April 24, 2026: All Newsclips

Lead Stories

Dallas police change ICE policy after Abbott threatens to pull public safety, FIFA funding

The Dallas Police Department changed its immigration policy Thursday in response to pressure from Gov. Greg Abbott. The new rules affirm police officers are allowed to provide enforcement assistance to immigration officers, ask a detained or arrested person’s immigration status and share that status with ICE. The change includes removing a provision that prevented officers from detaining someone longer to investigate the person's immigration status or contact ICE. Under the original policy, an officer was required to release someone after they had been processed for the initial reason they were stopped. The change came after Gov. Greg Abbott threatened in a letter to pull nearly $90 million in state funding if the police department did not change General Order 315.04, which outlines how officers can handle immigration.

click here for more

That funding includes more than $55 million in security funding for the FIFA World Cup — which is less than two months away — and more than $32 million in public safety grants. City Manager Kimberly Tolbert responded in a letter Thursday the changes align DPD policy with state law while maintaining trust with the community. “Although your letter does not specifically identify the portions of General Order 315.04 you find problematic, DPD has completed a review of General Order 315.04 and has revised certain provisions in the general order to further clarify DPD's continued compliance with state law regarding immigration enforcement,” Tolbert wrote. Abbott wrote in his letter General Order 315.04 violates a certification Tolbert agreed to last year as a condition to receive a $32 million public safety grant. Abbott took issue with parts of the order that made it voluntary for police to ask someone about their immigration status or inform ICE about that status. He also targeted the part of the order that prevented Dallas officers from detaining someone longer to investigate the person's immigration status or contact ICE. Under the order, an officer was required to release someone after they've been processed for the initial reason they were stopped.

West Texas rancher raises alarm over abandoned well blowouts impacting water supply

Well blowouts have become a common sight on land near the Pecos County and Crane County border, causing damage to property, threatening livestock and raising concerns about water. Schuyler Wight, a landowner near the Pecos County and Crane County border, has experienced multiple well blowouts on his property. But after reporting the blowouts to the Railroad Commission, he said nothing has been done. “They’re underfunded, they’re understaffed, they’re undermanned,” Wight said. “They don’t have the personal to take care of it and basically, they don’t care.” These blowouts are leaving an uncontrolled amount of oil, natural gas or other fluids above the surface. Specifically, hydrogen sulfide or H2S, a toxic gas with a rotten egg odor that creates to air quality and life.

click here for more

It can even become fatal if inhaled too much. “When wells are allowed to sit for a long time, rust happens,” Wight said. “Rust causes casing to break down, the cement breaks down, and they break lose and flow to the surface.” Wells also produce saltwater, which Wight said his cattle needs and craves to survive. But with these blowouts, the chemicals are posing fatal risks to both ranchers and cattle. “It can cause health problems for the cattle. They can die from drinking this water,” Wight said. “The bottom line is you don’t want to be eating beef that comes from a cow that drinks produced water do you?” According to Wight, he visited Austin in February and March to speak to the Railroad Commission about this ongoing issue. He said there are over 11,000 orphan wells in Texas with no responsible operator, leaving the state responsible for plugging them. “This orphan well count keeps growing. It’s over eleven thousand now and it just keeps growing,” Wight said. “They’ll never get ahead of it at the rate they’re going.” First Alert 7 has reached out to the Railroad Commission for a statement but has not received a response.

Big Bend National Park could see vehicle barriers, patrol roads under latest changes to border wall plans

The Trump administration is once again planning to install physical border barriers within Big Big National Park in West Texas, according to an updated map of "Smart Wall" projects that now shows plans for a "vehicle barrier system" and "patrol roads" in the park. The change appeared on a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) website sometime Tuesday, and came just weeks after CBP backed away from plans for border barriers in the national park in favor of a "detection technology" only project. A CBP spokesperson did not immediately comment on the change. It was first noticed by anti-wall advocates who are closely monitoring the agency's border wall projects map.

click here for more

"As we've warned – the map can and will change with no public notice, no Congressional approval, no nothing," Laiken Jordahl, an advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, wrote in a post on X noting the updated map. It's not clear whether the vehicle barriers would be temporary or permanent. As of Wednesday morning, the CBP map showed a new plan for 17 miles of "vehicle border barriers" along different segments of the Rio Grande within the national park. The map shows the vehicle barriers would go up at a river access point near Lajitas on the park's western boundary and near the remote Mariscal Canyon area within the park, among other locations. The updated map also shows CBP is now planning to build vehicle barriers along the border across southeastern Brewster County and through Terrell County to the Del Rio area. Some stretches of the project would be built a few miles north of federally protected portions of the Rio Grande. In addition to the vehicle barriers, CBP on Tuesday added plans for "patrol roads" across the southern portions of Big Bend National Park and neighboring Big Bend Ranch State Park.

Rowlings, West Virginia U.S. Senator feud over The Greenbrier Resort

The billionaire Dallas family who owns the Omni hotel chain and a sitting U.S. senator have fired the opening salvos in a contentious legal feud over the fate of West Virginia’s “crown jewel” — the landmark Greenbrier Resort. Robert and Blake Rowling, the father-son duo who lead Omni Hotels’ parent company TRT Holdings, purchased the first lien debt on assets, including the resort, for nearly $290 million. They’ve asked a federal court to take control of the resort away from Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., who has owned it since 2009. Facing a request to turn over property, the Justice family is fighting back. They’ve filed a lawsuit in a West Virginia court, accusing the Rowlings and others of conspiring to seize the historic resort by “unlawful and deceptive means.”

click here for more

The parties met at The Greenbrier earlier this month, but they reached no agreement regarding Justice’s debt. The deadlock sets the stage for legal proceedings, and the issues may not be resolved for years. A federal judge will hear evidence May 11 to determine if the Justice family must turn over the 11,000-acre luxury property to a third party, or hold off until a state court rules on Justice’s lawsuit. Attempts to contact representatives for the Justice family were not returned before publication. “I don’t foresee a partnership coming together after the way the first meeting went,” Blake Rowling told The Dallas Morning News in a recent interview. “It was not fruitful. …We bought a piece of debt. If we get paid off, we’re no longer a lender, which is fine. But at this point, they’re in breach of the forbearance agreement. We’re moving forward with the rights we have.”

State Stories

Talarico hopes to bolster Black support after defeating Crockett

Sheniqua Jones hoped her March 3 vote would help make history, sending U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett to the Senate as the first Black woman nominee from Texas. When state Rep. James Talarico won instead, it left many of Crockett’s Black supporters wrestling with disappointment, even as they look toward November. “As a Black woman, it feels like voters think we can’t run the country,” Jones said. “We are needed in today’s world and one day we’ll win these races, if we are allowed.” Now Jones, 40, a mother and small business owner, said she’s willing to give Talarico a chance, but only if he connects with what matters most to voters like her. “He has to speak to the issues that we care about,” she said. “That’s how to get more people on his side.”

click here for more

That’s the case Talarico now has to make. To win in November, he must maximize Democratic turnout in a state where Republicans still hold the advantage, starting with Black voters, the party’s most reliable base. That may not come easily. Talarico’s victory over Crockett left hard feelings among many of her backers in North Texas and beyond. In the primary, some of Talarico’s supporters said Crockett’s combative style wouldn’t work statewide, clashing with Democrats who saw her as the kind of fighter needed to take on President Donald Trump. At the Dallas County Democratic Party Convention last month, Talarico struck a conciliatory tone. “To the congresswoman’s supporters, I know I wasn’t your first choice, but I hope to earn your trust and earn your support,” he said. Party leaders say words alone won’t be enough.

HISD board of managers votes to fire union leader after hearing

Houston ISD's appointed board of managers voted Thursday to terminate a teacher union leader even though an independent hearing examiner initially recommended that the district reinstate the longtime educator. All six members who were present voted in favor of terminating Michelle Williams, president of the Houston Education Association and third grade teacher. The attorneys' arguments showed that questions went beyond the individual case, such as whether a teacher can deviate from the curriculum, including when they believe it is necessary to accommodate student needs. The board's decision goes against a February recommendation from a state-appointed independent hearing examiner, who found that Williams was wrongfully terminated after a two-day hearing.

click here for more

The examiner decided HISD "did not provide a preponderance of credible, admissible evidence" and therefore "has not established any of the reasons for the proposed termination" with enough evidence. But Wednesday night, HISD submitted a brief to the board, asking members to approve a modified recommendation that would reverse the examiner's recommendation to mean there was sufficient evidence to fire Williams, said Williams' attorney, Giana Ortiz. She questioned how the board could make that change after the independent examiner found no wrongdoing. "We're going to be exploring that and really diving into what they've asked," Ortiz said. "Because we just got it last night. And so we've not had a chance to fully digest it, nor has the board." HISD's outside attorney, Ellen Spalding, said Williams' case was about whether a teacher can opt not to use HISD's instructional model. Spalding pointed out that Benbrook's accountability rating dropped, requiring the adoption of the district's curriculum.

Austin ISD is under state investigation for celebrating Pride Week

The Texas Education Agency launched an investigation into the Austin Independent School District for celebrating its annual Pride Week. A TEA spokesperson confirmed with KUT News the state has opened an investigation, but declined to comment since “the matter remains ongoing.” The investigation comes after conservative State Board of Education member Brandon Hall, from the Fort Worth area, raised concerns in March about AISD breaking the law and working to "indoctrinate" students by celebrating Pride Week. “It's time to defund AISD and criminally investigate Superintendent Matias Segura,” Hall said in a social media post.

click here for more

During an interview with the conservative nonprofit Texas Values, Hall said taxpayers in his district were concerned about state funding going into a district where “instead of focusing on education they are focusing on gender identity and celebrating pride and things like that.” “[If] we don’t stop it in Austin ISD, we are going to see more of this across the state,” Hall said. “We need to make a statement and set an example. We will not put up with you breaking the law.” Hall stated that AISD was not complying with Senate Bill 12. The law passed in 2025 and prohibits “diversity, equity and inclusion duties,” including activities that reference gender or sexual orientation, at K-12 public schools. The law also bans the creation of clubs based on gender identity or sexual orientation. AISD held Pride Week from March 23 to 27 with the theme “beYOUtiful.” Students’ participation was voluntary, and activities took place outside instructional time, including before or after school or during lunch.

Texas Capital beats earnings, gives shareholders dividend

Texas Capital Bancshares is entering a new era, rung in with a new leadership structure and the company’s first ever quarterly common stock dividend. The Dallas-based firm, whose subsidiary Texas Capital Bank is one of the largest banks headquartered in the Lone Star State, announced its first-quarter earnings Thursday, beating expectations. Texas Capital also announced a slate of leadership appointments to facilitate the company’s next phase of growth, having completed its years-long transition into a full-service financial institution.

click here for more

“Success going forward requires us to move from a transformation-focused structure to one engineered for speed of decision making, commercial agility and frontline empowerment,” said Texas Capital Chairman, President & CEO Rob C. Holmes in a release. Adjusted earnings per share were $1.58 in the first three months of 2026, a year-over-year increase of about 70% and better than consensus estimates of $1.41, per S&P Global Market Intelligence. Quarterly revenue, coming in at $324 million, also exceeded estimates. The company recently underwent a transformation into a full-service financial institution, marked by hitting a series of quantitative and qualitative goals it set for itself in 2021 in late 2025. In a vote of confidence in its future, Texas Capital is initiating a quarterly common stock dividend of $0.20 a share, the first such dividend in Texas Capital history.

Former detainees report water price-gouging at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center

Amanda Aguilar is a staff attorney at American Gateways in San Antonio. She represents multiple families detained at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center and said her clients claim the tap water there is foul. “The water that they have smells like bleach and it’s not really drinkable," said Aguilar. “So, for them to have water that they can drink, they have to pay $3 per bottle of water. Or $39 for a 12-pack of water." Aguilar said one thing that's consistent between all of her clients, whether they were detained out of San Antonio, El Paso, Austin, or another check-in office, is that they were all concerned about the water situation. She said it was causing stomach issues for many of them, emphasizing that people who have medical conditions are much worse off than healthier detainees, considering the lack of available medical care at the facility.

click here for more

One of Aguilar's clients spent more than $ 900 in 20 days on water, food, and phone calls. All of a detained person's cash is put into a commissary, and direct access to their bank account is cut off, so they have to depend on friends and family to receive money they need while in detention. Aguilar files habeas corpus petitions and is challenging the legality of initial detention and adequacy of conditions for children at Dilley. She says the only thing they can do right now is sue ICE. "I plan to keep suing them, and hopefully just keep educating people on what's going on there so we can have humanity and dignity for all families," said Aguilar. In a February 2026 news release from ICE, titled "Debunking the mainstream media lies about South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas," ICE Director Todd M. Lyons states that detainees receive "medical care, educational services, recreational opportunities and essential daily living needs." Federal contractor Core Civic operates Dilley. Their website states that the facility gets the same clean?drinking water supplied to the town. Dilley’s water department hasn’t released a water quality report since 2024.

Teen charged in conspiracy to attack Texas synagogue and 'kill as many Jews as possible': Prosecutors

An 18-year-old woman was being held on a $10 million bond on Thursday after authorities alleged she conspired with two men to attack a Texas synagogue and "kill as many Jews as possible," according to court records. The suspect, Angelina Han Hicks of Lexington, North Carolina, was charged with felony conspiracy to commit murder and felony conspiracy to commit assault with a deadly weapon, according to court documents She allegedly plotted with two men to attack the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Houston, Texas, according to court records.

click here for more

"The conspiracy is to kill as many jews as possible by driving through a congregation at the synagogue," North Carolina prosecutors alleged in the court documents. Hicks was arrested on Wednesday in North Carolina and made her first court appearance later that day in Davidson County District Court in Lexington. Two men, only identified as "Angel" and "Teegan," allegedly plotted with Hicks to commit the attack in 2028. The two co-conspirators, according to the court records, have not been arrested and remain unidentified. A Davidson County judge set Hicks' bond at $10 million, noting the two co-conspirators remain at large. "Allowing a co-conspirator a chance to communicate with either of those individuals or those who could relay a message puts lives at risk," the judge wrote in his court order, according to the court documents.

‘Work ahead of us’: New Lake Worth ISD leader shares goals for improvement

Lake Worth ISD’s state-appointed Superintendent Ena Meyers promised to partner with parents, improve community engagement and focus on literacy and math as she steps into the role this week and attempts to turn the struggling district around. Meyers addressed the media hours after the Texas Education Agency announced her as Lake Worth’s next leader, alongside a new five-person Board of Managers to replace the former elected school board. Meyers said her focus right now is making sure teachers know how to teach and keep kids engaged.

click here for more

“We want to look at curriculum,” Meyers said. “What is in front of our students, and what are they learning? And is that aligned to the work that we have to do, the work that is ahead of them? And do our teachers feel supported and able to deliver high quality instructions?” Meyers, who most recently served as deputy chief of strategic initiatives at Houston ISD, also acknowledged that there are numerous parents who believe that state intervention was not the correct course of action for Lake Worth. But Meyers vowed that she will come in and do everything she can to guide the district toward improvement. “I am here to partner with you in the education of our students and our community to improve student outcomes,” Meyers said. “So we want to make sure we are reaching achievement levels for literacy and math.” Lake Worth schools struggled mightily prior to the state takeover. TEA data shows that schools in the district, which has about 3,300 total students, only have 22% of students currently meeting grade level on the most recent STAAR exams across all grades and subjects.

American Air explores Alaska Air revenue-sharing deal

American Airlines Group Inc. and Alaska Air Group Inc. are pursuing potential revenue-sharing agreements and other strategic partnerships, people familiar with the matter said, in a push for scale as the US carriers grapple with higher costs and fierce competition. The idea of a merger was raised as part of the talks around a stronger partnership, but did not get off the ground, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter is confidential. The discussions include adding Alaska into American’s existing joint business arrangements, principally its transatlantic partnership with IAG SA’s British Airways, as well as its Pacific joint business with Japan Airlines, the people said.

click here for more

“As we go forward, we’ll make sure that anything that we do complies with our scope clauses,” Chief Executive Officer Robert Isom said on a Thursday call with analysts. “I feel good about where our relationship is and what happens next.” Alaska Air said it doesn’t comment on rumors and speculation. Such partnership agreements allow airlines to coordinate schedules and pricing on certain routes and share revenue on those flights once approved by the US Department of Transportation. Expanding those arrangements could give American greater reach on the US West Coast and strengthen connectivity through Alaska’s Seattle hub, while providing the smaller carrier with deeper access to lucrative long-haul markets as it pushes global growth.

Kalshi fines Texas congressional candidate for betting on his own race

A Republican congressional candidate in Texas placed a bet on the May 3 primary on an online prediction market platform. Ezekiel Enriquez came in 10th place, and now faces a more than $700 fine. Kalshi, a federally regulated exchange service that lets users wager on the outcome of real-world events, said in a public filing with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission that the Congressional District 21 hopeful risked "less than $100 worth of contracts related to his own candidacy" during the run up to the primary. Under its guidelines, no one who has a stake or "any influence, directly or indirectly," in the outcome may enter into a trade.

click here for more

The filing said Enriquez cooperated with the company's disciplinary panel and agreed to pay a $748.20 fine. He may not use the platform for five years. Enriquez, a Marine Corps veteran who sought to align himself with the policies of President Donald Trump during his campaign, did not dispute Kalshi's account of the matter, but declined to comment further. He was one of three candidates nationwide named by Kalshi who had placed wagers on their own races. Former Major League Baseball player Mark Teixera won the Distrct 21 Republican primary and will face Democrat Kristin Hook, a biological scientist, in November. The Republican-leaning district touches nine counties across the Texas Hill Country, including Bexar and Hays, and covers Fredericksburg and Kerrville. In San Antonio, it includes Castle Hills, Alamo Heights and Terrell Heights, and a small portion of South Austin in Travis County.

Texas leads the nation in utility shut-offs, federal report finds

Texas leads the nation in utilities shutting off electricity and natural gas services to customers who can’t afford their energy bills, according to a first-of-its-kind report released recently by the federal government. The report, prepared by the Energy Department’s data wing, reflects how difficult it has become for many Texas residents to make ends meet as utility bills and other costs have risen over the last several years. Without intervention, Texas’ utility shut-off problem could worsen, especially since the state’s residential electricity rates are expected to keep climbing in the coming years, said Margo Weisz, director of the Texas Energy Poverty Research Institute. “We're seeing a problem that is out of control,” Weisz said. “When you look at what's happening to our rates, and you pair it to (the fact) we’re already No. 1 in shut-offs, it's kind of terrifying, actually.”

click here for more

The Energy Department report was based on data collected in 2024, before electricity costs spiked last year and became a hot-button political issue. Even so, it found that utilities across the country shut off power to households more than 13.4 million times that year. More than 3 million of those shut-offs — by far the highest number of any state — were recorded in Texas. In fact, only one other state reported a six-figure disconnection statistic: Florida, where utilities shut off power nearly 2.2 million times in 2024. As for natural gas, utilities shut off this service nearly 1.7 million times nationwide, according to the Energy Department report. Texas accounted for 200,000 of those disconnections, once again the highest of any state. The high number of utility shut-offs can’t just be attributed to the fact that Texas is the second-most populous state. The Lone Star State has one of the highest rates of electricity disconnection — second only to Oklahoma, according to the Energy Department data. Texas is also in the top third of natural gas shut-off rates nationwide.

Bud Kennedy: Why are Texas, Tarrant officials sponsoring extremist group’s banquet?

Nearly 60 Texas and local elected officials, including 22 judges, helped pay for a recent banquet for a Grapevine-based patriot-movement group that promotes white Christians as superior and says conservative Christianity should be the law of the land. Nine state and Tarrant County officials, including County Judge Tim O’Hare of Southlake, Commissioner Matt Krause of Keller and District Clerk Tom Wilder of Bedford, paid from $1,000 to $10,000 to sponsor tables at the event for the True Texas Project. The group virulently campaigns against American Muslims and Islam and has for years supported Christian rule and opposed immigration and “foreign people.” Only two years ago, some Republican Party officials denounced the group and pulled out of a conference in Fort Worth.

click here for more

Speakers that day warned of a “war on white America” and called for forced “top-down” government under biblical “natural law.” The sponsorships of the recent event indicate how Texas and Tarrant County Republicans have changed under a new administration. Republican state attorney general candidate Mayes Middleton of Galveston was listed in the program as a $2,500 table sponsor for the banquet April 18 at the River Ranch events center in Fort Worth. Other $2,500 sponsors included state Rep. David Cook, R-Mansfield; Rep. Mitch Little, R-Lewisville, who represents far north Fort Worth in Denton County; and elected local District Judge Andy Porter. O’Hare, Krause and Wilder are listed as $1,000 table sponsors, along with Texas Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian, R-Center, and Texas House candidate Cheryl Bean of Fort Worth.

County Stories

Former Liberty Co. housing official arrested again after being indicted on new charge, records show

A former Liberty County housing official was arrested again Wednesday after being indicted on a new charge related to misuse of public money. Klint Bush was released from the Liberty County Jail on a personal recognizance bond after being booked on a misappropriation charge stemming from his time as chairman of the Liberty County Housing Authority. Records show a grand jury indicted him on the latest charge on April 15.

click here for more

He was already facing charges of theft and abuse of official capacity filed in 2023. At the time, prosecutors said he directed $33,000 of CARES Act funds to fictitious businesses. The latest indictment details 14 transactions totaling more than $163,000. Several involve five-figure checks to an entity called Liberty County Housing Dev Corporation, whose bank account, the indictment alleges, Bush withdrew money from. Prosecutors also flagged an almost $12,000 check from the Housing Authority to Liberty Technologies and a more than $16,000 check to an entity called County Healthcare.

National Stories

Karl Rove: Democrats in peril, from Barcelona to Boise

The Republican Party faces problems. The Democratic Party is a mess, too. In September 2018, before Democrats flipped 42 House seats, Gallup found that 44% of Americans approved of the Democratic Party while 52% disapproved. Today, the RealClearPolitics average says 36% approve of the Democratic Party while 56% disapprove. For Republicans, 39% approve and 54% disapprove, while President Trump’s numbers are 41% approve, 56% disapprove. Why are Democrats less popular than Republicans and Mr. Trump? The answer was on display Saturday at the Global Progressive Mobilization conference in Barcelona. The confab of leftists from across the world featured speeches by Gov. Tim Walz (D., Minn.) and Sen. Chris Murphy (D., Conn.). American politicians used to feel restrained in criticizing the U.S. president even if he was from the other party. No longer. Mr. Walz called Mr. Trump “feeble-minded” and “trigger-happy” and described the Iran war as “fascism.” Mr. Murphy called the president “the most significant threat to American democracy since the Civil War.”

click here for more

Those remarks undoubtedly pleased the socialists and progressives at the conference. But they won’t add a vote to the Democratic column. The more the party’s messaging follows the Walz-Murphy line, the less attractive its candidates appear. Anyone who thinks Mr. Trump is a Nazi is already voting Democratic—or leaving the country. If that were a winning message, the party’s approval rating would be more than 36%. Some Democratic leaders understand their party is unpopular, especially in right-leaning areas. So they’re trying different tactics. In four heavily Republican states, Democrats are running “independent” candidates for the U.S. Senate. If the independents win, they’ll caucus with the Democrats like Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine have done. In Nebraska, the state Democratic chairman, Jane Kleeb, is working to keep any Democratic candidate off the fall ballot, and some Republicans allege she is trying to stop the state’s Legal Marijuana NOW Party from running a candidate who would split the non-Republican vote. Her aim is to elect independent Dan Osborn, a leftie who came within 7 points of beating Republican Sen. Deb Fischer two years ago. He’d clearly caucus with Senate Democrats. His chances of winning are probably less than they were in the spring of 2024. Sen. Pete Ricketts won’t be caught off-guard.

U.S. soldier involved in Maduro raid accused of betting on the operation

A U.S. special forces soldier who participated in the U.S. raid that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was arrested and charged for using classified information to bet on the ouster via the prediction market company Polymarket. The Department of Justice announced Thursday that Gannon Ken Van Dyke faces several charges for using insider information gleaned from his participation in “Operation Absolute Resolve.” These charges include unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic government information, commodities fraud, wire fraud and making an unlawful monetary transaction.

click here for more

“Our men and women in uniform are trusted with classified information in order to accomplish their mission as safely and effectively as possible, and are prohibited from using this highly sensitive information for personal financial gain,” acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in the announcement. “Widespread access to prediction markets is a relatively new phenomenon, but federal laws protecting national security information fully apply.” Prosecutors alleged that Van Dyke used information about the operation to make timely bets on Polymarket that netted him upwards of $400,000 — specifically that Maduro would lose power by the end of January. Maduro was captured on Jan. 3. The DOJ announcement alleges that Van Dyke tried to cover his tracks by sending most of his earnings to a foreign cryptocurrency account before depositing it into a newly created online brokerage. He also tried to delete his PolyMarket page by claiming he lost access to his email account.

Up, or down? War scrambles financial markets' signalling efforts

The traditional global asset correlations that collapsed when the war in the Middle East erupted remain broken, leaving investors to piece together strategies to trade the road to resolution with a faulty instrument panel. Record highs for Wall Street stocks belie concerns about fraught ?geopolitics, how long energy supplies might be disrupted for and long-term economic damage. BMO chief FX strategist Mark McCormick reckons the next three to six months will not ?resemble the "pre-conflict normal". "The growth factor is recovering, but remains below late-2025 levels, the rates (monetary policy) factor remains elevated, correlations are shifting, and drawdown risk is rising. Something new is forming," he said in a note. Here's a look at the disruption to classic correlations in stocks, bonds, currencies and commodities that have traditionally provided a steer on economic trends.

click here for more

Stocks and bond yields usually move together, as investors tend to hedge economic growth worries, which hit ?stocks, by buying bonds, sending yields lower and vice versa. That relationship has been more erratic since the pandemic, as higher inflation and government debt undermine the ability of bonds to ?act as a hedge against equity risk. The International Monetary Fund, in a pre-war blog in February, warned that investors and policymakers must rethink risk management for "a new ?era" where traditional hedges fail. Two-year bonds, sensitive to inflation and interest rate expectations, have been in the eye of the storm. The one-month rolling correlation between two-year Treasury yields and the S&P 500 has ?collapsed to around -0.8 from an average of 0.23 over the last five years. Since the war started, that metric is at -0.63. A near-identical pattern emerges for two-year German yields and European stocks. "There definitely wasn't ?a move into sovereign fixed income in March, which, at least at the front end, you might have expected," said State Street head of macro strategy Michael Metcalfe. "This was a hard test for fixed income, because it was an inflation shock and also potentially a growth shock, which doesn't help the long-term fiscal concerns."

What the Trump administration's move to reclassify marijuana means for investors

The Trump administration on Thursday moved to reclassify marijuana under federal law. In a release, the Department of Justice said it will immediately move FDA-approved marijuana products, along with items regulated by a state medical marijuana license, to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act, a demotion from its current Schedule I status. That puts medical cannabis in the company of regulated drugs with recognized medical uses, such as Tylenol with codeine and testosterone, rather than Schedule I drugs, such as heroin, which are considered to have no medical use and high potential for abuse. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will evaluate whether to extend Schedule III status to cannabis broadly — not just to medical marijuana — in a hearing scheduled for June 29.

click here for more

The changes haven’t and will not legalize the drug at the federal level. But for an industry that has historically feared executive authority could deal a major blow to the drug’s legality, the moves are a step in the opposite direction, says Ben Kovler, founder and CEO of cannabis firm Green Thumb Industries. “Since Nixon’s Controlled Substances Act 50-plus years ago, this is the first major step towards opening up the product that’ll make it much more investable,” he says. In the near term, Kovler says, the move could remove what amounts to a huge tax burden on cannabis firms. Over the long-term, continued progress could see pot firms embraced by major banks and brokerages, he says. For now, though, the industry still faces major obstacles that retail investors should be aware of before putting money into pot stocks, says Gerald Pascarelli, a consumer equity analyst at investment firm Needham & Company. “It’s important to note that this industry still has its fair share of challenges,” he says. “For most people interested in this space, stock price movements over the near term are going to be largely dictated by optimism or pessimism around regulatory reform.”

The for-profit education company scooping up millions of welfare dollars

John Alvendia’s for-profit education company seemed to have flopped in West Virginia. The four public school districts that were testing his Star Academy program, which promises to turn around the performance of struggling middle-school students, had stopped using it. One school reported worsening behavior and less improvement in English and math for Star Academy students than for other kids. That didn’t stop West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey from sending more business to Alvendia, who earlier had donated nearly $42,000 to his campaign and affiliated political committees. In January, the Republican governor announced plans to tap the state’s unspent funds from the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families welfare program, called TANF, to expand Star Academy. The deal would pay Alvendia’s New Orleans-based company, NOLA Education, as much as $16 million to put the program in 16 other schools.

click here for more

Elected officials from both parties have steered millions of taxpayer dollars to no-bid contracts for the Star Academy program in several states, records show. Some school districts and state officials have expressed misgivings about the program’s cost and effectiveness. Wall Street Journal interviews with local officials and an examination of school performance data show Alvendia and his company have overstated its results in some of those places, including claims it freed an Arkansas school district from state oversight and boosted a Chicago area school’s graduation rate by 65 percentage points. NOLA Education said since 2018 it has operated in more than 150 sites, which typically pay $1 million for the program. It is one of many for-profit companies that have carved out businesses vowing to help turn around troubled public schools, often by tapping public money. “We’ve got a lot of kids out there that are in very high-poverty areas with no hope,” Alvendia said in an interview. “And we’re bringing hope to these kids.” He said his company’s own data on the schools where Star Academy operates shows his program works.

Trump’s dreams for a battleship led to his Navy Secretary’s ouster

President Trump wanted one thing, more than anything else, from his secretary of the Navy, John Phelan: a new class of battleships. “They’ll be the fastest, the biggest and by far — 100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built,” Mr. Trump boasted at a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate and resort in Florida a few days before Christmas. Mr. Phelan, a billionaire investor who has a home near the club, stood next to the president as he made the announcement. Mr. Phelan’s job was to deliver the first of Mr. Trump’s battleships by 2028. On Wednesday, Mr. Trump fired Mr. Phelan, who had struggled to come up with a plan to deliver the ships on the nearly impossible timeline that Mr. Trump has demanded, senior defense and administration officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive personnel matters.

click here for more

Mr. Phelan is the first service secretary to be forced from the Defense Department during this administration, though he is far from the only senior Pentagon official to be dismissed. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired or sidelined more than two dozen generals and admirals over the past year, including the Army’s chief of staff, Gen. Randy George, earlier this month. Mr. Hegseth has also butted heads with the secretary of the Army, Daniel P. Driscoll, over promotions and a host of other issues. The churn of senior Pentagon officials at a time when the U.S. military is engaged in war with Iran has alarmed top Republican and Democratic members of Congress. The Pentagon did not respond to questions regarding the circumstances surrounding Mr. Phelan’s dismissal. Mr. Phelan could not immediately be reached for comment. The breaking point for Mr. Phelan, who often said that he and Mr. Trump texted and talked on the phone regularly, came in the last two weeks as the president’s frustration over Mr. Phelan’s management of his prized battleship program grew and Mr. Phelan’s enemies in the Pentagon, including Mr. Hegseth and Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen A. Feinberg, mounted a campaign to force him out.

Teen killed, 5 wounded in Mall of Louisiana shooting

Six people were wounded and one of them, a 17-year-old, died after gunfire rang out in the food court area of the Mall of Louisiana on Bluebonnet Boulevard in Baton Rouge about 1:22 p.m. Thursday. Signi Dreyer, who works at the carousel inside the mall, said she was cleaning when she heard gunshots and saw a gunman “turning in circles and shooting.” She said it appeared the person was “shooting randomly.” “I heard a loud bang and then another loud bang,” Dreyer said. “At first, I thought someone was shooting fireworks in the food court. I turned around, and I saw people dropping to the ground, and I immediately saw the gun.”

click here for more

Police said the gunfire was the result of a confrontation between two groups and not a random shooting. Within hours, authorities announced five suspects were in custody, including one arrested in Livingston Parish. Sheriff Jason Ard with the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office said investigators cannot confirm the person detained earlier in Watson, now identified as Marcus Washington, 18, was involved in the shooting. Ard said Washington was arrested and booked into the Livingston Parish Detention Center after investigators found him in possession of Schedule II narcotics and a firearm. Ard also added that the investigation remains ongoing and questions about the mall shooting should be directed to the Baton Rouge Police Department. Baton Rouge Police Chief T.J. Morse said all six victims appear to have been innocent bystanders and not part of the confrontation. “The incident that transpired today is completely unacceptable,” Morse said.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are learning to love AI

Sen. Angus King was in the middle of a hearing this week with U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright when he pulled out his phone to consult with Claude, an artificial intelligence chatbot that has surged in popularity in the United States recently. King wanted details about wind and solar energy capacity before he pressed Wright on the Trump administration’s decision to cancel renewable energy projects around the country, and Claude, built by the company Anthropic, instantly delivered. “You have to be careful with it, particularly when it’s talking about analysis. But for data, it’s very useful,” the independent senator, who caucuses with Democrats, told NOTUS. “I use it all the time.” King isn’t the only AI-curious member on Capitol Hill, though at age 82, he’s certainly one of the oldest.

click here for more

Many Democrats are warming to AI in a personal and professional capacity despite deep concerns in their party about its impact on job security, the environment, human relationships and society writ large. Progressive critics of the industry, for example, have called for major regulations cracking down on AI and gone on the attack against construction of massive energy-hogging data centers used to power it. In interviews on Capitol Hill this week, over a dozen Democratic senators described how they are actively experimenting with AI chatbots, most commonly Claude, in their daily lives and for help with official duties. Some rely on them in a casual way, using AI as a souped-up search engine to do research, draft memos and speeches, organize their schedule, and even plan their family vacations. Others have relied on AI for more complicated tasks. Sen. Adam Schiff used it to draft a living trust for him and his wife. Sen. Brian Schatz used it to analyze the many nonprofit grant funding requests he reviews as part of his job on the Senate Appropriations Committee. Sen. Mark Kelly went so far as to use Claude to try to build his own stand-alone applications, which is perhaps not that surprising for a former astronaut.

Copyright April 25, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved