September 4, 2026: All Newsclips

Lead Stories

Trump endorses Ken Paxton while also trashing his clothes, looks and TV presence

President Donald Trump went to bat for fellow Republican Ken Paxton on Wednesday, but not before taking a few vicious swings at the U.S. Senate candidate’s clothes, appearance and TV presence. Trump’s backhanded compliment, if you can even call it that, came during a meeting with GOP congressional candidates in Washington, D.C. Although Paxton wasn’t there, the Texas attorney general and his turbulent Senate campaign appeared to be on Trump’s mind. “Ken Paxton, you might not like the way he dresses,” Trump said. “And I say this, it’s so insulting to him, but I might as well say it. You might not … like the way he looks. You might not love his look. You might not love his television interviews. But he was the best attorney general in the country. He was one of the best in the entire country. And that speaks a lot louder than the suit he’s wearing that doesn’t look so great.”

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Trump’s not the only one who’s taken aim at Paxton’s choice of attire lately. Last week, Paxton’s Democratic opponent, state Rep. James Talarico, mocked him for flashing a $41,600 Hublot watch, an ill-fitting golf polo from the Four Seasons Orlando and shoes that appeared a couple of sizes too big during a San Antonio block walk. “Nothing says you understand the affordability crisis like wearing a $41,000 watch and a Four Seasons polo,” Talarico tweeted in response to clips of Paxton in his finery. Trump’s lukewarm praise for scandal-tarred Paxton comes as Republican operatives, including former Bush administration senior advisor Karl Rove, raise alarms about the possibility of a Talarico victory, which would give Dems their first statewide win in Texas since 1994. “[Paxton] was in Washington the week before the Fourth of July, on that weekend. No fundraiser that I can find,” Rove told Fox News on Wednesday. “And then on Tuesday, he was seen leaving for Iceland with his latest girlfriend, and then the two of them spent the Fourth of July celebrating in London, England … . If he wanted to go to London, he should have gone to London, Texas.” Rove continued: “If the president wants to have Paxton win, he needs to be tossing a lot of money Paxton’s way.” To that point, Talarico has out-fundraised Paxton 3-to-1, their latest campaign finance reports show. t Although Trump has said he’ll help pour millions into Paxton’s campaign, that pledge has yet to materialize. At the same time, Team Talarico has been spending freely on TV ads, last week dropping its first attack ad against Paxton. RealClearPolitics’ average polling shows Talarico leading Paxton by 2.4 points with just two months before the Nov. 3 election.

Energy jobs fell in almost every sector last year

The energy industry’s workforce shrank last year. The energy sector lost roughly 86,000 workers — roughly 1% of its workforce — between 2024 and 2025, according to an annual report from the Department of Energy. The losses came from almost every part of the energy industry, the United States Energy and Employment Report said, amid increased automation and the Trump administration’s push away from green energy. Only the transmission, distribution and storage parts of the energy sector saw job growth in 2025, a trend DOE officials attributed to the expansion of data centers, growth in manufacturing and industrial activity and the increased adoption of electric vehicles and heat pumps. Enrollment in apprenticeship programs also increased.

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The Trump administration’s efforts to increase coal- and nuclear-power generation led to employment bumps, with each of those industries adding about 2,500 workers. But as a whole, the power-generation sector lost about 15,000 workers from 2024 to 2025. Most of those losses were in the solar industry, with additional job losses in wind and hydroelectric power. Jobs in petroleum and natural gas also declined in 2025, dropping by 3% and 4%, respectively. Energy officials said that reflected a shift toward a “smaller, higher-paid workforce.” “Industry sources also point out the role of AI, automation, and digital technologies in improving operational efficiencies and reducing labor requirements,” the report said. About 50,000 jobs disappeared from the motor-vehicle industry in 2025, but wages in that sector also increased. Energy Department officials said “output-per-worker” increased over that time, too. The report found that higher-wage occupations added workers in 2025, while lower-wage occupations declined. The median salary in the energy sector in 2025 was $63,000, higher than the national median of $51,000. Across several energy industry sectors, employers reported having difficulty hiring workers and concerns about a lack of people available for technical positions like electric work or construction. Despite the drop in employment, the Energy Department report projected that demand for workers in the energy sector would increase as electricity demand rises and data centers expand.

House GOP leadership cancels two weeks of votes ahead of the midterms

House Republican leadership canceled the last two weeks of September votes on Thursday, meaning that after members depart the Capitol later this month they will not return until after the November midterm election. “This is a change from House GOP leadership’s previously announced schedule,” Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Massachusetts) wrote in an update. House lawmakers are now set to leave Washington on Sept. 17 rather than Oct. 1 for their break before the midterm elections. The official House legislative calendar, maintained by House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana), shows that the House was supposed to be in session the week of Sept. 21 and Sept. 28.

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When House lawmakers came back to Washington earlier this week after a monthlong August recess, they quickly passed a stopgap measure to keep federal agencies funded until mid-December. The funding bill averts the threat of a government shutdown ahead of the midterm elections. House Speaker Mike Johnson has frequently touted the 119th Congress as “one of the most productive Congresses in the history of the institution.” But last year under Johnson’s speakership, Congress set a 21st-century record for casting the least amount of votes, according to The Washington Post. The 362 votes the chamber held was half as many votes as in 2017, which was the first year of President Donald Trump’s first term in office with a Republican majority. With only a few months left of the year and more canceled in-session weeks on the horizon, the House has held less than 300 votes in 2026.

Texas comptroller asks to double school voucher funding to $2B

The Texas comptroller is asking lawmakers for $2 billion to fund school vouchers for the next two years, which would double the program’s current biennial allotment. Don Huffines, who oversees the Texas Education Freedom Accounts, wants $916 million to continue funding participating students and $980 million to fund waitlisted students, according to the appropriations request for fiscal year 2028-29 filed this week. Lawmakers set aside $1 billion for the program's first two years. It offers families taxpayer money to offset private education costs. In its first year, nearly 110,000 students are participating, and 106,000 students remain on the waitlist.

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“Comptroller Huffines recognizes the strong and growing demand from parents who are eager to have more options for their child’s education,” the request said. “The agency is requesting exceptional items that will further support greater choice in education.” So far, the office has handed out $270 million to participating students, according to the document. Private schools have received more than $127 million in tuition. Families have spent $36 million through the program’s online marketplace. The program is still awarding students on the waitlist, and families are still confirming their participation. More than 27,500 students have returned the voucher, according to records obtained by the Dallas Morning News through a request. In addition to the waitlist, Huffines wants to give participating students more money. The office anticipates 4,200 students will switch from homeschool to a private school, which would increase their award by at least $8,474.

State Stories

Why Ken Paxton allies are attacking James Talarico on China

There’s one thing Republicans really want Texans to be thinking about as they prepare to cast their ballots for U.S. Senate – China. In the last week, several groups backing Attorney General Ken Paxton have dropped millions on broadcast advertisements that warn about the Chinese Communist Party buying land in the state. In an election where affordability has dominated voter’s concerns, the threat of Chinese land ownership may seem like a random topic. Even some Republican operatives think so, with one calling it the party’s “eighth best issue.” Others see it as an attempt to win back Republicans who aren’t sold on Paxton before the campaign enters its final stretch.

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“It is pretty niche,” said Brendan Steinhauser, a former campaign manager for U.S. Sen. John Cornyn. He said the message is definitely going for the core activist base, but that “Cornyn Republicans also care about this.” Republican enthusiasm dropped after the bruising primary between Paxton and Cornyn. A Fox News poll from July showed Paxton winning about 90% of Republicans when a candidate’s share of their own party is usually expected to be much higher. Paxton was only winning about 80% of Republicans in a Texas Politics Project poll from last month. These surveys also showed Talarico winning significantly more independent voters. “The most recent polling continues to indicate that Republican enthusiasm is lower than expected for Texas elections, and that not all Republicans have consolidated behind the top of the ticket candidate,” said Josh Blank, director of research at the Texas Politics Project. “What's going on right now is not a general election message. It's a message aimed squarely at Republican voters to get them reengaged and to get them mobilized.” Paxton’s PAC, Lone Star Liberty, dropped its first major TV ad buy last week in Dallas and Houston, and it, too, was focused on China. The PAC announced a new, even larger buy this week featuring two ads, one of which also centers on the country.

Mike Miles' charter network Third Future Schools facing layoffs

One of Texas’ most high-profile charter school networks could soon begin laying off staff amid a multimillion-dollar budget shortfall, throwing its future into question just as more and more districts have turned to it to avoid a state takeover. The Texas branch of Third Future Schools, founded by Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles, is facing a $14 million deficit, forcing it to cut many of the 700 new employees it hired this year. The grim budget projection follows years of multimillion dollar deficits and a dire warning by its auditor — issues that might have forced other charter schools out of business. Instead, the nonprofit has seen its footprint more than triple this year, and state officials continue to allow school districts that hire Third Futures to avoid being taken over.

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At a board meeting last month, its leaders said the nonprofit was experiencing the same problem as many of its traditional public school counterparts: fewer students. “As you guys know, districts across Texas are seeing a declining enrollment,” Third Future Schools Superintendent Zach Craddock told board members. “Some of that is passed on to us.” The Colorado-based nonprofit network is far from the state’s largest chain of charter schools, which are taxpayer-funded public schools operated by third parties. But it’s among the most scrutinized because of its ties to Miles, who was brought to Houston under a state takeover, and its unusual role. Rather than open its own campuses, school districts hire Third Future to turn around failing schools using a tool under state law that allows districts to avoid being taken over by the Texas Education Agency. To avoid takeover, districts have to have their plan approved by TEA, run by longtime education commissioner Mike Morath. Morath tapped Miles to lead Houston ISD in 2023, where he implemented Third Future’s rigorous learning model, which includes daily quizzes in core classes and requiring teachers to stick to provided curriculum rather than coming up with their own. The model employs high numbers of staff.

ICE agent arrested in Texas federally charged with lying about Minneapolis shooting, AP reports

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who was arrested in Texas earlier this year has been federally charged with lying to investigators about a January shooting in Minneapolis, according to The Associated Press. ICE agent Christian Castro has been charged with making false statements to federal investigators, the AP reported Thursday, citing a person familiar with the investigation who wasn't authorized to publicly discuss the case. The Texas Newsroom reached out to the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minnesota on Thursday for confirmation and additional information but didn't immediately receive a response. Andrew Mahaleris, a spokesperson for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, referred questions about the reported charge to the Justice Department.

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"State law enforcement stands ready and willing to assist federal partners in facilitating Mr. Castro's arrest if needed," Mahaleris said on Thursday. The reported charge comes a week after Castro was released from a Texas jail amid an ongoing legal dispute between Minnesota and Gov. Abbott over whether Castro should be extradited to face separate state charges. Minnesota prosecutors charged Castro in May with assault and falsely reporting a crime over the Jan. 14 shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis during an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis. Prosecutors say evidence contradicted Castro's account that Sosa-Celis and others attacked him before he opened fire. Sosa-Celis was shot in the leg. Texas Rangers arrested Castro on May 29 after Minnesota issued a nationwide warrant. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz later requested his extradition, but Abbott hasn't approved or denied the request and has questioned whether Castro qualifies as a fugitive. Minnesota sued Abbott in an effort to force him to act, but a federal judge declined to intervene. Castro was released from jail last week after reaching Texas' 90-day detention limit for holding someone while awaiting extradition. The Minnesota charges and extradition request remain pending. The AP also reported Thursday that a federal prosecutor who worked on the case was fired. The prosecutor had previously told attorneys that Justice Department officials blocked an effort to pursue a more serious civil rights charge against Castro, according to previous reporting from ProPublica. But a person familiar with the investigation disputed that account and told the AP that the prosecutor is now under investigation for alleged obstruction of a grand jury investigation.

San Antonio's Greater Chamber taps interim CEO after leadership exodus

Former Frost Bank president Pat Frost is stepping in to lead the Greater Chamber of Commerce until it finds a new chief. The chamber’s current president and CEO, Jeff Webster, plans to retire Dec. 2. Webster announced his move last month, as two other top staffers were also leaving for other opportunities. The chamber’s board unanimously selected Frost to serve as an interim leader at its Aug. 31 board meeting. Frost is a previous Greater Chamber board chair, making an unusual transition to the frontlines of the organization’s policy efforts. He recently played a big role in the Spurs’ Win Together campaign last November, which secured the public funding for a new downtown NBA arena. Greater Chamber Chairman Kevin C. Dinnin said Frost will be volunteering his time while the chamber continues looking for a new permanent leader. “We owe a debt of gratitude to Pat,” Dinnin said in a statement Thursday. “I can’t think of anyone better to lead the organization during this transition.” Webster said he’d spend his remaining months helping help Frost navigate the new role. “As I prepare for my retirement, I am pleased to know that Pat will be assuming the interim leadership of this great organization,” Webster said.

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Texas State Board of Education set to OK anti-Islam social studies curriculum

The 15-member Texas State Board of Education on Friday is expected to approve updated social studies and history lessons that portray Islam in a largely negative light, tying it to violence and slavery. Members have been meeting in Austin all week working through the last high school Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills updates, having completed K-8 changes earlier this summer. Over the course of hours public testimony, speakers praised and criticized the proposals, which also requires students to understand “that important tenets of Christianity during the time of the Roman empire influenced Western Civilization, America, and Texas.”

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Speaker Chuck Allmon said he liked what the board had in mind, including references to Christianity’s role in the nation’s founding and rhetoric against Islam — among the largest faiths in the world. “This is a godly nation, the United States,” said Allmon. “The Supreme Court, 1892, proclaimed it as such. We don't need or want Islam teaching to indoctrinate our Texas school students. All they need to know is how evil Islam is.” Texas school lessons would mention radical Islam, not Al-Qaeda, as motivation for 9-11. They also depict Islam's founder as a warring, military and violent leader and require students to "explain early Islam in terms of the Prophet Mohammed's brutal military campaigns against Jewish and Christian tribes, the normalization of slavery, and the taking of female captives as harem slaves." High school sophomore Hanifa Nayeemuddin recommended the board stop “using a broad indoctrinating term like 'radical Islam’. and explain the history without making students associate an entire religion with terrorism.” She said students deserve to feel safe without getting the wrong idea about an entire group of people. Speaker Bahia Amawi simply called the curriculum discriminatory, saying the lessons are “written intentionally to portray one faith in a positive light while deliberately casting another in a negative one.” The board earlier this year removed a standard that would have taught about “Muslim contributions to algebra and astronomy.” Friday’s vote comes after the board approved a new statewide reading list that includes numerous Bible passages, curriculum Southern Methodist University professor Marc Chancey said “privilege[s]” Christianity over other religions. With 10 Republican members and 5 Democrats, the board is expected to pass the new social studies curriculum. The changes would go into effect in 2030.

The GOP’s game of chicken over Ken Paxton in Texas is getting testy

This spring’s Texas GOP Senate runoff was one of the costliest and ugliest Republican nominating contests in recent history. And more than three months after Attorney General Ken Paxton prevailed over Sen. John Cornyn with President Donald Trump’s backing, Republicans are still struggling mightily to move forward, despite how central the race is to the Senate majority. Pride appears to be winning out over common purpose, as the party engages in a high-stakes internal game of chicken. And things are getting increasingly testy. The big standoff, as CNN wrote over the weekend, is over who is going to help Paxton compete financially with Democratic state Rep. James Talarico, who is raising significantly more money than the GOP nominee.

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Senate Republicans have left Texas out of their ad spending reservations in an apparent ploy to force Trump’s political operation to bankroll Paxton. And the message to the president seems increasingly unsubtle: You defeated an incumbent with a less-electable, scandal-ridden alternative, now you get to make sure he holds this red state. But Trump’s operation has yet to comply. That’s left Paxton outgunned for weeks, with potentially major implications. With two months left, polls show Talarico benefitting from a significant image advantage and the state looking more competitive than it has been in decades. And if Democrats win Texas, they’ve moved themselves significantly close to a Senate majority. In recent days, we’ve seen something rather remarkable: Congressional Republicans have stepped forward to more overtly tell Trump’s operation that it needs to pony up. “We need help from the president,” Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana told Fox News on Sunday. “The president says he has $850 million in his campaign accounts. That’s a lot of jack. I’m hoping that the president’s going to spend $100 or $200 million in Texas, but he hasn’t committed to it yet.”

Independent Jason Wolff stays on Bexar County District Attorney ballot after failed GOP challenge

The Bexar County Republican Party and its nominee for district attorney Ashley Foster tried this week to remove independent candidate Jason Wolff from the November ballot, arguing that widespread problems with how his petitions were notarized should invalidate hundreds of the signatures he needed to qualify. After a daylong court fight that examined everything from Wolff’s TikTok videos to testimony from the people who collected his signatures, a Bexar County judge found that errors did in fact occur in the notarization process — but stopped short of removing Wolff from the ballot. The ruling leaves Wolff in a three-way race for Bexar County criminal district attorney against Foster and Democratic nominee Luz Elena Chapa, though Foster and the Bexar County Republican Party say their challenge isn’t over.

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Foster and Bexar County GOP Chair Kris Coons sued late last month seeking to invalidate enough of Wolff’s petition signatures to disqualify him, while also requesting an emergency order preventing Bexar County Elections Administrator Michelle Carew from moving forward with his name on the ballot. Unlike candidates who secure a party’s nomination through a primary, Wolff had to collect signatures from at least 500 eligible Bexar County voters who did not participate in a party primary or runoff to qualify as an independent. Court records show Wolff submitted 1,147 signatures to the Texas Secretary of State’s Office. The state accepted 710 after checking whether signers met the eligibility requirements, placing Wolff on the statewide ballot certified last Friday. Foster testified that she began scrutinizing Wolff’s signature drive after seeing videos he posted to TikTok. In one, Wolff told supporters they could drive behind his law office and honk their horns for someone to come outside with a petition. In another, posted days before the filing deadline, he encouraged people circulating petitions to bring them to him so he could file them.

Oxfam index puts Texas near bottom for working families, women

Texas ranked 45th among U.S. states for working families, according to a newly released index by global nonprofit Oxfam. For working women, it ranked even lower at 47. Released ahead of Labor Day, the 2026 Best States To Work Index scores and ranks all 50 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico on how their policies support working families through wages, worker protections and the right to organize. Texas was one of five states that scored zero on workers’ right to organize and collectively bargain, bringing its overall score down to less than 15 out of 100. By contrast, California ranked first, earning a total score of over 80 and scoring over 90 on organizing rights.

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For the seventh year in a row, North Carolina sat at the bottom of the index as the worst state for workers, preceded by Alabama and Mississippi. In the current affordability crisis, labor policies such as minimum wage, paid leave and collective bargaining rights are essential to address deepening inequality, according to Abby Maxman, president and CEO of Oxfam America. “All workers deserve robust protections that ensure they can thrive and lead dignified lives, no matter where they live,” Maxman wrote, adding, “The policies we track are essential to the well-being of not only workers and working families, but also to the well-being of our communities and our economy.” Oxfam research shows women and workers of color are overrepresented in agricultural work, domestic work and tipped jobs. This is how they remain disproportionately excluded from fundamental worker protections such as full minimum wage, overtime and the right to bargain collectively, according to the report. Recent “overlapping economic shocks” such as the U.S. war with Iran and federal policies such as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act have compounded the inequities, it added.

Ex-girlfriend of Fort Worth billionaire Sid Bass sues him for $400 million

A former girlfriend of billionaire oil heir Sid Bass claims he backed out of financial promises made to her after he married another woman, according to a federal lawsuit filed this week. The 98-page lawsuit, filed in a New York federal court by Oona O. Sperr, seeks at least $400 million in damages from Bass, and also names Bass’ wife, Althea Viafora Kress, as a defendant. Sperr, 64, and Bass, 84, were partners for roughly a decade starting in 2014, and during that time, Bass bought her a diamond ring worth $2.1 million and the couple frequently held themselves out as married, according to the lawsuit. They owned several expensive properties, including one in Fort Worth, traveled together and “spared no expense on the lavish life” they shared, attorneys wrote.

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At the start of their relationship, Sperr verbally agreed to give up her interior design career in favor of managing the pair’s homes, overseeing renovations, caring for Bass and representing the couple socially, according to the lawsuit. In return, Bass allegedly agreed to provide lifetime financial support and maintenance to Sperr. The couple were so entwined with one another that they shared the same bank account and planned their wills and end-of-life care together, according to the lawsuit. But, as Bass’ cognition and judgment deteriorated due to “excessive consumption of alcohol and early signs of Parkinson’s,” Kress began to groom him with the aim of gaining access to his fortune, attorneys for Sperr wrote in the lawsuit. When the relationship between Sperr and Bass eventually ended, Bass committed to continue providing financial support, care and property to her even though they were separated, according to the suit. Ultimately, though, the promised support was altered “beyond recognition,” and some aspects were repudiated altogether, Sperr’s attorneys claim.

Fort Worth man threatened to castrate Talarico, drag his corpse, authorities say

A Fort Worth man who appeared in August to be furious with the political issue of slavery reparations threatened in writing to kill state Rep. James Talarico, according to law enforcement authorities. Billy McFatridge, 29, has been charged in a state district court in Travis County with making a terroristic threat against a public servant. McFatridge is accused of writing two messages to Talarico, a Democrat who is running for a U.S. Senate seat. Talarico told a Texas Department of Public Safety special agent who is investigating the case that he felt the need to enhance security for future campaign events, especially one in the Fort Worth area on Aug. 21. On Aug. 3, Talarico received an email to his campaign account from a Gmail account of which McFatridge later admitted ownership, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

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The email contained homophobic slurs and crude language. “I will slit your ... throat in front of the world and drag your body through the streets,” McFatridge wrote, according to the affidavit. On Aug. 11, McFatridge sent a direct message via Instagram to Talarico, according to the affidavit. “I will castrate your ... [expletive] and drag your corpse through the streets if you ever suggest such a weak minded idea again ...,” McFatridge wrote, according to the affidavit. McFatridge told DPS special agents that he had no intention of hurting anyone but wanted to scare the representative. In June 2018, McFatridge was accused of stabbing his mother with a spear, authorities have said. McFatridge was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. A grand jury declined to indict McFatridge in the case. Talarico’s chief of staff reported the threatening messages to DPS.

National Stories

Missouri Supreme Court blocks gerrymandered map in major loss for Republicans

The Missouri Supreme Court on Thursday blocked the state’s gerrymandered congressional map from being used in the November election, a seismic ruling that halts a Republican attempt to force Kansas City’s longtime congressman out of office. The unanimous decision found that Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins was wrong to reject a campaign seeking to strike down the map, called HB 1. The ruling also makes it explicitly clear that the new map cannot be used in November. “The secretary and all of those acting in concert with him are restrained and enjoined from implementing, using, or mandating the use of the congressional redistricting in HB 1 for the November 2026 general election,” Judge Ginger K. Gooch wrote in the opinion released Thursday.

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The court ruled that the campaign seeking to strike down the map must appear on the Nov. 3 ballot. The map can only be used if voters approve it, the opinion said. The ruling hands a key loss to President Donald Trump amid a bitter fight for control of Congress this year. Missouri Republican lawmakers redrew the map last year under pressure from the Trump administration. But hundreds of thousands of Missourians fought back. A campaign called People Not Politicians used a referendum, a mechanism for direct democracy that allows citizens to challenge laws, and collected more than 305,000 signatures to force a statewide vote on the map. Thursday’s ruling marked the culmination of that fight, making Missouri the first state in the country to use a referendum to block a Trump-backed map. The campaign survived a series of attacks from state officials and months of court battles to reach the Nov. 3 ballot. “BOOOOOOOMMMM!!!!!!,” Chuck Hatfield, an attorney for the referendum campaign, wrote on social media after the ruling came down. Now, the decision is poised to scramble the upcoming November election. Missouri already held primary elections using the new map. Attorney General Catherine Hanaway, a Republican whose office defended the map in court, vowed to file an emergency motion with the U.S. Supreme Court to challenge the decision.

Maryland Supreme Court says redistricting ballot question can go to voters

A proposed ballot question that could set new standards for the way congressional maps are drawn in Maryland will go to voters in November, the Supreme Court of Maryland ruled Thursday evening. The order from a divided high court overturned two lower courts that had sided with state Republicans who challenged the proposed amendment to the Maryland Constitution. The Thursday evening order came as an end-of-the-day deadline to finalize the ballot for printing approached.

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The decision was anything but a full-throated victor for legislative Democrats who muscled the bill and a legally faulty question through a two-day special session. Even so, the end result is voters will be asked to weigh in on the proposed change this fall. In an eight-page order written for the majority, Chief Justice Matthew J. Fader agreed with judges in Anne Arundel and Dorchester counties who ruled that the ballot question as written by the Maryland General Assembly “is misleading and therefore violates due process requirements.” In particular, Fader said the majority found fault with the question’s reference to “applicable federal laws” as the criteria for determining congressional boundaries.

Southeastern Conference sues LSU, Lane Kiffin

The Southeastern Conference is suing Louisiana State University (LSU) and its head football coach Lane Kiffin for what it contends is an effort to bring former NFL players to the school and gain an unfair competitive advantage over other schools. The LSU Tigers waged what the conference says is “a deliberate and coordinated campaign to recruit professional athletes to play football for LSU during the 2026-27 season, including players who had signed NFL contracts with the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.”

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“Numerous reports have shown that at least two of these professional athletes are on campus and actively practicing with LSU’s football team,” the conference wrote as part of its suit, filed in Alabama and assigned to U.S. District Judge Annemarie Axon, who was appointed by President Trump. “Defendants have also expressed their unequivocal intent to place those athletes on LSU’s official football roster and allow them to participate in football games during the upcoming season,” the conference added. The suit comes as a Louisiana judge was set to rule Thursday on a temporary injunction involving LSU’s football program that could clear the way for a number of players who were cut by NFL teams this fall to play for the Tigers this fall. The Southeastern Conference has previously said it would consider sanctioning LSU over the effort to recruit former professional players, floating options that included potentially expelling it from the conference. It also comes as Congress works to pass legislation that would grant the NCAA and its member schools antitrust protection and cap the amount of times an athlete can transfer between schools and earn through name, image and likeness endorsement money.

Pentagon temporarily rescinds guidance on testosterone screening for US troops

The Pentagon ?is temporarily rescinding recently published clinical guidance for a new, mandatory testosterone deficiency screening policy for service members aged 30 and ?older, a U.S. official told Reuters on Thursday. On Wednesday, the Pentagon posted the "Clinical Guidance for Health and Human Performance Optimization" on its website. By Thursday, the memo and an accompanying statement from spokesperson Sean Parnell had been removed. Keep up with the latest medical breakthroughs and healthcare trends with the award-winning Reuters Health Rounds newsletter. Sign up here. "The draft (document) published on September 2, 2026, has been temporarily rescinded to allow for updates," the official said, adding that interim guidance remains ?in effect.

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Reuters was first to report the guidance being rescinded. The detailed clinical guidelines had laid out separate testosterone deficiency screening paths for ?men and women that were to happen during their annual health assessments. The guidance was set to take effect immediately, and ?the Pentagon said it is aimed at improving military readiness by identifying and managing hormonal and energy-availability issues. A "Page Not Found" banner appeared on ?websites for both the Pentagon and Defense Health Agency when clicking on the links for the memo and statement. Wednesday's guidance said men aged 30 and older ?would be screened through a questionnaire that could then trigger a blood test for testosterone levels and, if needed, testosterone hormone therapy. Women would also be screened through a questionnaire and could then move to treatment for conditions related to hormonal imbalance that can manifest as Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport, or REDs. Testosterone hormone therapy is advised only for ?Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder, which is characterized by a distressing level of low sexual interest.

Jaw-dropping reason Fox abruptly fired Maria Bartiromo revealed

Fox News fired one of its top stars due to a shady betrayal. Maria Bartiromo, 58, was fired from the network on Thursday because she had informed the White House about Fox’s secret instructions to not promote President Donald Trump’s election conspiracies on the air, according to Status. The particular incident happened in July following the president’s primetime address to the nation, in which he claimed that China had interfered in the 2020 presidential election. Status reported that Fox News had issued written instructions to senior employees to steer their coverage of Trump’s address away from his false claims, which the network largely abided by—to the White House’s surprise.

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However, the outlet said Trump or a White House official pressed Bartiromo about the lack of coverage of Trump’s claims, and she revealed that her bosses had ordered the claims not to be covered. She even shared the text message that relayed the network’s guidance with the White House. Disclosing the network’s confidential information violated her employment agreement, Status reported. The Daily Beast has reached out to Fox News for comment. The bombshell update comes only hours after Fox announced Bartiromo’s departure from the network without explanation.

Former Labor Secretary stoked dysfunction and toxicity, Department report finds

Former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer violated department policy repeatedly, a report released on Thursday by the department’s internal watchdog said, including tolerating harassment, spending public money on personal travel and conducting an “inappropriate relationship” with a member of her security detail. The 40-page report revealed new details of the dysfunction and toxicity at the top of the Labor Department under Ms. Chavez-DeRemer, who resigned in April after one year in the job as scandals and investigations closed in. More than three dozen witnesses described working in the secretary’s office as “toxic, intimidating and humiliating,” the department’s inspector general, Anthony D’Esposito, wrote.

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The report followed a monthslong investigation into a whistle-blower’s allegations of misconduct by Ms. Chavez-DeRemer and her aides. The claims included that she was having an affair with a member of her security team, that she and her aides abused younger women on the staff and that they flouted federal spending limits on trips that mixed business and pleasure, including on fancy hotels, S.U.V. rentals and strip clubs. Ms. Chavez-DeRemer did not respond to a message seeking comment. She recently started a national political action committee aimed at electing Republicans who support organized labor. The report closes an embarrassing chapter for the department. Its acting leader, Keith Sonderling, is awaiting Senate confirmation to become the next secretary. Ms. Chavez-DeRemer, 58, served in local government in Happy Valley, Ore., before being elected to the U.S. House in 2022. Her father was a Teamster, and she had support from organized labor. Ms. Chavez-DeRemer lost her re-election bid in November 2024. Sean O’Brien, president of the Teamsters union, who had spoken at the 2024 Republican National Convention, urged President Trump to choose her as labor secretary. She took office in March 2025.

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