost immediately on him, according to a person who was briefed by the authorities and spoke on condition of anonymity for lack of authority to speak publicly on the investigation. On Monday afternoon, a private security company was guarding the Reiners’ property, whose entry and driveway gates were adorned with “no trespassing” signs.

James Woods shares why he stayed friends with Rob Reiner despite political differences

Outspoken conservative actor James Woods on Monday opened up about why he remained friends with Rob Reiner despite his political views following the stabbing deaths of the director and his wife Michele. “When people say horrible things about Rob right now, I find it, quite frankly, infuriating and distasteful,” said Woods in a Fox News appearance. Woods told host Jesse Watters that Reiner “literally saved” his career by rallying behind him to join the cast of “Ghosts of Mississippi,” the director’s 1996 film on the trial of white supremacist Byron De La Beckwith, who murdered civil rights leader Medgar Evers in 1963.

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Woods, who starred as De La Beckwith, went on to earn an Oscar nomination for his supporting role and remained friends with Reiner, a staunch liberal and political activist who championed progressive causes. He recalled people seeing the two laugh and kidding each other at parties, interactions they later asked him about considering their political differences. “I would say, ‘I think Rob Reiner is a great patriot. Do I agree with some of many of his ideas on how that patriotism should be enacted to celebrate the America that we both love? No. But he doesn’t agree with me either but he also respects my patriotism,’” Woods explained. “We had a different path to the same destination which was a country we both love.' And when people would say terrible things to me on social media about him, I said, ‘You got it all wrong.’” The actor’s comments arrive after President Donald Trump’s widely criticized post tying Reiner’s death to “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” a take he later doubled down on. A number of critics have since pointed out Trump’s hypocrisy, citing his and the GOP’s criticism of those who made light of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination in September.

States will keep pushing AI laws despite Trump’s efforts to stop them

State lawmakers of both parties said they plan to keep passing laws regulating artificial intelligence despite President Donald Trump’s efforts to stop them. Trump signed an executive order Thursday evening that aims to override state artificial intelligence laws. He said his administration must work with Congress to develop a national AI policy, but that in the meantime, it will crack down on state laws. The order comes after several other Trump administration efforts to rein in state AI laws and loosen restrictions for developers and technology companies. But despite those moves, state lawmakers are continuing to prefile legislation related to artificial intelligence in preparation for their 2026 legislative sessions. Opponents are also skeptical about — and likely to sue over — Trump’s proposed national framework and his ability to restrict states from passing legislation.

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“I agree on not overregulating, but I don’t believe the federal government has the right to take away my right to protect my constituents if there’s an issue with AI,” said South Carolina Republican state Rep. Brandon Guffey, who penned a letter to Congress opposing legislation that would curtail state AI laws. The letter, signed by 280 state lawmakers from across the country, shows that state legislators from both parties want to retain their ability to craft their own AI legislation, said South Dakota Democratic state Sen. Liz Larson, who co-wrote the letter. Earlier this year, South Dakota Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden signed the state’s first artificial intelligence law, authored by Larson, prohibiting the use of a deepfake — a digitally altered photo or video that can make someone appear to be doing just about anything — to influence an election. South Dakota and other states with more comprehensive AI laws, such as California and Colorado, would see their efforts overruled by Trump’s order, Larson said. “To take away all of this work in a heartbeat and then prevent states from learning those lessons, without providing any alternative framework at the federal level, is just irresponsible,” she said. “It takes power away from the states.”

White Christian clergy running for Congress as Democrats face skeptics in their own party

The Rev. Sarah Trone Garriott, a Lutheran minister and Democratic state senator in Iowa, has beaten Republican candidates in three state senate races going back to 2020. Next fall, she hopes to unseat GOP Congressman Zach Nunn in national midterm elections, too. Garriott said she is motivated by the needs she sees in her district, but also a desire to reclaim what it means to be a follower of Jesus in politics. “Faith has something to say to politics. And what we are seeing labeled as the faith perspective is not faithful to me,” Garriott said. “It does not reflect the teachings in the Scriptures that I read. It does not reflect my values. This is a really important moment for people of faith to be engaged in the public realm.”

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When she first ran for state office, Garriott was something of a rarity as a white clergy person seeking office as a Democrat. She will be more rare if she wins next November: Since the 1970s, only three white clergy have been elected as Democrats, two of them Catholic priests: The Revs. Robert Drinan, who represented Massachusetts from 1971-81, and Robert John Cornell (Wisconsin, 1975-79). Bob Edgar, a United Methodist minister, represented Pennsylvania from 1975 to 1987. Since then, all white ordained members of Congress have been Republicans. Of the five ordained members of Congress now in office, two are Democrats, and both are Black: Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock, lead pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was pastor, and Emanuel Cleaver, a United Methodist minister, a congressman representing Missouri. But this year at least six white clergy and one seminarian — some from evangelical Christian backgrounds and others from mainline Protestant denominations — have declared to run as Democrats in 2026. Another 20 ministers — many of whom are white Democrats — are seriously considering running for various state or local seats, said Doug Pagitt, executive director of Vote Common Good, a nonprofit that seeks to engage religious voters. The jump reflects a sense of alarm among progressive pastors, who aim to counter President Trump’s agenda and the spread of Christian nationalism, Pagitt and several of the pastors said.

Trump files $10 billion suit against BBC over documentary

President Trump sued the BBC for $10 billion on Monday evening over the editing in a documentary that the British broadcaster said had left the “mistaken impression” that he called for violent action before the storming of the U.S. Capitol. In a 46-page lawsuit filed in federal court in Miami, Mr. Trump accused the BBC of defaming him and violating Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. He demanded $5 billion for each offense. In a statement, the president’s legal team said that the lawsuit was designed to hold the British network accountable for what it described as wrongdoing. “The formerly respected and now disgraced BBC defamed President Trump by intentionally, maliciously and deceptively doctoring his speech in a brazen attempt to interfere in the 2024 presidential election,” the statement said.

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The BBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Mr. Trump said last month that he planned to file a $1 billion suit against the BBC for its 2024 documentary, “Trump: A Second Chance?” He later told reporters on Air Force One that he planned to sue for as much as $5 billion. “I think I have to do it,” he said at the time. “They have even admitted that they cheated.” The BBC documentary was broadcast before last year’s presidential election on the network’s flagship “Panorama” program. It received little notice until recently, when The Daily Telegraph, a leading Tory-aligned London newspaper, reported last month that an internal review at the BBC had criticized the way the program was edited. In the documentary, Mr. Trump is shown speaking to the crowd on the Washington Mall on Jan. 6, 2021. The network spliced two clips of the president speaking about 50 minutes apart, leaving the impression that he was urging people to participate in the riot that later broke out at the Capitol. Mr. Trump’s lawsuit cited the internal review at the BBC, which concluded that there had been “a string of incidents that demonstrate serious bias in the corporation’s reporting.”

US military says strikes on 3 boats in the eastern Pacific Ocean kill 8 people

The U.S. military said Monday that it attacked three boats accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing a total of eight people as scrutiny over the boat strikes is intensifying in Congress. The military said in a statement on social media that the strikes targeted “designated terrorist organizations,” killing three people in the first vessel, two in the second boat and three in the third boat. It didn’t provide evidence of their alleged drug trafficking but posted a video of a boat moving through water before exploding. President Donald Trump has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States and asserted the U.S. is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels.

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But the Trump administration is facing increasing scrutiny from lawmakers over the boat strike campaign, which has killed at least 95 people in 25 known strikes since early September, including a follow-up strike that killed two survivors clinging to the wreckage of a boat after the first hit. The latest boat strikes come on the eve of briefings on Capitol Hill for all members of Congress as questions mount over the Trump administration’s military campaign. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other top national security officials are expected to provide closed-door briefings for lawmakers in the House and Senate. The campaign has ramped up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who has been charged with narcoterrorism in the U.S. In a sharp escalation last week, U.S. forces seized a sanctioned oil tanker that the Trump administration has accused of smuggling illicit crude. Maduro has insisted the real purpose of the U.S. military operations is to force him from office. The U.S. military has built up its largest presence in the region in decades and launched a series of deadly strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean. Trump says land attacks are coming soon but has not offered any details on location.

An ever-larger share of ICE’s arrested immigrants have no criminal record

Immigration arrests under the Trump administration continued to increase through mid-October, reaching rates of more than 30,000 a month. But, rather than the convicted criminals the administration has said it’s focused on, an ever-larger share of those arrests were for solely immigration violations. In 45 states, immigration arrests more than doubled compared with the same period last year, during the Biden administration. The largest increases: There were 1,190 arrests in the District of Columbia compared with just seven last year under the Biden administration. Arrests were also more than five times higher in New Mexico, Idaho, Oregon and Virginia. “The result stands in contrast to the administration’s objective of arresting the ‘worst of the worst,’” said Ariel Ruiz Soto, a senior policy analyst at the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute. Heightened enforcement is likely increasing “collateral” arrests of people found during searches for convicted criminals, he said.

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Comparisons between the Trump and Biden administrations were calculated by Stateline in an analysis of data released by the Deportation Data Project, a research initiative by the universities of California at Berkeley and Los Angeles. About 93% of arrests could be identified by state. While more people were arrested this year, a lower percentage are convicted criminals. The share of arrested immigrants who had been convicted of violent crimes has dropped from 9% in January to less than 5% in October. The share under Biden was consistently between 10% and 11% during the same period in 2024. The same trend applies to people arrested solely on immigration violations: Immigration violations alone were behind 20% in April, then rose to 44% of arrests in October, according to Stateline’s analysis. In some states and the District of Columbia, a majority of arrests were for immigration violations alone: the District of Columbia (80%), New York (61%), Virginia (57%), Illinois (53%), West Virginia (51%) and Maryland (50%).

The Bondi Beach gunmen were a father and son driven by Islamic State ideology, Australian leader says.

The father and son duo suspected of carrying out a massacre at Sydney’s famed Bondi Beach on Sunday were “driven by Islamic state ideology,” police say, as Philippines authorities confirmed the pair recently traveled to a part of that country which has long been a hotbed of extremism. The two men are 50-year-old Sajid Akram, who was killed exchanging gunfire with police; and his 24-year-old son Naveed Akram, who is in custody at the hospital and is expected to face significant charges. Australian counterterrorism official believe the pair underwent military-style training while in the southern Philippines last month, public broadcaster ABC reported on Tuesday.

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Two homemade Islamic State flags were found in a vehicle registered to the younger suspect, who was previously assessed by the country’s domestic security agency and deemed not to be a threat, police said. Authorities say the gunmen targeted Jewish Australians celebrating the first night of the festival Hanukkah. The attack, which killed 15 people, is in the country’s worst mass shooting in almost 30 years. There is currently no evidence to suggest there were any more individuals involved, police said. The shooting appears to have been inspired by extremist “Islamic State ideology,” according to Australian leader Anthony Albanese. New South Wales police said on Tuesday that the vehicle registered to the younger suspect contained improvised explosive devices – and two homemade ISIS flags. Albanese said the evidence of the flags showed that the “radical perversion of Islam is absolutely a problem” both in the country and around the globe. Authorities believe the two men “weren’t part of a wider cell,” helping them to evade detection, Albanese told public broadcaster ABC. But the younger suspect was previously known to federal security services. The son was investigated for six months by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) in 2019 “because of his connections with two people who subsequently … went to jail,” Albanese said. But that investigation concluded there was “no evidence” he had been radicalized.

Trump administration says White House ballroom construction is a matter of national security

The Trump administration said in a court filing Monday that the president’s White House ballroom construction project must continue for unexplained national security reasons and because a preservationists’ organization that wants it stopped has no standing to sue. The filing was in response to a lawsuit filed last Friday by the National Trust for Historic Preservation asking a federal judge to halt President Donald Trump’s project until it goes through multiple independent reviews and a public comment period and wins approval from Congress. The administration’s 36-page filing included a declaration from Matthew C. Quinn, deputy director of the U.S. Secret Service, the agency responsible for the security of the president and other high-ranking officials, that said more work on the site of the former White House East Wing is still needed to meet the agency’s “safety and security requirements.”

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The filing did not explain the specific national security concerns; the administration has offered to share classified details with the judge in a private, in-person setting without the plaintiffs present. The East Wing had sat atop a emergency operations bunker for the president. Quinn said even a temporary halt to construction would “consequently hamper” the agency’s ability to fulfill its statutory obligations and its protective mission. A hearing in the case was scheduled for Tuesday in federal court in Washington. The government’s response offered the most comprehensive look yet at the ballroom construction project, including a window into how it was so swiftly approved by the Trump administration bureaucracy and its expanding scope. The filings assert that final plans for the ballroom have yet to be finalized despite the continuing demolition and other work to prepare the site for eventual construction. Below-ground work on the site continues, wrote John Stanwich, the National Park Service’s liaison to the White House, and work on the foundations is set to begin in January. Above-ground construction “is not anticipated to begin until April 2026, at the earliest,” he wrote. The National Trust for Historic Preservation did not respond to email messages seeking comment. The privately funded group last week asked the U.S. District Court to block Trump’s project. “No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever — not President Trump, not President Biden, and not anyone else,” the lawsuit states. “And no president is legally allowed to construct a ballroom on public property without giving the public the opportunity to weigh in.”

Copyright December 16, 2025, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved